Caledonian Railway (Brechin)

Caledonian Railway (Brechin)
Locale	Brechin, Angus, Scotland.
Coordinates	56°43′53″N2°39′07″W / 56.7315°N 2.652°W / 56.7315; -2.652
Commercial operations
Name	Caledonian Railway
Built by	Caledonian Railway
Original gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Owned by	Caledonian Railway (Brechin)
Operated by	Caledonian Railway (Brechin)
Stations	2
Length	4 miles (6.4 km)
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
1993	re-opened

v t e Caledonian Railway (Brechin)
Legend
Edinburgh–Aberdeen line Kinnaber Junction Edinburgh–Aberdeen line Montrose (AR) Montrose and Bervie Railway Broomfield Junction Broomfield Junction Halt (AR) Dubton Junction Dubton (AR) Bridge of Dun Aberdeen Railway and Arbroath and Forfar Railway Brechin Forfar and Brechin Railway and Brechin and Edzell District Railway

The Caledonian Railway (Brechin) Ltd is a private limited company formed by a group of steam railway enthusiasts, the Brechin Railway Preservation Society, with the object of operating a railway service on the former Caledonian Railway line between Brechin and Montrose, Angus, Scotland. This line was built by the Aberdeen Railway in the 1840s. It closed for passenger traffic during the early 1950s with final closure undertaken by British Rail in 1981.

Brechin to Bridge of Dun

The line has now been re-instated and preserved for 4 miles (6.4 km) between Brechin railway station and Bridge of Dun railway station and since 1993 trains have run at weekends during the summer as well as on special occasions at other times of the year. The two railway stations have also been refurbished.

Although the line originally went all the way to Montrose, which is still a station on the main rail network, there are currently no immediate plans to link the Brechin line back into the main rail network, as the section at Dubton through and onto Kinnaber Junction close to Montrose itself has now been redeveloped, making it difficult for the preserved railway to be reconnected to the national network at all.

Proposed extension

However, there is still hope of seeing the "CR Brechin" extended a further 3+1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) to Dubton, bringing it up to a total of 7+1⁄2 miles (12.1 km) in length. This is a long-term aim which would only require the re-instatement of a short length of track.

Locomotives

Steam Locomotives

Number and/or Name	Built By	Type	Status	Notes	Image
6	W. G. Bagnall	Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST	Awaiting Overhaul	[1]

• Diesel locomotives
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 25 no. 25072. Stored awaiting overhaul. ^[2]
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 25 no. 25083, built in 1963. Awaiting repairs. ^[2]
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 26 no. D5301, built in 1959. Stored awaiting overhaul, painted BR Green. ^[2]
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 26 no. D5314, built in 1959. Operational, painted BR Green. ^[2]
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 26 no. 26035, built in 1959. Stored awaiting overhaul, painted BR Blue with full Yellow ends. ^[2]
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 27 no. D5353, built in 1962. Stored awaiting restoration. Painted BR Green. ^[2]
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 27 no. D5370, built in 1962. Operational, Painted BR Green with Yellow warning panels. ^[2]

Diesel Multiple Units

• BR Class 205 no. 1128 ^[3]
• BR Class 205 no. 1132, Operational ^[3]

References

1. "6". Heritage Railway Locomotives Database. UK & Ireland Heritage Railways. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
2. Preserved Locomotives of British Railways 2023, p. 118.
3. White, Cameron (22 June 2021). "Caledonian Railway welcome Thumpers 1132 and 1128 from the Dartmoor Railway". RailAdvent. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.

External links

• Official website
• Caledonian Railway Diesel Group
• Video and annotation of Bridge of Dun railway station