The station was opened on 6 July 1812 by the
Kilmarnock and Troon Railway. The
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway took over management of the station (and its line) on 16 July 1846, while its successor, the
Glasgow and South Western Railway, took over full ownership in 1899. The station closed on 3 March 1969. Today Gatehead station has a single platform intact (although overgrown). The line is still open as part of the
Glasgow South Western Line and the station's
level crossing is still in use, allowing road traffic on the A759 to cross the line.
Laigh Milton Viaduct, Scotland's oldest railway viaduct, is nearby, but not in use as the railway was realigned in 1846. == Views of the railway at Gatehead ==