Keith and Dufftown Railway
Encyclopedia
The Keith and Dufftown Railway ("The Whisky Line") is a heritage railway
in Scotland
, running for 11 miles (17.7 km) from Keith Town railway station, Keith
(Ordnance Survey
grid reference
) to Dufftown railway station, Dufftown
via Drummuir .
Originally the former Great North of Scotland Railway
Keith and Dufftown Railway
which was part of the link Aberdeen
with Elgin
(with the Strathspey Railway
and Morayshire Railway
), the line was latterly a freight-only branch for British Rail
, truncated at Dufftown, although in latter years it hosted a series of Northern Belle summer Sunday lunch specials from Aberdeen.
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
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...
, running for 11 miles (17.7 km) from Keith Town railway station, Keith
Keith, Moray
Keith is a small town in the Moray council area in north east Scotland. It has a population of around 4,500....
(Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
grid reference
British national grid reference system
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
) to Dufftown railway station, Dufftown
Dufftown
Dufftown is a burgh in Banffshire, Scotland.The town was originally named Mortlach in the Middle Ages, until the 19th century when the Earl of Fife built the town as a housing for soldiers returning home from war...
via Drummuir .
Originally the former 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...
Keith and Dufftown Railway
Keith and Dufftown Railway (GNoSR)
The Keith and Dufftown Railway is an historic railway in Scotland that ran between Dufftown and Keith. The company was formed in 1857, the line was opened in 1862, and it was absorbed by the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1866.-History:...
which was part of the link Aberdeen
Aberdeen
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 ....
with Elgin
Elgin, Moray
Elgin is a former cathedral city and Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190...
(with the Strathspey Railway
Strathspey Railway (GNoSR)
Strathspey Railway is an historic railway in Scotland that ran from Boat of Garten to Dufftown.-History:The line was opened on 1 July 1863 between Dufftown and Abernethy . It was extended to meet up with the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway at Boat of Garten on 1 August 1866...
and Morayshire Railway
Morayshire Railway
The Morayshire Railway was the first railway to be built north of Aberdeen, in Scotland. It received royal assent in 1846 but construction did not start until 1851 due to the economic conditions existing in the United Kingdom at the time. The railway was built in two phases with the section from...
), the line was latterly a freight-only branch for British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
, truncated at Dufftown, although in latter years it hosted a series of Northern Belle summer Sunday lunch specials from Aberdeen.
Motive Power
- Diesel Multiple Units
- BR Class 108British Rail Class 108The British Rail Class 108 diesel multiple units were built by BR Derby from 1958 to 1961, with a final production quantity of 333 vehicles....
units 51568+52053 ("Spirit of Banffshire") and 53628+54223 ("Spirit of Speyside") plus spare DTCL 56224 - BR Class 140British Rail Class 140The British Rail Class 140 was the prototype of the Pacer diesel multiple unit. Much of the bodywork was constructed using Leyland National bus components, with the exception of the cabs, in 1980....
unit 140001 (formed of 55500+55501)
- BR Class 108