Inverurie Works

Location type

Loco shed

Name and dates

Inverurie Works (1903-1969)

Where: Aberdeenshire
Opened on the Great North of Scotland Railway.

Description

This was the railway works of the Great North of Scotland Railway after relocation from Kittybrewster Works. The site is no longer in railway use and is being redeveloped for a number of uses. The works extended to 24 acres.

One is The Sidings Inverurie accommodation.

Another is the Garioch Heritage Centre .

A signal box 'Inverurie Loco Siding' opened for the development of the works in 1898. When in use the new Inverurie station was not yet open. It, the present station, was opened to the north of the original station to serve the new works. The box was on the west side of the line somewhat north of the station at the original connection for the works. The box was on the west side as this is where the works line made a trailing connection. At the time the main line and Oldmeldrum branch ran parallel to each other to the east, continuing together south to the original Inverurie [1st] station.

The temporary box closed in 1902 when the new Inverurie station opened. The new works access was slightly further south and also served the goods yard. A new long headshunt was installed.

Several sections opened at the Inverurie works:

- 1901 Carriages
- 1902 Locomotives
- 1905 Permanent Way

The works had a hooter which could be used to summon the works fire brigade should the need arise.

Late on, North British Locomotive Company Class 21 locomotives were maintained here, having been assigned to Kittybrewster Shed. Staff from the Glasgow works would travel to Inverurie as necessary to due to the warranty agreement keep the locomotives going.

The locomotive portion, and most of the works, closed in 1969.

After closure the works were taken over by Aberdeenshire Council.

Unfortunately the site is no longer intact, although many buildings survive. The stores were demolished in 1982. More significantly the erecting shop, machine shop and boiler shop followed in 1995.

Despite this much remains, though modified
- carriage shop
- wagon shop
- offices

Nearby the Great North of Scotland Railway built housing (known as 'the colony') for the staff who were re-homed from Kittybrewster.

The loco works survives in the name of a football team.

Tags

Works locomotive works carriage works
10/04/2021




Nearby stations
Inverurie
Inverurie [1st]
Lethenty
Port Elphinstone
Inveramsay
Fingask Halt
Kintore
Oldmeldrum
Kintore [1st]
Pitcaple
Kemnay
Kinaldie
Wartle
Oyne
Pitmedden
Port Elphinstone Goods
Don Viaduct
Lethenty Mill
Port Elphinstone Mills
Inverurie Paper Mill
Forest Siding
Kintore Sand Pit Siding
Tom^s Forest Quarry
Tavelty? Saw Mill
Paradise Quarries
Tourist/other
Brandsbutt Stone
Port Elphinstone Ground Frame
Bruce^s Camp
Kinkell Church
East Aquhorthies Stone Circle
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.


First locomotive built at Inverurie


Pickersgill 4-4-0 No 27 was the first locomotive built at the new Inverurie Works, completed in 1909.


Chronology Dates

  /  /1901Great North of Scotland Railway
Inverurie Works - Carriages - opened.
  /  /1902Great North of Scotland Railway
Inverurie Works - Locomotives - opened.
  /  /1903Great North of Scotland Railway Alford Valley Railway Inverury and Old Meldrum Junction Railway Morayshire Railway St Combs Light Railway (Great North of Scotland Railway)
Railcars used on the Alford, Old Meldrum, Lossiemouth and St Combs lines. Bodies for these experimental railcars were built at the Inverurie Works, the steam engines were by Andrew Barclay, Sons & Co and the boilers by Cochran's Boiler Works.
  /  /1905Great North of Scotland Railway
Inverurie Works - Permanent Way - opened.

News items

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