Milton of Crathes railway station
Encyclopedia
Milton of Crathes railway station is located at Milton of Crathes
, three miles east of Banchory
, Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire
, Scotland
, United Kingdom
.
has no plans at present to re-use the old station which is in a less convenient position for today's tourist market and which is separated from the heritage railway by the entrance road to the Milton of Crathes
site itself, as well as a missing overbridge and embankment.
which will eventually run for over 3 miles west into the town of Banchory
. The station itself consists of a single platform and two tracks (which will eventually form a locomotive run-round loop). At the east end of the station are foundations for the former Oldmeldrum station building, which will be moved to the railway in the near future with the assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Passenger services are presently operated using a British Rail Class 03
diesel shunter D2134 (03134) in British Railways green livery, coupled to a BR-built LNER guard's van. Two British Rail Mark 2
coaches in BR Crimson and Cream livery currently serve as the society visitor centre and coffee shop at the station, and will in due course be used on passenger trains.
Other items of interest which can be seen at the station are Class 14 diesel locomotive D9551, and the British Rail BEMU
"Gemini" Battery Railcar. From time to time the railway civil engineering stock can be seen in the station area, these include the Dogfish ballast hopper wagon, a LMS General Utility Van (GUV) used for storing permanent way tools, a BR Lomac well wagon and a Smith-Rodley Diesel Rail Crane, owned by the Strathspey Railway (preserved) and on loan to the Royal Deeside Railway for use on track laying activities.
It is hoped that the Milton of Crathes will soon be home to the former Aberdeen Gas Works steam locomotive
: 0-4-0 "Bon Accord", which is presently under restoration at a nearby site.
Attractions: Crathes Castle
(opposite), various heritage rolling stock
items.
Milton of Crathes
Milton of Crathes is a restored set of 17th century stone buildings, presently used for retail and restaurant purposes. The historic site is associated with, and was previously an outlier of Crathes Castle...
, three miles east of Banchory
Banchory
Banchory is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, lying approximately 18 miles west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee.- Overview :...
, Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, 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...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Crathes (Castle) Station
Crathes Castle station, located 1/4 mile to the east of Milton of Crathes, was opened by the Deeside Railway in 1853 for the private use of the Laird of Crathes. In 1863 Crathes Castle was renamed Crathes and became a public railway station, a role it retained until the closure of the railway in 1966. Crathes station building is now privately owned and features a replica of the original signalbox, whilst the trackbed is owned by the local estate. The Royal Deeside RailwayRoyal Deeside Railway
The Royal Deeside Railway was formed in 1996 with the intention of reclaiming part of the former branch line from Aberdeen to Ballater, constructed between 1853 and 1856 by the Deeside Railway company and closed by British Railways in 1966...
has no plans at present to re-use the old station which is in a less convenient position for today's tourist market and which is separated from the heritage railway by the entrance road to the Milton of Crathes
Milton of Crathes
Milton of Crathes is a restored set of 17th century stone buildings, presently used for retail and restaurant purposes. The historic site is associated with, and was previously an outlier of Crathes Castle...
site itself, as well as a missing overbridge and embankment.
Milton of Crathes Station
Milton of Crathes station is being constructed from scratch on agricultural land, and is the headquarters of the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society. The station is the start of the rebuilt Royal Deeside RailwayRoyal Deeside Railway
The Royal Deeside Railway was formed in 1996 with the intention of reclaiming part of the former branch line from Aberdeen to Ballater, constructed between 1853 and 1856 by the Deeside Railway company and closed by British Railways in 1966...
which will eventually run for over 3 miles west into the town of Banchory
Banchory
Banchory is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, lying approximately 18 miles west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee.- Overview :...
. The station itself consists of a single platform and two tracks (which will eventually form a locomotive run-round loop). At the east end of the station are foundations for the former Oldmeldrum station building, which will be moved to the railway in the near future with the assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Passenger services are presently operated using a British Rail Class 03
British Rail Class 03
The British Rail Class 03 locomotive is, together with Class 04, one of BR's most successful smaller 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunters. The class, numbering 230 examples, was built by British Railways' Swindon and Doncaster works in 1957-1962 and numbered D2000-D2199 and D2370-D2399...
diesel shunter D2134 (03134) in British Railways green livery, coupled to a BR-built LNER guard's van. Two British Rail Mark 2
British Rail Mark 2
The Mark 2 family of railway carriages were British Rail's second design of carriages. They were built by British Rail workshops between 1964 and 1975...
coaches in BR Crimson and Cream livery currently serve as the society visitor centre and coffee shop at the station, and will in due course be used on passenger trains.
Other items of interest which can be seen at the station are Class 14 diesel locomotive D9551, and the British Rail BEMU
British Rail BEMU
The Battery Electric Multiple Unit was an experimental two-car multiple unit, built at the same time and in the same style as the prototype Derby Lightweight Diesel multiple units....
"Gemini" Battery Railcar. From time to time the railway civil engineering stock can be seen in the station area, these include the Dogfish ballast hopper wagon, a LMS General Utility Van (GUV) used for storing permanent way tools, a BR Lomac well wagon and a Smith-Rodley Diesel Rail Crane, owned by the Strathspey Railway (preserved) and on loan to the Royal Deeside Railway for use on track laying activities.
It is hoped that the Milton of Crathes will soon be home to the former Aberdeen Gas Works steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
: 0-4-0 "Bon Accord", which is presently under restoration at a nearby site.
Attractions: Crathes Castle
Crathes Castle
Crathes Castle is a 16th century castle near Banchory in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland. This harled castle was built by the Burnetts of Leys and was held in that family for almost 400 years...
(opposite), various heritage rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
items.