Tag Archives: Standard Gauge Railway

The Railways of Barrow-in-Furness

Barrow-in-Furness Railway Station is shown in the featured image above and repeated in the first image below. It featured a large, distinct covered roof over the platforms, as seen in this vintage postcard view from the south. The prominent locomotive is one of the Furness Railway K2 Class locomotive, often referred to as “Larger Seagulls”. [4]

Barrow was featured in The Railway Magazine in March 1959. [1] The rebuilding of the old Central Station at Barrow-in-Furness which was virtually destroyed (please see the images below) in the air-raids of 1941 was completed in the late 1950s. The replacement buildings marked another link broken with Barrow’s past. Originally known as Barrow Central Station and the headquarters of the Furness Railway, it was, by the end of the rebuilding renamed Barrow-in-Furness. Early in the 20th century, the borough boasted ten stations. It had grown from a hamlet of a few farms with a population of around 100 to “a seething steel-town of 60,000 in under forty years.” [1: p149]

Barrow Central Station with its distinctive overall roof, circa 1910, seen from the South end of the station site, © Public Domain. [1: p 149][4]

Barrow Central Station Forecourt and the original station building, as it appeared between 1882 and 1941, © Public Domain. [5]

A similar view after the bombing in May 1941, © Public Domain. [6]

Another view of the station buildings in the aftermath of the May 1941 bombing, © Public Domain. [5]

The rebuilt station as seen in 1966, © Ben Brooksbank and made available for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [5]

The most significant factor in the dramatic increase in population was apparently “the progress in railway development in the 1830s. The two dukes had toyed with the possibility of a mineral line for some years, but it was not until George Stephenson’s plan for the Caledonian, West Cumberland & Furness Railway was made known in 1837 that serious attention was given to the idea. Though this scheme for crossing the Duddon Estuary and Morecambe Bay came to nothing, a survey for embanking and reclaiming land and for a mineral line in Furness was carried out in 1841 by James Walker at the request of the Earl of Burlington (later seventh Duke of Devonshire).” [1: p149]

The coming of the railway made the exploitation of vast iron ore deposits feasible. Large ironworks, steelmaking, and shipbuilding industries developed, attracting thousands of workers and causing rapid population growth, urbanization, and infrastructural development. Barrow village had been shipping iron ore for many years and was chosen as a suitable port for iron ore from Lindal-in-Furness and slate quarries at Kirkby-in-Furness.

Google Maps satellite imagery shows the relative location of Kirkby-, Lindal-, and Barrow-in-Furness. [Google Maps, 21st December 2025]

The person directly responsible for the organisation of the Bill and for the affairs of the new Furness Railway Company was Benjamin Currey, Clerk of the House of Lords and Agent of the Devonshire Estates. He visited Furness frequently at this period and was able to influence the local population in favour of the railway. [1: p149-151]

It appears that a strong influence on the development of railways in the area was the purchase of Roa Island by J. A. Smith, who, in conjunction with the Preston & Wyre Railway at Fleetwood, planned to build a pier to accommodate a ferry service between Furness and Fleetwood.

Roa Island lies just over half a mile (1 km) south of the village of Rampside at the southernmost point of the Furness Peninsula in Cumbria. [2]

Roa Island in the 21st Century. This view looks North towards the village of Rampside. [3]

Roa Island sits to the South of the Furness Peninsula and North of Piel Island and Piel Castle. [Google Maps, December 2025]

Smith’s plans meant that the Furness Railway Company needed to provide a connecting line to the pier. Two trips between Fleetwood and Roa Island were made daily from 24th August 1846.

A superb diagrammatic map of the railway system around Barrow-in-Furness giving details of the network in 1959 with dates on railways previously proposed but not built and others which had already been removed. The present main line from Ulverston enters the sketch map in the top right. The line to Whitehaven leaves the map centre-top. [1: p150]

The wider Furness Railway network and its connections to other companies’ railways in the pre-grouping era. [1: p151]

Initially the Furness Railway Company built a single line North from the pier on Roa Island. The competing needs of mineral and passenger traffic could not be accommodated. The solution was the doubling of the track running North-South between Millwood Junction and Roose Junction. Timetables were published in Bradshaw but Smith’s ferry was not ready in time for the new season. Unsurprisingly, relationships between Smith and the Furness Railway Company were strained!

Indeed, the relationship continued to be difficult, seemingly with Smith seeking to persuade the Furness Railway to purchase his interest in the pier. Eventually, after significant damage occurred to the pier in a storm on 27th December 1852. The Furness Railway saw an opportunity to deal with the problem and bought out Smith’s interests in the pier and in any of Smith’s schemes to access mineral reserves in Furness. Apparently the buy out cost £15,000. However Smith’s pier continued in use until the opening of Ramsden Dock Station in 1881. The pier “was rebuilt in 1867-8 to accommodate the Midland Railway boat trains (which began in 1867) and survived until 1891, when it was finally demolished.” [1: p152]

A train at Piel Station on Roa Island, circa 1900. This building replaced the original Piel Pier Station which closed in 1882. It survived until 1936, © Public Domain. [1: p153][7] As we have noted, steamer services transferred to Ramsden Dock from 1881, but local trains continued from Platform 3 at Barrow Central, running via the 1873 curve at Salthouse Junction until closure of Piel Station in July 1936. [1: p156][7]

Andrews continues: “During the early years Barrow grew slowly, as railway workshops were built and its pier gradually enlarged, and it was not until 1859 that the stage was set for the boom that hit this village in the 1860s. In 1846 a young man named James Ramsden, from Wolverton Works, had been appointed Locomotive Superintendent of the Furness, and from the outset had shown considerable promise as an administrator. He was appointed Secretary and Superintendent of the Line in 1850.” [1: p152]

Continuing developments saw the line to Kirkby-in-Furness extended in 1848 to Broughton and the Whitehaven & Furness Junction Railway opened to Whitehaven in 1850. The line to Dalton was continued to Ulverston by 1854 and the Ulverston & Lancaster Railway opened through to Carnforth by 1857. In Barrow, the first blast furnaces opened in 1859.

“With the local production of iron and the establishment of through rail communication, Ramsden was able to put into operation his plan for a new Barrow – a model industrial town and port. The first stage was the construction of a dock between Barrow Island and the mainland, when it would be possible to build up passenger and freight steamer services with Belfast and the Isle of Man. Stage two was the development of an industrial estate on Barrow Island and on the mainland shore, with a residential area inland.” [1: p152]

1863 saw an Act obtained for the construction of the Devonshire and Buccleuch Docks. The Devonshire Dock was opened in September 1867. During that year: Barrow became a County Borough; a ferry service from Piel Pier to the Isle of Man commenced; the Belfast ferry service opened (in the Autumn); and the population of Barrow exceeded 11,000; and the Barrow Haematite Iron & Steel Company paid a 30% divided to shareholders.

“Negotiations with the Midland Railway led to the Furness & Midland Joint line scheme of 1863 which included the moving of the Midland steamer services from Morecambe to Piel Pier.” [1: p153]

It seems that the “Midland Railway was anxious that a communication should be provided for affording better access to the Lakes in connection with the Yorkshire districts.” [8]

Andrews tells us that, “During the 1860s, the Furness Railway … absorbed its neighbours one by one. The Ulverston & Lancaster, which had been heavily subsidised by the Furness during its construction, was bought in 1862 and … the Whitehaven & Furness Junction Railway was taken over in 1866.” [1: p154]

There were plans for the construction of a viaduct to span the Duddon Estuary which would have been part of a new line running North along the coast from a point near to the Iron Works and Steel Works at Hindpool. The scheme failed to gain parliamentary approval because it constricted access to the small port at Borwick Rails.

After a depression in the late 1860s, a return to prosperity in 1870 brought with it a fresh wave of development plans. These included:

Moving the ferry/steamer service from Piel Pier to a new Dock Station.
Two loop lines intended to relieve congestion on the mainline, one the Gleaston loop between Lindal and Salt-house, and the other the Barrow loop from Salthouse to Ormsgill. Later the Gleaston scheme was abbreviated to a single line branch to Stank Mines (opened in 1873. The Barrow loop was slowed by the depression of the late 1870s and was not opened until 1882;
Completion of the docks, which ultimately proved to be somewhat over scale. However the deep water berth at Ramsden Dock was a great improvement over Piel Pier.

High capital expenditure in the 1870s meant that resources for railway development were limited in the 1880s. In the 1890s, exhaustion of local iron ore stocks and the lower cost of imported iron ore saw local freight traffic decline rapidly. In 1893, the Midland Railway gave three years’ notice to the Furness Railway as it had developed its own harbour at Heysham. Some services remained at Barrow until the first world war. Services declined further after the railway grouping, iron ore traffic dwindled away, leaving only that between Hodbarrow and the iron works/docks.

A century of gradual decline brought changes to the rail network. The original line entered Barrow “at Millwood Junction, where the Kirkby and Dalton branches joined, and then ran down the narrow valley to the ruins of Furness Abbey, where a station and hotel were completed in 1847. This became an important interchange station when the lines through to Carnforth and Whitehaven were open, and although a curve was opened between the two branches on 1st August 1858, most trains continued to reverse at Furness Abbey until 1873 when Dalton took over the exchange traffic; the now-unused bays at Dalton were for the Barrow branch trains. Furness Abbey was still used for dividing boat trains into portions for the dock and Barrow until 1904, and the down loop used for this existed until the 1930s. An up bay at Furness Abbey was used in the 1880s for a service from and to Coniston, but this was discontinued in 1891. The first part of the original Kirkby branch from Millwood to Park Junction (renamed Goldmire in 1882) fell rapidly into disuse after this as Whitehaven-Barrow traffic used the Park loop after 1882. Millwood Junction was finally removed in 1898.” [1: p155]

A postcard image of Furness Abbey Railway Station which was shared on the Disused Stations Facebook Group by Brian Prevett on 31st December 2024. © Public Domain. [9]

The next station down the line from Furness Abbey was Roose.

Roose Railway Station as it appeared on 25″ OS mapping of 1889, published in 1890. Note the road bridge spamming the railway to the South of the Station and the tramway crossing that bridge. [11]

Roose Railway Station in the 21st century, as shown on satellite imagery provided by Railmaponline.com. [10]

Looking North through Roose Station in 2022 © NTL PWM Survey. [Google Streetview, March 2022]

In 1959, Roose had “a reasonable passenger traffic from the surrounding housing estates. The main road originally crossed the line on the level and it was at these gates that trains first stopped by signal in the 1850s. The old junction with the Piel line was where the bridge carrying the main road now stands (which was completed with the [station present in 1959] in 1875).” [1: p156]

Looking South from Roose Station in 2022, this photograph shows the bridge referred to above, © NTL PWM Survey. [Google Streetview, March 2022]

“The Piel line curved away to the left, following the shore for about a mile before entering a cutting to reach Rampside Station.” [1: p156]

The three map extracts below show the line as it appeared on 25″ OS mapping of 1889, published in 1890. The chord running South towards Rampside Station had, by this time, already been removed. …

The line to Rampside Station curved away to the South from the line between Roose Station and Barrow Central Station, © Ordnance Survey and provided by the NLS. These first two, somewhat fuzzy, extracts come form the 1911 Ordnance Survey, published in 1913. [11]

These two map extracts from the same OS Sheet show the line to Rampside Station running along the shore, © Ordnance Survey and provided by the NLS. [12]

These two map extracts show that line then curved to the South running through Rampside Station before continuing on across a causeway to Roa Island and Piel Pier, © Ordnance Survey and provided by the NLS. [13]

The next sequence of satellite images shows the line to Rampside Station and Roa Island superimposed on modern satellite imagery. The main line can be seen curving away to the West after passing South through Roose Railway Station. …

This sequence of three satellite image extracts from Railmaponline.com show the line serving Piel Pier. Rampside Station was closed to the Concle Inn at the top of the third of the images. [10]

The two map extracts below show Rampside Station and Roa Island as they appear on the 25″ OS mapping of 1889, published in 1890.

Rampside Railway Station closed in 1936. There was a period in the early 1800s when Rampside was a larger community than Barrow! In 1800, the population of Barrow was 65, that of Rampside was 94, © Public Domain. [16]

Rampside Railway Station was a single platform station opened on 24th August 1846 as Concle Station, [14: p37] it was renamed Rampside in 1869. The station remained operational until 1936 when it closed along with the line and the following station at Piel, which had been reachable via the Roa Island Causeway. The station building and entire branch line had been demolished by the 1980s. [15]

Roa Island in 1889. The Pier Hotel has the benchmark on its West side. [13]

This view faces South on Roa Island, the Pier Hotel is now a private dwelling, Piel Station was to its West side (on the right of the Hotel in this image). [Google Streetview, October 2024]

Returning to the main line: South and West of Roose Railway Station the main line curves round towards what was Salthouse Junction.

