Moniaive railway station

Moniaive
Location
Place	Moniaive
Area	Dumfries and Galloway
Operations
Original company	Cairn Valley Railway
Pre-grouping	Glasgow & South Western
History
1 March 1905	Opened
4 July 1949	Closed to all traffic
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
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Moniaive (Grid reference NX 77929 90735).is the closed station terminus of the Cairn Valley Light Railway (CVR) branch, from Dumfries. It served the rural area of Moniaive in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

History

An interior view of the old station master's office^[1]

The official opening day was 28 February 1905, accompanied by much local celebration, the first train of six corridor coaches being hauled by a Manson 4-4-0, Number 190.^[2] The journey to Dumfries took an hour and cost 2s. 6d. return fare.^[3] Archibald Wilkie from Kirkconnel station was Moniaive's first station master, replaced by George MacDonald whose last charge had been Ruthwell station.^[4]

From 1906 to 1907 a bus ran from Thornhill to Moniaive to cater for prospective passengers, however it was not a success.^[5] The CVR was nominally independent, but was in reality controlled by the Glasgow and South Western Railway.^[6] The line was closed to passengers on 3 May 1943, during WW2^[7] and to freight in 1949 on 4 July,^[8] and the track lifted in 1953. 1947 is also quoted as a date of complete closure.^[6] Moniaive had been one of the last places in Scotland to be connected to the railway network.

Home and starting banner signals were used, electrically controlled, for each direction.^[9] Trains were, at that time uniquely, controlled by a development of the Syke's 'lock and block' system whereby the trains operated treadles on the single line to interact with the block instruments.^[6][10]

The station building was extended to provide the station master with his own office in October 1916.^[11]

During WW2 large numbers of Norwegian troops travelled to and from Moniaive whilst encamped nearby.^[12]

In 1921 the Moniaive engine shed was closed and from that point the first train of the day ran from Dumfries.^[11]

Other stations

• Irongray
• Newtonaird
• Stepford
• Dunscore
• Crossford
• Kirkland
• Moniaive

Views at the station in 2009

• 

  A view from the station entrance

• 

  The old station frontage with the station master's office in the foreground.

• 

  Side and front view

• 

  Far side of the station building

See also

• List of closed railway stations in Britain

References

Notes

1. ^ Kirkpatrick, Page 26
2. ^ Kirkpatrick, Page 31
3. ^ Kirpatrick, Page 37
4. ^ Kirkpatrick, Page 53
5. ^ Kirkpatrick, Page 43
6. ^ ^{a b c} Sanders, page 50
7. ^ Awdry, page 64
8. ^ Thomas, page 203
9. ^ Kirkpatrick, Page 23
10. ^ Kirkpatrick, Page 39
11. ^ ^{a b} Kirkpatrick, Page 52
12. ^ Kirkpatrick, Page 69

Sources

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. 
• Kirkpatrick, Ian (2000). The Cairn Valley Light Railway. Usk : The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-567-5
• Sanders, Keith and Hodgins, Douglas (1995). British Railways. Past and Present South West Scotland. No. 19. ISBN 1-85895-074-0.
• Thomas, David St John & Whitehouse, Patrick (1993). The Romance of Scotlands Railways. Newton Abbot : David St John Thomas. ISBN 0-946537-89-5.

External links

• Disused stations
• Geograph photograph of Moniaive station

Coordinates: 55°11′45″N 3°55′09″W / 55.19576°N 3.91925°W / 55.19576; -3.91925