Kirkconnel railway station
Encyclopedia
Kirkconnel railway station is a railway station
in the town of Kirkconnel
, Dumfries and Galloway
, Scotland
. The station is unstaffed, is managed by First ScotRail
.
main line between Kilmarnock
and Carlisle. It was one of the few stations on the route to avoid the Beeching Axe
in the mid-1960s and was the only intermediate station between Kilmarnock and Dumfries for many years.
, the poet from Kirkconnel, who rose from being a railway worker to become Chief Librarian at Edinburgh University. He was a surfaceman or platelayer
on the Glasgow and South-western railway, and generally wrote under the name of Surfaceman.
and Carlisle and northbound to Kilmarnock and Glasgow. There are also three trains per day to Newcastle.
There is a limited service (two trains each way to Carlisle and Glasgow) on Sundays.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
in the town of Kirkconnel
Kirkconnel
Kirkconnel is a small parish and town in Dumfries and Galloway, southwestern Scotland. It is located on the A76 near the head of Nithsdale. Kirkconnel led a more quiet existence than neighboring towns like Sanquhar. Principally it has been a farming community. There are few buildings of any...
, Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The station is unstaffed, is managed by First ScotRail
First ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
.
History
Kirkconnel is situated on the former Glasgow and South Western RailwayGlasgow and South Western Railway
The Glasgow and South Western Railway , one of the pre-grouping railway companies, served a triangular area of south-west Scotland, between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle...
main line between Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock railway station
Kilmarnock railway station is a railway station in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is served by trains on the Glasgow South Western Line.- History :...
and Carlisle. It was one of the few stations on the route to avoid the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
in the mid-1960s and was the only intermediate station between Kilmarnock and Dumfries for many years.
The railway poet
A plaque at the station commemorates Alexander AndersonAlexander Anderson (poet)
Alexander Anderson was a Scottish poet.Born in Kirkconnel, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, the sixth and youngest son of James Anderson a quarrier. When the boy was three, the household moved to Crocketford in Kirkcudbrightshire. He attended the local school where the teacher found him to be of...
, the poet from Kirkconnel, who rose from being a railway worker to become Chief Librarian at Edinburgh University. He was a surfaceman or platelayer
Platelayer
A platelayer or trackman is a railway employee whose job is to inspect and maintain the permanent way of a railway installation.The term derives from the plates used to build plateways, an early form of railway....
on the Glasgow and South-western railway, and generally wrote under the name of Surfaceman.
Services
There is a two-hourly service in each direction (with one or two extras), southbound to DumfriesDumfries railway station
Dumfries railway station serves the town of Dumfries in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the Glasgow South Western Line and is managed by First ScotRail who provide all passenger train services...
and Carlisle and northbound to Kilmarnock and Glasgow. There are also three trains per day to Newcastle.
There is a limited service (two trains each way to Carlisle and Glasgow) on Sundays.