Salthouse Junction: the line from Roose Station curved into the map extract in the top-right corner on the North side of the Paper Works which just intruded into the right of the image, the line to Barrow Central Station curves away from the Junction and leaves this map extract on the left. The lines running from the top-right to the bottom left are local lines serving the docks and industry in the area, © Ordnance Survey and provided by the NLS. [11]

A slightly wider area centred on the OS map extract immediately above. This is from Railmaponline.com’s satellite imagery which superimposed historic lines over the modern image. The large area of water at the bottom of this image is known as Cavendish Dock. [10]

Only the main line remains to the East of Salthouse Junction. To the West, a single line leaves the main line at Salthouse Junction on the South side of the main line, heading West alongside Cavendish Dock.

Andrews tells us that a significant embankment was built from Salthouse Junction to Barrow Island. A line was laid along this which separated the Ramsden and Buccleuch Docks, running to the South of what was the old line to Strand Station. After the building of the embankment, land to its North was reclaimed and the old Strand Station was closed together with the line which approached it on a rather tortuous/sinuous route. Parts of the embankment for this old line were still visible in the late 1950s.

A triangular junction sat to the West, of which Salthouse Junction formed one apex. St. Luke’s junction formed the northern apex, close to which the original railway embankment appears on this map extract. A chord, the Loop Line curved down the West side of the triangle providing access from the North to the line to Barrow Island – named the Ramsden Dock branch. [11]

The same area on the satellite imagery provided by Railmaponline.com. [10]

The original Strand Station, seen in the 1950s, from the South end – its entrance arches bricked up. This photograph was taken by M.J. Andrews, © Public Domain. [1: p154]

Andrews tells us that “The original Barrow Station, a wooden structure with one platform, rapidly became inadequate to deal with the expanding traffic of the town and was converted into an engine shed in 1862.” [1: p156] Apparently, in the late 1950s, it was still in use “as a carpenters’ shed and offices, although the lines leading to it were closed in January 1871. … The main line was taken round the outside of the works [shown below] to reach the newer Strand Station in 1862. This, [in the late 1950s,] the Railway Institute, had to be enlarged again in 1873 and the old carriage shed … converted into an arrival station. However, hardly had these alterations been completed in the Strand, than the intention to build a large new station in the centre of the new town.” [1: p156]

This extract from the 1911 Ordnance Survey shows the railway works and sidings. [11]

This image is an extract from Railmaponline.com’s satellite imagery showing the same area as the map extract above. So much railway infrastructure has been lost. [10]

The line from St. Luke’s Junction through Barrow Central Station was not opened until 1882. Andrews continues: “by which time it had been put on a through route to the North by the completion of the Park loop line. A curve between Oaklea and Goldmire Junctions allowed the station to be approached from Carnforth in both directions. This curve [shown dashed in the adjacent image] was closed in 1904.” [1: p156]

An early view of Strand Station which emphasises its location adjacent to the docks, © Public Domain. [18]

Strand Station building seen from the East, now in private hands as the premises of a scaffolding company. [Google Streetview, November 2024]

Strand Station building, seen from the North in 2013. The station opened in 1846 and closed in 1882 when it was replaced by the current through station. While in use, this was the headquarters of the Furness Railway, © Nigel Thompson and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [17]

Andrew’s describes Central Station as having “a large, all-over roof covering Platforms 1 and 2. No. 3, the other side of the island platform, was uncovered and was used by the local service to Piel which ran from 1881 to 1936. These trains approached the Piel line by a curve from Salthouse Junction built in 1873; the line from Roose Junction to Parrock Hall was closed in 1881, after the boat trains were diverted to Ramsden Dock.” [1: p156]

Central Station appears top-centre on the extract from the sketch map of Barrow’s railways below. We will return to look at this later in this article

Andrews continued: “From 1881, the boat trains left the main line at Salthouse Junction and proceeded down the embankment to Loco Junction, where the curve from St. Lukes Junction, on the Central line, came in on the up side, and where the line to the Barrow goods yard and old Strand Station curved away. The passageway between the Ramsden and Buccleuch Docks was crossed by a swing bridge, replaced by the present lift bridge in 1907.” [1: p156-157]

And again: “Shipyard Junction was reached in a cutting and the line to the Naval construction works curved off to the right. A station, Island Road, was built in 1899 for workmen’s trains and these have used the platforms ever since. The line is now used for out-of-gauge loads to Vickers Works, near Island Road Station, and normal freight traffic is worked over Devonshire Bridge from the goods yard.” [1: p157]

Andrews continued: “Reaching the shore, the line to the docks branched off at Dockyard Junction and the passenger line curved away to the left to reach Ramsden Dock Station, which consisted of a long covered platform and a short bay. A goods shed separated the platform from the quayside and at low tide passengers embarked through a tunnel under the lines. The station was completed in 1885. Regular steamboat traffic to the Isle of Man, Belfast and Fleetwood ceased at the outbreak of the first world war, but excursion boats were run from the station, mainly to Blackpool, until 1936. The station was pulled down in 1938.” [1: p157]

Although the docks, seen on satellite imagery, seem substantially as shown on the drawing in Andrews’ article, closer inspection will reveal substantial changes. [Google Maps, February 2026]

Before looking at the rail infrastructure of the 21st century it is right to at least try to show what existed in around 1910 and which has since been substantially lost.

It is difficult to give an effective account of the complexity of the railway infrastructure around the docks at the turn of the 20th century, although the sketch map from 1959 is particularly helpful for understanding the mid-20th century situation. The following extracts from the 25″ Ordnance Survey from around 1910 may do more to obfuscate than to illustrate!

The Buccleuch Bridge of 1907 is shown in this extract. [20]

The New Buccleuch Bridge across the Buccleuch Dock in Barrow in around 1910, © Public Domain. [24] More photographs of the bridge can be found here. [25]

The location of the 1907 lift bridge as it appears in the 21st century. [Google Maps, February 2026]

As we have noted, the lift bridge mentioned by Andrews in 1959, is long gone, as is all of the network to the West of the bridge. That network was substantial. … A line ran from the bridge Southwest before curving round to the Southeast to head into Ramsden Dock Station.

That line can be seen here running from top-right to bottom-left through Shipyard Junction. [20]

Approximately the same area in the 21st century! [Google Maps, February 2026]

Shipyard Junction is top-right in this extract. The line ran Southwest passing a series of workers cottages. [20]

Looking East along the line of the old railway from the South end of Andrew Street. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Looking West along the line of the old railway from the South end of Andrew Street. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Dockyard Junction is at the centre-top of this extract close to terraced housing. The line then passed under Ramsden Dock Road before curving round to the South as shown below. [20]

Looking East along the line of the old railway from the bridge carrying Ramsden Dock Road. [Google Streetview, April 2009]

Looking West along the line of the old railway from the bridge carrying Ramsden Dock Road. [Google Streetview, April 2009]

This aerial image from the Britain From Above website (Image No. EPW014339), was taken facing Northeast. It shows the railway running under and alongside Ramsden Dock Road. The most westerly of the lines, served Ramsden Dock Station which was off the bottom right of the image, © Historic England. [27]

The road and the railway curved together to the South. It is worth noting the tramway which ran down the centre line of Ramsden Dock Road. [20]

Approximately the same area in the 21st century! Note that Ramsden Dock Road has been severed to accommodate a road scheme. [Google Maps, February 2026]

Further South the line ran closer to the sea shore. [20]

Looking South from the roundabout shown in the satellite image above, approximately along the line of the railway which served Ramsden Dock Station. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Ramsden Dock Station and Pier. Note that the lines continued beyond the Station curving round to the Northeast. [20]

Approximately the same area in the 21st century! There is nothing to indicate that a railway station was ever on the site. [Google Maps, February 2026]

Ramsden Dock railway station (also known as Barrow Island and officially as Barrow Ramsden Dock) was the terminus of the Furness Railway’s Ramsden Dock Branch. [26]

The station operated between 1881 and 1915. Located at the southern tip of Barrow Island alongside Ramsden Dock it primarily served the adjacent Walney Channel passenger ferry terminal. It was accessible by Ramsden Dock Road and the Barrow-in-Furness Tramway. [26]

The station building was demolished in the 1940s, while the rail line leading to it was completely removed in the 1990s. No evidence of either remain and a windfarm operations centre has been built on the site. [26]

The lines from Ramsden Dock Station curved round into the dock railway network. [20]

Barrow Port, looking towards the Cumbrian Hills. [30]

A Britain From Above aerial image looking Northeast across the Dock Basin EPW004066 in 1920 © Historic England. [31]

Running parallel to the line through Ramsden Dock Station were lines which served the various sidings in the docks. These lines can be seen in the extract above entering at the third-point along the top from the left of the image, and appear on the extract below, running diagonally across the image from the top-left corner.

A tree of sidings curved off the feeder line and ran East-West. The lines leaving the bottom of the extract at the third-point from the right enter the last extract from the quarter-point from the left. [20]

Anchor Basin and the Anchor Line Sheds circa 1910. [20]

South of the extract above, the extract shows the Dock Basin which had a lock gate to open water at its Southwest end with Cattle Sheds to its Southeast. [20]

A grain store sat to the Southeast of Anchor Basin and a lock linked it with the Dock Basin in the last extract. The Northeast end of the Cattle Sheds can be seen at the bottom of this extract. [20]

Approximately the same area as covered by the four map extracts above, as it appears in the 21st century! [Google Maps, February 2026]

Lines ran between the Southeast dock wall of Ramsden Dock and the shore. [20]

At the Southeast corner of Ramsden Dock, one line remained close to the shore with another turning North to run between Ramsden Dock and Cavendish Dock. The line along the Southeast side of Cavendish Dock and close to the shore led across to the Piel Branch curving round to the North to make a junction with the Branch. [20]

The line heading North linked back to the line that ran along the Northwest edge of Cavendish Dock and crossed the Buccleuch Bridge. [20]

This length of line is part of the remnants of what was on an extensive rail system. [20]

Approximately the same area as covered by the four map extracts above in the 21st century! [Google Maps, February 2026]

Much more has changed since 1959. The significant network of dock railways has been replaced by a single line running down the East side of Ramsden Dock.

Railmaponline.com shows a single line entering Barrow along the original main line from the Northeast on this satellite image. The triangular junction is gone, although the ghost of the original curve from St. Luke’s Junction to Loco Junction can still be made out. A line curves to the Northwest towards Barrow Railway Station.The line to the docks heads Southwest from Salthouse Junction [10]

This satellite image provided by railmaponline.com shows the single line on the East side of Ramsden Dock curving round to the Southwest to serve ABP’s Port. [10]

This photograph was taken in August 2005. Cavendish Dock is on the right of this North-facing image. The disused Barrow Paper Mills are in the background. The building with the tall chimney at the right of the photo is the gas fired Electricity Power Station, © David Jackson and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [28]

The line curving round to the North side of Cavendish Dock from Cavendish Dock Road © habiloid and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [29]

Associated British Ports’ “Port of Barrow plays a key role in serving the offshore energy industry in the region described as Britain’s “energy coast”. The port has 15ha of secure open storage and is the site of BAE Systems’ submarine design and manufacturing facility. … The Port of Barrow … handles over 100,000 tonnes of cargo each year, comprising an array of different products including limestone, sand, aggregates, granite and woodpulp. Heavy lift projects are also routinely and efficiently carried out to support the offshore energy sector.” [19]

To the Northwest of the dock lines we have been looking at, were the Naval Engineering Works and Shipbuilding Yard. These were served from the Southeast by a line heading West-northwest from Shipyard Junction which ran round the Southern side of the stadium and then in the surface of Island Road.

