Muir of Ord Station Masters
Attribution: unknown or not recorded
James Donald
The Station in Muir of Ord was opened in June 1862. At first the station was named Tarradale Station and the first stationmaster was Aberdeenshire born, James Donald who had previously been the goods manager at Elgin station since it opened in 1857.
David Hossack
The 1871 census saw a change in stationmaster to a local lad from Cromarty, David Hossack. At the time of the census he was living as a lodger at a property in Kilmorack. The area to the north of the railway line was in the parish of Kilmorack, Inverness, so his lodgings may well have been closer to Muir of Ord, as we know it now, than we think.
Later that year David was to marry Isabella Fraser of Cromarty.
He remained as Stationmaster until 1892, moving in to the Stationmaster’s house by the 1881 census.
The couple had four daughters; Margaret Munro, born 1872; Isabella Jane, born 1876; Christina Ellen, born 1878 and Amilia McKenzie born 1881. They also had a son, John who was born in 1874 and sadly died five months later.
They left Muir of Ord, for Grantown-on-Spey where they remained until 1902, when they moved to the station at Kildary.
Mr Hossack retired form Kildary in 1913 and was recorded as being one of the oldest and most esteemed servants of the Highland Railway Company.
He was, throughout his lengthy service, highly popular with the public, his colleagues and his superiors. He died at Kildary in 1920 and is buried at Killearnan.
James A. Riach
Taking over as stationmaster in 1892, was James A. Riach who remained at Muir of Ord until 1897 when he moved to Dingwall station, where he later retired from in 1926.
James was born at Edinkillie, Moray, the son of James Riach, a station guard at Elgin station.
He had joined the Highland Railway in 1873 and served as a Station Agent at Killiecrankie, Enzie and Dunphail before moving to Muir of Ord.
James became a well-respected member of the Dingwall community, serving as Dean of the Guild of the Town Council and the session clerk and superintendent of the Sunday School of St Clement’s Church.
Upon his death in 1940, he was described as a man of sterling principles and sincere friendliness.
Of his sons, James was Stationmaster at Kyle, Patrick was Postmaster at Tobermory and George held a position with a railway company in England.
James taylor
Aberdeenshire born, James Taylor became the fourth Stationmaster in 1897, having moved south from Georgemass, Halkirk in 1889 to Fort George before his final move to Muir of Ord where he would remain for sixteen years.
James was married in 1871 at Fordyce, where his wife Christina Wilson had been born. She had been in domestic service at Lhanbryde, Moray and James was recorded as being a Railway Platform Porter, living at Duffus.
The couple remained at Duffus for a few years but at some point they moved to Moulin, Pitlochry and three years later they were at Georgemass, all indicated in the birth places of their children between 1872 and 1877.
James retired in 1911 at the age of 64 years and was reported to have been one of the oldest retired station masters in the North.
Nine months before his death in 1915, he took a position as a business representative for Messrs R. Taylor and Sons, coal merchants, Inverness.
It was on visit to Ardersier, on company business that he had to run for his train to return home to Inverness. It is thought that the strain of the run caused stress to his heart and he sadly died in one of the railway carriages.
His wife had died whilst still in Muir of Ord in 1910.
Of their children, a son worked for the Astern Telegraph Company, Sudan, Red Sea and the other worked as a Traffic manager for the Highland Railway company in Inverness.
The two daughters were married and living in Edinburgh and Queensland, Australia.
Thomas Pullar
1911 saw the tenure of Perthshire born, Thomas Pullar who at the age of 24 years was working as a Railway Clerk in Inverness. Three years later, at the time of his marriage to Catherine Ann Forsyth, he was a Railway Booking Clerk at Dingwall. Catherine’s father was a pointsman at Millburn in Inverness.
Sadly, there are not many newspaper reports during his time at Muir of Ord apart from suggestions that he was involved with the local Debating Society and also Secretary of the Golf Club.
He retired in 1925 and remained in the village, naming his house ‘Balledmund’ after the area/estate where he grew up on the outskirts of Dunkeld and Pitlochry. The couple had no family.
James Marshall Gammie
The longest serving stationmaster at Muir of Ord was Elgin born, James Marshall Gammie who brought his wife and two daughters to live in the village in 1925. The family were to remain in the village for three generations.
James was the son of a stone mason from the Bishopmill area of Elgin and was born in 1882.
The railway had become one of the largest employers throughout the UK and by 1901, James was found to be living at Logierait, Perthshire, where he was working as a Railway Porter.
Four years later he had moved to the Kingsmills area of Inverness, where he was recorded as a Railway Relief man. This was when he married Mary McIntosh who was a Table maid/Domestic servant at a house in Rafford, near Forres.
Attribution: John Uraquhart Collection
By 1911, the couple had two daughters, Charlotte Ivy and Mary Marshall.
They were living at Huntly Street, Inverness where James was now a pointsman.
Also appearing on the 1911 census was seven-year-old Alexander Shewan McIntosh, who was recorded as a visitor. By 1921 the same Alexander was recorded as Alexander Gammie, the 17-year-old son. It appears James had accepted Alexander as his son, when in fact he was his step son. James appeared to be a kind man of some integrity.
Alexander, had been born at Rafford and on the 1921 Census he was working as a Railway Engine cleaner.
The family were still living in Inverness in 1915, however in 1925, on James’s appointment to Muir of Ord, he was reported to have been stationmaster at Georgemas for some years. It is unclear exactly when this move happened, but it was sometime before the 1921 census.
Mary and her daughters, joined the local women’s institute whilst at Halkirk and in 1926, they joined the institute at Muir of Ord, and the whole family became well respected members of the local community.
Their daughter Mary became a hairdresser and in 1931, she married a local farmer, James Matheson of Balno Farm, Faebait. Their family remain in the local area to this day.
Ivy never married but was well-known to the whole area in amateur dramatics and the Scottish Women’s Institute, which was a very big part of her life.
Alexander remained in the North as an Engine cleaner. He married a girl from Shandwick, Nigg and they settled in Tain.
James became heavily involved in village activities, such as becoming Vice -president of the Muir of Ord Men’s club and a member of the curling club.
Attribution: not recorded or unknown
After nearly eighteen years, James finally retired in 1943, with many of the village dignitaries gathering at the Station Hotel to present him with a wallet of bank notes.
Mr George Mundell, spoke of the “conscientious and obliging way in which Mr Gammie had served the public.”
He continued “Muir of Ord Station under his charge was a model of orderliness and cleanliness which was not only patent to all who passed through the station, but also recognised by the railway official on several occasions.”
James had worked with the railway for forty five years
James and Mary moved to live at 3 Corrie Gardens where they remained until their deaths, Mary in 1959 and James in 1966.
