Royal Deeside all set for Banchory
THE Royal Deeside Railway has overcome the final physical obstacle in its aim to extend its line into Banchory – a new bridge over the Bennie Burn.
While the heritage line has planning permission to extend along the original route into the Aberdeenshire town, it was obliged to provide the bridge for walkers, cyclists, pedestrians and horses, plus the Leys Estate vehicular traffic using the existing crossing.
The Deeside Way, an extensive pathway, was established largely along the trackbed and used the original 1850s railway bridge to cross the burn.
The new bridge project received a major boost when oil giant Shell offered a consignment of surplus beams which had been used in the Brent Field Abandonment campaign.
Having sought approval from the landlord, the Leys Estate, consulting structural and civil engineers Fairhurst began a design process in early 2019. Drawings were received later that year and submitted to the local planning authorities.
Building work began early last year with the material procurement process and fabrication of the bridge deck. As built, the 52ft span was installed in a single lift.
The contract for construction of the concrete abutments was placed with CHAP civil engineering contractors, and all excavation and earth works, along with the fabrication facilities, were provided by Bert and Gary McIntosh, of McIntosh Plant hire.
Volunteer project manager Fergie McGhie said: “It should be noted at this stage that the project would not have happened had it not been for the McIntosh family, who provided men, machinery and materials. We are immensely grateful to them!”
Installation
Covid-19 restrictions were introduced last March, but work eventually started on the excavations and fabrication as restrictions were gradually lifted.
Railway volunteers sanded and painted the main structure and assembled the bridge at a site near Echt in Aberdeenshire. The track bed to the new crossing was excavated and drained, and about 700 tons of ballast was laid to provide vehicular access, which will in future form the new trackbed.
With the abutments completed, work began in August to construct new approach roads and build the extensive area to accept the crane provided by Global Port Services from its Aberdeen base.
Vital to the new approach roads were 25 gabions which, with the help of a digger, were constructed in October and November. They had to be packed with stone largely by hand.
Railway officials and volunteers were determined to get the bridge installed before Christmas and set December 15 as the target date.
The crane, rigging and ballast truck and then the bridge-bearing low loader needed to be reversed more than 300 yards to the site. The bridge successfully fitted into the gap, opening the way to Banchory.
The next phase will be to complete the approach roads, signage, non-slip surfacing and fencing, with the hope of opening the bridge this year.
However, about £5000 is needed to finish the project, which received final support from the Barrack Charitable Trust and Viridor Credits
Meanwhile, volunteers have been working during the pandemic to complete the outstanding works associated with the extension of the passenger-carrying section of the railway to West Lodge and the recently-installed Riverside Halt platform.
The West Lodge site has been the railways storage compound, and for several years the site of multiple stacks of track panels.
The volunteers have worked throughout 2020 and into this year to dismantle and catalogue the stored track materials, and lift the temporary track that was laid adjacent to the Riverside Halt, and the associated siding.
Progress
They then prepared the trackbed for the installation of the permanent track, and built the base and approach path for the controlling lever frame. They then commenced the installation of the track into the platform, and the siding.
The siding is eventually planned to become a run-round loop at the platform, and is being installed to that standard.
The Heading West project works have been completed by the line’s volunteer engineering team, who meet on Wednesday evenings and Sundays.
To date, the team has expended more than 1000 hours working at West Lodge.
Now the railway needs to raise about £250,000 to lay the track to Banchory.
The Royal Deeside Railway was formed in 1996 with the aim of restoring part of the former branch line from Aberdeen to Ballater that was closed by BR in 1966, and operated on a mile on track from a new station at Milton of Crathes. Its first steam-hauled passenger services were operated during 2010.
With the bridge in place, the next big obstacle will be to raise £250,000 to lay the track to Banchory.