To the West of Shipyard Junction the lines thinned down to a single line which took its place in the road surface. [22]

Looking East-Southeast along Island Road and the line of the railway. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Looking West-Northwest along Island Road and the line of the railway. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

The Naval Construction and Engineering Works and the Shipbuilding Yard. Devonshire Dock sits to the North of the Works and railway lines curved round the Northwest end of the Dock to meet those running along its Northeast side. [22]

The structures on the site seem very similar in the 21st century. [22]

In this aerial image looking North-northeast from 1920 the high-level bridge can be seen top-right, Michaelson Road runs bottom-left to top-right, Island Road/Bridge Road runs a Ross the bottom half of the image. The Naval Works dominate the centre and centre-left of the image, © Historic England. [

Further West along Island Road looking West-northwest into the Naval Works. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Looking West-northwest through the naval Works. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Further West, looking Northwest along Bridge Road. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

This photograph is taken approximately at the location of the old Devonshire Bridge. It looks North along North Road. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Buccleuch Junction at the left of this map extract was the point at which the line South between Ramsden and Cavendish Docks, the line across Buccleuch Bridge and the line along the Northeast side of Buccleuch Dock separated. There were a series of sidings which ran along the Northeast side of Buccleuch and Devonshire Docks. [22]

Only the line curving to the South remains in the 21st century. [22]

Note not only the significant rail infrastructure but also the tramways which served Barrow. [22]

Both the railway and the trams no longer feature on this 21st century satellite image. [22]

A high level bridge took Michaelson Road and its tramway over both the railway lines and the Docks. [22]

The high-level bridge features at the centre of this extract from an aerial image provided by Britain From Above. It is included here for the railway sidings on the far dock wall, © Historic England. [32]

A rail line from the South of the Devonshire Dock curved around its Northwest end, crossing Devonshire Bridge and linking up with the lines on the Northeast of the Dock. [22]

The same area in the 21st century. The Dock’s length has been curtailed and North Road now curves round on the approximate line of the old railway and bridge. [22]

We have already seen this photograph which is taken approximately at the location of the old Devonshire Bridge. It looks North along North Road. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

A series of tracks curved away to the North to serve the Iron & Steelworks site. [23]

The road layout in the area of the Steelworks and to their immediate South has changed significantly. The image immediately below looks North-northwest along the line of the old and new Ironworks Road which now accommodates Northbound traffic on the A590.

Looking North-northwest along the modern Ironworks Road which accommodates the Northbound A590 traffic. This location is on the approximate line of the old Ironworks Road. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

The tightly packed Ironworks and Steelworks site with its myriad of rail lines. [23]

In the 21st century, the site remains an industrial site but with much lighter industrial processes! [23]

The Steelworks seen from the Southeast in an extract from Britain from Above aerial image, Image No. EPW004060. Ironworks Road can be seen on the left of the image, © Historic England. [33]

This next extract from the early 20th century Ordnance Survey shows the multiple rail lines of the Steelworks site gradually condensing down to a few lines going North. [23]

No sign of rails infrastructure in the 21st century! So much has changed! [23]

Further North again, the lines travelling North from the Steelworks meet those which have passed through Barrow Central Station which can be seen below. The Hawcoat Beach served Hawcoat Quarry. [23]

In the 21st century, a double-track line runs out from Barrow to the North. The A590 curves bottom to top across this extract from the ESRI satellite imagery provided by the National Library of Scotland. The alignment of the old road can just be picked out to the East of the railway line, running Northwest away from the A590, then dog-legging back towards the modern road alignment. [23]

Looking at the lines further to the North, Andrews said in 1959 that, “The economy drive which closed the Piel branch in 1936 also abolished the junction into the goods lines at Ormsgill north of the Central Station, and now trains from the north of the iron works have to work round through Loco Junction and Barrow yard.” [1: p157]

Ormsgill Junction is at the bottom-left of this sketch map. Lines to Hawcoat Quarry and Roanhead Iron Mines were similarly closed by the late-1950s. [1: p150]

But to complete our look at the central area of Barrow, we follow the line up through Barrow Central Station to the North.

Barrow Central Station after the turn of the 29th century. [21]

The site of the station as it appears on the ESRI satellite imagery supplied by the National Library of Scotland. [21]

Barrow Central Station seen from the South on the Station Approach in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2018]

Barrow Central Station seen from Abbey Road Bridge looking Northwest. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Andrews said in 1959: “The buildings at the new Barrow in Furness Station have been constructed on the site of the old, and are mainly steel framed. A considerable amount of glass has been introduced in the infilling panels forming windows to both the road and platform elevations. Multi-coloured rustic bricks have been used, with slate window sills and fascia over the high-level windows of the front entrance. The platform awnings are of light steel decking, with continuous roof glazing in line with the face of the external wall adjacent to No. 1 platform. The flooring of the booking hall and cafeteria-waiting rooms is laid in precast tiles, and polished hardwood has been used extensively as a decorative wall lining in the cafeterias, and for the framing to the ticket windows and internal window frames. The walls of the booking hall are finished in glazed tiles to the top of door height, with a glossy finish above, and re-erected on the south wall is the Furness Railway 1914-18 war memorial, Loudspeakers have been installed through out the station, and the open platform lighting is fluorescent, incorporating the station name within the light fitting.” [1: p200]

Looking North from the end of the station platform towards what was the location of the carriage sheds. [Google Streetview & Vextrix Surveys, November 2021]

Carriage Sheds to the Northwest of Barrow Central Station in the early 20th century. Note the single industrial siding serving British Griffin Chilled Iron Works. [21]

A similar area in the 21st century! [21]

By the early 1930s, the provision for local industry close to the carriage sidings had increased significantly! This extract comes from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1931, published in 1933. [35]

The lines passed under Devonshire Road. [23]

The same location in the 21st century. [23]

This photograph was taken in the late 1950s from a point somewhere Southeast of Devonshire Road. The carriage sheds are on the right of the photograph. There are two tracks on the left of the main line which served industrial premises. The Ordnance Survey shows the first of these sidings serving British Griffin Chilled Ironworks. This image was shared by Ralph Sheppard on the Barrow-in-Furness in Old Photos Facebook Group on 29th December 2019. [34]

Looking Southeast from Devonshire Road towards the maintenance facilities and the station beyond. [Google Streetview, November 2024]

Looking Northwest from Devonshire Road. [Google Streetview, November 2024]

Continuing Northwest, the lines passed under Walney Road. [23]

Looking Southeast from the A590, Walney Road, along the line of the railway towards Barrow Railway Station. [Google Streetview, November 2024]

We finish our survey of Barrow’s Railways at this northern point. Towards the end of his 1959 article, Andrews commented about the first half of the 20th century: “The last fifty years have shown a steady decline in Barrow’s railway system, the inevitable result of the failure of James Ramsden’s vision to become reality. Although the iron ore brought a temporary and easy prosperity, the geographical situation was a permanent setback to the port. The industrial centres of Lancashire and Yorkshire were just too far away and the Furness main line was not built for real speed. Moreover, the Furness Railway Company just failed to establish sufficient variety of local industry to keep the port busy with local trade and the town came in the end to rely almost entirely on the shipbuilding industry. Since the last war, however, there have been signs of a reversal in this downward trend; sidings are being laid in to serve new factories at Salthouse and Sandscale, and Barrow is to become a divisional centre in the L.M.R. de-centralisation scheme. It is hoped that some of the prosperity of the old days is on the way back.” [1: p157]

From 1959 to 2026, Barrow-in-Furness transitioned from a traditional heavy industrial town into a specialized hub for nuclear submarine construction and offshore energy. While iron and steel industries closed by 1988, the BAE Systems shipyard became the town’s primary economic driver, cementing its role in national defense.

British Cellophane (1959) and Kimberly Clark (1967) established manufacturing plants in Barrow and the 1980s saw the development of gas terminals for the Morecambe Bay gas field.

The vast majority of the industrial railway heritage has disappeared. The town is left with its mainline service which serves the Cumbrian Coast and connects the town to the wider UK, and a branch line which runs down to the ABP port facilities.

References

M. J. Andrews; The Railways of Barrow; in The Railway Magazine, Tothill Press, London, March 1959, p149-157 & 200.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roa_Island, accessed on 22nd December 2025.
https://visitbarrow.org.uk/roa-island, accessed on 22nd December 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Barrow_Central_railway_station.jpg, accessed on 22nd December 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrow-in-Furness_railway_station, accessed on 22nd December 2025.
https://signalfilmandmedia.com/blitz-stories-images/barrow-central-station, accessed on 22nd December 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piel_railway_station, accessed on 23rd December 2025.
Andrews quotes from a newspaper report of a Furness shareholders’ meeting in 1869. [1: p153]
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AxvAoRHBg, accessed on 23rd December 2025.
https://www.railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php, accessed on 24th December 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/126514796, accessed on 24th December 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/126514871, accessed on 24th December 2025.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/126515072, accessed on 24th December 2025.
Peter W. Robinson; Cumbria’s Lost Railways; Stenlake Publishing, Catrine, 2002.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rampside_railway_station, accessed on 24th December 2025.
https://www.nwemail.co.uk/features/nostalgia/16445714.rampside-was-a-haven-for-19th-century-sea-bathers, accessed on 24th December 2025.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3562688, accessed on 27th December 2025.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRGdfLogUZSAQZgRDfqBb-aHVR2IlOZsU-5chvmZR0aNy_pS1j6lQIS_1c&s=10, accessed on 28th December 2025.
https://www.abports.co.uk/locations/barrow, accessed on 12th February 2026.
Individual extracts can be found by enlarging the mapping provided by the National Library of Scotland on this link: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=13.6&lat=54.10820&lon=-3.21096&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed on 12th February 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.9&lat=54.11966&lon=-3.22651&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed on 13th February 2026.
Individual extracts can be found by enlarging the mapping provided by the National Library of Scotland on this link: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.0&lat=54.10776&lon=-3.23089&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed on 13th February 2026.
Individual extracts can be found by enlarging the mapping provided by the National Library of Scotland on this link: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=14.3&lat=54.12347&lon=-3.24052&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed o. 13th February 2026.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_New_Bridge_at_Buccleuch_Dock,_Barrow_in_Furness,_circa_1910.jpg, accessed on 14th February 2026.
https://www.sankeyphotoarchive.uk/collection/view/?id=2152, accessed on 14th February 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsden_Dock_railway_station, accessed on 14th February 2026.
https://britainfromabove.org.uk/image/EPW014339, accessed on 14th February 2026.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/34423, accessed on 14th February 2026.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7514496, accessed on 14th February 2026.
https://www.abports.co.uk/media/ohpjrxsw/port-charges-barrow-2025-v2.pdf, accessed on 14th February 2026.
https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW004066, accessed on 14th February 2026.
https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW004065, accessed on 15th February 2026.
https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW004060, accessed on 15th February 2026.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/Barrowinoldphotos/permalink/3301006416594574, accessed on 15th February 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/126514772, accessed on 15th February 2026.

The Strathspey Line – Part 3 – Ballindalloch Railway Station to Boat of Garten

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This is the third article following the Strathspey Line. The first can be found here. [3] The second can be found here. [4]

The featured image above is a Manson O class 4-4-0 locomotive. When the GNSR Directors requested larger engines to handle increasing passenger traffic loads, and Manson designed his Class O (LNER D42) locomotives to meet this need. Initially allocated to main line passenger duties between Aberdeen and Elgin, as later 4-4-0s (e.g..the D40s) were introduced, they were displaced to secondary duties. By the time of the Grouping (1923), they could be found across the GNSR system, including at Boat of Garten working the Speyside Line. [32]

We start this next leg of the journey at Ballindalloch Railway Station.

Ballindalloch Railway Station as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1902, published in 1905. [5]

The location of Ballindalloch Railway Station as it appears on the satellite imagery provided by railmaponline.com. [6]

The scenery undergoes a change beyond Ballindalloch, and the woods that have so far characterised the journey give place to the wilder moorland country of upper Strathspey. [2: p6]

Just to the West of Ballindalloch Railway Station the line bridged the Burn of Ayeon. [7]

The same location in the 21st century with the line of the old railway superimposed on modern satellite imagery. [6]

The warehousing on the above satellite image seen from the road, the old railway was beyond these buildings. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

As the line curved towards the South following the course of the River Spey, a cattle-creep allowed access from the fields to the river bank. [8]

The same location in the 21st century. [6]

Near Church Yard Pool on the River Spey, two Futher small burns were bridged by the railway just prior to meeting the river. The first encountered is Achvochkie Burn, the next was Faeshellach Burn. [9]

As the line headed Southwest two further burns were crossed, the first is shown here, Caechan Ruadh. [9]

Approximately the same area in the 21st century as that in the Ordnance Survey extract above. [6]

The second and more substantial burn is the Burn of Advie. [9]

Advie Railway Station at the turn of the 20th century. [10]

Approximately the same area in the 21st century as that in the Ordnance Survey extract above. This is the location of Advie station as shown on the railmaponline.com satellite imagery. [6]

Photographs of Advie Station when the line was operating and after the track had been lifted can be found here. [15]

The original Advie station, opened on 1st July 1863 as a simple halt at the north end of the road from Mains of Advie, was short-lived and relocated westward, with the replacement Advie station opening on 1st September 1868 to better accommodate growing needs. This second station featured a single platform on the south side of the line, initially short but later extended, along with a timber waiting room building, a goods yard accessed from the west including a siding, and facilities supporting local freight such as agricultural produce and goods from nearby Tormore Distillery. Today, remnants of the station, including the platform and a former railway building, survive as part of the disused line now incorporated into the Strathspey Way long-distance footpath. [11]

Looking East from the bridge at the East end of the Advie station site. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

The view West from the bridge in 2009. By 2025 vegetation had grown so that this view was impossible. [Google Streetview, March 2009]

The view East through the station from the West end of the platform. [Google Streetview, August 2011]

The line curved round to the South following the river.

