Dingwall and Skye Railway

Last updated

Dingwall and Skye Railway
(inc Kyle of Lochalsh Extension)
Overview
Locale Scotland
History
Opened5 August 1870
Replaced by
Highland Railway
2 August 1880
Closed2 August 1880
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Route map
Kyle of Lochalsh Extension
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Kyle of Lochalsh
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Duirinish
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Plockton
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BSicon STR.svg
Dingwall and Skye Railway
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Stromeferry
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Attadale
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Strathcarron
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Achnashellach
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Glencarron Platform
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Luib (Loan) crossing
BSicon HST.svg
Achnasheen
BSicon HST.svg
Achanalt
BSicon HST.svg
Lochluichart (new)
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Lochluichart (old)
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Garve
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Raven's Rock siding
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Achterneed
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BSicon exCONT2.svg
BSicon exSTRc3.svg
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Strathpeffer
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Fodderty Junction
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BSicon CONTg.svg
Arrow Blue Up 001.svg Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
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BSicon KRWg+r.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Dingwall
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Arrow Blue Down 001.svg Inverness and Ross-shire Railway

The Dingwall and Skye Railway was authorised on 5 July 1865 with the aim of providing a route to Skye and the Hebrides. However, due to local objections, another Act of Parliament was required before work could commence. This was passed on 29 May 1868.

Contents

With the exception of the Strathpeffer Branch, the line is still open, being the major section of the Kyle of Lochalsh Line.

History

The line to Stromeferry opened for passenger traffic on 19 August 1870. [1] It was 53 miles (85 km) in length and cost £238,500 (equivalent to £24,280,000in 2021) [2] to build.

The line was worked by the Highland Railway, and was ultimately absorbed on 2 August 1880. On 29 June 1893 the Highland Railway obtained re-authorisation to build the section to Kyle of Lochalsh. The line was inspected by Sir Francis Marindin of the Board of Trade on 29 October 1897, and opened for traffic on 2 November. [3] The construction of the 10+12-mile (16.9 km) line cost £200,000 (equivalent to £24,140,000in 2021) [2] and was built under the supervision of the engineer Murdoch Paterson. The pier at Kyle of Lochalsh cost £85,000 to build.

The initial aim was to connect Skye to Inverness. Although Inverness was Skye's county town at the time, it was easier to get there via Glasgow. The line opened in 1870, but with its terminus at Stromeferry. Boats provided onward connection to Skye and the Outer Hebrides.

The line was extended to Kyle, through some unforgiving terrain; almost all of the extension is in rock cuttings or embankments. At the time it was the most expensive railway ever built in Britain per mile, and much money was provided by the Government.

Alexander Matheson, the driving force in getting the line built Alexander-matheson.jpg
Alexander Matheson, the driving force in getting the line built

The line never gained much traffic: connections with the ferries were often unreliable; much freight traffic was stolen by the West Highland Railway upon its opening. Original ideas, including such ideas as moving fishing boats by rail across Scotland to avoid navigating around, never came to fruition. The line avoided the Beeching Axe due to social necessity, but throughout the 1970s it was variously threatened with closure, but won a reprieve until the Caledonian MacBrayne service to Lewis was moved from Kyle to Ullapool. It was eventually saved in connection with supplying goods for oil platform fabrication at the nearby Kishorn Yard. The section of line along Loch Carron is particularly troublesome, and prone to landslides, often closing that section.

Strathpeffer Branch

The logical route for the original line would have taken it through Strathpeffer, a spa town, and one of the few centres of population, but disagreements with landowners - particularly Sir William Mackenzie of Coul House - meant that it bypassed the town, and the line was diverted through Raven Rock. This diversion consequently proved very costly for the Dingwall & Skye Railway company. The original Act had allowed the company to build the railway through to Kyle, but the severe costs of the Strathpeffer diversion in addition to loss of revenue from relevant shareholders[ vague ] meant that the money ran out, leading to the line being cut back to Stromeferry, 10 miles (16 km) short of Kyle. It would be another 27 years before the line reached the originally planned terminus.

The short-sightedness of the landowner was to last for a generation, as his son gave permission for the branch line to be built to Strathpeffer by 1884, despite the fact the main line was now already in place. On 3 June 1885, the branch opened, operating for 66 years before it closed on 26 March 1951, with the track being lifted soon afterwards. A station was opened at Achterneed on the original line, being called Strathpeffer, but proved too far from the town to viably harness that revenue, and closed in 1965.

Connections to other lines

Related Research Articles

Ross and Cromarty Area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland

Ross and Cromarty, sometimes referred to as Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use, the latter of which is 8,019 square kilometres in extent. Historically there has also been a constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, a local government county, a district of the Highland local government region and a management area of the Highland Council. The local government county is now divided between two local government areas: the Highland area and Na h-Eileanan Siar. Ross and Cromarty border Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south.

Achnashellach railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Achnashellach railway station is a railway station serving Achnashellach on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, in Wester Ross, Scotland. The station lies between Strathcarron station and the Glen Carron platform.

