Inches

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Inches (1874-1964)

Opened on the Muirkirk Branch (Caledonian Railway).

Description

This was a two platform station with a loop on a single track line. The main station building was on the eastbound platform with the signal box at the east end of that platform.

There was a goods yard on the north side, served from the east. It was on the north bank of the Douglas Water.

It was built at Monksfoot Bridge on the site of Inches farm which was demolished to make way for the line. There was no town here, not real population largely it was a loop on the single track railway serving a large area. Although Glespin Colliery was to the east the village of Glespin had yet to develop.

In 1903 a branch was opened to Kennox No 7 Colliery (Carmacoup). The connection was made at the west end of the station, running south of the platforms, running east to the colliery which was at a lower level and on the south bank of the Douglas Water.

The station and line closed in 1964.

Little remains of the station except for the station cottage and a large concrete bridge on the former colliery line. There has been landscaping and the A70 has been realigned from north of the cottage to south of it cutting through the station site and obliterating its remains.

An opencast coal mine operated on the site of the former collieries but the line was not re-opened.

There is an old joke, 'What are the two closest together stations? Glenbuck and Douglas West, there's only Inches between them.'

Tags

Station

External links

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




Chronology Dates

  /  /1901Muirkirk Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Carmacoup branch, from Inches serving Kennox No 7 Colliery (Carmacoup) authorised. The Glasgow and South Western Railway is granted running powers.

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