Burn of Duiar was bridged close to the Bridge of Duiar. [12]

The view from the Bridge of Duiar towards the route of the old railway line. [Google Streetview, September 2026]

“Six miles separate the non-crossing stations of Advie and Cromdale, but when the line was opened this section was broken by a rather isolated station at Dalvey (spelled Dalvie in the very early timetables). Closed in 1868, the buildings and platform have long since been dismantled, but the site of the station, some three miles from Advie, can still be identified.” [2: p6]

Burn of Dalvey was a bridged adjacent to the Bridge of Dalvey. For a short time after the building of the line there was a station at this location. [13]

The view East along the A95 across the Bridge of Dalvey. The railway bridge was immediately adjacent to the road bridge. The parapet railings can still be seen to the left of the road bridge.

Burn of Dalcapple was bridged to the West of the road which would become the A95. [14]

The view to the West from the A95 at the road bridge over the Burn of Cromdale. The railway line is across the field visible in the foreground.

Burn of Cromdale was bridged only a short distance to the East of Cromdale Railway Station. [14]

Cromdale Railway Station was a short distance to the North of the village. A branch left the Speyside Line at the station which served the Balmenach Distillery. [14]

This photograph taken by H.A. Vallance, shows the station buildings at Cromdale which were typical of GNSR stations on the line. The view looks East through the station site, © Public Domain. [2: p7]

Photographs of the station during the diesel era can be found here. [17]

Cromdale Railway Station in 2012, © Euan Nelson and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [16]

The view Northeast through the station from the bridge at the Southwest end of the station site. The station is now a ‘Staycation’ holiday location. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

The view North into the old station site, which in the 21st century is a staycation location, from the road called The Old Station. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

The view Northeast from the Northeast end of the road called The Old Station. The driveway and the building to the right sit over the beginning of the branch to Balmenach Distillery. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

Turning through 180°, this is the view from the bridge at the end of the station site, Southwest along the line of the old railway. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

“At Cromdale, a branch serves a distillery more than a mile south-east of the station.” [2: p6] We will follow the line of this branch before returning to the Strathspey Line Southwest of Cromdale Station.

Cromdale village sat on the East side of the Branch. The main road through the village bridged the branch line. [14]

The view North from the A95 towards Cromdale Station Yard along the line of the old branch line.

Looking South from the A95 along the line of the old railway towards Balmenach Distillery. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

The line followed the Balmenach Road towards the distillery. Looking South the line was on the left of the road. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

The terminus of the branch at Balmenach- Glenlivet Distillery, South of Cromdale. [15]

The view back to the North from the Distillery entrance along the shallow embankment which used to carry the branch line. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

Turning through 180°, the line continued on a slight embankment into the distillery site [Google Streetview, September 2025]

A final view from the end of the branch looking back along the embankment which carried the line North away from the distillery. [Google Streetview, April 2022]

Beyond Cromdale, “The train crosses the boundary between Morayshire and Inverness-shire beyond Cromdale, and reaches Grantown-on-Spey, 24.25 miles from Craigellachie.” [2: p6]

Continuing Southwest on the Strathspey Line. ….

We pass under the road bridge and head Southwest along the Strathspey Line. Seen here from the road bridge. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

The line curved round to the South and began to run alongside the Spey once again. …..

An access road from the Mains of Cromdale bridged the line and ran South alongside it. Just to The North of the bridge the line was joined by a short siding which served old gravel pits. This is the 25″Ordnance Survey from the turn of the 20th century again. [18]

The same length of the old railway as it appears on the satellite imagery from railmaponline.com. [6]

The line bridged two small tributary burns of the Allt Choire Odhair. [19]

It then bridged the Allt Choire Odhair itself. [19]

The same length of line shown on 21st century satellite imagery. [6]

Across the River Spey from Speybridge the railway ran into Grantown Railway Station. …

Across the River Spey from Speybridge the line was bridged by the old road to Speybridge which would have been the A95 before the new road was built. [21]

Looking West along the line of the old road where it crossed over the railway [Google Streetview, September 2025]

Looking East towards the old railway from the old A95. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

The line ran into Grantown Railway station. [22]

The location of Grantown Railway Station as it appears in the 21st century. It was renamed Grantown-on-Spey East during the 20th century. [6]

The Grantown-on-Spey East Railway Station in April 2008, © Paul Anderson and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [28]

More photographs of the station can be found here. [29]

“Founded in 1776, Grantown-on-Spey is laid out on a spacious and regular plan on the western (Morayshire) side of the Spey. In addition to its importance as a local business centre, it enjoys considerable favour as a holiday resort. The station on the Strathspey line (now designated Grantown-on-Spey East, to distinguish it from the former Highland Railway station) is on the opposite side of the river, in a rather isolated position, more than a mile from the town, and is in Inverness-shire. The layout and the buildings are similar to those at the other crossing stations.” [2: p6]

Three images follow below, of the site of Grantown East Railway Station as it appears in the 21st century. …

The three images above show the Grantown Railway Station site as it appears in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

Looking back along the line of the railway from the West end of the station site. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

Looking West along the route of the old line from the same location as the last image. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

As it left the station heading West it bridged the old road from Speybridge to the Southwest. [22]

Looking West-northwest along the line of the old railway. The Speyside Way rejoins the line of the old railway just a few hundred metres ahead. The view looking back towards Grantown Railway Station from this point is obscured by vegetation. [Google Streetview, May 2025]

“Between Grantown and Nethy Bridge, the railway reaches its summit, 702 ft. above sea-level, the highest on the former Great North of Scotland Railway. The gradual ascent from Craigellachie (270 ft. above sea-level) is in complete contrast to the steep fall into Strathspey from Dufftown, and involves no gradient steeper than 1 in 75, and that for short distances only. The summit is in open moorland country, and snow fences protect the railway from drifts during winter blizzards.” [2: p6 & 8]

A short distance along the line it spanned three streams in short succession.

The length of line referred to above. The most northerly stream is Auchernack Burn. The other two are not named on the OS mapping. [23]

The area is heavily wooded so little is visible other than the tree canopy on satellite imagery. The railmaponline.com mapping shows the lines of the streams in the 21st century most clearly.

The line was then bridged by an access road. …

A farm access road bridged the line. [24]

The same location on railmaponline.com mapping. [6]

The access Road to Balliefurth Farm also bridged the line. [27]

The same access road in the 21st century. [6]

The same location in the 21st century. [Google Maps, February 2026]

Another farm access crossed the line South of Allt Mor. [25]

Nethy Bridge Railway Station at the turn of the 20th century. [26]

The location of the Nethy Bridge Railway Station in the 21st century. [6]

The platform at Nethy Bridge Railway Station, seen in the snow, from the Speyside Way. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

Nethy Bridge Railway Station, seen in the snow, from the Speyside Way. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

A series of photographs of Nethy Bridge Railway Station can be found here. [30]

Nethy Bridge Railway Station building in the 21st century, © Nigel Brown and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [33]

“Originally named Abernethy when it opened on the Strathspey Railway, the station was renamed Nethy Bridge on 1st November 1867 to avoid confusion with another Abernethy station near Perth, after which misdirected goods deliveries occurred.” [31]

“Construction of the station was straightforward, reflecting its rural setting in the sparsely populated Abernethy area, with a basic single-platform layout designed for modest traffic volumes. Key engineering features included a substantial rail bridge spanning the River Nethy immediately adjacent to the station, whose stone supports remain visible today as remnants of the original infrastructure.” [31]

“The name change for the station prompted a corresponding renaming of the nearby village from Abernethy—known in Scottish Gaelic as Obar Neithich—to Nethy Bridge, reflecting the influence of the expanding rail network on local identity; however, Abernethy remains in common local use for the broader parish area.” [31]

“In the station’s early years through the late 19th century, operations focused on fundamental passenger and goods handling along the single-track Strathspey Railway, which connected remote Highland settlements to broader networks at Craigellachie and later Boat of Garten. The station primarily accommodated local residents traveling for work, markets, and social purposes, while also supporting the nascent tourism to Speyside’s scenic landscapes and sporting estates, with basic platforms and a modest goods shed facilitating timber, agricultural produce, and visitor luggage.” [31]

“Safety measures were implemented from the outset on this lightly trafficked branch line, including a signal box to control train movements and manned level crossing gates at the nearby road intersection, essential for managing single-line working and preventing collisions in the rural setting.” [31]

Looking back into Nethy Bridge Station site along the line of the old railway from what was a level-crossing. [Google Streetview, May 2025]

Turning through 180° and looking ahead along the line of the old railway. [Google Streetview, May 2025]

Immediately after crossing the road at the South end of the station site, the railway bridged the River Nethy. The railway then turned “sharply westward, and crosses the Spey for the third time on a girder bridge of five spans supported on masonry piers. It then curves back towards the south, and runs beside the main line of the former Highland Railway to Boat of Garten, 33.5 miles from Craigellachie. Throughout the final stages of the journey, the Cairngorms rise boldly on the eastern horizon, their dark outlines relieved by the snow which frequently lingers in the corries until midsummer.” [2: p8-9]

The sharp right bend to the South of Nethy Bridge Railway Station, as it appears on the OS mapping from the turn of the 20th century. [34]

Close to Duackbridge the line bridged the Duack Burn. [34]

Northwest of Duackbridge, the line is bridged by a minor road. [34]

Looking back to the East from the bridge over the old railway’s line. [Google Streetview, March 2023]

Another access road crosses the line before the old railway reached another bridge over the River Spey. [35]

Roughly the same location in the 21st century. [6]

The bridge abutments and piers still remain in the 21st century. [6]

The remaining piers of the bridge over the River Spey, seen from 100 metres upstream on the South bank, © Anne Burgess and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [43]

The line met the Highland Railway shortly after crossing the river. There was no junction at this point. The two lines ran parallel to each other into Boat of Garten Railway Station. [38]

A field access bridge over the two lines. [39]

A view of the level-crossing from the West, © Richard Webb and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [44]

Further to the Southwest, a cattle creep passed under the two lines. [40]

A slightly out of focus overall view of Boat of Garten Railway Station. [41]

Boat of Garten Railway Station in the 21st century. [6]

The GNSR Engine Shed and turntable. [41]

The underpass North of the Station. [41]

The station platforms at Boat of Garten. [41]

Boat of Garten Station building, © Donald H. Bain and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [45]

“The southbound platform at Boat of Garten Station is an island, the outer face of which is used by the Strathspey trains. The layout includes a run-round loop, and sidings for the exchange of traffic. The only physical connection between the two railways formerly was at the south end of the station, but [in the 1950s] an improved junction, allowing trains to run direct between Strathspey line and the Highland line platforms, [was] provided at the north end.” [2: p9]

Services on the Strathspey Line

H.A. Vallance describes services on the line: “The early train services on the Strathspey line call for little comment. The trains stopped at all stations, and were characterised by their leisurely progress. There were three trains in each direction in summer, and two in winter, but with the gradual improvement of services on the Great North after the early 1880s, the number of services was increased, and there was some improvement in speed. At least three trains were run throughout the year, and in summer there were additional trains, some of which worked only between Craigellachie and Ballindalloch. The services suffered some reduction during the first world war from which they never fully recovered. In [the period before Vallance was writing] there [were] three trains in each direction, and the journey time for the 33.5 miles between Craigellachie and Boat of Garten [was] about 1.25 hour.” [2: p9]

“In the early years of the [20th] century, the GNSR introduced a summer programme of long-distance half-day excursions by special trains from Aberdeen on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The first of these trips to the Speyside line was on 17th June 1905, and the fare for the return journey to Boat of Garten (101.25 miles each way) was 2s. 6d. The train ran non-stop between Aberdeen and Craigellachie (68 miles) in 85 min., and reached Boat of Garten in 2.25 hours.” [2: p9]

During the summer of 1906, the journey “was extended for 17 miles over the Highland Railway, from Boat of Garten to Kingussie, but this innovation lasted for one season only. By 1909, the non-stop run had been shortened to 64 miles by the addition of a stop at Dufftown. The GNSR. had no restaurant cars, but lunches provided by the Palace Hotel, Aberdeen, owned by the railway company, were served on the outward journey in saloon carriages fitted with tables. Teas were served on the return journey.” [2: p51]

