Fortrose Branch, also known as the Black Isle Railway is an historic railway in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

.

History

Authorisation was obtained on 4 July 1890 to build a 15.75 mile (25 km) branch line from Muir of Ord to Rosemarkie

Rosemarkie

Rosemarkie is a village on the south coast of the Black Isle peninsula in northern Scotland.-Geography:Rosemarkie lies a quarter of a mile east of the town of Fortrose...

; however the line never proceeded beyond Fortrose.

• 1 February 1894 - Opened (worked by the Highland Railway
  Highland Railway
  The Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain...
  
  ).
• 1 January 1923 - Became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway
• 1 October 1951 - Closed to passengers
• 13 June 1960 - Totally closed

The railway had a station at Rosehaugh, near Avoch. This was a private halt serving the Rosehaugh estate, then owned by James Douglas Fletcher.

Connections to other lines

• Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
  Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
  The Inverness and Ross-shire Railway was incorporated on 3 July 1860 with the aim to build a line to Invergordon. The line opened in stages:* 11 June 1862 - Inverness to Dingwall* 23 March 1863 - Dingwall to Invergordon...
  
   at Muir of Ord
  Muir of Ord railway station
  Muir of Ord railway station is a railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the Far North Line, serving the village of Muir of Ord in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the location of the sole remaining crossing loop on the single line between and...
  
  

Current operations

The line is closed.

The only remaining station building is at Redcastle.

Sources

• Vallance, H.A. (1985). The Highland Railway. 4th Extended edition: extra material by C.R. Clinker and Anthony J. Lambert. Newton Abbot: David St John Thomas. ISBN 0-946537-24-0.
• RAILSCOT on Fortrose Branch