Keith and Dufftown Railway (GNoSR)

Locale	Scotland
Dates of operation	21 February 1862 – 30 July 1866
Successor line	Great North of Scotland Railway
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in)
Length	8.5 miles

Legend

Strathspey Railway (GNoSR)

Dufftown

Mortlach branch

Drummuir Curler's Platform

Strathisla Mills

Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway

Keith Junction

Great North of Scotland Railway

The Keith and Dufftown Railway is an historic railway in Scotland that ran between Dufftown and Keith. The company was formed in 1857, the line was opened in 1862, and it was absorbed by the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1866.

1 History
2 Connections to other lines
3 Current operations
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links

History

The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) opened its main line in stages; the section between Huntly and Keith was opened on 10 October 1856.^[1] Keith remained the terminus for less than two years; on 18 August 1858, the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (I&AJR) opened the last section of their line, between Elgin and Keith,^[2] and it was now possible to travel between Aberdeen and Inverness by rail.^[3] The I&AJR had an end-on junction with the Inverness and Nairn Railway at Nairn, and these two companies amalgamated in 1861, soon amalgamating with others, to form the Highland Railway.^[4] Although the GNoSR owned shares to the value of £40,000 in the I&AJR, it did not become part of the Highland Railway, but were instead bought out; the GNoSR then remained independent of the I&AJR until their respective successors were nationalised in 1948.^[5]

The GNoSR wished to have its own route west of Keith, with Grantown-on-Spey as an objective - here they hoped to meet any possible line between Perth and Inverness.^[6] To this end, they invested in the Keith and Dufftown Railway (K&DR); this company was incorporated on 27 July 1857, but progress was slow because of lack of money.^[7] ^[8] Powers for a longer, but cheaper, route between the two towns were secured on 25 May 1860, and this line was opened on 21 February 1862.^[9] The revised route included steeper gradients than those planned in 1857; the maximum gradient was now 1 in 60 (1.667%) instead if 1 in 70 (1.429%).^[10] There was a viaduct over the Fiddich of two spans, and there were three intermediate stations: Earlsmill (renamed Keith Town in 1897), Botriphnie (renamed Auchindachy in 1862) and Drummuir.^[9] From the start, the trains were worked by the GNoSR under an agreement dating back to the formation of the company.^[6]

The line became a through route with the opening of the first section of the Strathspey Railway between Dufftown and Abernethy on 1 July 1863;^[11] at Craigellachie there was a junction, where the line was met by a short extension of the Morayshire Railway (MR) from Dandaleith, which opened the same day.^[12] The MR had already opened between Elgin and Dandaleith in 1862,^[13] so there was now a route between Keith and Elgin independent of the I&AJR.^[12]

On 30 July 1866, the GNoSR obtained an Act of Parliament authorising it to amalgamate with several associated railways, including the K&DR and the Strathspey Railway; this took place on 1 August 1866.^[7]^[14]

Connections to other lines

Current operations

Apart from a short section at Keith between the National Rail network and the preserved line, the line is still open, mainly as the preserved Keith and Dufftown Railway.

Notes

^ Vallance 1991, p. 30.
^ Vallance 1991, p. 31.
^ Vallance 1991, p. 32.
^ Vallance, Clinker & Lambert 1985, pp. 28–29.
^ Vallance, Clinker & Lambert 1985, pp. 22–23.
^ ^a ^b Vallance 1991, p. 33.
^ ^a ^b Awdry 1990, p. 140.
^ Vallance 1991, pp. 33,53–54.
^ ^a ^b Vallance 1991, p. 54.
^ Vallance 1991, pp. 53–54.
^ Vallance 1991, p. 55.
^ ^a ^b Vallance 1991, p. 45.
^ Vallance 1991, p. 43.
^ Vallance 1991, p. 65.

References

Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063.
Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137.
Vallance, H.A. (1991) [1965]. The Great North of Scotland Railway. Nairn: David St John Thomas. ISBN 0 946537 60 7.
Vallance, H.A.; Clinker, C.R.; Lambert, Anthony J. (1985) [1938]. The Highland Railway (4th ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0 946537 24 0.

