Scotscalder railway station

Scotscalder
265px Scotscalder station looking east towards Georgemas Junction
Location
Place	Scotscalder
Local authority	Highland
Coordinates
Grid reference	ND096560
Operations
Station code	SCT
Managed by	Abellio ScotRail
Number of platforms	1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2002/03	208
2004/05	187
2005/06	212
2006/07	142
2007/08	212
2008/09	256
2009/10	184
2010/11	246
2011/12	214
2012/13	460
2013/14	376
2014/15	388
History
Original company	Sutherland and Caithness Railway
Pre-grouping	Highland Railway
Post-grouping	LMS
28 July 1874	Open
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Scotscalder from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Scotscalder railway station is a railway station serving the villages of Scotscalder, Olrigmore, Calder, Westerdale and outlying areas. The area falls into the Highland council area, in the north of Scotland.

History

File:Scotscalder station CB.jpg

Scotscalder Station circa 1983

The station was opened by the Sutherland and Caithness Railway on 28 July 1874. In 1988 the station house was sold by the British Railways Board for conversion to a residential dwelling. Following the conversion, in 1994, the station house was sold again and renovated further for which the owner won the Ian Allen Railway Heritage Award. The station house was used as a holiday home during this period, but was available to rent for short periods. It was also occasionally open to the public for viewings. Between 1994 and 2004, the owner purchased additional land to the North and South of the station house to prevent development.

In 2004 the station house and surrounding land was sold again to the present owners who have carried out extensive refurbishment. The station house is now a private residence and is no longer available to rent or open to the public.

Services

The station is located on the Far North Line, within the county of Caithness. Together with Georgemas Junction, the station serves the local communities.

This station is designated as a 'request stop'. This means that passengers intending to alight must inform the guard in advance, and any passengers wishing to board must ensure they are in view of the train driver, and are required to use a hand signal to stop the train.

Due to its remoteness, limited services and lengthy journey times, Scotscalder has a low patronage. As of 2013-14 statistics, it is the 28th least used railway station in the United Kingdom, and the 3rd least used station on the Far North Line.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Altnabreac		Abellio ScotRail Far North Line		Georgemas Junction
	Historical railways
Altnabreac Station and Line open		Highland Railway Sutherland and Caithness Railway		Halkirk Station closed; Line open

References

Sources

• RAILSCOT on Sutherland and Caithness Railway