“After being withdrawn during the first world war, these excursions were re-introduced by the London & North Eastern Railway, but at increased fares. The catering arrangements were improved by the provision of a fully-equipped restaurant car, and the trains also ran on Sundays, thus becoming the first Sunday services on the Strathspey line. The trains were again withdrawn on the outbreak of the second world war, and [were not] restored.” [2: p5]

“The sharp curves on the lines between Keith and Elgin are said to have led the GNSR to use locomotives with a leading bogie at an early date. For many years after its opening in 1863, the Strathspey line was worked by some of the first 4-4-0s built for the company. ” [2: p51]

“Successive locomotive superintendents perpetuated the 4-4-0 wheel arrangement for general mixed-traffic duties, and, as the older locomotives were withdrawn from service, several of these types appeared on the Boat of Garten trains. Six-coupled engines were unknown on the line until after grouping, when 4-6-0s from the former Great Eastern Railway were sent to North-East Scotland, and were used on the Strathspey excursion trains. In [the 1950s], British Railways standard 2-6-0s … worked the passenger services, and class “K” 2-6-0s [worked] goods trains.” [2: p51]

“On 3rd November 1958, the services on the Strathspey line were re-organised by the introduction of one of the new diesel railbuses. … These vehicles, which [had] seats for 56 passengers, and a top speed of 55 m.p.h., [were] designed for use on routes on which traffic [was] light. The railbus [made] three journeys in each direction daily on the Strathspey line, and the only remaining steam-hauled passenger service [was] the late evening train from Craigellachie, on Saturdays only, which convey[ed] a through coach from Aberdeen.” [2: p51]

“Advantage [was] taken of the ease with which a diesel unit can be reversed to extend the railbus journeys over the main line between Craigellachie and Elgin. The introduction of through services between Strathspey and Elgin was among the suggestions made in an article on the possibilities of light diesel units in the North of Scotland, which appeared in The Railway Magazine for January, 1956. Two journeys in each direction also [were] extended between Boat of Garten and Aviemore. distance from Aviemore to Elgin via Craigellachie is 51 miles, and the railbus [was] thus covering a daily mileage of almost 300, or 1,800 miles a week.” [2: p51]

A significant series of photographs at locations along the line can be seen here. [42]

References

The Railway Magazine Volume 105 No. 693, Tothill Press, London, January 1959.
H.A. Vallance; The Strathspey Line; in The Railway Magazine Volume 105 No. 693, Tothill Press, London, January 1959, p3-9 & 51.
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/01/16/the-strathspey-line-part-1-keith-to-dufftown
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2026/01/29/the-strathspey-line-part-2-dufftown-to-ballindalloch
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.2&lat=57.41331&lon=-3.38888&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100, accessed on 30th January 2026.
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The Strathspey Line – Part 2 – Dufftown to Ballindalloch

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This is the second article following the Strathspey Line. The first can be found here. [22]

The featured image above shows Carron Railway Station early in the 20th century, © Public Domain. [61]

We start this next leg of the journey in Dufftown at the Railway Station which is the terminus of the Keith & Dufftown Railway.

Dufftown Railway Station at the turn of the 29th century. [3]

Beyond Dufftown we continue a descent at 1 in 78 and 1 in 80 through the Fiddich Gorge. “The engineering works on this section include two masonry bridges over the Fiddich, a deep rock cutting at Corbie’s Craig, and a diversion of the river to enable an embankment to be formed on what had been the bed of the stream. The line emerges from the gorge at Craigellachie, a short distance from the confluence of the Fiddich and the Spey.” [1: p5-6]

A short distance North of Dufftown Railway Station, the line bridged an access road. [4]

The A941 runs alongside the route of the old railway (shown orange on this extract from the satellite imagery provided by railmaponline.com). The house which appears top left matches that which appears in the same location on the map extract. Duff Town is a new access road. The original road under the line turned East close to the house. [5]

The next location along the line was a bridge carrying an access road to Balvenie House. [6]

The same location in the 21st century. [5]

The line bridged the next minor road which crossed the line to the North of Balvenie House. [6]

The next structure was a bridge over the River Fiddich which the line has been following since Dufftown. [7]

Construction of the line required the diversion of a short length of the River Fiddich. [7]

The railway continues its sinuous way down the valley of the River Fiddich before reaching Popine Mills. …

Just prior to bridging the River Fiddich once again, the line ran to the North of Popine Mills. [8]

Approximately the same area as it appears on the satellite imagery provided by railmaponline.com. The orange line marks the approximate route of the railway. [5]

Just beyond Popine Mills a minor road which provided access to the mills bridged the line. There is no sign of the access road on modern satellite imagery. [8]

The Fiddich Viaduct, Craigellachie was a three-span girder bridge. [8][17]

The Fiddich Viaduct in the 21st century is now used as a footpath crossing of the River Fiddich on The Glenfiddich Way. [Google Maps, January 2026]

The Fiddich Viaduct, © Joseph Snitch, September 2025. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

Once across the viaduct trains immediately entered Craigellachie Junction Railway Station. The River Fiddich was on the East side of the station site.

Craigellachie Junction Railway Station at the turn of the 20th century. [9]

The ESRI satellite imagery shows approximately the same area in the 21st century. [9]

The ‘middle’ platform at Craigellachie. The platform for the Speyside Railway is on the left. The two platform faces that served the line to and from Elgin are on the right of this image. This photograph was shared on the Disused Stations Facebook Group by Brian Prevett on 23rd October 2024. The photographer is not known. [15]

A snowbound 1968 view of the station which shows the Speyside platform face with the platforms on the Elgin line at the right of the image – the footbridge can just be made out. This image was shared on the Disused Stations Facebook Group by John Clark on 30th May 2018. He comments: “The line through the station remained open until 15th November 1971 when the section between Dufftown and Aberlour closed to freight. … Despite the blizzard the shot was taken on 6th April 1968. [16]

The view Southeast through the Station in 1988, towards Keith and Aberdeen, © Ben Brooksbank and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [10]

The remains of one of the platforms at Craigellachie Station. This view looks Southeast through the station, © Anne Burgess, September 2018, and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [11]

The view Northwest through Craigellachie Station. At the far end of the platform is the bridge carrying the A95 road over the railway line, © Anne Burgess, September 2018, and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [12]

An excellent photograph of steam at Craigellachie can be found here. [23]

Craigellachie Junction Railway Station was opened as Strathspey Junction on 1st July 1863 by the Great North of Scotland Railway. It was renamed Craigellachie on 1st June 1864. There was a large goods yard to the west. The station closed to passengers on 6th May 1968 and to goods traffic on 4th November 1968. [13]

This was a three platform station and junction, with two platforms on the route between Elgin East and Keith via Dufftown and one platform on the Strathspey route to Boat of Garten. Almost immediately after leaving the station, trains for Elgin crossed the Craigellachie Bridge to reach Dandaleith.

The erstwhile railway bridge over the River Spey. It should not be confused with Thomas Telford’s road bridge further to the West of this location. This railway bridge carried the line to Elgin. [14]

The same location in the 21st century as shown on the ESRI satellite imagery supplied by the National Library of Scotland (NLS). [14]

The main station building at Craigellachie Junction Railway Station was a long single-storey building situated on the platform between the Elgin line and the Boat of Garten line. There was a smaller waiting room structure on the platform that served Dufftown trains from Elgin. There was a goods yard on the West side of the station site. A turntable sat at the Southwest corner of the site.

The station had three signal boxes, all opened in 1900. The South box, “located on the east side at the south end of the station at the junction between the Boat of Garten and Elgin East routes and the turn out for the goods yard. This box above the west bank of the River Fiddich with a large stone base. The line crossed over the Fiddich just to the south by a girder bridge.” [17]

The other two signal boxes, the West box and the North box were at the North end of the two platforms.

Vallance wrote of Craigellachie Station: “Craigellachie Station … has three, platform faces, of which two serve the Elgin line, and the third the Boat of Garten trains. Sidings and a run-round loop for locomotives adjoin the third platform.” [1: p6]

In a relatively deep cuttings, the Speyside Line curved away from Craigellachie Station to the West and then Southwest. [18]

The same location in the 21st century. The Speyside Way follows the old railway formation. [Google Maps, January 2026]

Looking back into the station site from the modern A95 bridge. The Goods Shed once sat to the right of this image. [Google Streetview, June 2025]

Looking forward along the Speyside Way (which follows the old railway route) from the A95 overbridge. [Google Streetview, June 2025]

Vallance continues: “The Strathspey line reaches the right bank of the Spey a short distance beyond the station, and a glimpse is caught of Telford’s graceful iron bridge. with embattled towers, erected in 1815 to carry the Elgin road over the river. The train then passes through a short tunnel (65 yd. long), the only one on the line, and one of the very few on the former Great North of Scotland Railway.” [1: p6]

Telford’s graceful Craigellachie Bridge seen from the East. © Tama66, and made available under a Creative Commons licence (CC0 – Public Domain. The bridge is a cast iron arched structure. It was actually opened to traffic in 1814. [19]

The Elgin Road crossed the line before crossing Telford’s bridge. [20]

Looking Northwest along the A95, the parapets of the bridge over the Speyside Way (the old Speyside Line) are visible on each side of the road. [Google Streetview, June 2025]

The short tunnel mentioned by Vallance sits between the River Spey and [21]

The same location in the 21st century. The green flag marks the approximate location of the tunnel, one very few on the whole of the old Great North of Scotland Railway network. [5]

Looking North from the tunnel mouth, © Simon Bliault, 2023. [Google Maps, January 2026]

This view shows the South Portal of the tunnel, © Howard Lennox, 2023. [Google Maps, January 2026]

Vallance continues: “A run of 4.75 miles beside the wooded banks of the river takes the train past the crossing station of Aberlour to the single-platform halt of Dailuaine.” [1: p6]

The line spans a tributary of the River Spey – the Burn of Allachoy. [28]

The same location in the 21st century. [14]

Looking North from the A95 towards the River Spey, which can just be seen in the photograph, from adjacent to the Bridge of Allachoy. The track running parallel to the road and crossing the field access is the formation of the old railway and now *The Speyside Way*. [Google Streetview, June 2025]

Aberlour Railway Station and Goods Yard at the turn of the 20th century. The village’s full name is Charlestown of Aberlour. [29]

The village was founded by Charles Grant of Elchies in 1812 – with the name of Charlestown of Aberlour after his son Charles. It is commonly referred to simply as Aberlour. [30] The railway Station closed to passengers in 1965 and to freight in 1971. The station building is now the Speyside Way Visitor Centre and Cafe. [31]

Looking Northeast through Aberlour Railway Station from the footbridge carrying a public right of way over the line at the Southwest end of the station site. When opened, Aberlour was a single platform station. The goods yard was to the Northeast of the station, accessed from the North. The loop, signal box and second platform were added in 1910. The signal box sat at the Northeast end of the additional platform, directly opposite the Goods shed. The station closed to passengers in 1965. The signal box closed 3 years later, when the Aberlour became the terminus of the linefrom Dufftown. The station closed to freight in 1971. [31]

The original station building at Aberlour Railway Station, seen from the East. [Google Streetview, June 2025]

Aberlour Railway Station building, seen from the South. The running lines were beyond the building and would have been visible to the left of the building. [Google Streetview, June 2025]

Only a short distance to the Southwest of the station the line bridged the Burn of Aberlour which spilled into the River Spey a short distance to the Northwest of the line. [32]

The next significant location on the line was some distance further to the Southwest bridging another stream close to Dailuaine Halt.

