Lairg

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Lairg (1868-)

Station code: LRG National Rail ScotRail
Where: Highland, Scotland
Opened on the Sutherland Railway.
Open on the Far North Line.

Description

This is a two platform station on the Far North Line. Station buildings remain standing and there is an oil depot siding south of the station (Lairg Oil Depot).

The main station building is similar to that at Invershin (which is now being ruinous).

Both platforms were equipped with water columns, the water tank was located at the north end of the northbound platform.

There was a goods yard on the east side of the station, approached from the south and with a long headshunt.

To the north, beyond the level crossing, was Lairg Quarry, which was rail served.

To the south of the station, on the east side of the line, is an oil siding, accessed from the former goods yard's headshunt. (Not presently in use, 2019.) There were two sidings, one has been lifted. The oil depot is on the site of a turntable, used to turn engines for local trains which terminated here and cattle specials.

A Highland Railway goods shed still stood until the early 2000s.

Signal boxes opened around 1894. The south cabin was on the west side of the line, at the south end of the northbound platform opposite the sidings. The north cabin was at the north end of the southbound platform, not far from the level crossing.

Both boxes closed in 1985, the north box surviving slightly lare in the year as a gate box before automatic barriers were installed. The boxes were replaced by RETB operated from Dingwall.

The station is some way south of Lairg itself, nearly two miles.

Lairg Auction Market was established to the east of the station. There were cattle pens and a loading bank at the station.

Lairg Summit is to the north east of the station.

Tags

Station underused freight facility

External links

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




Chronology Dates

13/04/1868Sutherland Railway
Bonar Bridge (Inverness and Ross-shire Railway) to Golspie opened with stations at: Invershin, Lairg, Rogart, The Mound and Golspie.
07/02/1989Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Ness Viaduct, Inverness, collapses, separating the Thurso, Wick and Kyle of Lochalsh lines from the rest of the network. Dingwall becomes the southern terminus, Muir of Ord closes (although served by a minibus) and becomes a train maintenance depot. Buses operate between Inverness and Dingwall while a new bridge is built. Oil traffic to Lairg is suspended (it does not restart until 2001).
11/12/2001Sutherland Railway
First oil train runs to the re-instated facility at Lairg for the first time in 10 years. The service is operated by English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS).

News items

31/10/2023Passengers hit by rail chaos between Wick and Inverness [Inverness Courier]
11/05/2023ScotRail trains cancelled mid-journey on Far North Line over 'safety inspection' [Inverness Courier]
06/10/2021Network Rail commended for contribution to safe-guarding Hen Harriers [Network Rail]
17/02/2021Battle to clear railway snow drifts could be won today, ScotRail hopes [Inverness Courier]
16/02/2021Snow drifts continue to bring railway misery on Highland routes [Inverness Courier]
15/02/2021Snow drifts up to 50 metres long bury railway lines [Inverness Courier]
11/12/2001Oil returns to Lairg

Books


Highland Survivor