Highland Railway
Encyclopedia
The Highland Railway was one of the smaller British
railways before the Railways Act 1921
; it operated north of Perth railway station
in Scotland
and served the farthest north of Britain. Formed by amalgamation in 1865, it was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
in 1923.
at Stanley Junction, north of Perth, and eastward with the Great North of Scotland Railway
at Boat of Garten, Elgin, Keith and Portessie. The headquarters were at Inverness, as were the workshops, Lochgorm Works.
June 1865 - 1869 J W Buttle (with title of 'Superintendent of Permanent Way'); later CEs included Peter Wilson 1870-1874; Murdoch Paterson 1875-1897; William Roberts 1898-1913 and Alexander Newlands 1914-1922.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
railways before the Railways Act 1921
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
; it operated north of Perth railway station
Perth railway station, Scotland
Perth railway station is a railway station located in Perth, Scotland. The station, designed by Sir William Tite, won an architecture prize. It has seven platforms, five of which are "through" platforms....
in Scotland
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...
and served the farthest north of Britain. Formed by amalgamation in 1865, it was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
in 1923.
Extent
The Highland Railway served the counties of Caithness, Sutherland, Ross & Cromarty, Inverness, Perth, Nairn, Moray and Banff. Southward it connected with the Caledonian RailwayCaledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
at Stanley Junction, north of Perth, and eastward with 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...
at Boat of Garten, Elgin, Keith and Portessie. The headquarters were at Inverness, as were the workshops, Lochgorm Works.
History
- The Inverness and Nairn RailwayInverness and Nairn RailwayThe Inverness and Nairn Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway.- History :The line was opened in the year 1855 and connected the towns of Inverness and Nairn. Opening had been delayed from 1 August 1855 due to delays in the contractor's...
(INR): 15 miles (24 km) in length, was incorporated in 1854; the first train ran on 5 November 1855; it was the original part of the HR; - A railway between NairnNairn railway stationNairn railway station is a railway station serving the town of Nairn in Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.- Services :...
and KeithKeith railway stationKeith railway station is a railway station serving the town of Keith, Moray, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.-History:...
opened in 1858; in 1861 this was amalgamated with the INR to become the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction RailwayInverness and Aberdeen Junction RailwayInverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is an historic railway in Scotland.- History :It was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway, the line was opened in stages:...
(I&AJR); - Two railways were to follow:
- the Inverness and Perth Junction RailwayInverness and Perth Junction RailwayThe Inverness and Perth Junction Railway was built to link the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway at Forres and Perth and Dunkeld Railway, ultimately absorbing the latter.- History :...
, opened in 1863, which connected with the I&AJR at , and which in turn joined the Perth and Dunkeld RailwayPerth and Dunkeld RailwayThe Perth and Dunkeld Railway was built from Stanley Junction on the Scottish Midland Junction Railway to Birnam, on the opposite bank of the River Tay to Dunkeld.-History:...
(opened 7 April 1856) at DunkeldDunkeld and Birnam railway stationDunkeld and Birnam railway station serves the towns of Dunkeld and Birnam in Perth and Kinross.- External links :...
, completing the main line of the HR, which itself came into being in 1865;
- the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
- Lines to north were also being opened; all were merged with the HR by 1884:
- 23 March 1856 the Inverness and Ross-shire RailwayInverness and Ross-shire RailwayThe Inverness and Ross-shire Railway was incorporated on 3 July 1860 with the aim to build a line to Invergordon. The line opened in stages:* 11 June 1862 - Inverness to Dingwall* 23 March 1863 - Dingwall to Invergordon...
, Inverness to InvergordonInvergordon railway stationInvergordon railway station is a railway station serving the town of Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is located on the Far North Line. The station consists of two side platforms with two tracks forming a passing loop on the predominantly single-track...
; it was extended to Bonar BridgeArdgay railway stationArdgay railway station is a railway station serving the village of Ardgay in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station is on the Far North Line, 93 km north of Inverness, near Bonar Bridge. Ardgay station has a passing loop, the next loop to the south being at and to the north, .-...
in 1864; - 13 April 1868: the Sutherland RailwaySutherland RailwayThe Sutherland Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed in 1884 by the Highland Railway running through Sutherland, Scotland. Sutherland is a former county, and former districts of the Highland region....
, Bonar Bridge to ; - 19 August 1870: the Dingwall and Skye RailwayDingwall and Skye RailwayThe Dingwall and Skye Railway was authorised on 5 July 1865 with the aim of providing a route to Skye and the Herbrides. However due to local objections, another Act of Parliament was required before work could commence. This was passed on 29 May 1868...
, to ; - 19 June 1871: the Duke of Sutherland's RailwayDuke of Sutherland's RailwayThe Duke of Sutherland's Railway was a railway built by the Duke of Sutherland when the Sutherland Railway which had powers to build north to Brora, stopped at Golspie...
, Golspie to built by the Duke of SutherlandDuke of SutherlandDuke of Sutherland, derived from Sutherland in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom held by the head of the Leveson-Gower family. It was created by William IV in 1833 for George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford...
; - 28 July 1874: the Sutherland and Caithness RailwaySutherland and Caithness RailwayThe Sutherland and Caithness Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Highland Railway running through Sutherland and Caithness, Scotland. Caithness and Sutherland are former counties, and former districts of the Highland region.- History :...
, Helmsdale to and completed the line; - 2 November 1897: the Dingwall and Skye RailwayDingwall and Skye RailwayThe Dingwall and Skye Railway was authorised on 5 July 1865 with the aim of providing a route to Skye and the Herbrides. However due to local objections, another Act of Parliament was required before work could commence. This was passed on 29 May 1868...
extended from to ; - 1 November 1898: the "direct lineInverness and Aviemore Direct RailwayThe Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway was built by the Highland Railway to provide a direct route between Inverness and Aviemore.-History:...
