Keith and Dufftown Railway (GNoSR)
Encyclopedia
The Keith and Dufftown Railway is an historic railway in Scotland
that ran between Dufftown
and Keith
. The company was formed in 1857, the line was opened in 1862, and it was absorbed by the Great North of Scotland Railway
in 1866.
(GNoSR) opened its main line in stages; the section between and was opened on 10 October 1856. Keith remained the terminus for less than two years; on 18 August 1858, the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway
(I&AJR) opened the last section of their line, between and Keith, and it was now possible to travel between Aberdeen
and by rail. The I&AJR had an end-on junction with the Inverness and Nairn Railway
at , and these two companies amalgamated in 1861, soon amalgamating with others, to form the Highland Railway
. Although the GNoSR owned shares to the value of £40,000 in the I&AJR, it did not become part of the Highland Railway, but were instead bought out; the GNoSR then remained independent of the I&AJR until their respective successors were nationalised in 1948.
The GNoSR wished to have its own route west of Keith, with Grantown-on-Spey
as an objective - here they hoped to meet any possible line between Perth and Inverness. To this end, they invested in the Keith and Dufftown Railway (K&DR); this company was incorporated on 27 July 1857, but progress was slow because of lack of money.
Powers for a longer, but cheaper, route between the two towns were secured on 25 May 1860, and this line was opened on 21 February 1862. The revised route included steeper gradients than those planned in 1857; the maximum gradient was now 1 in 60 (1.667%) instead if 1 in 70 (1.429%). There was a viaduct over the Fiddich of two spans, and there were three intermediate stations: (renamed in 1897), (renamed in 1862) and . From the start, the trains were worked by the GNoSR under an agreement dating back to the formation of the company.
The line became a through route with the opening of the first section of the Strathspey Railway
between Dufftown and on 1 July 1863; at there was a junction, where the line was met by a short extension of the Morayshire Railway
(MR) from , which opened the same day. The MR had already opened between and Dandaleith in 1862, so there was now a route between Keith and Elgin independent of the I&AJR.
On 30 July 1866, the GNoSR obtained an Act of Parliament authorising it to amalgamate with several associated railways, including the K&DR and the Strathspey Railway; this took place on 1 August 1866.
.
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...
that ran between Dufftown
Dufftown
Dufftown is a burgh in Banffshire, Scotland.The town was originally named Mortlach in the Middle Ages, until the 19th century when the Earl of Fife built the town as a housing for soldiers returning home from war...
and Keith
Keith, Moray
Keith is a small town in the Moray council area in north east Scotland. It has a population of around 4,500....
. The company was formed in 1857, the line was opened in 1862, and it was absorbed by the Great North of Scotland Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
The Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
in 1866.
History
The Great North of Scotland RailwayGreat North of Scotland Railway
The Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
(GNoSR) opened its main line in stages; the section between and was opened on 10 October 1856. Keith remained the terminus for less than two years; on 18 August 1858, the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway
Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway
Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is an historic railway in Scotland.- History :It was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway, the line was opened in stages:...
(I&AJR) opened the last section of their line, between and Keith, and it was now possible to travel between Aberdeen
Aberdeen Waterloo railway station
Aberdeen Waterloo station opened on 1 April 1856 to serve the Great North of Scotland Railway main line to Keith. It was located on Waterloo Quay in the city centre. It closed to passengers in 1867 once opened, but the track remains in use as a freight siding for the docks. The passenger station...
and by rail. The I&AJR had an end-on junction with the Inverness and Nairn Railway
Inverness and Nairn Railway
The Inverness and Nairn Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway.- History :The line was opened in the year 1855 and connected the towns of Inverness and Nairn. Opening had been delayed from 1 August 1855 due to delays in the contractor's...
at , and these two companies amalgamated in 1861, soon amalgamating with others, to form 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...
. Although the GNoSR owned shares to the value of £40,000 in the I&AJR, it did not become part of the Highland Railway, but were instead bought out; the GNoSR then remained independent of the I&AJR until their respective successors were nationalised in 1948.
The GNoSR wished to have its own route west of Keith, with Grantown-on-Spey
Grantown-on-Spey
Grantown-on-Spey is a town in the Highland Council Area in Scotland.It was founded in 1765 as a planned settlement on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorm mountains, about 20 miles South East of Inverness .It is the main town in what was the...
as an objective - here they hoped to meet any possible line between Perth and Inverness. To this end, they invested in the Keith and Dufftown Railway (K&DR); this company was incorporated on 27 July 1857, but progress was slow because of lack of money.
Powers for a longer, but cheaper, route between the two towns were secured on 25 May 1860, and this line was opened on 21 February 1862. The revised route included steeper gradients than those planned in 1857; the maximum gradient was now 1 in 60 (1.667%) instead if 1 in 70 (1.429%). There was a viaduct over the Fiddich of two spans, and there were three intermediate stations: (renamed in 1897), (renamed in 1862) and . From the start, the trains were worked by the GNoSR under an agreement dating back to the formation of the company.
The line became a through route with the opening of the first section of the Strathspey Railway
Strathspey Railway (GNoSR)
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 . It was extended to meet up with the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway at Boat of Garten on 1 August 1866...
between Dufftown and on 1 July 1863; at there was a junction, where the line was met by a short extension of the Morayshire Railway
Morayshire Railway
The Morayshire Railway was the first railway to be built north of Aberdeen, in Scotland. It received royal assent in 1846 but construction did not start until 1851 due to the economic conditions existing in the United Kingdom at the time. The railway was built in two phases with the section from...
(MR) from , which opened the same day. The MR had already opened between and Dandaleith in 1862, so there was now a route between Keith and Elgin independent of the I&AJR.
On 30 July 1866, the GNoSR obtained an Act of Parliament authorising it to amalgamate with several associated railways, including the K&DR and the Strathspey Railway; this took place on 1 August 1866.
Connections to other lines
- Strathspey Railway (GNoSR)Strathspey Railway (GNoSR)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 . It was extended to meet up with the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway at Boat of Garten on 1 August 1866...
at Dufftown - Inverness and Aberdeen Junction RailwayInverness and Aberdeen Junction RailwayInverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is an historic railway in Scotland.- History :It was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway, the line was opened in stages:...
at Keith JunctionKeith railway stationKeith railway station is a railway station serving the town of Keith, Moray, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.-History:... - Great North of Scotland Railway main lineGreat North of Scotland RailwayThe Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
at Keith JunctionKeith railway stationKeith railway station is a railway station serving the town of Keith, Moray, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.-History:...
Current operations
Apart from a short section at Keith between the National Rail network and the preserved line, the line is still open, mainly as the preserved Keith and Dufftown RailwayKeith and Dufftown Railway
The Keith and Dufftown Railway is a heritage railway in Scotland, running for from Keith Town railway station, Keith to Dufftown railway station, Dufftown via Drummuir ....
.