Scottish Highlands

DAVID ALLEN examines past, present and future developments on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line

RAIL’s signalling expert DAVID ALLEN examines past, present and future developments on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.

The railway between Aberdeen and Inverness that we are familiar with today was largely completed in 1856. The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) worked westwards out of Aberdeen, and what was to become the Highland Railway (HR) was constructed eastwards from Inverness. The two companies met halfway at Keith.

Today, the influence of both companies is still evident. However, all the remaining operational signal boxes (SBs) are located on the GNoSR section. Fortunately, the station at Nairn has Category B-listed status, and this includes the former HR Nairn and Nairn West SBs.

The Waterloo terminus at Aberdeen was an early casualty, closing to passengers when the Aberdeen Joint Station opened in 1867. The Joint Station was shared by the GNoSR and the Caledonian Railway (CR). As well as facilitating easier interchange for through passengers, it was better located.

Interestingly, 150 years later, the GNoSR terminus at Waterloo remains in use as a freight facility. Similarly, the CR Guild Street station continued in use until 2007, when a replacement freight facility was set up at Raiths Farm. The vacated site forms the basis of the Union Square Centre.

Although earlier plans envisaged double track in places, the original route between Aberdeen and Inverness was single throughout with passing loops. Widening began with the section between Kittybrewster and Dyce in 1861. This coincided with the development of the routes to Peterhead (1862) and Fraserburgh (1865), which diverged from the main line at Dyce.

Doubling of the track in the west was limited. In 1863, the track at Forres was realigned and the station moved eastwards. This was associated with the opening of a line between Inverness and Perth that diverged from the Aberdeen line at Forres. The plan was to double the route between Inverness and Forres, but in the end only the seven miles between Inverness and Dalcross was tackled. Despite the opening of the line to Perth, traffic levels didn’t justify it!

At the Aberdeen end, the short section between Aberdeen and Kittybrewster was double from when Aberdeen Joint Station opened in 1867. The remainder of the route to Keith was tackled piecemeal. Beyond Dyce, the work recommenced in 1880 with the section to Kintore, and widening continued westward in stages until, in 1898, 53 miles of double track were in place between Aberdeen and Keith.

During this period, the Aberdeen Joint Station was a simple affair. There were four through lines, but only one through passenger platform. Rebuilding between 1913 and 1915 created four through platforms. The number of north end bays was increased from two to four.

Fast forwarding to 1960, we can inspect the infrastructure before the wholesale closures and rationalisations associated with the period.

The direct line between Aberdeen and Inverness had 30 intermediate stations, many of them junctions. The ‘Beeching Report’ suggested only five would be reprieved, with Huntly the first stop after leaving Aberdeen. In the end, following the ‘rash’ of closures between 1964 and 1968, seven stations remained open to passengers. Inverurie and Insch were reprieved, but Dyce succumbed!

Even though passenger services through Buchan were withdrawn in 1965, Dyce

An anachronism it may have been, but what a joy to behold - those who saw the signaller cycling to and fro will not easily forget it. It was a method of operation designed to keep signalmen fit.