Private railway station
Private railway stations were a logical development of the rapid growth in railway transportation during the 19th century. Whereas financiers looked to place their stations so as to balance the cost of the construction with expected revenue from the nearby populace, wealthy people utilised this new mode of transport by creating a halt solely for the use of their family, guests and staff. Examples. The earliest recorded such halt is Crathes Station in Aberdeenshire, built for Sir Robert Burnett of Leys in 1853. Such was his family's authority that even messenger trains run when Queen Victoria  was in residence at Balmoral had to stop there, just in case he wanted to get on. There were many such lairds, although some were rather less willing to pay for their station once it was safely constructed. Some wealthy land-owners wanted the convenience of a bespoke station but did not want an unsightly intrusion onto their land, while others wanted their station to be seen from far and wide. The practice spread to Ireland and abroad: both Bermuda and Austria creating exclusive stations for upmarket hotels. Some such stations exist in rural Wales but others designed to ferry  the more budget-conscious to holiday camps have disappeared as increasingly such customers ventured abroad. The uses for private halts was as diverse as their appearance: to transport farm produce, access a golf club, a remote firing range, hospital or an aircraft factory. Many took great pride in their private fiefdoms and most are remembered with great affection. Today the term is often used jokingly for an underused station such as Emerson Park or mistakenly about remote highland stations where it would be uneconomic to stop for the minuscule number of per annum passengers, unless requested. Many are now only  remembered because of the diligent recording of railway enthusiasts