Dingwall

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Dingwall (1862-)

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

Description

This is a two platform station on the Far North Line which opened in 1862. It has a fine station building on the northbound platform with a large glazed canopy. There is a car park and a lattice footbridge over to the southbound platform.

The main building is similar to that at Nairn and Pitlochry. It dates from 1886 and is thought to have been designed by William Roberts. The new building dates from the increase in traffic with the opening of the Strathpeffer [2nd] branch in 1885. The original plain stone building was to the south of the replacement.

A café operates in the main station building and under the glass canopied platform. Tina's Tearoom

Also on the northbound platform, and north of the main building, is 'The Mallard' pub in a timber building.

There are several railway cottages in the station square.

This was formerly a four platform station - a bay existed at the north end on the west side. This was added in 1870 for the opening of the Dingwall and Skye Railway which runs west to Kyle of Lochalsh. This line ran directly into the bay with a crossover north of the station at Dingwall Junction making a connection between the main and Kyle routes. The bay was later used for the short branch to Strathpeffer [2nd]. Also in 1870 the southbound platform became an island platform with an extra face on the east side as traffic increased.

The platforms were equipped with water columns, water tanks were on the east side of the station, just south of the road bridge crossing the station.

To the south of the station was a goods yard, on the west side. The goods yard consisted of a goods shed served by a loop and, crossing this at the north end of the loop, a line to two sides of a loading bank.

After 1870 sidings and locomotive shed, Dingwall Shed, was added to its west, approached from the south via a headshunt. The headshunt of the goods yard and new sidings served a warehouse to the south of the station, beyond the station loop.

The station gained up (southbound) and down (north and west bound) yards. Many of these predated the Great War and a few were added to the up yard for timber traffic in the war.

The down yard, of four single ended sidings, predated the war and was west of the bay platform line at the north end of the station and approached from the north by reversal or south via a headshunt. There was also a looped siding on the east side of the railway, off the island platform's east face line and opposite this set of sidings. The down yard was lifted by the 1960s.

The up yard, four sidings (two before the war), was on the east side of the island platform's east side line. It was approached by reversal from the south or by a headshunt at its south end if approached from the north.

There were two signal boxes. The original north and south boxes opened with modifications made for the opening of the Kyle line in 1870. Both were on the east side of the line, with one at either end of the passing loop. These were replaced in 1896 with the addition of sidings and enlargement of platforms. The north box was replaced with a small shed like building after a 1963 fire. Both boxes closed in 1988 with the introduction of Radio Electric Token Block. The south box, B listed, stood for some time after its closure. Note that a third box existed in Dingwall, Dingwall Crossing Panel Box (see entry). This was on the Kyle line.


Radio Electric Token Block


With the introduction of RETB came the closure of traditional signal boxes on the Kyle and Far North lines. Dingwall became the site of a RETB control room. This was originally housed in a Portacabin on the platform by the canopy, later moving into the ststion building before relocation, in 1988, to the Inverness Signalling Centre.

Boxes taken over included:

1984

Achnasheen East and West boxes.
Garve East and West boxes.
Kyle of Lochalsh Strathcarron East and West boxes.

1985

Ardgay North and South boxes.
Brora North and South boxes.
Forsinard North and South boxes.
Georgemas Junction and Georgemas North boxes.
Helmsdale North and South boxes.
Invergordon North and South boxes.
Lairg North and South boxes.
Rogart North and South boxes.
Tain North and South boxes.

1988

Dingwall North and South boxes.
Muir of Ord North and South boxes.

Local

Dingwall Museum

Tags

Station

External links

NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
06/12/2021

Facilities

Gaelic name: Inbhir Pheofharain
Listing: B




Nearby stations
Alcaig
Conon Bridge
Culbokie
Achterneed
Foulis
Strathpeffer [2nd]
Redcastle
Allangrange
Muir of Ord
Muir of Ord Market Stance Platform
Evanton
Drumcudden
Munlochy
Clunes
Lentran
Dingwall Shed
Dingwall Junction
Dingwall Canal Basin
Dingwall Crossing Panel Box
Dingwall Scottish Oil Siding
Fodderty Junction
Conon Bridge Viaduct
Fodderty Junction Yard
Tourist/other
Dingwall Museum
Sir Hector MacDonald Monument
Dingwall No 1 LC
Dingwall Middle LC
Dingwall No 2 LC
Tulloch Castle
Brae House
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.


Dingwall Plaque


A plaque recalling the Great War on the station building reads:

This railway station was used as a tea stall for sailors and soldiers from 20th September 1915 until 12th April 1919 in connection with the Ross and Cromarty County Branch Red Cross Society during which Period 134,864 men were supplied with tea.


Chronology Dates

03/07/1860Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Inverness and Ross-shire Railway Act received; line to be built from Inverness to Invergordon. Engineer : Joseph Mitchell. Contractor (Inverness to Dingwall) : Meakin.
  /03/1861Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Dingwall to Invergordon contract awarded to MacDonald & Grieve.
11/06/1862Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Inverness to Dingwall opened. (Connection made from Inverness Harbour line to new platforms in Inverness station, new railway makes connection with the harbour line. The Harbour line is becomes known as the Rose Street Curve). Stations opened at Bunchrew, Lentran, Beauly, Muir of Ord, Conon and Dingwall.
23/03/1863Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Dingwall to Invergordon opened. Stations opened at Fowlis, Novar, Alness and Invergordon.
05/07/1865Dingwall and Skye Railway
Dingwall and Skye Railway authorised to run west from Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh.
02/05/1868Dingwall and Skye Railway
Deviation authorised; Kyle of Lochalsh to Attadale not to be built. Attadale to have a terminus and pier. Engineer; Joseph Mitchell & Company. Contractors; J & A Granger (Dingwall to Achanalt), A and K Macdonald (Achanalt to Attadale) and Donald McGregor & Company (Attadale Pier).
19/08/1870Dingwall and Skye Railway
Railway opened from Dingwall to Strome Ferry Pier. Stations at Strathpeffer [1st], Garve, Achanalt, Achnasheen, Strathcarron and Strome Ferry. Loops at Garve, Achnasheen, Strathcarron and Strome Ferry.
26/03/1951Strathpeffer Branch (Highland Railway)
Strathpeffer [2nd] to Dingwall (Fodderty Junction) closed to freight (complete closure).
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).
  /10/2006Inverness and Ross-shire Railway Dingwall and Skye Railway Sutherland Railway Duke of Sutherland's Railway Sutherland and Caithness Railway
Landslips and flood damage close the Far North and Kyle lines between Dingwall and Garve, at Helmsdale, at Ardgay and Watten .

News items

28/12/20234 Highland train services back up and running after storm damage [Inverness Courier]
18/08/2023Explained: why the Mallard now has a concentration camp-like fence around the back door [Ross-shire Journal]
16/08/2023What on earth is going on with the new fence around the back of the Mallard? [Ross-shire Journal]
24/06/2023The Secret Drinker reviews The Mallard in Dingwall [Inverness Courier]
03/06/2023Dingwall - Achterneed road closure flagged ahead of railway track inspection [Ross-shire Journal]
22/03/2023ScotRail services in Highlands between Inverness, Wick and Lochalsh cancelled after train strikes fallen tree [STV]
20/03/2023Active outdoors: Letting off steam on the long-awaited Peffery Way [Inverness Courier]
28/06/2022Trains, tragedies and tanks all feature in new book about Old Dingwall [Press and Journal]
26/06/2022Railway campaign group gets back on track in Dingwall [Ross-shire Journal]
07/06/2022Dingwall on track to host Friends of Far North Line AGM and conference [Ross-shire Journal]

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