The Dailuaine-Glenlivet Distillery was South of this location. The railway bridge over the tributary of the Spey is shown here on an extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey revision of 1903, published 1905. The distillery remains active and is owned by Diageo in the 21st century. [24]

The location of Dailuaine Halt. The halt opened in November 1933 and closed to both passengers and goods on 18th October 1965. [25]

This extract from the railmaponline.com satellite imagery shows the site of the Dailuaine Distillery. The Speyside line runs across the top-left corner of this extract. The thinner orange line is the short branch which served the distillery. [14]

A dedicated Barclay locomotive served the branch. [26]

More photographs of the Dailuaine Distillery branch and its locomotive can be found here. [27]

On its way West the line passed under the access road to Carron House. [33]

A short distance to the West. The industrial line formed a junction with the main line before the line crossed the River Spey and entered Carron Railway Station. in so doing, the line left “Banffshire, and [crossed] to the Morayshire side of the Spey on [the Bridge of Carron] with a central iron span of 150 ft., flanked on each side by a single masonry arch, which also [carried] a public road.” [1: p6]

Before reaching the Bridge Of Carron the line bridged a minor road which continued alongside the line and crossed the Bridge of Carron alongside the railway. [33]

The same location shown on railmaponline.com,’s satellite imagery. [14]

Seen from the South, this is the location where the line bridged the road. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

Railway and Road crossed the Bridge of Carron over the River Spey on the same structure. [34]

The Bridge of Carron as shown on the satellite imagery from railmaponline.com. [14]

The Bridge of Carron seen from the Southeast. Trains crossed the bridge to the left of the road. The Speyside Way now uses the railway route over the bridge. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

The Bridge of Carron was built for the Strathspey Railway in 1863, to a design by Alexander Gibb, an engineer for the Great North of Scotland Railway. It was fabricated by the iron founders William McKinnon and Co. It originally carried both the railway and a roadway. [35]

This photograph of the Bridge of Carron was taken by H.A. Vallance, © Public Domain. [2: p8]

This photograph of the Bridge of Carron was taken on 16th May 2014. The structure is an intricate cast iron bridge, thought to be one of the last large-span cast iron bridges to be built in the UK, © Valenta and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [36]

Just beyond the Bridge of Carron the line entered Carron Railway Station which sat alongside the Imperial Distillery which was rail served by a small number of sidings. The private sidings were accessed from the Strathspey line beyond the level crossing to the West of Carron Station. [37]

Approximately the same area as it appears on the railmaponline.com satellite imagery. [14]

On the other side of the Bridge of Carron we see the road ahead with the route of the old railway alongside. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

Once over the Bridge of Carron the goods yard of the railway station opened out alongside the road with a Saw Mill and timber yard immediately next to the road. The railway curved gently through the Station.

The station opened on 1st July 1863 with only one platform but another was later added. To the north was a goods yard and to the west were sidings that served the Imperial distillery. The station closed to passengers on 18th October 1965 and closed to goods on 4th November 1968. The station building has survived. [37]

Carron Railway Station, seen from the West. The Goods Yard was on the North side of the line behind the signal box. The station building , which is closest to the camera, has survived. [1: p7]

Carron Railway Station building in the 21st century, seen from the Southeast, © Joseph Snitch and shared on Google Maps in January 2026.

Carron Railway Station building seen from the Northwest. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

An August 1978 view of the station after closure can be found here, [38] and another view, here. [39]

Vallance continues: “Carron Station … has a crossing loop, and its solidly-constructed stone buildings are typical of those provided by the G.N.S.R. at many other roadside stations. The large whisky distilleries at Carron and at Knockando, 2.5 miles further on, bring a considerable amount of traffic to the railway.” [1: p6]

Imperial Distillery which was immediately to the South of the Station, was built by Thomas Mackenzie in 1897. In 1925, Imperial joined The Distillers Company, in 1989, it was sold to Allied Distillers. The distillery was demolished in 2013 and a new distillery, Dalmunach, established on the site in 2015. [40]

A monochrome postcard image of Imperial Distillery, Carron. Note the large rake of wagons! This image was shared on Facebook by Graeme Scott on 8th August 2024, © Public Domain. [41]

The line continued West from Carron ….

At Millhaugh the line bridged the Ballintomb Burn. [42]

The same location on mapping provided by railmsponline.com. Satellite imagery shows very little of interest at this location as the area is heavily wooded. [14]

Another burn is bridged just a short distance to the West. [43]

The same location on railmaponline.com’s mapping. Tree cover means that it is impossible to see features below the canopy on the satellite imagery. [14]

The line continues on the North bank of the Spey running by Knockando distillery.

Vallance writing in 1959, says that, “When the railway was opened, there was no station between Carron and Blacksboat, a distance of 4.75 miles, but on 1st September 1869, a platform, at which certain trains called by request, was opened at Knockando, 1.25 miles from Carron. This platform (now known as Knockando House Halt) ranks as an unadvertised private station for the Knockando estate. On 1st July 1899, a public station was brought into use at a distillery siding, 1.25 miles south of the private platform. Known at first as Dalbeallie, the name of this station became Knockando on 1st May 1905.” [1: p6]

Further West from Knockando Distillery, the line enters Dalbeallie Railway Station which itself sat just to the East of the Tamdhu-Glenlivet Distillery. [44]

Dalbeallie Railway Station became Knockando Railway Station in 1905. It is marked on the railmaponline.com satellite imagery as Tamdhu Station. [14]

Dalbeallie Railway Station while still open, early in the 20th century. [45]

Dalbeallie until 1905, then Knockando or Tamdhu Railway Station into the 21st century, now a pleasant stop on the Speyside Way, © Alpin Stewart and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [46]

More about the Tamdhu Distillery and its whisky can be found here. [47]

As trains left the station travelling West they crossed the Knockando Burn and ran to the South of the Tamdhu Distillery. The distillery was rail served from sidings alongside the Speyside Line.

The Tamdhu Distillery – a set of three sidings ran parallel to the main line with further sidings on the West side of the distillery. [48]

Beyond the Tamdhu Distillery, the Speyside Line curved round to the South following the river bank and crossed the burn shown on the map extract below. Vallance, writing about this location, says: “About three-quarters of a mile beyond Knockando, the railway crosses the Allt Arder, a tributary of the Spey, on a masonry bridge of three spans, one of 50 ft. and two of 40 ft. Difficulty was experienced in obtaining sound foundations for the piers of this structure, and after loose boulders and shingle had been excavated to a depth of 16 ft., piles had to be driven for a further 15ft.” [1: p6]

The line passes under a field access bridge before reaching the viaduct mentioned above. [49]

This extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey from the turn of the 20th century, shows the viaduct over Allt Arder mentioned by Vallance above. [49]

The railway crossed the burn at Dalvenuan and continued in a southerly direction. [49]

The next station was Blacksboat Railway Station which sat close to the River Spey. Approaching the station from the North trains passed under an access road to the river bank. [50]

The access track at the North end of the Station led down to a ford which allowed access across the Spey when water levels were low. The ford was supplemented by two ferry routes for when river levels were higher. [50]

The same location in the 21st century as it appears on the ESRI satellite imagery provided by the National Library of Scotland (NLS). [50]

The satellite imagery from railmaponline.com shows the old railway in orange, the location of Blacksboat Railway Station and the B9138. [14]

Looking back North from the B9138 bridge over the Speyside Way – the old railway line. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

Looking South from the same bridge in 1961 through Blacksboat Station, © Ben Brooksbank and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [51]

The same view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

As an aside, this is the Blacksboat river bridge carrying the B9138 over the River Spey. This photograph was taken from the road on the East bank of the river. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

Blacksboat Railway Station opened on 1st July 1863. It had a rectangular-shaped building and a wooden goods shed. The station closed to both passengers and goods traffic on 18th October 1965. [52] It had a single platform on the West side of the line and a small Goods Yard to the South. The station building is well-preserved.bdetsils of the building can be found here. [53]

Looking South, this is the station building in the 21st century. [53]

Close to the Mill of Pit-chroy the line bridged Allt a’ Gheallaidh (Burn of the Promise). [54]

The satellite imagery from railmaponline.com shows very little as the tree canopy hides the topography. The mapping shows that the original road alignment has been changed significantly in the area close to the Allt a’ Gheallaidh. Following the line of the road on Google Streetview it is not possible to identify the location of the stream. [14]

The next significant structure on the 25″ Ordnance Survey from the turn of the 20th century is this bridge over the line. It gave access to Dalnapot (just off the bottom of this map extract. [55]

A wider area is shown on this extract from the satellite imagery from railmaponline.com. [14]

O er this length of the line the road runs at the top of the cutting which carried the old railway. At the location of the bridge shown on the OS Map extract above it is just possible to make out the parapet wall of the bridge in this modern view. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

The access road to Dalnapot ran down the far side of the cutting from the bridge. That lane has been abandoned in favour of a more direct route between the B9102 and Dalnapot Futher South along the line of the old railway.

Looking Southeast from the B9102 into the access road to Dalnapot the old railway crosses the access road at level just a short distance down the access road. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

Vallance continues his narrative: “Beyond the single-platform station of Blacksboat, the train returns to the Banffshire side of the Spey on a lattice girder bridge of 198 ft. span, and reaches Ballindalloch Station, 12.25 miles from Craigellachie. In less than a mile, however, the county boundary crosses to the eastern side of the river, and Morayshire is re-entered.” [1: p6]

A short distance further South the Strathspey Line crossed the River Spey again over Ballindalloch Viaduct. [56]

Ballindalloch Viaduct remains in use in the 31st century carrying the Speyside Way. [Google Maps, January 2026]

This photograph of Ballindalloch Viaduct was taken by H.A. Vallance, © Public Domain. [2: p8]

Ballindalloch Viaduct crosses the Spey at Ballindaloch, linking the parishes of Inveravon in Banffshire and Knockando in Moray. It is a wrought iron lattice girder bridge, with a single-span of 195 feet (59 metres), supported by rubble abutments, and with plate girder spans at either end giving an overall length of around 250 feet (75 metres). The viaduct was designated a Category A listed building in 1987, and was a scheduled monument until 2006. It is open to pedestrians and cyclists, forming a part of the Speyside Way. [57]

Looking South over Ballindalloch Viaduct, © Alan O’Dowd and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [58]

Immediately after crossing the River Spey over Ballindalloch Viaduct, trains entered Ballindalloch Railway Station which was situated on a relatively tightly curved length of the Strathspey Line.

Ballindalloch Railway Station as it appears on 25″ OS mapping from the turn of the 20th century. [59]

Ballindalloch Railway Station looking towards Craigellachie, © H.A. Vallance, Public Domain. [1: p7]

Still looking towards Craigellachie, this view is taken from a location a little further West through Ballindalloch Railway Station in 1961, © Ben Brooksbank and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [59]

Ballindalloch Railway Station opened on 1st July 1863 by the Great North of Scotland Railway. To the north was Cragganmore distillery, which had opened because it was close to the railway. There were two goods sheds: a two-storey goods shed that connected with the distillery and the other was in the middle of the large goods yard which was to the east of the station site. The two-storey goods shed was used to store whisky from the distillery. The station closed to both passengers and goods traffic on 18th October 1965. [60]

References

The Railway Magazine Volume 105 No. 693, Tothill Press, London, January 1959.
H.A. Vallance; The Strathspey Line; in The Railway Magazine Volume 105 No. 693, Tothill Press, London, January 1959, p3-9.
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The Strathspey Line – Part 1 – Keith to Dufftown

1 Reply

The featured image for this article is the last of the Great North of Scotland 4-4-0s was No.62277 ‘Gordon Highlander’, nick named ‘The Soldier’. Before being retired for preservation and resorted to its original green livery, No.62277 spent its remaining days in regular service working the goods between Keith and Elgin, and over the Speyside branch, © W.J.V.Anderson. [48]

The January issue of The Railway Magazine usually focussed on Scotland. The January 1959 edition was no exception. [1] Included in the Magazine were articles by:

H.A. Vallance about The Strathspey Line.
J.W. Grant about Scottish 0-4-4 Tank Engines.
G.H. Robin about The Lanarkshire & Dunbartonshire Railway.
M.D. Grenville about Scottish Railways in 1859.

This article picks up on the article by H.A. Vallance, and begins a journey along the Strathspey line which ran down the valley of the River Spey from Keith towards Abernethy. Initially the line ran Southwest along Strathisla before crossing the watershed to Strathspey.

At much the same time (November 1860) as the Highland Railway promoted its scheme from Forrest to Grantown-on-Spey and on across the Grampians by the Druimuachdar Pass into Strathtay, the Great North of Scotland Railway subscribed £100,000 to a nominally independent scheme was promoted by the Keith & Dufftown Railway. In addition to its subscription, the Great North of Scotland Railway undertook to work the railway.

