Gatehouse of Fleet

Location type

Station

Names and dates

Dromore (1861-1863)
Gatehouse (1863-1865)
Dromore (1865-1866)
Gatehouse (1866-1871)
Dromore (1871-1912)
Gatehouse of Fleet (1912-1965)

Opened on the Portpatrick Railway.

Description

This was a two platform station with a loop on the single track Port Road line from Dumfries to Stranraer. It was the summit of the Portpatrick Railway at 495 ft.

The main station building, a single storey building with crow step gables later removed at the west end, was on the westbound platform. The 1891 signal box was on its west side.

There was no eastbound platform originally, this was added in 1891 alongside the existing loop. This platform had a waiting room.

The goods yard was east of the westbound platform, on the south side of the line and approached from the west. This served a loading bank. By reversal a goods shed, just east of the station building, could be reached.

The station was some six and a half miles from Gatehouse itself. Due to the distance another station, Tarff, equally (closer to seven miles) as far from Gatehouse of Fleet, was also known, or partly known, as Gatehouse from 1865 to 1871.

Dromore is a mile away to the North North East As the crow files.

The station, box and line closed in 1965.

The station building remains in use as a house and the platforms are intact.

East of the station the line ran past the Clints of Dromore, on the north side, to Big Water of Fleet Viaduct.

Tags

Station

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67




Nearby stations
Creetown
Loch Skerrow
Palnure
Causewayend [WR]
Wigtown
Mains Crossing
Newton Stewart
New Galloway
Tarff
Kirkinner
Parton
Garliestown [2nd]
Millisle Exchange Platform
Millisle
Kirkcudbright
Big Water of Fleet Viaduct
Culcronchie Viaduct
Little Water of Fleet Viaduct
Graddoch Viaduct
Kilmabreck Quarry
Palnure Viaduct
Cree Viaduct
Carty Siding
Carsegowan Munitions Factory
Tourist/other
Gatehouse of Fleet [Town]
Loch Skerrow [Loch]
Cardoness Castle
Cairn Holy Chambered Cairns
Cassencary Quarry Quay
Carsluith Castle
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.


Church Carriage


A grounded ex Caledonian Railway coach at the station served as a hall and church from 1939.

It was replaced in 1965 with an ex Great Northern Railway coach.

The coach survived into the 1970s.


Chronology Dates

  /09/1861Portpatrick Railway
Dromore opened.
01/07/1863Portpatrick Railway
Dromore re-named Gatehouse.
01/06/1865Portpatrick Railway
Gatehouse re-named Dromore for Gatehouse.
01/09/1865Kirkcudbright Railway
Tarff for Gatehouse re-named Gatehouse [Tarff]. Presumably the Glasgow and South Western Railway (who now owned the Kirkcudbright Railway) was competing with the Caledonian Railway operated Portpatrick Railway for Gatehouse of Fleet traffic - for which neither of the two stations were convenient.
01/09/1866Portpatrick Railway
Dromore for Gatehouse re-named Gatehouse.
01/06/1871Portpatrick Railway
Gatehouse re-named Dromore.
01/01/1912Portpatrick Railway
Dromore re-named Gatehouse of Fleet.
05/12/1949Portpatrick Railway
Gatehouse of Fleet closed to passengers.
20/05/1950Portpatrick Railway
Gatehouse of Fleet re-opened to passengers.
14/06/1965Portpatrick Railway Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway
Challoch Junction (excluded) to Dumfries (excluded) closed to passengers. Glenluce, Kirkcowan, Newton Stewart, Creetown, Gatehouse of Fleet, New Galloway, Parton and Crossmichael closed. Challoch Junction to Maxwelltown Factory Siding (excluded) closed to all traffic. On the surviving part of the line Castle Kennedy and Dunragit stations closed.

Books


Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Railways (Library of Railway History)
Rails to Portpatrick (Local History Series)
The Port Road: Dumfries to Stranraer, Portpatrick, Kirkcudbright and Whithorn