Grantown East Railway Station

Indeed, and although I'm sure they will serve the purpose of providing catering facilities might not the heritage aspect of the site benefit from other GNoSR artefacts as well?

Clearly the owners of the station want to restore & enhance the site and such funds as they have available could be put to good use acquiring & restoring items relevant to the locality.

 

As I understand it the Strathspey Railway are not planning to extend beyond Grantown West (insufficient business case). A shame really, because the extension would include about 15 miles of 1 in 75 from Forres up to Dava summit.

 

WIBN extensions from enthusiast dreamers vs the hard financial reality of running a heritage railway. Reality wins every time.

 

I'm sure they will do just that in due course. I understand that original GNoSR 1890s rail has been donated by the strathspey railway to put the carriages on in their final position between the platforms. Grantown east to me is more of a regeneration than a restoration. For one they have built an access road to the site across the platform road severing it in two. I think we should be glad that an at risk station building is getting a new lease of life, regardless of how wrong the carriages are they will provide the heritage feel that your average tourist will get from visiting. I understand part of the site is going to become a Highland games demonstration area, so it's definitely not a restoration but it will be of great benefit to the local area by the sounds of it.

 

https://en-gb.facebook.com/GrantownEast/ Just noticed the facebook page is rammed with tonnes of restoration photos, looks like it's been a real effort to tackle 50+ years of neglect and rot, but they seem to be doing a full on restoration, even trying to locate items that were pilfered as souvenirs such as the clock, good luck to them I say, most wouldn't take on such a task, or see promise in an old rotting structure. But they did, and the community undoubtedly will be all the better for it.

 

Just looking at the pictures that's one hell of a restoration job! All woodwork (roof, interior partitions etc) removed due to woodworm

David R

 

If anyone's checked the website/facebook page recently there's some pretty interesting stuff going on at grantown east, some things I agree with, some I don't. A railway is returning though, in the form of a miniature 7 1/4", and possibly dual gauge with 5". The station building itself seems to have had a very sympathetic restoration, not sure if it is being painted in GNSR station coulours, but little bits have returned to add to the restoration, such as the original clock. I wish them all the best.

 

It is certainly starting to look nice when you drive past! Huge improvement over what it was.

 

Allow me to introduce myself. my name is Dave and I am one of the folks who are involved with the design and the social media pages for Grantown East: HIghland Heritage and Cultural Centre. What you are seeing is the transformation of an abandoned building by the railway. I will say this, the project is being done with the highest level of respect for both the culture of the highlands as well as the history of this particular station. When it is open, 2 November 2018, (50 years to the day, when the line closed 2 November 1968) it will be an asset and a hub (hopefully) for all the rail enthusistists, tourists, locals and general passerers by off the A95. Every aspect of this project was painstakingly thought out to make sure the highest respect was paid to the building and the preperation of the carriage, it will be painted in GNSR colors. The carriages are the Mark 1 type, carriage one, closest to the A95 was built in 1958 and carriage two was built in 1960. They were the center carriages for a electric/diesel loco. They were a restaurant down in Devon for years. Then they ended up at an MOD base down in Stratford-upon-Avon. That is where my story begins.

 

Glad that we have someone on the forum with a bit more knowledge than I, a Scottish cultural centre you say? (hope that fancy 'pizza' oven is for bannock then!) , are there any other parts of the original station that you wish to bring back? Other than restoring the station building that is, although the access road through the platforms probably makes this a little more difficult. Thanks

 

Now if the 'Mini' Railway' could run round to Grantown west....

 

Once the government get their act together and sort the road out, it won't be long after that when you will see moves being made at grantown west, I think people coming to see grantown east will find out about grantown west and visit there and vice versa, they will complement each other very well!

 

The station building has been brought back to an open floor plan for retail, local craftspeople will show and sell their wares all made in Scotland. We have done our homework and have actually went to several of the craftspeoples creative spaces to make sure it was made in Scotland, as well as an interactive system to view information and history of the Strathspey Line, a brief history of tartan, making of kilts, making of the Grantown East Tartan, Highland games, and Clydesdale horses. You are confusing the dining carriages as the heritage centre. Two very different areas. We do have a pizza oven as well as a 5 star open kitchen. We did blend the carriages together in the most respectful and efficent use of space we could. I know all the rail purests are up in arms. Get over it!! There will be the 7 1/4 inch railway, in the first phase of the operation will have 600 m of track, then it will expand another 400 m later after we work out all the bugs for the first phase. There is a highland games field built for purpose. We will be hosting highland games for juniors as well as the seniors. Hoping to stat a highland games league to make sure the highland games has a feeder rank to save this sport. This project was completely privately funded. It is a commercial enterprise utilizing what was already available. We took it one step futher and made it more than just an attraction, but a hub. It wasn't a large station, but it was an important station to the people who lived here.

 

You would have to cross the River Spey, which would be a much longer span than the Strathspey railway built across the Dulnain.

 

I'm not up in arms. I am a bit of a purist but I had a completely open mind until the "get over it!!" comment.

 

For me this is one of those rare instances where I couldn't care less what's on the inside or how much the building is changed historically.
Turns out they are actually doing a very sympathetic restoration tho. Great!

It was a dying structure of very little value to the area, and it is now being transformed into something of real value.

I am delighted to see the investment being made, and that the building will be used and appreciated.