Strathspey Railway

I do wonder if 46464 might return once operational?

But yes, it does strike me that they have a relatively small pool of motive power.

Chris

 

Like the Welsh Highland?

 

I've just been attempting to see what if any Special Events the Strathspey run, but . . .
The Events page on their website is just promoting the hiring of the railway to host peoples own special occasions (Wedding, anniversaries etc), and the timetable page just shows a picture of the calendar with some date marked as 'SPECIAL EVENTS (Details on web site)' If the details are on the web site, they are well hidden!
They also do not seem to provide any online contact details (just telephone no and postal address) so perhaps if anyone on here has contact with their publicity officer and/or webmaster, they could give them a nudge to get their act together. . .

PS. If anyone can provide me a list of the Strathspey events I will be happy to add them to my own online Events Diary (which is why I was looking at the Strathspey website).

 

I'm just wondering, back in the day, what would have been the heaviest train that regularly passed over Dava Moor?

 

Which day ? Before the direct route via Slochd or after ?

edit :-
Had a look in WJVA's Steam in Scotland Vol 1 -- found one photo of an Inverness to Perth via Forres train in 1951 -- 5 vehicles of which one is a horsebox and one a full brake.
H A Vallance in 'The Highland Railway' quotes 'Foxwell in Express Trains English and Foreign' (no idea what that is) on the 7:50 train north from Perth in 1888 and to summarise the example given loaded to two engines with 36 'carriages' (the list includes horseboxes and vans) from 9 different companies - must have been quite a sight.

 

I was thinking both, but as you say it would have been quite a sight on the hills.

 

The 2019 diner in full flow; second evening train of the season at Croftnahaven yesterday evening: https://www.flickr.com/photos/insearchofsteam/48067864947/in/dateposted-public/

Wouldn't it be nice to see these run a further four miles to Grantown on Spey one day!

 

Was up last weekend and picked up one of the RTG pamphlets. Excuse the scrumples.

It sounds like it’s going in the right direction.

Is that map suggesting the line is on the original site or is it deviated?

Edit. Looking at google maps that appears to be the original alignment.

 

For anybody in the local area over the summer, currently the railway has steam out four days a week and the DMU out on Friday's operating a standard timetable. There's also the evening diner on Friday's :

British Rail Class 117 DMU - Granish Summit by Jonathon Gourlay, on Flickr

British Rail Class 117 - Ford by Jonathon Gourlay, on Flickr

Ivatt 2MT No. 46512 'E.V.Cooper Engineer' - Granish Moor by Jonathon Gourlay, on Flickr

Ivatt No. 46512 'E.V.Cooper Engineer' - Croftnahaven by Jonathon Gourlay, on Flickr

Once into July, the full 7 day week timetable gets into full swing! There's also the annual steam gathering for "Steam At The Boat" over Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th July, which will see most (if not all) the operational Spey fleet of steam and diesels out on an intensive timetable alongside vintage vehicles at Boat of Garten station.

 

Have they got the right railway in the photo of the bridge / tunnel.
Does the A95 also cross the Bo'ness and Kinneil railway?
Or is the photo just an iilustration?

 

Photo is just an illustration, using Crawyett's Bridge on the Bo'ness and Kinneil as an example of how the method of road/rail crossing for the Grantown extension under the A95 may look.

 

I remember going on the Strathspey when I was in my teens, must have been around 12/13 years ago now. Was breathtaking even then, looking forward to visiting again at some point in the future.

Out of curiosity - what was the rationale behind following the Highland Railway route to Forres rather then the GNoSR Strathspey route through to Dufftown?

 

I imagine reinstating the bridge over the Spey would have been daunting.

https://www.railscot.co.uk/locations/B/Broomhill_Spey_Viaduct/

 

It's a pity they are not awash with money up there. I rather like the idea of two parallel steam railways going to the same place...

 

That'll do it

 

I think that the obvious answer is likely the correct one.
I have a copy of a 1970s article reprinted from Railway Magazine, 'Highland Railway Revival' (unfortunately undated), which I got at Boat of Garten way back in the early 70s.
That article points out that the track on both lines north of Boat of Garten was lifted in 1969 after freight on the GNSR line to Craigellachie ceased from 4/11/68. I'd make an educated guess that the missing bridges went at the same time.
The same article also comments on the trackbed on the HR line to Grantown (West) being bought by the Strathspey Railway for possible future expansion. so I think it's fair to say the GNSR line was never an option, and as a prospective northern terminus for the railway Grantown West being in the town had an obvious advantage over Grantown East which was about a mile from the centre.

Can't help wishing though that I'd seen the Speyside line in operation, by the time I first saw the area in the 70s the line from Keith was truncated at Aberlour.

 

Another reason for not going to Craigellachie is that would mean my bridge at Aberlour would need to be replaced.
Back in 1981, while in the Army we where despatched from the sunny South near Tidworth all the way to Aberlour for a 3 week holiday.
Sorry working on building a footpath suspension bridge on the old trackbed just West of the old station.

While building the bridge I upset some of the local visitors by driving my Bulldozer up and down the river collecting rocks for the anchorages.
How much do the Fishermen pay per day?

On one of her Railway walks Julia Bradbury declared the bridge a little bit wobbly.

 

These are good and substantial news for their planned extension:
https://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk...ntown-by-steam-loco-is-to-be-laid-out-182251/

If you have time, drop by.

 

The cat is out of the bag: 46464 is shortly to move to Aviemore for completion of her heavy overhaul! Once complete will (re)join the resident fleet at Strathspey. More here.