Strathspey Railway (GNoSR)

For other articles that may refer to Strathspey Railway, see Strathspey Railway.

[v · d · e]  Strathspey Railway
Locale Scotland Dates of operation 1 July 1863 – 30 July 1866 Successor line Great North of Scotland Railway Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Legend
Keith and Dufftown Railway (GNoSR) Dufftown Craigellachie    Morayshire Railway Aberlour Dailuaine Halt Dailuaine distillery Carron Imperial Cottages Halt Knockando House Halt Gibley's Cottages Halt Knockando Blacksboat Ballindalloch Advie Cromdale distillery Cromdale    Inverness and Perth Junction Railway Grantown on Spey (West) (I&PJR) Grantown on Spey (East) Broomhill (I&PJR) Nethy Bridge Boat of Garten Junction Boat of Garten    Inverness and Perth Junction Railway

Strathspey Railway is an historic railway in Scotland that ran from Boat of Garten to Dufftown.

History

The line was opened on 1 July 1863 between Dufftown and Abernethy (later Nethy Bridge). It was extended to meet up with the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway (later the Highland Railway) at Boat of Garten on 1 August 1866. The Strathspey Railway actually met the Highland line at Tullochgorum, some 3 miles north of Boat of Garten, but the two lines ran parallel until reaching Boat, the physical junction being to the south of Boat of Garten station. The same year, 1866, saw the Strathspey Railway become part of the larger Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR).

The railway served the numerous distilleries that operated in the Spey Valley, many of these distilleries having their own small tank engines, or 'pugs' as they were known.

In 1923, the railway became part of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) and through passenger services were advertised from Boat of Garten to the South via Aberdeen. The line became part of British Railways in 1948 and many cost-saving measures were considered, including the introduction of diesel rail buses in the late 1950s.

The Strathspey line closed to passengers on 11 October 1965, the same date as the closure of the Highland line between Aviemore and Forres. Grantown on Spey, which had previously been served by two separate stations, was now left without any rail connection.

Blacksboat Station in 1961

Blacksboat Station - June 2010 - Now part of the Speyside Way

Goods traffic lingered on for a further three years, mostly the whisky trains, until this too ceased on 4 November 1968. The track was lifted the following year. The short section between Aberlour and Dufftown remained open for goods traffic until the end of 1971.

Although the two stations at either end of the line are open, serving two heritage railways, (the Keith and Dufftown Railway at Dufftown and the (second) Strathspey Railway at Boat of Garten on the Highland Railway's Aviemore to Forres route), no part of the original Strathspey Railway has been preserved. However, the section between Ballindalloch and Craigellachie has now been converted into part of the Speyside Way, which runs between Ballindalloch and Spey Bay.

Many of the railway's attractive stone-built station buildings still exist today; some have been converted for private usage, while others are near derelict. The former station building at Aberlour has been converted into a tearoom and visitor centre. Two of the three bridges over the Spey still survive: the joint road/rail cast-iron arch bridge at Carron and the impressive lattice girder bridge at Ballindalloch, the latter is now a Category A listed building.

Connections to other lines

• Keith and Dufftown Railway (GNoSR) at Dufftown railway station (See Dufftown)
• Morayshire Railway at Craigellachie railway station (See Craigellachie, Moray)
• Inverness and Perth Junction Railway at Boat of Garten

Current operations

The line is closed in its entirety between Boat of Garten and Dufftown.

References

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. 
• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199. 
• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137. 

External links

• RAILSCOT on Strathspey Railway