Scotland

Aviemore Station: Connection to the mainline railway

Opened in 1863 the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway went from Aviemore to Forres, it later became part of the Highland Railway. The Beeching cuts resulted in the end of passenger services in 1965. 

Negotiations were started by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS) with British Rail to save part of the line. Unfortunately the talks foundered when it was considered that BR was asking too high a price. Later a group of members in the SRPS formed an independent organization called the Strathspey Railway Association. They made a new approach to BR and the Highland Development Board with agreement being reached on a price of £44,250 plus a grant for the Aviemore-Boat of Garten section of the Highland Railway. Even though though the purchase was completed in 1972 and the track was still in place it was not until 1978 the Strathspey Steam Railway (SSR) carried the first passengers.

Now operating from Aviemore station the railway previously had a separate station called "Aviemore Speyside" which was 300 yards away. An arrangement was made with Network Rail in 1998 which allowed the SSR to operate from an unused platform in Aviemore station. This is far more convenient for passengers using the mainline to visit the preserved railway.

The Boat of Garten station has all the original buildings giving an appearance close to that of the British Railways era. Steam locomotives have to stop here to replenish with water as it has the only water column on the railway. This is the only part of the SSR that has operational signalling with two signal boxes, one named Boat of Garten North and the other, Boat of Garten South. Semaphore signalling is used giving the authentic impression of bygone steam railway days.

A line length of 10 miles makes the SSR the longest steam heritage railway in Scotland, it is also open on many days of the year. The journey from Aviemore to Broomhill goes through woodland and moorland with fine mountain views.

Caledonian Railway

Brechin Station: Refreshments, gift shop, museum

The first Caledonian Railway (CR) started in 1845 with the major route from Glasgow-London, it was responsible for the Scottish part of the journey. Over the years the CR acquired many other railway companies including the Scottish Central, Scottish Midland Junction and Aberdeen Railway. At the time of grouping in 1923 the CR had over 1,000 miles of route. Along with the Glasgow and South Western, the Highland Railway, the Calendonian became part of London Midland and Scottish Railway.

Opened in 1847 by the Aberdeen Railway Company the Brechin to Bridge of Dun line was a branch of the Calendonian Railway Glasgow to Aberdeen mainline. Brechin lost its passenger traffic in the early 1950s with the mainline continuing to carry passengers until 1967, freight continued to be conveyed until 1981.

Plans were made to run a volunteer based steam railway with the formation of th Brechin Railway Preservation Society. Four miles of track from Brechin to Bridge of Dun was purchased from British Rail by the Scottish Tourist Board, Angus District and Tayside Regional Councils. The line was then leased to the Preservation Society. Leases were also granted on the stations at Brechin and Bridge of Dun, which were both refurbished. A passenger service started in 1993 with trains running many weekends.

The CR has two operational steam locomotives they are No.1863 Barclay 0-4-0ST and No.2107 Barclay 'Harlaxton' 0-6-0ST.

Address: Bo'ness Station, Union Street, Bo'ness, West Lothian EH51 9AQ
Telephone: 01506 822298  Email: enquiries.railway@srps.org.uk
Line Length: 3½ miles  Gauge: 4ft 8½ inches
Route: Bo'ness to Birkhill  Journey Time: 18 minutes
Service: 27-28 March / Saturday, Sunday, various other days - April, May, June / 3 July - 29 August every day / Saturday & Sunday - September, October, December / some other days
Tickets: Adult £6.00, Child £3.00, Family £15.00 (2 adults and 3 children) return fare
Parking: Free at Bo'ness Station EH51 9AQ
Website: www.srps.org.uk    YouTubevideo  
location map

Bo'ness Station: Refreshments, souvenirs, tourist information centre, model railway, Scottish Railway Museum

Birkhill Station: Refreshments

Bo'ness was once a major port on the Firth of Forth it is situated sixteen miles west of  Edinburgh. There was a busy railway connection along the foreshore from Kinneil to Carriden. Over seven miles of  sidings were laid to serve the port and harbour. Withdrawn steam engines were stored on the sidings as a temporary measure during 1962-63. Afterwards the track was lifted and the area grassed over. A passenger service went to Polmont, this ended in 1956.

