Location type

Station

Name and dates

Gartly (1854-1968)

Station code: National Rail
Opened on the Great North of Scotland Railway.

Description

This was a two platform station. The main station building, two storeys, still stands on the former westbound (down) platform. The building is now in use as a house. The remaining track is by this platform, slightly slewed. An alternative spelling is 'Gartley'.

To the immediate west is a level crossing. Station cottages remain to the east of the crossing.

The small goods yard was on the west side of the line, accessed by reversal.

The line was originally single track and Gartly had a passing place and two platforms. Platforms were linked by a typical elegant Great North of Scotland Railway timber footbridge. Two signal boxes opened in 1888. The north box was by the level crossing, at the north end of the northbound platform. The south box was at the south end of the loop on the west side.

The line from Insch to Huntly was doubled in 1896 and the south box was closed (it remained standing for a time).

The station closed to passengers in 1968.

The line is single track today and slewed to the middle. The line from Kennethmont to Huntly was singled in 1970.

The remaining signal box, formerly the north box, closed in 1973 and automatic barrier installed.

Gartly itself is rather small and the station served a wider area, in Bradshaw of 1911 it is named 'Gartly for Lumsden and Strathdon'.

The Ordnance Survey Name Book describes the station thus

Gartly Station is situated five miles south of Huntly, on the Great North of Scotland Railway, it is a very nice station the houses of which are all in good repair and kept very clean and is the property of the company.

The station is close to the south end of Strathbogie where the line turns to the east to cross higher ground via Insch before dropping down to the River Urie near Oyne.

Much of the land in this area was owned, when the railway was promoted, by Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, who supported the line after being formerly approached in 1849.

To the south of the former station is Howets of Kennethmont Bridge.

Local

To the north east of the station was Gartly Castle (or Gartly Place, with Gartly sometimes spelt Gartley), a tower house castle in which Mary Queen of Scots stayed in 1562. Bradshaw refers to it in his guide, but nothing remains today.

Tags

Station

Aliases

Gartley

External links

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

Nearby stations Kennethmont Wardhouse Huntly Insch Rothiemay Buchanstone Oyne Cairnie Junction Alford Grange Towiemore Halt Millegan Drummuir Auchindachy Whitehouse	Howets of Kennethmont Bridge Leith Hall East Drive Bridge Kennethmont Summit Wardhouse Drive Bridge Mungo Timber Siding Deveron Viaduct Tourist/other Gartly Castle Leith Hall Ardmore Distillery Wardhouse [House] Huntly Castle St Mary^s Kirk Auchindoir Picardy Symbol Stone Hill of Dunnideer Avochie Signal Box
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.