Dalmally Railway Station

[Butts]

When did the ticket office close at this station ?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I would put in a guess at 1988-1991. This is the same time that many other stations in the West Highlands / Far North lost their staff, such as Garelochhead, Glenfinnan and Brora. It was definitely still staffed in 1985.

 

[Butts]

I would put in a guess at 1988-1991. This is the same time that many other stations in the West Highlands / Far North lost their staff, such as Garelochhead, Glenfinnan and Brora. It was definitely still staffed in 1985.

I can remember being picked up fom there as a child when visiting relatives near Inveraray.

Apparently the Railway was not permitted across land owned by The Duke of Argyll hence there was never a sevice to there or Lochgilphead etc..even in the old days.

Do you think these sort of Station Jobs at remote locations were a cushy number ?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Do you think these sort of Station Jobs at remote locations were a cushy number ?

Probably. There would have been no more than 4tpd in each direction back in the late 80s, and maybe only 2,000 passengers a year.

 

[exile]

In the old days it wouldn't have been easy, the station master having had to do a number of jobs but by the end there wouldn't have been a lot to do.

Is there a source of de-staffing dates for stations? I think most of the Highland ones lost staff when radio signalling was introduced. Others when pay-trains were introduced.

 

[Butts]

In the old days it wouldn't have been easy, the station master having had to do a number of jobs but by the end there wouldn't have been a lot to do.

Is there a source of de-staffing dates for stations? I think most of the Highland ones lost staff when radio signalling was introduced. Others when pay-trains were introduced.

Like something out of "The Railway Children" in the modern age

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Is there a source of de-staffing dates for stations? I think most of the Highland ones lost staff when radio signalling was introduced. Others when pay-trains were introduced.

Quite, North Berwick, Drem, Prestonpans (which is preserved I believe) etc south of Edibnburgh lost theirs in the mid-80s with the introduction of PayTrain.

See here for unstaffing dates of some stations.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

In the old days it wouldn't have been easy, the station master having had to do a number of jobs but by the end there wouldn't have been a lot to do.

That would include plenty of the railway's most fundamental work - coal shovelling!
There will often have been bunkers full of the stuff (at track level), so coals would be shovelled onto carts, hauled up to the platform, distributed around the offices, waiting rooms and else where. Fires would be cleaned out, rebuilt, lit and maintained throughout the day.
Many of those stations would have had to handle mail bags and parcels as well as regular milk, newspaper and local produce. Smaller stations wouldn't have had so many staff so these tasks all fall to whoever IS employed at each station. Lights might have included oil lamps to be lit and extinguished manually even in the rain. The metal handles on the hand-carts would have been freezing cold all day in the winter and ice could build up on the platforms and the carts' half-hearted attempt at brakes. Every ticket would have been a separate piece of paper exchanged for cash, all of which would be counted by hand at the end of the day.
Maybe not so different from thousands of other jobs 50 to 100 years ago, but not "easy" by today's standards.

 

[Butts]

Would have been on duty at Dalmally Station in it's prime - and what would their function have been ?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Would have been on duty at Dalmally Station in it's prime - and what would their function have been ?

Can I please ask that you either stop using titles, or repeat them in the post? It took me about a minute to work out what you meant then!

 

[Butts]

Can I please ask that you either stop using titles, or repeat them in the post? It took me about a minute to work out what you meant then!

Sorry - and the answer is ?

 

[Bon Accord]

When first opened I'd be surprised if there was less than half a dozen men employed there.

 

[Butts]

When first opened I'd be surprised if there was less than half a dozen men employed there.

Ah those were the days when you actually saw staff at a small station

 

[EltonRoad]

These pics may be of interest - I took them at Dalmally on 6th July this year. They show a steam special being diesel-hauled back to Crianlarich with the Queen of Scots set.

May rekindle some memories of steam days!

 

[tom1649]

Is there a source of de-staffing dates for stations? I think most of the Highland ones lost staff when radio signalling was introduced. Others when pay-trains were introduced.

I've been looking for a source of de-staffing dates for years, but there doesn't seem to be a definitive list. The nearest I've found is a list of all APTIS machines on the network which does list some de-staffing dates. Another list shows those stations which had PORTIS/SPORTIS machines.

http://www.stannsulyn.dsl.pipex.com/machines/aptis.pdf
http://www.stannsulyn.dsl.pipex.com/machines/portis_sportis.pdf

Of course stations which never had APTIS, PORTIS or SPORTIS machines installed before they were de-staffed won't be listed here. Dalmally isn't listed unfortunately, so perhaps it stuck with Edmondson tickets until the end.

 

[Butts]

I've been looking for a source of de-staffing dates for years, but there doesn't seem to be a definitive list. The nearest I've found is a list of all APTIS machines on the network which does list some de-staffing dates. Another list shows those stations which had PORTIS/SPORTIS machines.

http://www.stannsulyn.dsl.pipex.com/machines/aptis.pdf
http://www.stannsulyn.dsl.pipex.com/machines/portis_sportis.pdf

Of course stations which never had APTIS, PORTIS or SPORTIS machines installed before they were de-staffed won't be listed here. Dalmally isn't listed unfortunately, so perhaps it stuck with Edmondson tickets until the end.

Thanks for that - the local press would be probably be a good bet for further information -will have to check.