Keith and Dufftown Railway

This article is about the heritage railway. For the historic railway, see Keith and Dufftown Railway (GNoSR).


Keith and Dufftown Railway
The Whisky Line
Class 108 diesel multiple unit "Spirit of Speyside".
Locale Keith, Moray
Terminus Dufftown railway station
Commercial operations
Built by Keith and Dufftown Railway (GNoSR)
Original gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preserved operations
Owned by The Keith & Dufftown Railway Association
Stations 3
Length 11 miles (18 km)
Preserved gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preservation history

Keith and Dufftown Railway

Legend
Strathspey Railway (GNoSR)
Dufftown
Mortlach Branch
Drummuir Curler's Platform
Drummuir
Towiemore
Auchindachy
Keith Town
Strathisla Mills
Aberdeen to Inverness Line
Keith
Aberdeen to Inverness Line

The Keith and Dufftown Railway ("The Whisky Line") is a heritage railway in Scotland, running for 11 miles (18 km) from Keith Town, Keith (Ordnance Survey grid reference NJ429508) to Dufftown (NJ322414) via Drummuir (NJ378442) and Auchindachy.

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.

The line is open and a regular service runs throughout the Keith and Dufftown Railways operating season from March to September. Special events are also run including Santa Specials, Scots Nights. These services are run on the Class 108 DMUs.

Dufftown is the main centre of operation of the railway where there is a booking office, waiting room and licensed cafe called the Buffer Stop, which is open during operating season. There are two headshunts and a loop, work is being undertaken to install a new loop at Dufftown so that there can be two tracks going into the new engine shed.

There is currently nothing at Drummuir Station except the platform, although there may be something there in the future.

At Keith Town station, there is a booking office and a shop which sells railway memrobilia, books, Thomas the tank engine items and model railway items which are sold by members of the association. This shop too is also only open during operating season.

At present there is no connection to the mainline, there are two 60 ft sections of track uplifted. However, there are long term plans to reconnect to the mainline but this is a long time away in the future.

Rolling Stock

Key: In service Withdrawn Preserved Sold for scrap Under repair Sold for further use
Number Class Name Year Acquired Previous Operator Livery Status
English Electric 0-6-0 DM Spirit O'Fife 15 March 2000 ex-Scottish Grain Distillers J&B Cream
Clayton 0-4-0 DM The Wee Mac ex-Royal Navy Dockyard, Rosyth White
51568+52053 Class 108 Spirit of Banffshire Summer 2001 ex-British Rail BR Green
53628+54223 Class 108 Spirit of Speyside 7 March 2000 ex-British Rail BR Green
56224 Class 108 17 March 2010 ex-British Rail BR Blue Built in 1959.
140001 Class 140 1994 ex-British Rail BR Rail Blue and Grey Formed of 55500+55501. Prototype

The railway also owns two BR Mk1 Coaches No81295 and No975758, and a Mk2f TSO. The 2f arrived to replace the two pullman coaches that were returned south.

The Keith and Dufftown also have 3 Canadian Sprinters which could be used to inspect the line, on top of all this the railway also has a variety of Permanent Way wagons, some of this includes, 2 Grampus Wagons, a dogfish wagon, a salmon wagon and a guards van.

References

    External links


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