Invergordon

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Invergordon (1863-)

Station code: IGD National Rail ScotRail
Where: Highland, Scotland
Opened on the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway.
Open on the Far North Line.

Description

This is a two platform station with a passing loop and car park. The main station building remains standing on the southbound platform. It retains a platform canopy. The platform side features a mural 'The Long Goodbye', by Tracey Shough, commemorating the 4th battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders. The waiting shelter on the northbound platform still stands. Unfortunately the footbridge has been removed and it's a fairly long walk round from the northbound platform to the car park via the Albany Road overbridge.

The platforms had water columns, the tank was to the west, north of the line opposite the goods yard.

The goods yard, at the west end of the station, south of the line, has been lifted. It had a headshunt, goods shed and loading banks. From this, west of the station, was the Shore Branch of 1874 which ran south east to Invergordon Harbour. It was to be heavily used in the Great War (see entry).

There were two signal boxes, dating from 1890. The south box, actually at the west end of the station, was in the goods yard on the south side of the main line. The north box was at the east end, south side of the line, to the east of the Albany Road bridge.

The Invergordon Harbour branch closed in 1971.

Both boxes closed in 1985 when replaced by RETB, with a control room then based at Dingwall.

When the Ness Viaduct was washed away in February of 1989, completley cutting off the Far North Line from the rest of the network, several Sprinters were brought by road from Inverness's goods yard to be unloaded here. A raised section of ramping track was setup at both locations for this purpose. Not long after this use the goods yard was lifted completely.

Invergordon was a source of considerable freight with a number of railheads nearby:
- MK Shand [Invergordon] pipe traffic
- Invergordon Aluminium Smelter - Invergordon Distillery - Invergordon goods itself (parcels, general goods)
- Invergordon Harbour coal, other traffic
- Highland Agriculture Works [Invergordon]
Coal was imported through Invergordon as recently as 1986.

A measure of the decline is that when the Ness Viaduct collapsed in February 1989 it was shortly after a freight train for Invergordon and Lairg had passed over. No freight runs to Invergordon today.

Local

Invergordon Museum

Tags

Station
06/12/2021




Chronology Dates

03/07/1860Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Inverness and Ross-shire Railway Act received; line to be built from Inverness to Invergordon. Engineer : Joseph Mitchell. Contractor (Inverness to Dingwall) : Meakin.
  /03/1861Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Dingwall to Invergordon contract awarded to MacDonald & Grieve.
  /  /1862Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Invergordon station built to Joseph Mitchell's plans
23/03/1863Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Dingwall to Invergordon opened. Stations opened at Fowlis, Novar, Alness and Invergordon.
11/05/1863Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Ross-shire Extension Act passed authorising Invergordon to Bonar Bridge.
01/06/1864Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Invergordon to Meikle Ferry opened.

News items

24/11/2023Car hit by train near Invergordon sparks Highland railway line closure between Inverness and Thurso [STV]
02/09/2023Watch: Easter Ross train station arrivals get unexpected welcome from local schoolkids [Ross-shire Journal]
07/05/2023Alness: 50th anniversary of re-opening [Railscot]
01/12/2022Ecology measures in place following Highland vegetation work [Network Rail]
14/06/2022Railway vegetation clearance planned between Evanton and Invergordon [Network Rail]
30/04/2019WW1's last Jellicoe Express remembered in Caithness [BBC News]
10/10/2017HITRANS Autumn Newsletter [HITRANS]
11/06/2017North Highland rail services confirmed as worst performing [Press & Journal]
11/11/2007Desert Fox photos aided war mural [BBC]

Books


Highland Railway (Railway History)

Highland Railway (The David & Charles series)

Highland Railway Album

Highland Railway: People and Places - From the Inverness and Nairn Railway to Scotrail

Highland Survivor

History of the Railways of the Scottish Highlands: Highland Railway