" between and Inverness opened, reducing the journey from 60 to 35 mi (96.6 to 56.3 km).
- 23 March 1856 the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
- There were also several branch lines of the HR. From the south, these were:
- the Aberfeldy Branch;
- the Buckie and Portessie BranchBuckie and Portessie BranchBuckie and Portessie Branch is an historic railway in Scotland which was built as part of the Highland Railway.-History:* 1 August 1884 - Opened to Buckie* 1 May 1886 - Opened to Portessie Junction and connected to the Moray Coast Railway...
: opened 1 August 1884, closed 7 August 1915 (to passengers and central section between Aultmore and Buckie totally) - the Fochabers Town branchInverness and Aberdeen Junction RailwayInverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is an historic railway in Scotland.- History :It was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway, the line was opened in stages:...
: closed 14 September 1931 - the Hopeman branchInverness and Aberdeen Junction RailwayInverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is an historic railway in Scotland.- History :It was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway, the line was opened in stages:...
: also closed 14 September 1931 - the Findhorn Railway: opened 1860, closed 1869 as being a failure
- the Fort George branchInverness and Nairn RailwayThe Inverness and Nairn Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway.- History :The line was opened in the year 1855 and connected the towns of Inverness and Nairn. Opening had been delayed from 1 August 1855 due to delays in the contractor's...
: also closed 14 September 1931 - the Fortrose BranchFortrose BranchFortrose Branch, also known as the Black Isle Railway is an historic railway in Scotland.-History:Authorisation was obtained on 4 July 1890 to build a 15.75 mile branch line from Muir of Ord to Rosemarkie; however the line never proceeded beyond Fortrose.* 1 February 1894 - Opened .* 1 January...
: closed 1 October 1951 - the Strathpeffer Branch: closed to passengers 23 February 1946, closed to freight 26 March 1951
- There were two light railwayLight railwayLight railway refers to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". This usually means the railway uses lighter weight track, and is more steeply graded and tightly curved to avoid civil engineering costs...
s opened and run by the HR:- 2 June 1902: the Dornoch Light RailwayDornoch Light RailwayDornoch Light Railway was an historic railway in Scotland that ran from on the Sutherland Railway to the county town of Sutherland, Dornoch. This railway is closed....
, again under the auspices of the Duke of Sutherland, 7.5 miles (12.1 km), between and DornochDornochDornoch is a town and seaside resort, and former Royal burgh in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east...
; - 1 July 1903: The Wick and Lybster Light Railway, 13.5 miles (21.7 km). The line was abandoned on 3 April 1944.
- 2 June 1902: the Dornoch Light Railway
- In 1921, the railway comprised 484 miles (779 km) of line and the company’s capital stood at nearly £7 million.
General Manager
- 1865-1896 Andrew Dougall
- 1896-1898 Charles Steel
- 1898-1910 Thomas Wilson
- 1911-1922 Robert Park
Chief Engineer
The Chief Engineer (CE) of the originally proposed Perth and Inverness Railway was Joseph Mitchell. He held the same post for the Inverness and Nairn Railway, the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway, the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway (that is the three that merged to form the Highland Railway). He relinquished the post in 1863. The work was then carried out by a private company (which just happened to be the one run by Mitchell), an arrangement that was terminated in June 1865 when the merger that formed the Highland Railway took effect.June 1865 - 1869 J W Buttle (with title of 'Superintendent of Permanent Way'); later CEs included Peter Wilson 1870-1874; Murdoch Paterson 1875-1897; William Roberts 1898-1913 and Alexander Newlands 1914-1922.
Chief Mechanical Engineer
Inverness and Nairn railway| Start | End | Engineer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1854 | May 1865 | Alexander Allan Alexander Allan (locomotive engineer) Alexander Allan was a Scottish mechanical engineer. He was born at Montrose, Angus, in 1809 and died on 2 June 1891.From 1843 to 1853 he was Works Manager at the Crewe Works of the Grand Junction Railway, later London and North Western Railway, under Francis Trevithick. Here he was responsible for... |
Worked through a local representative - his nephew William Barclay. |
| May 1865 | Dec 1865 | David Jones David Jones (railway) David Jones was locomotive superintendent for the Highland Railway in Scotland. He was credited with the design of the first British 4-6-0 which was strongly influenced by a Scottish locomotive design for Indian Railways.... |
temporary appointment |
| Jan 1866 | Jan 1870 | William Stroudley William Stroudley William Stroudley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers of the nineteenth century, working principally for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway... |
|
| Jan 1870 | 1896 | David Jones David Jones (railway) David Jones was locomotive superintendent for the Highland Railway in Scotland. He was credited with the design of the first British 4-6-0 which was strongly influenced by a Scottish locomotive design for Indian Railways.... |
|
| 1896 | Dec 1911 | Peter Drummond | |
| Dec 1911 | Aug 1915 | Fredrick George Smith Fredrick George Smith Fredrick George Smith was the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Highland Railway from 1912 to 1915. He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1872 and died in 1956. His only design for the Highland Railway was the River Class, which was rejected by the Chief Engineer, causing his resignation... |
|
| Sep 1915 | 1922 | Christopher Cumming | |
| 1922 | D.C. Urie |
See also
- Locomotives of the Highland Railway
- Coaches of the Highland Railway
Further reading
- The Railway Year Book for 1912, The Railway Publishing Company Ltd
- H.A. Vallance. The Highland Railway. ISBN 1-899863-07-9.