Vallance tells us that from Dufftown, “the Strathspey Railway was to run north-westwards for nearly four miles to Craigellachie, and thence in a south-westerly direction, through Strathspey, for some 28 miles to Abernethy. Connection with the Inverness & Perth Junction Railway (IPJR) was to be provided by a short branch south of Grantown. The railway was authorised on 17th May 1861 (five days before the IPJR), and the construction of the main line went ahead with all possible speed, but the works on the branch at Grantown were not undertaken.” [1: p4]

The railway between Dufftown and Abernethy opened on 1st July 1863. Two months later, on 9th September, the last section of the IPJR was opened. The lack of a physical link between the two lines meant that the Strathspey line suffered financially. Vallance says that powers for the link were obtained on 5th July 1865, “when the Strathspey Company was authorised to extend its railway from Abernethy to a junction with the line to Perth some two miles north of Boat of Garten. Earlier in the year, the IPJR and its associated companies had been amalgamated, and in June had assumed the title of the Highland Railway.” [1: p5]

The Strathspey trains were extended from Abernethy to Boat of Garten on 1st August 1866, but a dispute with the Highland Railway soon arose with the Highland Railway over costs associated with the junction signal box meant a temporary closure of the link until the dispute could be settled. The link reopened 1st June 1868 on the basis that a separate track would provided for the Strathspey, from the original junction as far as the Station at Boat of Gareth where a physical connection would occur.

The Strathspey line also formed a junction at Craigellachie with the Morayshire Railway which gave a cess Loosiemouth via Elgin. The short connection between the Morayshire Railway and the Strathspey line was opened on 1st July 1863. Vallance notes that once the working agreement with the Great North came into force, “the Morayshire Railway virtually lost its separate identity. The Great North thus secured complete control of a route from Keith to Elgin, but many years were to elapse before through trains between Aberdeen and Inverness ran via Craigellachie.” [1: p5]

An extract from a drawing in H.A. Vallance’s article which shows the length of the Strathspey line from Keith through Dufftown and Craigellachie to Boat of Garten. Great North of Scotland lines are shown solid black, those of the Highland Railway are shown dashed. [1: p4]

On 30th July 1866, “the Great North obtained powers to absorb the Keith & Dufftown and the Strathspey Railways, and the fusion became effective two days later. At the same time, the Morayshire Company was authorised to amalgamate with the Great North as soon as mutually acceptable terms had been agreed; but so involved were its finances that it was not possible to reach an agreement until 1880.” [1: p5]

Keith to Dufftown

This length of the line has become the preservation line, the Keith and Dufftown Railway. Their website is on this link. [41]

Keith Station as it appears on the 25″ OS mapping of 1903, published in 1905. [3]

Keith Railway Station on 21st century satellite imagery. [Google Maps, January 2026]

Keith Railway Station in April 2008, © Anne Burgess and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [4]

Keith Railway Station in April 2008, looking towards Inverness, © Anne Burgess and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [5]

In the 21st century, “only a single platform remains in full-time use at Keith Railway Station, though the Dufftown branch platform (numbered 1) is available if required for turning back trains from the Aberdeen direction. … The bays have been filled in, having been abandoned and tracks lifted in the early 1970s after the closure of the Moray Coast Line (for which the station was a terminus). A signal box (which retains the name Keith Junction) remains at the eastern end to control a passing loop on the single track main line beyond the station, the now little-used goods yard (formerly used by trains accessing the nearby Chivas Regal whisky plant) and the stub of the Dufftown branch.” [6]

Further information about Keith Railway Station can be found here. [7]

Vallance describes a journey along the line in 1959. Starting from Keith Station (Junction), “the Craigellachie line ascends Strath Isla for some eight miles, past the single-platform station of Keith Town, Auchindachy, and Drummuir.” [1: p5]

Keith Town Station as it appears on the 25″ OS mapping of 1903, published in 1905. [8]

Keith Town Railway Station as shown on the satellite imagery from RailMapOnline.com. [9]

Keith Town Station seen from the A96 to the West – looking East. [Google Streetview, August 2025]

Keith Town Railway Station seen from the Northeast in August 2025. The Keith Town Railway Station serves the Keith–Dufftown heritage railway line, also known as “The Whisky Line”. The photograph shows one of the line’s two trains, known as the “Spirit of Banffshire”, © Lucas Kendall and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [10]

Keith Town: the railway station is visible to the top left of this map extract which shows the town as laid out by the Earl of Findlater in 1750. [11][14]

The same area of Keith as shown on the map extract above, as it appears in the 21st century. The railway station is just visible to the top left of this satellite image. [Google Maps, January 2026]

The line continues from Keith Town Station, Southwest towards Auchindachy.

Just to the Southwest of Keith Town Station the line passed under two bridges. The first carries Bridge Street which became the A96. The second [11]

Approximately the same area in the 21st century as seen on Railmaponline.com’s satellite imagery. [9]

The bridge carrying the A96 over the line as seen from the next bridge down the line. [Google Streetview, October 2014]

The bridge carrying Old Town over the line to the Southwest of the A96, seen from the South on Old Town. [Google Streetview, October 2014]

Strathisla Mill sat on the banks of the Isla.

Strathisla Mill on the banks of the River Isla was passed just before the line bridged the river. [12]

The same location in the 21st century. The older mill buildings are now part of the Strathisla Distillery complex. [Google Maps, January 2026]

The bridge over the River Isla to the South of the mill buildings. [12]

The same bridge over the River Isla, in the 21st century. [Google Maps, January 2026]

The same location in the 21st century. [Google Maps, January 2026]

The same bridge seen from the Southeast. [Google Streetview, October 2014]

The same bridge seen from the North. [Google Streetview, October 2014]

Further Southwest another overbridge links the Douglasbrae Lime Kilns to the road network. The main road here is now the B9014.

The next overbridge carried the access road to Douglasbrae Lime Kilns over the River and the railway. [13]

The same location in the 21st century. I am not quite sure what I think about the two different names given to the site of what we’re on e the Douglasbrae Lime Kilns – Strathisla Pet Crematorium sounds so much better than Douglasbrae Knackery! [Google Maps, January 2026]

Looking back to the Northeast from the bridge carrying the access road. [Google Streetview, October 2014]

The bridge carrying the access road, seen from the Southwest on the B9104. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

The view Southwest along the line from the access road bridge. [Google Streetview, October 2014]

The line continues Southwest towards Bridge of Maisley.

At Bridge of Maisley the line passed under what is now the B9104, close to a junction with a minor road which first served Maisley Lime Works, before running West on the North side of the River Isla. The railway then bridges the river, crossing from the North bank to the South bank. [13]

The same location in the 21st century, the three bridges are still evident. [Google Maps, January, 2026.

The bridge which carries the B9014 across the railway, seen from the road to the Northeast of the line. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

The view back to the Northeast along the railway. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

The view ahead to the Southwest along the line. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

The railway bridge over the Isla is hidden by vegetation from the B9014. This is the view from the North on the minor road mentioned above. [Google Streetview, March 2022]

The railway remains on the South side of the river for a very short distance before crossing back to the other bank, travelling in a southerly direction. [13]

A short distance to the South, the line approaches Auchindachy Station.

Auchindachy Station as shown on the 1868 25″ Ordnance Survey, published in 1869. [15]

The location of Auchindachy Station as shown on the ESRI satellite imagery provided by the National Library of Scotland (NLS). [16]

Auchindachy Railway Station had two platforms set on a gentle curve. Photographs of the station can be found here. [17]

Auchindachy Railway Station in the 20th century. It closed with the line to passengers in 1968. The line survived for freight and eventually became the Keith and Dufftown Heritage Railway. The station building is now in private ownership and fenced off along the platform. This image comes from September 1974. © Graham Johnston and shared on the Disused Stations Facebook Group on 9th July 2021. [18]

The same location in 1997, seen from a little further to the Southeast, © Ben Brooksbank and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [19]

Immediately to the South of the station the railway passed the Mill of Towie. Here, the road crossed the line again. [15]

The B9014 crosses the line once again. [Google Maps, January 2026]

Looking North from the bridge we can see both the railway and the road approaching the bridge. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Looking South from the bridge we can see the railway heading South and the B9014 to the right with a minor road approaching the bridge on the left. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

The next significant structure is at Bridge of Howdoup as shown on the 1st edition of the 25″ Ordnance Survey. [15]

The bridge over the railway at Bridge of Howdoup as seen from the B9014. [Google Streetview, March 2022]

The view back to the North along the line from the bridge over the railway at Bridge of Howdoup. [Google Streetview, March 2022]

The view South along the line from the bridge over the railway at Bridge of Howdoup. [Google Streetview, March 2022]

Just to the South East of Lower Towie Bridge was Limekilns Siding. This extract is from the 1st Edition 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1868 which was published in 1869. [20]

The same location as it appears on the 2nd Edition 25″Ordnance Survey of 1903, published in 1904. The site is in use as Towiemore distillery. [21]

The same location in the 21st century. The site is now occupied by L.H. Stainless Ltd. The company’s main activities include process engineering, vessel manufacture and design services for the distilling, brewing and offshore industries. [Google Maps, January 2026][22]

A short distance to the Southwest the line passes under the B9014, down here on the 1st Edition 25″ Ordnance Survey [20]

The realigned road overbridge as it appears in the 21st century. The railway can be seen, but the bridge also spans the River which is shrouded in vegetation. [Google Maps, January 2026]

Looking back Northeast along the line. The view is almost completely obscured by vegetation. [Google Streetview March 2022]

Turning to look to the Southwest. In 2022, the view along the line was completely obscure by tree growth. The photograph below was taken earlier in the 21st century.

Looking Southwest along the line from the bridge carrying the B9014 over the line. [Google Streetview, August 2011]

A short distance further Southwest the railway bridges the River Isla again. [20]

The same location in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, January 2026]

In short shift trains heading South entered Drummuir Railway Station. …

Drummuir Railway Station at around the turn of the 20th century. [23]

Drummuir station was first opened in 1862 by the Keith and Dufftown Railway. The station was closed to passengers by British Railways in May 1968, but the line remained open for freight and special excursions for some time. It was reopened as a preserved station in 2003 by the Keith and Dufftown Railway Association.

Drummuir Railway Station in 1977, © Ben Brooksbank and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0)[24]

Drummuir Railway Station in preservation, © Lucas Kendall and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [25]

Further pictures of Drummuir Railway Station can be found here. [26]

Immediately Southwest of the site of Drummuir Station the line passes under a road bridge and crosses the Burn of Drumhendry. This is the location at the turn of the 20th century. [27]

Looking back to the Northeast through Drummuir Railway Station. [Google Streetview, September 2011]

Looking Southwest from the road bridge, the view ahead is obstructed by foliage but it is possible to seethe Burn of Drumhendry after it has passed under the railway. [Google Streetview, September 2011]

The bridge over the Burn of Drumhendry seen from a point to the Northwest of the bridge over the railway. [Google Streetview, September 2011]

The next structure along the line, again at the turn of the 20th century. [27]

The same location in the 21st century. The railway can just be made out but the route of the road is less easy to pick out so its centre-line is highlighted by the blue line. [Google Maps, January 2026]

At the same location, the bridge parapet and the view back along the line towards Drummuir. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

At the same location, the other bridge parapet and the view ahead along the line. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

“About a mile beyond Drummuir is Loch Park, a narrow sheet of water lying in a wooded gorge. The railway skirts its southern shore on a narrow ledge at the foot of the precipitous hillside.” [1: p5]

Just before passing the dam at the East end of the Loch the line passes under the road which runs across the West end of Loch Park.

Just before the line passes Loch Park it is bridged once again. [27]

The same structure in the 21st century. [Google Maps, January 2026]

The tidy looking structure seen from the road to the East. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Looking East back along the line from the bridge. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Looking West along the line from the bridge towards Loch Park. Note the well-kept permanent way but between the railway and the road. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

A view from the West looking past the platelayer’s hut towards the road bridge. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

This modern satellite image shows the railway running alongside Loch Park. Its route appears as a dark line in the trees immediately adjacent to the Southeast shore of the Loch. [Google Maps, January 2026]

A very similar area as it appears on the 25″ 2nd Edition OS Map from the turn of the 20th century. [28]

“From the summit at the western end of Loch Park, the line descends at 1 in 60 into the valley of the River Fiddich, which is crossed on a masonry bridge shortly before Dufftown is reached. ” [1: p5]

The next structure to the Southwest appears on the map extract below. …..