External links

RAILSCOT on Keith and Dufftown Railway

Historical Scottish railway companies

Primary companies	Caledonian Railway Glasgow and South Western Railway Great North of Scotland Railway Highland Railway North British Railway

Caledonian Railway	Aberdeen Railway Alloa Railway Alyth Arbroath and Forfar Busby Railway Cathcart District Clydesdale Junction Crieff Junction Crieff and Comrie Crieff and Methven Junction Dumfries, Lochmaben and Lockerbie Dunblane, Doune and Callander Dundee and Perth Dundee and Perth and Aberdeen Forfar and Brechin General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Glasgow and Garnkirk Glasgow Central Railway Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Greenock and Wemyss Bay Hamilton and Strathaven Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Leadhills and Wanlockhead Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Comrie Paisley and Barrhead District Perth, Almond Valley and Methven Polloc and Govan Rutherglen and Coatbridge Scottish Central Scottish Midland Junction Scottish North Eastern Solway Junction Symington, Biggar and Broughton Talla Railway Wishaw and Coltness Lines built by the Caledonian Railway CR Cleland and Midcalder CR Main Line CR Douglas Branch CR Hamilton Branch CR Hamiltonhill Branch CR The Switchback Independent lines worked by the Caledonian Railway Callander and Oban Killin Railway

Glasgow and South Western Railway	Ardrossan Railway Ardrossan and Johnstone Ayr and Dalmellington Ayr and Maybole Junction Ayr to Mauchline Ayrshire and Wigtownshire Barrhead Branch Bridge of Weir Railway Cairn Valley Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Castle Douglas and Dumfries Dalry and North Johnstone Darvel Branch Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Greenock and Ayrshire Kilmarnock and Troon Largs Branch Maidens and Dunure Maybole and Girvan Paisley and Renfrew Paisley Canal Line

Great North of Scotland Railway	Aberdeen and Turriff Aboyne and Braemar Alford Valley Banff, Macduff and Turriff Junction Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Boddam Branch Deeside Railway Denburn Valley Formartine and Buchan Inverury and Old Meldrum Junction Keith and Dufftown Moray Coast Morayshire Railway St Combs Light Railway Strathspey Railway

Highland Railway	Buckie and Portessie Branch Dingwall and Skye Duke of Sutherland Findhorn Railway Fortrose Branch Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Inverness and Aviemore Direct Inverness and Nairn Inverness and Perth Junction Inverness and Ross-shire Kyle of Lochalsh Extension Perth and Dunkeld Sutherland and Caithness Sutherland Railway Independent lines worked by the Highland Railway Dornoch Light Railway Wick and Lybster Light Railway

North British Railway	Aberlady, Gullane and North Berwick Ballochney Bathgate and Coatbridge Blane Valley Border Counties Railway Border Union Railway Campsie Branch Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company Coatbridge Branch Dunfermline and Queensferry Edinburgh and Bathgate Edinburgh and Dalkeith Edinburgh and Glasgow Edinburgh and Hawick Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway Edinburgh, Loanhead and Roslin Railway Edinburgh and Northern Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Forth and Clyde Junction Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Glasgow City and District Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Kelvin Valley Railway Kirkcaldy and District Railway Kincardine Line Leadburn, Linton and Dolphinton Monkland and Kirkintilloch Monkland Railways Mallaig Extension NBR North Berwick Branch North British, Arbroath and Montrose Stirling and Dunfermline Strathendrick and Aberfoyle Slamannan Slamannan and Borrowstounness West Highland Railway Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness

Joint lines	Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction City Union Dundee and Arbroath Darvel and Strathaven Glasgow and Paisley Joint Glasgow and Renfrew District Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Kilsyth and Bonnybridge Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint

Other lines	Brechin and Edzell District Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway Denburn Valley Line Dundee and Arbroath Invergarry and Fort Augustus Lochaber Narrow Gauge Perth, Almond Valley and Methven Tranent to Cockenzie Waggonway