Alford Valley Railway (GNoSR)
Encyclopedia
The Alford Valley Railway is an historic railway in Scotland
that ran between Alford
and Kintore. The company was formed in 1856, the line was opened in 1859, and it was absorbed by the Great North of Scotland Railway
in 1866.
. The line served Kemnay Quarry and three other granite quarries in the area. The summit of the line is just west of Tillyfourie at 618 feet (188.4 m) where a mile-long cutting 30 feet (9.1 m) deep required cutting through particularly hard granite. The train took just over an hour for the 16 mile journey and until 1883 by law the third class fare on one train a day could not be more that a penny per mile.
On 30 July 1866, the GNoSR obtained an Act of Parliament authorising it to amalgamate with several associated railways, including the Alford Valley Railway, Keith and Dufftown Railway, and the Strathspey Railway; this took place on 1 August 1866.
In 1923 GNoSR was incorporated into the London and North Eastern Railway
and, in 1948, became part of the Scottish Region of British Railways
. The line closed to passengers in 1950 and to goods in 1966.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
that ran between Alford
Alford
-Places:Australia*Alford, South AustraliaCanada*Alford, SaskatchewanEngland*Alford, Lincolnshire**Alford Manor House**Alford Windmill**Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford*Alford, Somerset*Alford CrosswaysScotland*Alford, Scotland...
and Kintore. The company was formed in 1856, the line was opened in 1859, and it was absorbed by the Great North of Scotland Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
The Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
in 1866.
History
The construction of the Alford Valley Railway began in 1856 and the line opened in 1859 from to the northwest of AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
. The line served Kemnay Quarry and three other granite quarries in the area. The summit of the line is just west of Tillyfourie at 618 feet (188.4 m) where a mile-long cutting 30 feet (9.1 m) deep required cutting through particularly hard granite. The train took just over an hour for the 16 mile journey and until 1883 by law the third class fare on one train a day could not be more that a penny per mile.
On 30 July 1866, the GNoSR obtained an Act of Parliament authorising it to amalgamate with several associated railways, including the Alford Valley Railway, Keith and Dufftown Railway, and the Strathspey Railway; this took place on 1 August 1866.
In 1923 GNoSR was incorporated into the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
and, in 1948, became part of the Scottish Region of British Railways
Scottish Region of British Railways
The Scottish Region was one of the six regions created on British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway and ex-London and North Eastern Railway lines in Scotland...
. The line closed to passengers in 1950 and to goods in 1966.
Current operations
Apart from a short section at Alford which has been reopened as the narrow gauge Alford Valley Railway, the remainder of the line, including the junction station at Kintore, has been dismantled.Connections to other lines
- Great North of Scotland Railway main lineGreat North of Scotland RailwayThe Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
at .