Hunterston Ore Terminal (British Railways)

Introduction

This facility was built to serve the Ravenscraig Steel Works. Coal and iron ore were imported here and trains ran via Hunterston Junction, Kilwinning, Paisley Canal (later swapped to Paisley Gilmour Street), Terminus Junction, Rutherglen, Whifflet North Junction, Mossend North Junction and Holytown Junction to approach the works from the north. The facility replaced General Terminus. With the closure of the steel works, the terminal came to be used for imported coal for several power stations, including Longannet Power Station. After a period of time being mothballed the terminal is being demolished. The low level sidings are used for loading spent nuclear fuel from Hunterston Power Station onto trains.






Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.


High Level Bunker Sidings

This is the junction for the Hunterston High Level Sidings and Hunterston Low Level Sidings. The high level sidings were laid out on the east side of the line and approached from the south. The low level sidings are on the west side and also approached from the south.
...

More details

See also
Largs Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
334034 passes the Low Level line at Hunterston Junction with a service for Largs. Image taken with authorised access to this point in 2003. ...
Bill Roberton //2003
66097 passes the relay room at Hunterston Junction with a coal train from the High Level terminal in 2003. ...
Bill Roberton //2003
A pair of DRS 37s with flasks at Hunterston Junction heading south. ...
Rod Crawford 28/09/2016
3 of 3 images.


A plethora of signs adorn one of the entrances to the now disused Hunterston High Level loading terminal. ...
Douglas Blades 25/06/2019
380 105 passes the sidings at Hunterston High Level with a train for Largs. ...
Ewan Crawford 03/08/2017
A train at the coal loaders at Hunterston High Level, as seen from Millport. ...
Graham Morgan 04/07/2011
3 of 3 images.


37326 'Glengarnock' draws forward (along with an unseen 37312 'Clyde Iron') slowly under the loading bunker at Hunterston high level in 1987. The ...
Ewan Crawford //1987
Looking west to Hunterston High Level loading bunkers around the year 2000. A Class 318 EMU passes on a Largs service. ...
Bill Roberton //2000
Looking over Hunterston Import Terminal. One bunker was for coal, the other for iron ore. In the background the Midrex direct reduction plants can be ...
Bill Roberton //1992
3 of 3 images.





Low Level Sidings and Pier

This is the junction for the Hunterston High Level Sidings and Hunterston Low Level Sidings. The high level sidings were laid out on the east side of the line and approached from the south. The low level sidings are on the west side and also approached from the south.
...

More details

See also
Largs Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
334034 passes the Low Level line at Hunterston Junction with a service for Largs. Image taken with authorised access to this point in 2003. ...
Bill Roberton //2003
66097 passes the relay room at Hunterston Junction with a coal train from the High Level terminal in 2003. ...
Bill Roberton //2003
A pair of DRS 37s with flasks at Hunterston Junction heading south. ...
Rod Crawford 28/09/2016
3 of 3 images.


August 1981 with the BLS 'Ayrshire Wanderer' railtour during a photo stop at Hunterston Low Level Sidings. ...
John Clark 29/08/1981
DRS 66429, on driver training from Motherwell, descends to Hunterston Low Level on 14th January 2022 and is seen at the level crossing on Reservoir ...
Douglas Blades 12/01/2022
Flask train ascending from Hunterston Low Level. 68005 'Defiant' leading with 88002 'Prometheus' behind on 20th April 2021.
...
Douglas Blades 20/04/2021
For the second week in succession there have been DRS driver training journeys from Motherwell to Hunterston Low Level. On a rather dreich Friday ...
Douglas Blades 21/01/2022
4 of 5 images. more


The Hunterston Ore Terminal was built for British Steel Corporation's Ravenscraig Steel Works. Material for the pier was partly brought from the bing of the former Eglinton Iron Works.
...

More details
View from near Largs, looking south along the Firth of Clyde, to the Hunterston Ore Terminal in June 2006. ...
David Pesterfield 24/06/2006
Iron ore carrier 'Enterprise' at Hunterston Pier in 1989. This facility allowed import of iron ore and coal for the Ravenscraig Steelworks and ...
Ewan Crawford //1989
Hunterston Ore Terminal, viewed from the control tower. View looks west. ...
Ewan Crawford //
3 of 3 images.