Caledonian Railway (Brechin)

Caledonian Steam Railway (Brechin)
Locale	Brechin, Angus, Scotland.
Coordinates	56°43′53″N 2°39′07″W / 56.7315°N 2.652°WCoordinates: 56°43′53″N 2°39′07″W / 56.7315°N 2.652°W
Commercial operations
Name	Caledonian Railway
Built by	Caledonian Railway
Original gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preserved operations
Owned by	Caledonian Steam Railway (Brechin)
Operated by	Caledonian Steam Railway (Brechin)
Stations	2
Length	4 miles (6.4 km)
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preservation history
1993	re-opened

Caledonian Railway (Brechin)
Legend
Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line Kinnaber Junction Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line Montrose(AR) Montrose and Bervie Railway Broomfield Junction Broomfield Junction Halt(AR) Dubton Junction Dubton(AR) Bridge of Dun Aberdeen Railway and Arbroath and Forfar Railway Brechin Forfar and Brechin Railway and Brechin and Edzell District Railway

The Caledonian Railway (Brechin) Ltd is a private limited company formed by a group of steam railway enthusiasts, the Brechin Railway Preservation Society, with the object of operating a railway service on the former Caledonian Railway line between Brechin and Montrose, Angus, Scotland. This line was built by the Aberdeen Railway in the 1840s. It closed for passenger traffic during the early 1950s with final closure undertaken by British Rail in 1981.

Brechin to Bridge of Dun

The line has now been re-instated and preserved for around 4 miles (6.4 km) between Brechin railway station and Bridge of Dun railway station and since 1993 trains have run at weekends during the summer as well as on special occasions at other times of the year. The two railway stations have also been refurbished.

Although the line originally went all the way to Montrose, which is still a station on the main rail network, there are currently no immediate plans to link the Brechin line back into the main rail network, as the section at Dubton through and onto Kinnaber Junction close to Montrose itself has now been redeveloped, making it difficult for the preserved railway to be reconnected to the national network at all.

Proposed extension

However there is still hope of seeing the "CR Brechin" extended a further 3 ¹⁄₂ miles (5.6 km) to Dubton, bringing it up to a total of 7 ¹⁄₂ miles (12.1 km) in length. This is a long term aim which would only require the re-instatement of a short length of track.

Locomotives

• Steam locomotives
  • Peckett 0-4-0ST no. 1376 "BAC No1" (In Percy guise), built in 1915. Static Display.
  • Barclay 0-4-0ST no. 1863, built in 1926. Operational.
  • Peckett 0-6-0ST no. 1889 "Menelaus", built in 1934. Dismantled, awaiting overhaul.
  • Barclay 0-6-0ST no. 2107 "Harlaxton" (In Thomas guise), built in 1941. Under overhaul.
  • Peckett 0-6-0ST no. 2153, built in 1954. Dismantled, under overhaul.
  • Bagnall 0-6-0ST 2749 no. 6, built in 1944. Stored out of use at Bridge of Dun.
  • Bagnall 0-6-0ST 2759 no. 16, built in 1944. Stored out of use at Bridge of Dun.
  • Hunslet 0-6-0ST no. 2879, built in 1943. Stored out of use at Bridge of Dun.
  • Ivatt BR 2-6-0 Class 2MT 2-6-0 no. 46464, built in 1950. Undergoing overhaul on a private site at Bridge of Dun.
• Diesel locomotives
  • Ruston 48DS 4wDM no. 458957, built in 1961. Operational, painted maroon with wasp stripes.
  • Ruston 0-4-0 no. 421700, built in 1959. Stored out of use at Bridge of Dun.
  • F. C. Hibberd 4wDM no. 3747, built in 1955. Stored out of use at Bridge of Dun.
  • Yorkshire Engine Company 0-4-0 no. 212 "Royce", built in 1958. Undergoing repairs.
  • Yorkshire Engine Company 0-4-0 no. 211 "Rolls", built in 1956. Operational.
  • BR 0-6-0 Class 08 no. 3059 "Brechin City", built in 1954. Operational.
  • BR 0-6-0 Class 11 no. 12052, built in 1949. On static display undergoing restoration.
  • BR 0-6-0 Class 11 no. 12093, built in 1951. Operational.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 25 no. 25072. Stored unserviceable.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 25 no. 25083, built in 1963. Awaiting repairs.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 26 no. D5301, built in 1959. Stored awaiting overhaul.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 26 no. D5314, built in 1959. Operational.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 26 no. 26035, built in 1959. Under repair.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 27 no. D5370, built in 1962. Operational.
  • BR Co-Co Class 37 no. 37097, built in 1962. Under overhaul.

External links

• Official website
• Caledonian Railway Diesel Group
• Video and annotation of Bridge of Dun railway station
• http://www.br46464.co.uk/