Alness

Location type

Station

Names and dates

Alness (1863-1960)
Alness (1973-)

Station code: ASS National Rail ScotRail
Where: Highland, Scotland
Opened on the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway.
Opened on the Dalmore Distillery Branch.
Open on the Far North Line.

Description

This is a single platform station. There is a car park and platform shelter. It is in the south of Alness itself.

The station started with a single platform, the present platform. A second platform was later provided with the addition of an up loop. (Often described as having three platforms, this must be a confusion with the Dalmore branch).

The station building, similar to that at Ardgay, was of two storeys with a canopy supported by pillars along the platform side of the building. The station had a private waiting room at the north end of the main building due to Ardross Castle being nearby (about five miles to the north west). This was the home of Alexander Matheson and later owners, the Perrins (of Malvern and Lea & Perrins), would travel to the castle for holidays.

There was a goods yard to the west, on the north side of the line, accessed from the east. From the west side of the station a branch ran past the south side of the station to Dalmore Distillery.

There were two signal boxes. The south box, at the west end, was south of the line with sidings off the Dalmore branch to its south. The north box, at the east end, was also south of the line and the east end of the loop. Both boxes opened in 1891.

The station was closed in 1960, along with other small stations on the line. The boxes both closed in 1967. The loop was removed and later the goods yard and Dalmore branch.

The station reopened in 1973, partly due to the opening of the Invergordon Aluminium Smelter in 1971. At reopening the station building still stood.

Tags

Station

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
07/05/2023

Facilities

Gaelic name: Alanais


Nearby stations
Invergordon
Evanton
Drumcudden
Newhall
Foulis
Delny
Culbokie
Kildary
Cromarty
Fortrose
Avoch
Dingwall
Alcaig
Nigg
Munlochy
Alness Viaduct
US Naval Base 17
Belleport Pier
Belleport Junction
Clach a^ Mhearlich
Teaninich Siding
Newmills Bridge
B9163 Bridge
Highland Agriculture Works [Invergordon]
Invergordon Harbour
Seabunk Tank Farm
Tourist/other
Teaninich distillery
Dalmore Distillery
Alness Pier
Novar House
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.


Chronology Dates

23/03/1863Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Dingwall to Invergordon opened. Stations opened at Fowlis, Novar, Alness and Invergordon.
13/06/1960Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Alness station closed.
07/05/1973Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Alness station re-opened.

News items

07/05/2023Alness: 50th anniversary of re-opening [Railscot]
22/08/2022Overnight traffic management needed to enable tree cutting on Far North Line [Network Rail]
14/05/2021Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce scion among Highland lairds given railway station private waiting rooms [Scotsman]
22/03/2021Lairds of the line: When Highland landowners had private railway stations and waiting rooms [Press and Journal]
12/10/2011ScotRail introduces more services in winter timetable [Rail.co]

Books


Highland Railway (Railway History)

Highland Railway (The David & Charles series)

Highland Railway Album

Highland Railway: People and Places - From the Inverness and Nairn Railway to Scotrail

Highland Survivor

History of the Railways of the Scottish Highlands: Highland Railway