Ardrossan Caledonian Railway Station

This article is about a Closed Railway Station in North Ayrshire

Ardrossan Caledonian Railway Station served the town of Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, Scotland as part of the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway (L&AR). The station was the original Ardrossan terminus for this line until the nearby pier station opened two years later. Although the station closed to regular services in 1932, its platforms remain to present day.

History

The station opened on 3rd September 1888 and was simply known as Ardrossan. The opening ceremony for the L&AR was held here, with the first passenger train service also departing here for Glasgow. On 1st October 1906 the station became known as Ardrossan Town, and was later closed between 1 January 1917 and 1 February 1919 due to wartime economy.

Joining the Caledonian Railway, the L&AR was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The station was renamed Ardrossan North on 2th June 1924. Other alternative names for the station were Ardrossan Montgomerie Street and Ardrossan Caledonian. The station closed to regular passenger services on 4th July 1932, however it was reopened for a time within two years when a special return fare price was introduced. The line was taken into the Scottish Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948, seeing use for trains going to Montgomerie Pier and the nearby Shell Mex plant until 1968. All of the track north of the station was removed in 1970, however the spur line from the former Ardrossan Railway to the south remained intact serving the nearby bitumen plant until the 1980s.

Today parts of the station platforms are still in existence, though heavily overgrown. The site of the station building was occupied by the depot for Clyde Coast Coaches. The bridge that passed over the station was demolished in March 2008 and platforms underneath partially removed.

The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald reported the opening in its edition of 7 September 1888.

An event of the utmost importance, in so far as the future of Ardrossan is concerned, falls to be chronicled this week in the opening of the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire line of railway. The occasion was one in every way worthy of being fittingly celebrated by the inhabitants of Ardrossan and the country through which the line passes as well as those who have a direct pecuniary interest in the success of the undertaking. 

On Monday morning (3 September 1888), when we left for Glasgow to join the special train at the Central Station which was to go over the new line, many of the inhabitants were astir, busy decorating their houses and places of business and putting themselves in order, rightly, to celebrate so auspicious an event as the opening of the new line at the entry of Caledonian Railway Company into Ardrossan. 

A contingent of Saltcoats people welcomed the arrival of the train as it passed onwards north of their town through one of the deepest and most troublesome cuttings owing to shifting sand on the line. 

Slowly it steamed on past Parkhouse Farm and under the South-Western line to Kilbride and Largs at the head of Glasgow Street till it glided past 'Wee Dublin' and into the beautiful new station at the head of Montgomerie Street which was reached at 12 25, the train having travelled all the way slowly to allow its occupants getting a good view of the districts through which they passed and there were slight detentions. 

The terminus at Ardrossan is charmingly placed with a fine terrace of self-contained houses each with its own little bit of front garden on one side and the open firth on the west side. Indeed, the whole of the station on the new portion of the line is of a light and graceful style of architecture and is constructed of pitchpine.

 At Ardrossan, the station was finely decorated and crowded with passengers who gave a cheery welcome to the large complement of ladies and gentlemen who left the train to inspect the progress of the work at the new dock.

Station Description

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Line Information

Preceding Station	Historical Railways			Following Station
Montgomerie Pier Line and Station Closed		Caledonian Railway Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway		Saltcoats North Line and Station Closed