Aberdeen train station celebrates its 155th anniversary tomorrow and was, upon its opening on November 4th 1867, described in the press as a ‘truly magnificent building’.
For years it was known as the Joint Station, for reasons which got lost in the mists of time.
It stemmed from being a complicated station to bring to fruition, involving a lot of local disagreement.
Part of the problem was there were already two stations in town.
A passenger terminus in Guild Street served trains from Edinburgh, Glasgow and the south, and also Deeside.
Trains from the north terminated at Waterloo Quay, so passengers had to walk, or take a horse-drawn cab between the two stations.
This wasn’t popular as connections were frequently missed.
Moving freight was an issue
There was also the issue of freight, with goods wagons being hauled by horses along the harbour railway tracks.
At the time, two railway companies were involved, the Scottish North-Eastern and the Great North of Scotland and the proposals they put forward to sort out the situation didn’t find favour with local residents.
Eventually, it was agreed that the new Joint Station should be aligned from Kittybrewster down the Denburn Valley.
The magnificent new station quickly outgrew its capacity, so that by 1915, a replacement station was opened, which forms the core of today’s station.
Many changes over the years
It’s been revamped and revised many times since.
Ticket barriers have been installed, taken out and installed again.
The north end was cleared in 1970 to make way for Atholl House.
The signal boxes were replaced in the 80s by a new signalling centre.
Union Square
In recent years much of the sprawling infrastructure associated with the station was cleared to make way for the glitzy Union Square shopping centre, only a few steps away.
The station has enjoyed its fair share of celebrity visitors over the decades.
In 1966, Billy Smart’s circus came to town.
In front of thousands of people lining the route from the railway station to the links, 19-year-old Aberdonian Irene Blues sat astride the lead elephant.
Irene, “mad on animals” from an early age, and due to start a new job in charge of the children’s farm at Aberdeen Zoo the following month, said: “I wrote to the public relations officer of the circus and asked if there was any chance of taking part in the parade and it turns out I was the only Aberdeen girl to do so.”
Celebrities
Film stars are no stranger to the station either.
Sylvia Sims was a massive star in 1958. She’s seen here arriving off the overnight train at Aberdeen for the opening of a new play ‘The Holiday’ at His Majesty’s Theatre with fellow cast members John Moffatt, John Stratton and Mary Hinton.
Super-celebrity and heart throb George Best arrived at the station in 1972.
The Manchester United star made two clippies, Mrs Barbara Kidd and Mrs Elizabeth Thom very happy when he gave them his autograph.
Bill Gibb, Twiggy and her boyfriend, Justin de Villeneuve, at Aberdeen Joint Station in 1972.
Gibb was the son of a Buchan farmer, the eldest of seven children. He grew up in New Pitsligo and developed a flair for art at Fraserburgh Academy, before heading to London.
He and Sixties supermodel Twiggy struck up a strong friendship.
Emotional moments
And Aberdeen station has been no stranger to emotional moments over its 155 years.
Like this family reunion in 1943, when repatriated prisoners of war returned from Europe.
And station life isn’t complete without its football crowds and excitement.
WAGS in 1970 look like a sedate bunch compared to now. Here Aberdeen FC players’ wives and girlfriends are at the station off to the 1970 Cup Final.
Happily the Cup was brought home by the Dons that year.
In this 1947 scene, victorious Dons players are seen with cup aboard a bus making its way through Aberdeen Station.
And with Aberdeen a stopping place for Balmoral and summer cruises, the station is often frequented by Royalty.
In 1956 a very young King Charles and Princess Royal wake up to find themselves in Aberdeen.
They’d come up from London on the Royal train overnight and are still in their pyjamas.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in 1977.
One of the first groups to greet the Her Majesty on her Silver Jubilee visit to the Silver City were these cleaners at Aberdeen station who had a grandstand view of her arrival.
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