Kyle of Lochalsh line Railway line in the Scottish Highlands

The Kyle of Lochalsh line is a primarily single-track railway line in the Scottish Highlands, from Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh. Many of the passengers are tourists, but there are also locals visiting Inverness for shopping, and commuters. All services are provided by ScotRail and run beyond Dingwall to Inverness. In the past there were some through services to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen. None of the line is electrified, and all trains on the line are diesel-powered, as are all other trains in the Scottish Highlands.

Dingwall railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Dingwall railway station serves Dingwall, Scotland. It is located just south of the junction of the Far North Line and the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, and is served by ScotRail. The station is 18 miles 58 chains (30.1 km) from Inverness, and is the zero point for the Kyle of Lochalsh Line. It is sited after Conon Bridge heading northbound, with the next station being either Garve or Alness.

Inverness railway station Railway station in the Scottish Highlands, Scotland

Inverness railway station is the railway station serving the Scottish city of Inverness. It is the terminus of the Highland Main Line, the Aberdeen–Inverness line, the Kyle of Lochalsh line and the Far North Line.

Achanalt railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Achanalt railway station is a geographically remote railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, serving the village of Achanalt in the north of Scotland.

Muir of Ord railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Muir of Ord railway station is a railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the Far North Line, serving the village of Muir of Ord in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station is 13 miles 4 chains from Inverness, between Beauly and Conon Bridge, and is the location of the sole remaining passing loop on the single line between Dingwall and Inverness.

Garve railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Garve railway station is a railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, serving the village of Garve in the north of Scotland. Garve is located at the eastern edge of Loch Garve. It was to be the junction for the Garve and Ullapool Railway, intended to connect Ullapool, the Western Isles' nearest mainland port, with the rest of the UK. An act of parliament was passed for the line in 1890, but in spite of local efforts in that year, and again two years later, the idea could not be fully financed and was abandoned.

Lochluichart railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Lochluichart railway station is a railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, serving the village of Lochluichart in the north of Scotland. Lochluichart is located at the north edge of Loch Luichart

Achnasheen railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Achnasheen railway station is a remote railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, serving the village of Achnasheen in the north of Scotland.

Attadale railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Attadale railway station is a remote railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, serving the village of Attadale on Loch Carron in the Highlands, northern Scotland.

Stromeferry railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Stromeferry railway station is a station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, serving the village of Stromeferry in the Highlands, northern Scotland. Stromeferry lies on the southern shore of Loch Carron, across from the ruined Strome Castle, near the west coast. It is one of five mandatory calling points on the Kyle line, along with Plockton, Strathcarron, Achnasheen and Garve.

Duirinish railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Duirinish railway station is a remote railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line near the settlement of Duirinish in the Highlands, northern Scotland. Duirinish is 2 miles (3 km) inland of Scotland's west coast, near Loch Lundie.

Kyle of Lochalsh railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Kyle of Lochalsh railway station is the terminus of the Kyle of Lochalsh Line in the village of Kyle of Lochalsh in the Highlands, northern Scotland.

Achterneed railway station Disused railway station in Highland, Scotland

Achterneed railway station was a railway station serving Strathpeffer and located on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, in Wester Ross, Scotland.

Conon Bridge railway station Railway station in Highland, Scotland

Conon Bridge is a railway station on the Far North and Kyle of Lochalsh Lines, which serves the villages of Conon Bridge and Maryburgh in the Scottish Highlands. Initially known as Conon, it originally closed in 1960 and reopened on 8 February 2013. The station is 16 miles 21 chains (26.2 km) from Inverness, between Muir of Ord and Dingwall.

Strathpeffer railway station

Strathpeffer railway station was a railway station serving the town of Strathpeffer in the county of Ross and Cromarty,, Scotland. The first station was located some distance from the town, on the Dingwall and Skye Railway line, and was opened in 1870.

Murdoch Paterson was an engineer and architect based in Inverness, Scotland, who was chief engineer of the Highland Railway.

Garve and Ullapool Railway

The Garve and Ullapool Railway was one of several branch railway-lines proposed for the North-West Highlands of Scotland, in the 1880s and 1890s. The project received approval from the Westminster Parliament by means of a Local Act of 14 August 1890. The line did not gain financial backing and was never constructed. Renewed attempts to build it were made in 1896, 1901, 1918 and 1945, again with no success.

Loch Maree and Aultbea Railway

The Loch Maree and Aultbea Railway was one of several branch railway-lines proposed for the North-West Highlands of Scotland in the early 1890s. Although a full survey was conducted in 1892 and a Private Bill was submitted to the Westminster Parliament on 18 November 1892, the necessary Act to permit construction did not receive approval and the plan was dropped.

References

  1. "New Railway in the North" . Morning Post. British Newspaper Archive. 20 August 1870. Retrieved 15 August 2016 via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. 1 2 UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  3. "Railways in the Western Highlands. Opening of New Kyle Extension" . Glasgow Herald. British Newspaper Archive. 3 November 1897. Retrieved 15 August 2016 via British Newspaper Archive.

See also

History of the Far North of Scotland Railway Line