Inverurie: Looking south across the platforms at Inverurie in November 2006. The recent refurbishment and repainting work included the footbridge.
John Furnevel 06/11/2006

Inverurie

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Inverurie (1902-)

Station code: INR National Rail ScotRail
Where: Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Opened on the Great North of Scotland Railway.
Opened on the Inverury and Old Meldrum Junction Railway.
Open on the Aberdeen to Inverness.

Description

This is a two platform station with a large granite built single storey station building on the westbound platform. The station has a large car park. The station building has something of the appearance of distilleries to its design, with a ventilator (or is it a cupola?)! Internally the building has fine dark stained wood panelling. One room was the private waiting room of the Earl of Kintore (whose seat is Keith Hall near Inverurie).

The line to Aberdeen has recently (2019) been returned to double track and semaphore signalling replaced with coloured lights. To the west of the station is a reversing spur, a continuation of the westbound line, allowing local trains from Aberdeen to change direction or take refuge from a longer distance train. There are a pair of crossovers, one to take the line down to a single track going west and the other to allow a train from the siding to return to Aberdeen.

This was the second station in Inverurie, opening around the time the Inverurie Works opened (1901) along with its associated houses. The older station Inverurie [1st] was further south and on a cramped site, this station was closer to the works and the point of diversion of the branch to Oldmeldrum.

The line was doubled before the station opened, in 1882, between Kintore [1st] and Inveramsay.

Prior to opening there was a signal box here for the construction of the nearby works, 'Inverurie Loco Siding'. This box closed in 1902 when replaced by the new station's signal box (initially called 'Inverurie New Station' renamed simply 'Inverurie' after 1903 when the box at the old station closed).

Both platforms were heavily canopied and there was a bay platform at the north end, east side of the line, for the branch. Three tracks ran through the station, the centre line being a bypass which has been lifted. The main station building had a canopy over the road entrance.

The Oldmeldrum branch closed to passengers in 1931. It closed altogether in 1966.

The line east to Dyce and west to Insch was singled in 1969.

The goods yard was on the west side of the station, approached from the north. The locomotive works was slightly further north again.

The Cocoworks is based in the station building. (The name is a play on the nearby former locomotive works).

The Great North of Scotland Railway ran a bus service from Aberdeen (Schoolhill) which continued on to Chapel of Garioch.

After closure of the Buchan line concrete coated pipes which were previously transported from MK Shand [Invergordon] to Maud were transferred to Inverurie.

Local

Nearby the former Inverurie Works is being redeveloped for a number of uses.

The Sidings Inverurie accommodation.

Garioch Heritage Centre .

https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/local/50-tonne-granite-roll-craned-into-position-at-north-east-heritage-centre/

Tags

Station

External links

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

Facilities

Gaelic name: Inbhir Uaraidh
Listing: B




Chronology Dates

  /  /1805Aberdeenshire Canal
Opened from Port Elphinstone, Inverurie, to Aberdeen Harbour. The Great North of Scotland Railway later used its course for its line between Port Elphinstone and Aberdeen Waterloo.
12/09/1854Great North of Scotland Railway
Huntly to Aberdeen Kittybrewster opened to freight. Passing places at: Aberdeen Kittybrewster, Kintore [1st], Inverurie, Insch and Huntly.
10/02/1902Great North of Scotland RailwayInverury and Old Meldrum Junction Railway
Inverurie (New) station opened further north. The new larger station had a bay platform for the Old Meldrum trains.
02/11/1931Inverury and Old Meldrum Junction Railway
Old Meldrum to Inverurie closed to passengers.
03/01/1966Inverury and Old Meldrum Junction Railway
Old Meldrum to Inverurie closed to freight.
30/11/1969Great North of Scotland Railway
Inverurie to Kintore to Dyce singled.
07/12/1969Great North of Scotland Railway
Insch to Inveramsay to Inverurie singled.
  /03/2000Great North of Scotland Railway
Railtrack and First Engineering oppose construction of a supermarket alongside the railway at Inverurie citing trespass. (Construction went ahead.)
  /11/2001Great North of Scotland Railway
Inverurie signal box outside refurbished.
12/02/2004Great North of Scotland Railway
Derailment at Inverurie. Rear of Aberdeen to Inverness train derails at south end.
  /03/2008Great North of Scotland Railway
Aberdeenshire Council asks for details of a possible new Kintore station and loop (to split the 14 miles of single track between Dyce and Inverurie).

News items

03/11/202315 per cent reduction in train services to Inverurie - but still no signs of a new timetable [Grampian Online]
28/10/2023Inverurie trains to be cut by the dozen to boost links between Aberdeen and Glasgow [Press and Journal]
18/05/2023Aberdeenshire Council projects shortlisted in coveted Scottish Transport Awards [The Scotsman]
07/03/2023Crossing failure leads to rail disruption in the north-east [Grampian Online]
19/11/2022Social media images show scale of River Don flooding as trains from Aberdeen to Inverness resume [Press and Journal]
18/11/2022Heavy rain and flooding brings travel disruption [BBC News]
18/11/202212 pictures as amber weather warning extended as flooding causes chaos across Scotland [Scotsman]
21/04/2022Model of perfection: Relive lost age with delightful recreation of Oldmeldrum to Inverurie railway line [Press and Journal]
12/04/2022Yes we canal: Generous bequest allows painstaking conservation work on historic Aberdeenshire boat to begin [Press and Journal]
31/03/2022New exhibition looks at Inverurie's railway history [Grampian Online]

Books

150 Years of the Great North: Tales of the Little But Good
A History of the Great North of Scotland Railway

Banff, Moray and Nairn's Lost Railways

Great North Memories: Aberdeen No. 2: Scenes of the North East's Own Railway

Great North Memories: LNER Era, 1923-47

Great North of Scotland Railway (History of the Railways of the Scottish Highlands, vol. 3)

Great North of Scotland Railway Album

Great North of Scotland Railway Album

Great North of Scotland Railway Carriages

Great North of Scotland Railway Locomotives

History of the Railways of the Scottish Highlands: Great North of Scotland Railway v. 3
LNER Wagons: Volume 3: Scottish Area: Ex North British and Ex-Great North of Scotland Railway Wagons
Modelling the Great North of Scotland Railway
Moray Coast Railways
Scotland’s Lost Branch Lines: Where Beeching Got It Wrong

Signalling and Signal Boxes along the North British Railway, Great North of Scotland Railway and the CLC Routes

Speyside Railways: Exploring the Remains of the Great North of Scotland Railways and Its Environs

The Great North of Scotland Railway - A New History

The Travellers Joy: The Story of the Morayshire Railway