Rogart
Station 84
Rudy arrived at 14:55 on a train from Golspie and returned an hour later on the 15:58 departure.
Rogart Station
Rogart railway station was opened in 1868 with the Sutherland Railway running to Golspie. It was closed in 1960 but reopened less than a year later following criticisms of the harsh cuts to stations in the area. In recent years the station has usually had between 1,500 and 2,000 yearly passengers.
Between 1961 and 1982 the station was known as “Rogart Halt” but has two good long platforms and substantial cottage style station buildings on one platform. The associated level crossing is the access between platforms and is of the open type with no barriers lowered when trains approach.
Rogart station.
There’s a collection of railway memorabilia such as a porters wagon and weighing scales on platform 2 with a small photographic history in the waiting room. Platform 1 has no permanent buildings, only a Hitrans-yellow style shelter and incredible views.
The old signal box is used as holiday rental accommodation and there’s also a full carriage and a box van in the old goods yard.
Rogart is the first request stop Rudy has boarded at on his Scottish adventures, you can see he took his responsibility to alert the train driver to stop very seriously indeed!
Pittentrail Village
The station was named after the parish and scattered village of Rogart almost two miles away. Possibly better described as a crofting settlement at the time rather than a traditional village. Around the station itself grew the tiny hamlet of Pittentrail – a shop, a post office, an inn and a small collection of houses.
Rudy would have loved to go exploring the hills to Rogart itself or have more than a quick selfie at the River Fleet but the train timetable and weather limited us to a quick wander round Pittentrail.
Rogart is a request stop just over two hour’s journey from Inverness on the Far North Line. The station is in the hamlet of Pittentrail with Rogart itself being around two miles away.
There is railway themed accommodation at Rogart station provided by www.sleeperzzz.com but they don’t allow dogs. There is however a garden full of railway “stuff” that seems open to all visitors though.