A CAST IRON LNER RAILWAY SEAT BACK SIGN
'BALLATER', CIRCA
£1,063
Scottish Silver & Applied Arts
Auction: 15 August 2018 at 11:00 BST
Description
of rounded rectangular form with bullnose moulding, cast in relief BALLATER, later paintwork to front only
Dimensions
71cm x 10.7cm
Footnote
Note: The Deeside Railway was a passenger and goods railway between Aberdeen and Ballater. A railway to serve Deeside was first suggested in 1845 and was authorised in July 1846, but it was decided to wait for the Aberdeen Railway to open first. Shareholders wanted their money back when the railway mania bubble burst, but it survived because the Aberdeen Railway bought a large number of shares. Interest was restored after Prince Albert purchased Balmoral Castle, to which the Royal Family made their first visit in 1848, and the Aberdeen Railway was able to sell their shares. Investors were still hard to find, but by limiting the railway to a line between Ferryhill, in Aberdeen, and Banchory the Deeside Railway was able to apply to Parliament for permission in 1852. Permission was granted, and the railway opened on 7 September 1853. A new company, the Aboyne Extension, was formed to reach Aboyne, completed in 1859 . As the line was extended up Deeside, closer to Balmoral, the terminus at Ballater became the royal station, welcoming Royal visitors once a year in the summer. The station was destroyed by fire in 2015 but has since been re-built.