Georgemas Junction: Having shuttled to Thurso and back 158702 runs in to Georgemas Junction ready to continue on to Wick. In the background the new crane and loading area for the Dounreay flasks are nearing completion and as a result the footbridge has gone and the old platform has been incorporated into the perimeter fence. See image 12679 for the same location in 1989. A few days after this photo was taken two DRS Class 37s with a nuclear flask wagon made a timing run to Georgemas Junction ahead of the Dounreay traffic commencing in earnest.
Mark Bartlett 06/07/2012
Georgemas Junction
Location type
StationName and dates
Georgemas Junction (1874-)Station code: GGJ National Rail ScotRail
Where: Highland, Scotland
Opened on the Sutherland and Caithness Railway.
Open on the Far North Line.
Description
'The Georgemas' is the furthest north junction in Britain and is also a station. Here the lines to Wick and Thurso (accessed by reversal for a train from the south) divide. The station building remains standing, the ground floor formerly having been the offices and upper floor staff accommodation.
Only one platform now remains in use, the southbound platform having been removed to facilitate installation of a crane for loading nuclear material from Dounreay Power Station. The footbridge has also been removed. The northbound platform formerly extended partly down the Thurso branch, (cut back in the 1980s when the platform was extended in the Wick direction) and there was a bay platform for Thurso, out of use and trackless.
The southbound platform was an island platform, the outer face being accessed from the south an leading to sidings on the south side of the line, east of the station. These sidings have been used to unload containers for Safeway supermarket, unload pipes from the Hartlepool Rod Mill for Keiss, and load refrigerators manufactured by Norfrost into containers in recent years. It seems odd to have removed the southbound platform when these sidings exist with space to expand and lay further sidings.
The Safeway traffic was terminated when Morrisons took over the company. The Norfrost factory has closed.
In the V of the junction was the junction signal box and turntable, the pit of which remains, somewhat overgrown. To the south of the station, heading for Inverness was a trolley shed, served from the sidings, and, beyond that, a snow blower.
Water columns were provided on platforms.
There were two signal boxes. The Georgemas Junction box, as above, which opened with the station and was replaced in 1890 when an additional box, Georgemas North, opened (actually at the east or Wick end). Both boxes closed in 1985 with the introduction of RETB control from Dingwall.
The station is at Sibster. It is named for the Georgemas market - Georgemas Market Stance was around a mile to the north.
Tags
Station Junction snow blower blower
| Nearby stations Hoy Halkirk Bower Scotscalder Thurso Watten Bilbster Altnabreac Wick Thrumster Welsh^s Crossing Halt Ulbster Parkside Halt Lybster Mid Clyth | Georgemas Trolley Shed Georgemas Snowblower River Thurso Viaduct [Halkirk] Spittal Mains Quarry River Thurso Viaduct [Todholes] Olgrinbeg Peat Powerstation (here?) Thurso Shed Balloch Railway Cottage Scrabster Harbour Tourist/other Loch Watten North Coast Visitors Centre Thurso Bay Dunnet Bay Cnoc Freiceadain Long Cairns St Mary^s Chapel Crosskirk |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Chronology Dates
| 28/07/1874 | Sutherland and Caithness Railway Line opened from Helmsdale (Duke of Sutherland's Railway) to Wick with stations at Salzcraggie (Private), Kildonan, Kinbrace, Forsinard, Altnabreac, Scotscalder, Halkirk, Georgemas Junction, Hoy, Thurso, Bower, Watten, Bilbster and Wick. |
| /09/1995 | Sutherland and Caithness Railway English, Welsh and Scottish Railway begins to carry south new fridges and freezers (manufactured by Norfrost near Georgemas) from Georgemas Junction to Leyland Business Park. Steel for the products is carried in the reverse direction. |
| 06/04/2000 | English, Welsh and Scottish Railway
Safeway Safeway service extended to Georgemas Junction. |
| 09/01/2003 | Safeway
Morrisons Safeway purchased by Morrisons, leading to the withdrawal of the container trains from Mossend Marshalling Yard to Inverness and Georgemas Junction. |
News items
Books
 Highland Survivor |