The line passes under what will be the B9014. [29]

The same location with the B9104 crossing the line in the 21st century. [Google Maps, January 2026]

The bridge seen from the Northeast. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Looking Northeast along the line from the B9014 bridge. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

Looking Southwest from the same bridge. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

The next map extract shows the junction close to the Parkmore Distillery, where a branch serving Parkmore Lime Works and Glendullan and Mortlach distilleries left the main line. …

The line to Dufftown continued to the West on the South side of the Parkmore Distillery, while the short branch ran south to serve local industry. At the turn of the 20th century, the Parkmore Limekilns had their own short siding. [30]

Approximately the same area in the 21st century. [Google Maps, January 2026]

The railway bridge over the B9104, seen from the North. [Google Streetview, May 2022]

A view from the South on the B9104. The railway bridge carrying the line over the B9104 is on the left. The access road from rail level down to the road network is on the right. The branch line ran through the area which, in the 21st century, is wooded at the right side of the image. [Google Streetview, March 2022]

Glendullan Distillery had its own short siding with the line running towards Mortlach Distillery. [31]

Glendullan Distillery is owned by Diageo in the 21st century. The alignment of the old railway siding and branch are shown by the orange lines superimposed on the Google Maps satellite imagery. [9]

The line curves round the East side of Dufftown. [32]

The route of the line as it appears on the railmaponline.com satellite imagery. [9]

The bridge carrying the A941 over the route of the old branch to Mortlach Distillery and over Dullan Water – the Bridge of Crachie. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

A closer view of the bridge over rail and river. [32]

The branch only ran a short distance beyond the Bridge of Crachie to serve Mortlach Distillery

The short branch terminated at Mortlach Distillery. [33]

A similar area in the 21st century with the railway route superimposed again. [9]

Returning to the main line we see it bridging the River Fiddich. …

The main line bridges the River Fiddich and begins to curve round to the Northwest. [34]

The route of the line is again superimposed on the modern satellite imagery. [9]

The view looking East from Castle Road (B975) towards the bridge over the River Fiddich. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

As the line approached Dufftown Station it passed Glenfiddich Distillery. [35]

The Glenfiddich Distillery in the 21st century with the original railways shown as orange lines superimposed on the satellite imagery from railmaponline.com. [9]

Looking North alongside Glenfiddich Distillery from Castle Road (B975), the line can be seen in a shallow cutting on its approach to Dufftown Railway Station. A DMU can be made out in the middle left of the photograph. [Google Streetview, September 2025]

A remarkable number of distillery buildings survive in the 21st century in the immediate vicinity of Dufftown. The most famous of these is the Glenfiddich Distillery which continues to produce a significant volume of Whisky. [37]

Parkmore Distillery buildings are no longer used for producing Whisky. They were operational from 1894 but mostly silent from 1931, closing officially in 1988; its well-preserved buildings are now used by Edrington Group for whisky warehousing, with its rare existing whisky valued by collectors and its grounds sometimes hosting whisky experiences. [38]

Glendullan Distillery is a significant but often behind-the-scenes producer of single malt Scotch whisky, primarily for Diageo’s blends like Johnnie Walker, though it also contributes to The Singleton range. Founded in 1897, it operates a larger, modern facility built next to the original, which now serves as storage and workshops after its closure in 1985. [39]

And Mortlach also remains active. It was founded in 1823 and is now owned by Diageo. Its Whisky is a key component in several Johnnie Walker bottlings,and Diageo also markets four Mortlach single malts. [40]

Balvenie Distillery, owned by William Grant & Sons Ltd., sits to the Northeast of the Glenfiddich Distillery on the East side of Dufftown Station. Grant left his employment at Mortlach Distillery to set up his own company in 1886 when the foundations of the new distillery were laid. The distillery remains active. “David Stewart MBE, Balvenie’s Malt Master, is one of the industry’s most experienced experts and began working with William Grant & Sons in 1962. He was the first to create the process that would later be known as wood finishing, whereby whiskies are matured in one type of cask, such as ex-Bourbon barrels, then transferred into a second cask type (such as ex Sherry, Port or Rum), resulting in a greater depth and complexity of the final flavour of the whisky. He received his MBE from Queen Elizabeth II on the 5th of July, 2016, for his services to the Scotch Whisky Industry.” [42]

Kininvie Distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dufftown, owned by William Grant & Sons, built in 1990 primarily to supply their popular blends like Grant’s and Monkey Shoulder, though it now releases its own single malts, often using shared facilities (mash/fermentation) with its sister distillery, The Balvenie. [43]

Dufftoen Railway Station at the turn of the 20th century. [36]

Dufftown Railway Station in the 21st century. It is now the terminus of the preservation line. [9]

Dufftown Railway Station “first opened on 21st February 1862 by the Keith and Dufftown Railway. There was a goods yard to the southwest, which is used for stock storage nowadays. The station closed on 6th May 1968 to passengers. The line for westbound trains was lifted shortly after. Goods traffic ceased around 1991. In 2003, the Keith and Dufftown Association reopened the station and the line as a preserved railway and set up their headquarters at the station.” [44]

Some images of Dufftown Station can be found here [45] and here. [47]

Dufftown Railway Station, looking along the line towards Keith, © Rosser1954 and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). [46]

We complete this leg of the journey standing on the platform of the preservation railway at Dufftown Railway Station. The next leg of the journey will take us over the watershed into Strathspey.

References

The Railway Magazine Volume 105 No. 693, Tothill Press, London, January 1959.
H.A. Vallance; The Strathspey Line; in The Railway Magazine Volume 105 No. 693, Tothill Press, London, January 1959, p3-9.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/82870398, accessed on 1st January 2026.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/768496, accessed on 1st January 2026.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/768488, accessed on 1st January 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_railway_station, accessed on 1st January 2026.
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East Africa Railway News – November/December 2025

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A. Uganda to begin construction of its Standard Gauge railway network in April 2026.

In August 2025, Rogers Atukunda wrote of the construction of Uganda’s Standard Gauge railway network commencing in April 2026. His article can be found here. [1]

B. Uganda is to use electric traction for the Kampala to Malaba Standard Gauge Railway Line.

Uganda has recently confirmed that its Standard Gauge line from Malaba/Tororo to Kampala will operate with electric traction to European standards rather than diesel traction to Chinese standards.

The planned regional standard-gauge network includes two lines separating inside the Eastern border of Uganda at Tororo. These then diverge further in the West (at Bihanga) and in the North (at Gulu). The total route length will be 1,724 kilometres subject to change due to design modifications and additional sidings and/or branch lines. [3]

Kabona Esiara of ‘The East African‘ explained in November 2025 that this required detailed negotiations between the railway authorities in Kenya and Uganda. These negotiations commenced in mid-November 2025. [2]

Uganda and Kenya were working on a raft of technical and policy measures to facilitate a seamless SGR system between the two countries as they work in the next few years on parallel finishing of their SGR lines.

Kenya says it will start constructing the Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba line early in 2026 while construction of Uganda’s Kampala-Malaba should commence in the second quarter of 2026.

Further details can be found here. [2]

C. A series of mis-steps in the development of railways in Kenya and Uganda.

Mary Serumaga, in 2018, said that “the building of standard gauge (SGR) railways in both Uganda and Kenya and the predictable sagas that have ensued are reminiscent of the controversies surrounding the building of the Uganda and Rhodesian Railways in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Both present a framework within which it is possible finally to understand the limited achievements in development in all sectors (and frankly, underdevelopment in many) and regression in Uganda’s primary education, copper mining and agricultural sectors. Both SGR projects are tainted with suspicion of shady procurement which, if taken together with the track records of the implementers, points to corruption. It would be irresponsible to say otherwise.” [4]

“The route, design, level of service and all other decisions of the Uganda Railway of 1990 were dictated by potential profits for foreign investors (both public and private) and their local agents, and not by notions of public service and the common good of those who would bear the ultimate cost. Return on investment is not a bad thing but the Imperial government also claimed to be acting in the interests of the indigenous populations. … The difference now is that there is no pretence about whether the railways are serving the interests of the general population. The different financial implications presented by the procurement process itself, the selection of routes and the relative cost of engineering in the different terrains, plus the cost of compensating displaced landowners, provide scope for long-running, energy-depleting corruption scandals. From the outset, there has been a lack of confidence that procurement processes for the necessary services would prioritise the interests of the public over the interests of the contractor and would actively exclude the personal interests of the public servants commissioning the works. This is what is triggering the anxiety surrounding the SGRs.” [4]

“Moreover, the choice over whether to upgrade the old railway or to start afresh was not adequately debated publicly. Ditto the options on financing. For the Kenyan SGR, the most costly of the potential routes were reportedly selectively chosen. Several cheaper routes on land allegedly already in possession of the government are said to have been rejected. … There are also questions surrounding passenger service. Do the railways only serve trade or are passengers entitled to this alternative to dangerous road transport?” [4]

“Uganda owns one half of the old East African Railway. Together with the Kenyan leg, it was put under a 25-year management contract. The new owners renamed their new toy Rift Valley Railways (RVR). In 2017, after only twelve years, the governments cancelled the contracts in a move the RVR called an illegal takeover. On the Ugandan end, there were allegations of asset-stripping by previous European concessionaires as well as unpaid concession fees and massive salary arrears caused by RVR. If RVR were to successfully sue the government for cancellation of the contract, their compensation would be the first budget overrun. … The government of Uganda then signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2014 with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which had submitted a study. It abandoned those negotiations in favour of a second Chinese entity, the China Harbour Engineering Company. In justifying its action, the government questioned the quality of the CCECC’s study, which it said was cut and pasted from pre-existing feasibility studies (something that could have been avoided by following proper procurement procedures). CCECC insists it was a pre-feasibility study requiring less detail than a full-blown feasibility study. Whatever the case, if CCECC had followed through with its suit for US$8 million in compensation, which would have been another massive blow to the budget at inception. Whatever compensation they have agreed to has not been made public but as matters stand, the budget for the eastern leg of the SGR has gone up from CCECC’s proposed US$4.2 billion to CHEC’s US$6.7 billion.” [4]

The remainder of Mary Serumaga’s article which looks back at colonial construction work and draws parallels with 21st century procurement and construction in East Africa can be found here. [4]

D. President Yoweri Museveni’s State of the Nation Address in June 2025.

In June 2025, President Museveni highlighted significant rail developments, advancing the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project to link with Kenya and the region, aiming to cut costs and boost trade, while discussing financing for the $2.8 billion Kampala-Malaba SGR and emphasizing participation in the development of the new rail infrastructure. In essence, the 2025 address signalled a push for comprehensive road and railway modernization and expansion, leveraging oil revenues and debt financing to build a robust network for economic transformation. [5] Museveni said, “we are soon finalizing the construction of the 1,443km East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) from Buliisa to Tanga in Tanzania. The construction of the SGR, which I launched last year, is soon starting,” [5] and “the NRM Government has prioritized infrastructure development especially roads, railways and electricity.” [5] In addition, the government will be focusing on revitalizing metre-gauge lines (like Tororo-Gulu, Kampala-Malaba).

E. Kenya – Additional Madaraka Express Trains for the Christmas period.

Kenya Railways announces additional Madaraka Express trains from 8th December 2025, to 5th January 2026, to meet increased festive season demand. The Nairobi-Mombasa train departs Nairobi at 9:40 AM, arriving in Mombasa at 3:35 PM, while the Mombasa-Nairobi train leaves at 4:30 PM, reaching Nairobi at 10:55 pm. [6]

“The railway operator said the move comes in response to increased demand during the holiday period, when thousands of Kenyans and tourists journey along the scenic Nairobi-Mombasa route. … ‘We are committed to providing a safe and convenient travel experience, and the additional services will help ease congestion while maintaining punctuality’ reads the notice dated 2nd December.” [7]

References

Rogers Atukunda; Uganda to Begin Construction of Standard Gauge Railway in April 2026; in SoftPower News, https://softpower.ug/uganda-to-begin-construction-of-standard-gauge-railway-in-april-2026, accessed on 24th November 2025
Kabona Esiara; Uganda prefers European standard for SGR, throwing off Kenya; in The East African, 25th November 2025; via https://www.zawya.com/en/world/africa/uganda-prefers-european-standard-for-sgr-throwing-off-kenya-j9zxxa2r, accessed on 24th November 2025.
https://www.sgr.go.ug, accessed on 24th November 2025.
Mary Serumaga; The New Lunatic Express: Lessons not learned from the East African Railway; in The Elephant – African Analysis, Opinion, and Investigation; https://www.theelephant.info/analysis/2018/06/16/the-new-lunatic-express-lessons-not-learned-from-the-east-african-railway; accessed on 7th December 2025.
https://parliamentwatch.ug/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/STATE-OF-THE-NATION-ADDRESS-HE-VERY-FINAL-2025_250605_160027.pdf, accessed on 7th December 2025.
The Kenya Times; https://www.facebook.com/groups/thekenyatimes/posts/1532674321328248, accessed on 8th December 2025.
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2025-12-02-kenya-railways-adds-extra-madaraka-express-train, accessed on 8th December 2025.

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Tag Archives: Standard Gauge Railway

The Railways of Barrow-in-Furness

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The Strathspey Line – Part 2 – Dufftown to Ballindalloch

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The Strathspey Line – Part 1 – Keith to Dufftown

Keith to Dufftown

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East Africa Railway News – November/December 2025

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