Rhu railway station

Rhu is a closed railway station located in the village of Rhu, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, on the east shore of Gare Loch. It is located towards the southern end of the West Highland Railway.

Rhu (Row)
General information
Location	Rhu, Argyll and Bute Scotland
Coordinates	56.0218°N 4.7725°W / 56.0218; -4.7725
Platforms	1 (upon final closure)
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	West Highland Railway
Pre-grouping	North British Railway
Post-grouping	LNER
Key dates
7 August 1894	Opened as Row
24 February 1927	Renamed as Rhu
6 July 1941	Loop and second platform reinstated
4 June 1950	Loop and second platform taken out of service
9 January 1956	Station closed
4 April 1960	Station re-opened
15 June 1964	Station closed

History

This station opened as "Row" on 7 August 1894.^[1]

The station was laid out with two platforms linked by a footbridge, one on either side of a crossing loop. The use of side platforms here was slightly unusual, since the West Highland Railway was otherwise built with island platforms at stations, apart from at its northern end. There were sidings on the south side of the station.^[2]

On 24 February 1927, the spelling of the station's name was altered to "Rhu".^[1] The station was host to a LNER camping coach from 1935 to 1939.^[3] A camping coach was also positioned here by the Scottish Region from 1954 to 1956.^[4]

The station was initially closed to passengers in January 1956, but reopened in April 1960.^[5] A second (and final) closure came on 15 June 1964, when the Craigendoran (Upper) to Arrochar and Tarbet local service fell victim to the Beeching Axe.^[5][6]

Much of the structures have been demolished, but part of one platform is still visible.^[7]

There have been proposals to reopen the station as part of an experiment to open ‘pop-up’ stations in Scotland.^[8]

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Helensburgh Upper Line and Station open		West Highland Railway North British Railway		Shandon Line open; Station closed

See also

• Faslane Platform railway station - A nearby temporary WWII station

References

1. Butt 1995, p. 200.
2. "Row station on OS 25inch map Dumbartonshire XVI.4 (Rhu; Rosneath)". National Library of Scotland. 1898. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
3. McRae 1997, p. 11.
4. McRae 1998, p. 28.
5. Butt 1995, p. 197.
6. Hurst 1992, p. 37 (ref 1714).
7. "The West Highland Railway Line"Geograph.org; Retrieved 26 August 2016
8. Pop up train stations at Rhu and Shandon Proposed

Sources

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Hurst, Geoffrey (1992). Register of Closed Railways: 1948-1991. Worksop, Nottinghamshire: Milepost Publications. ISBN 0-9477-9618-5.
• McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
• McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. ISBN 1-870119-53-3.

Further reading

• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.