Largs

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Largs (1885-)

Station code: LAR National Rail ScotRail
Where: North Ayrshire, Scotland
Opened on the Largs Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway).
Open on the Kilwinning, Ardrossan and Largs.

Description

This is a two platform terminus station which, just to the south, continues as a single track to Fairlie. There is a small, modern, glazed station building on the east side. The station opened in 1885, with the extension of the line north from Fairlie Pier Junction.

At its height this was a four platform station - two on either side and an island in the middle. There were three tracks between the platforms on each side - two platform lines and an engine release line in the middle. Platforms had glazed canopies and there was a large glazed circulating area.

To the south was a goods yard on the east side, approached from the south, with a large goods shed. There was a signal box on the west side, to the south of the goods facilities which burned down in 1985 (there was a temporary replacement).

In 1986 the station was drastically cut back to only the west side. This was in preparation for electrification when the railway was reduced to a single track. The temporary box was replaced by Paisley Signalling Centre.

On 11 July 1995 a train over-ran the buffers and crashed through the station - bringing down the glazed roof. The roof and canopy was removed as a result and station facilities were cut back to a portacabin for a number of years.

Local

North of the station is Largs Pier and Largs Slip from which Caledonian MacBrayne runs a ferry service to the Great Cumbrae, an island a mile offshore.

Near the station, to the north west, is Largs Museum .

Not far north of the station and facing Largs Bay is Nardinis Cafe and Ice Cream Parlour.

To the south is the Largs Pencil, commemorating the Battle of Largs of 1263.

Tags

Terminus station

External links

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




Chronology Dates

  /  /1881Largs Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
Fairlie to Largs authorised.
  /  /1885Largs Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
Line extended to Largs.
  /  /1899Glasgow and South Western Railway
Bill for new line to Largs and purchase of Largs Pier. Line not proven but company buys the pier.
  /  /1986Largs Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
Line singled south from Largs to Hunterston Junction, beyond which both lines were for freight use but only the former northbound line could be used for passenger trains in both directions.
  /07/1995Largs Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
Runaway train crashes at Largs station, passing through the buffers, concourse and station wall resulting in the collapse of the station roof.
  /06/1997Largs Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
Construction of supermarket (Safeway) on the site of Largs goods shed.
  /08/2000Largs Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
A £400,000 reconstruction of Largs station begins with the removal of the circulating area. Temporary provisions were in place after the 1995 destruction of the station by a runaway train.

News items

28/08/2023ScotRail confirms more seats on trains to support Largs Viking Festival [ScotRail]
02/08/2023Ayrshire travel: Largs, Ardrossan train services were suspended [Ardrossan Herald]
21/05/2023ScotRail scraps peak time fare on popular Glasgow service [Glasgow Times]
27/04/2023Controversial axe of 7.42am Largs rail service to Glasgow [Largs and Millport News]
12/03/2023Call to use Largs Yacht Haven vessels to replace CalMac ferries [Largs and Millport News]
12/03/2023Replacement buses on line between Kilwinning and Largs [Largs and Millport News]
23/02/2023Ayrshire - When a train trip from Largs to Glasgow only cost 10p [Largs and Millport News]
22/12/2022ScotRail: Ardrossan and Kilwinning trains cancelled due to power fault [Ardrossan Herald]
24/04/2022Largs and Ayrshire rail disruption to Glasgow [Largs and Millport News]
30/03/2022Volunteers at Largs Station Gardens on right track after pandemic [Largs and Millport News]

Books


Gourock to Largs Coast Through Time

Largs 1895: Ayrshire Sheet 03.12 (Old Ordnance Survey Maps of Ayrshire)

Old Largs

Old West Kilbride