Wick and Lybster Railway
Encyclopedia
The Wick and Lybster Light Railway was a light railway
worked by the Highland Railway
in Caithness
, Scotland
following a coastal route south from Wick to Lybster
. It was intended to profit from the fishery based in Lybster but the harbour declined not long after the line opened. It was built under the Light Railways Act 1896
.
, it remained independent until becoming part of the LMS
in 1923. The line gained additional passenger traffic in the 1920s and 1930s when the people of Wick voted for prohibition of alcohol sales. Drinkers would travel to bars near to stations on the line. The last trains ran after a short life in 1944, and the line was officially closed in 1951.
remaining open as part of the Far North Line
.
Light railway
Light railway refers to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". This usually means the railway uses lighter weight track, and is more steeply graded and tightly curved to avoid civil engineering costs...
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...
in Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
, 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...
following a coastal route south from Wick to Lybster
Lybster
Lybster is a village on the east coast of Caithness in northern Scotland.It was once a big herring fishing port, but has declined in recent years, due to problems in the industry....
. It was intended to profit from the fishery based in Lybster but the harbour declined not long after the line opened. It was built under the Light Railways Act 1896
Light Railways Act 1896
The Light Railways Act 1896 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Before the Act each new railway line built in the country required a specific Act of Parliament to be obtained by the company that wished to construct it, which greatly added to the cost...
.
History
Although the line was worked at cost by the Highland RailwayHighland 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...
, it remained independent until becoming part of the LMS
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
in 1923. The line gained additional passenger traffic in the 1920s and 1930s when the people of Wick voted for prohibition of alcohol sales. Drinkers would travel to bars near to stations on the line. The last trains ran after a short life in 1944, and the line was officially closed in 1951.
Connections to other lines
- Sutherland and Caithness RailwaySutherland and Caithness RailwayThe Sutherland and Caithness Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Highland Railway running through Sutherland and Caithness, Scotland. Caithness and Sutherland are former counties, and former districts of the Highland region.- History :...
at WickWick railway stationWick railway station is a railway station serving the town of Wick, in the Highland council area in the north of Scotland. The station is the terminus of the Far North Line, near Wick police station and Caithness General Hospital, within the former county of Caithness.- History :The station was...
Current operations
The line is closed, with Wick railway stationWick railway station
Wick railway station is a railway station serving the town of Wick, in the Highland council area in the north of Scotland. The station is the terminus of the Far North Line, near Wick police station and Caithness General Hospital, within the former county of Caithness.- History :The station was...
remaining open as part of the Far North Line
Far North Line
The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick.- Route :...
.