At a meeting in Edinburgh in November 1961 a new organization was set up called the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS). The aims of the SRPS were to: 'acquire relics of the railways of Scotland, to restore them to original condition wherever possible, and to display them to the public either in use on a line or in a static display.'

Planning permission was granted to the SRPS in July 1978 to build a railway system. Initially construction started at Bo'ness on the former sidings where a station was constructed which included buildings from Wormit, south of the Tay bridge. An engine shed was erected using a building from Edinburgh Haymarket station which was the terminus of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway. 

The railway opened to the public on 27 June 1981 with a celebration of transport. Every kind of vehicle was on display from horse drawn carts to hang gliders. Thousands of passengers were carried on the trains over the first weekend.

When the passenger service started the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway (BKR) had ½ mile of track, by 1987 Kinneil had been reached and the line was completed to Birkhill in 1989. A further length of track past Birkhill connects the BKR to the mainline at Manuel Junction.

At Bo'ness there is the Scottish Railway Museum which is open when trains are running. The Museum has a large selection of historic locomotives, carriages and wagons on display.

Northern Ireland

Downpatrick and County Down Railway

Downpatrick Station: Refreshments, souvenirs, gifts, exhibition, loco shed, signal box, model railway

Inch Abbey Station: Refreshments

In 1985 the Downpatrick and County Down Railway (DCDR) was set up to restore part of the Belfast and County Down Railway which closed in 1950. Track had been lifted in 1953 with the trackbed sold off to local farmers and all bridges, signals were scrapped. Downpatrick station was demolished in the 70s to be replaced by a supermarket. The only only original structure from the railway that remained was the loop platform. To achieve their aims the trackbed would have to be recovered and the infrastructure necessary for a railway re-installed.

A number of different gauges were used by early railways in Ireland. Here is an example of some of the them: Dublin to Dunleary - 4ft 8½ inches, Belfast to Lisburn - 6ft 2 inches, Dublin to Drogheda - 5ft 2 inches. This resulted in the situation where no train could travel from one companies railway line to another. The Government imposed a compromise gauge of 5ft 3 inches to be used on the mainline. Eventually all railways changed to this gauge, which is still in use today.

Giant's Causeway Station: Refreshments, model railway, picnic area

William Traill established a tramway that went from Portrush along the coast to the Gaint's Causeway, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The line was 9¼ miles long using a gauge of 3ft, it was the first electric long distance tramway in the world. Officially opened on 28 September 1883, the tramway used an advanced electric system developed by Siemens. Power came from hydroelectricity generated by a station at Bushmills with another at Portrush. The electricity supply proved to be inadequate so steam locomotives were utilised on parts of the line until 1926.

Mineral goods from the quarries in the area were transported to the harbour at Portrush but this traffic faded away in the 1900s. The main source of business was always tourist visiting the Causeway, after 1926 the tramway closed in winter. During World War II traffic increased temporarily due to the military effort. By 1949 income was not covering the cost of repairs required to keep the ageing equipment maintained, so it closed on 20 September.

The Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway (GCBR) operates on the final two miles of the original tramway trackbed. Opened in spring 2002 the locomotives and track came from Shanes Castle where a narrow gauge railway had run since 1971. Bushmills is a convenient place to park your car and continue the journey on the GCBR to the Giant's Causeway. This is an excellent way to visit this world heritage site, travelling along the outstandingly scenic Antrim coastline at a leisurely pace.

Three locomotives are operational at the GCBR. Two steam locomotives are Peckett 0-4-0 WT 'Tyrone' built in 1904 for the British Aluminum Company and Barclay 0-4-0 WT 'Shane' built in 1949. Trains are usually hauled by these steam engines, occasionally a third locomotive 'Rory' a Simplex diesel will be used.

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