The Highland Railway’s Strathpeffer Branch

[rogerfarnworth]

The featured image shows Strathpeffer Railway Station in 1928. Locomotive No. 16118, one of a class of three locos designed by William Stroudley. Built in 1869 at the Highland Railway’s Lochgorm works in Inverness, they became known as ‘Lochgorm Tanks’ and this loco carried the number 56 when first built and the name ‘Balanin’, and later ‘Dornoch’. All three passed to the LMS in 1923 when they lost their names and are widely believed to be the basis of the LBSCR Terrier design that Stroudley produced later in his career. This loco and sister No. 16383 were broken up in 1927, although the third lasted until 1932, © John Mann Collection, used with the kind permission of Nick Catford. [30]

Stanley Jenkins comments: “Situated at the head of a fertile valley some five miles inland from the Cromarty Firth, Strathpeffer was once famous as a health spa and fashionable holiday resort. Although the medicinal value of the local mineral springs had been known for many years, the village did not really develop until the Victorian era when the Countess of Cromartie was instrumental in creating a Central European-style spa in this remote part of Scotland.”

When the first section of the Dingwall & Skye Railway opened on 19th August 1870 the Strathpeffer area became much better connected. However, the new line ran well to the North of the village. The line had a station named ‘Strathpeffer’ but it was 2 miles from the spa and at a much higher level. The station ended up in that location because of the opposition of a local landowner to a far better route for the Dingwall & Skye line, which would have passed through the village. The result was a steeply inclined (1 in 50) line climbing to the summit at Raven Rock. ...

The Highland Railway’s Strathpeffer Branch

The featured image above shows Strathpeffer Railway Station in 1928. Locomotive No. 16118, one of a class of three locos designed by William Stroudley. Built in 1869 at the Highland Railway’s…

rogerfarnworth.com

 

[EveningStar]

Station building now a rather pleasant craft centre, or was when visiting back in 2016 with Mrs ES (seen getting out of picture having once again humoured me looking at "old railway stuff"). Distortion because used panorama setting on phone.

 

[rogerfarnworth]

Station building now a rather pleasant craft centre, or was when visiting back in 2016 with Mrs ES (seen getting out of picture having once again humoured me looking at "old railway stuff"). Distortion because used panorama setting on phone.

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Thank you

 

[Big Jumby 74]

The featured image shows Strathpeffer Railway Station in 1928

Thank you for sharing. Although my interests lean more towards the Caledonian, centring on Balquhidder, it is fairly certain more recent family may have used the HR Hopeman branch (1910's/20s) so always interesting to read related items.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Amazing to think that there were through services from Aviemore (via the Inverness avoiding line) and even briefly through sleepers from London. Like the LNER at Cruden Bay the LMS got lumbered with the hotel as fashions changed, but at least it is still functioning (after years of alternate use) albeit with less than flattering reviews!

 

[Calthrop]

My first perusing, as a kid, this area's railway geography per the map: gave rise to thoughts about some weirdness in the main line's route swinging sharply to the right at the junction, and fighting its way on severe gradients through the wilderness, while the by then dead-and-done-for branch, went on "straight and level". My imagined scenario then, was of Dingwall -- Strathpeffer having opened first; subsequently discovered that, as covered by the OP, the Kyle route came earlier -- problems with obstreperous landowner (the townsfolk later regretting having been by-passed -- a fairly common story re places up and down Britain, as the rail system developed).

With the Strathpeffer branch's passenger closure in 1946 (complete abandonment a few years later): reflection is prompted, to the effect that the mid / late 1940s were a bad time for minor lines in Scotland's far north. Strathpeffer, as noted; the Wick & Lybster was abandoned in 1944; Gollanfield Jun. -- Fort George lost its passenger service in 1943 (kept freight for another fifteen years); and the Fort Augustus branch, closed to pass. in 1933, was finally abandoned in 1947. With this line's terminus being at the southern end of Loch Ness -- the thought occurs that the branch's ceasing to be, when it did; at least spared it the indignity of being in the later 20th Century, branded for publicity purposes as the "Monster Line" .