Glenfinnan railway station
Glenfinnan  | |
|---|---|
| Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Fhionnainn | |
|
Facing west along the Down platform at Glenfinnan, showing railway station and museum entrance; November 2004 | |
| Location | |
| Place | Glenfinnan |
| Local authority | Highland |
| Coordinates | 56°52′21″N 5°26′58″W / 56.8725°N 5.4495°WCoordinates: 56°52′21″N 5°26′58″W / 56.8725°N 5.4495°W |
| Grid reference | NM898809 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | GLF |
| Managed by | Abellio ScotRail |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
|
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2010/11 |
 7,402 |
| 2011/12 |
 7,172 |
| 2012/13 |
8,246 |
| 2013/14 |
7,736 |
| 2014/15 |
8,778 |
| History | |
| Original company | Mallaig Extension Railway of West Highland Railway |
| Pre-grouping | North British Railway |
| Post-grouping | LNER |
| 1 April 1901 | Station opened[1] |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Glenfinnan from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
 UK Railways portal | |
Glenfinnan railway station is a railway station serving the village of Glenfinnan in the Highland Council Area of Scotland. It is on the West Highland Line. Glenfinnan Viaduct is about one kilometre to the east of the station.
History
Glenfinnan station opened on 1 April 1901. The station has two platforms, one on either side of a crossing loop. There are sidings on the south side of the station.
The station was extensively refurbished in summer 2007.
Services
Glenfinnan is visited by "The Jacobite" steam trains in summer, and regular trains throughout the year. There are four trains per day to Mallaig and three to Glasgow Queen Street (High Level) plus a fourth to Fort William that connects with the overnight Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston on weekdays. On Sundays there are three trains per day each way in summer, but just one in winter.[2]
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locheilside | Abellio ScotRail West Highland Line |
Lochailort | ||
| Fort William | West Coast Railway Company The Jacobite May–October |
Arisaig | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Locheilside Line and Station open |
North British Railway Mallaig Extension Railway of West Highland Railway |
Lochailort Line and Station open | ||
Signalling
From its opening in 1901 the Mallaig Extension Railway was worked throughout by the electric token system. Glenfinnan signal box, which had 15 levers, was at the east end of the Down platform, on the south side of the line.
On 13 November 1983, the method of working from Glenfinnan to Mallaig became One Train Working (with train staff). Electric token block was reinstated to Arisaig on 29 April 1984, but One Train Working continued to be used when Arisaig token station was switched out. The Arisaig - Mallaig train staff would then be padlocked to the Glenfinnan - Arisaig key token.
Glenfinnan lost its semaphore signals on 13 April 1986, in preparation for Radio Electronic Token Block (RETB) signalling. RETB was commissioned between Mallaig Junction (now 'Fort William Junction') and Mallaig on 6 December 1987. This resulted in the closure of Glenfinnan signal box (amongst others). The RETB is controlled from a Signalling Centre at Banavie railway station.
The Train Protection & Warning System was installed in 2003.
Glenfinnan Station Museum
The Glenfinnan Station Museum is located in the station building, on the Down platform. The museum's exhibits focus on the construction, impact and operation of the Mallaig Extension Railway in the late 19th century. The restored booking office includes the original tablet instruments and, again since early 2012, various artefacts specific to the local area. There is also a changing exhibition of railway photography and a gift shop. The museum is open seasonally.
During 2011 and early 2012, the entire Museum site underwent extensive refurbishment. This included major work to the Original Signal Box; a new external staircase, repairs to cladding and a reference theatre/teaching space installed. The main station building underwent alterations to meet current access requirements and new weather proofing on the roof.
Ongoing work includes rebuilding the link path between the Station and Glenfinnan Viaduct, site of filming for several Harry Potter films, and expansion of the museum archives.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glenfinnan railway station. |
Notes
Sources
- Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
- Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137.
- Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 0-9068-9999-0. OCLC 228266687.
- RAILSCOT on Mallaig Extension Railway
External links
- Glenfinnan Station Museum - official site