The History of Blair Atholl Station
From the beginning…
Blair Atholl station (originally Blair Athole station) is a station with a proud history. Opened in September 1863 by the Inverness & Perth Junction Railway, Queen Victoria was one of the first passengers to arrive here a few days later, en route to visit her friend George Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl, who was terminally ill at Blair Castle. It was thanks to George Murray that the station existed in the first place. The building of the railway had been a difficult project to sell to landowners and, initially, the Duke of Atholl had refused to allow the railway to come through his land. It was only after a great deal of persuasion by engineer Joseph Mitchell and some key concessions along the way that the railway and its station became a reality.
The 1860s to the 1960s
For the next 100 years or so, Blair Atholl station was a busy and important station, employing lots of people. Its engine shed housed the banking and pilot engines that pushed and pulled the big steam engines up and over Drumochter Summit and passenger numbers were high, for both visitors and local people. But from the 1960s onwards, the station was in decline. The advent of diesel trains changed the landscape, and although not itself a target of the Beeching cuts, Blair Atholl station lost its engine shed and the Duke’s private waiting room, at around the same time that neighbouring stations (Dalnaspidal, Struan and Killicrankie) were closed. In the 1980s, the last station employee, Jimmy McBain, left.
The stationhouse flat was occupied intermittently in the years that followed, but by 2020, the last signalman to live there was forced to move out, because of major structural issues with damp in the building.
Banking engine at engine shed (1927) with thanks to Atholl Country Life Museum
Queen Vic re-enactment
Blair Atholl Station today…
Queen Vic re-enactment
Blair Atholl station is still a working station today. A small number of ScotRail trains stop here each day, as does the Caledonian Sleeper. But passenger numbers are low (though recovered a little since Covid), and the station is a sad indication of what it once was. In early 2023, local residents and one visitor decided to ‘adopt’ Blair Atholl station, under ScotRail’s community scheme. We’ve tended plants and planters, and then in September, we celebrated the visit of Queen Victoria to our station 160 years earlier.