An eighty mile trip from coast to coast
Before the arrival of the railways, transport links in the north of Scotland were very poor and most relied on travel by sea. Inverness was the county town of Inverness-shire, which stretched from the east of Scotland across to Skye and parts of the Outer Hebrides. The quickest way between Inverness and those outlying parts of Inverness-shire, was by train to Glasgow and then by steamer to the isles.
A railway line between Inverness and Dingwall was opened in 1862, and was extended to Wick and Thurso. In 1870, an extension was built from Dingwall to Stromeferry, where there was a ferry connection to Skye and the Isle of Lewis.
The section between Stromeferry and Kyle of Lochalsh eventually opened in 1897. It was a massive engineering project involving the building of 29 bridges and 31 cuttings, at the average cost of £20,000 a mile, making it the most expensive rail route to be built in the UK at the time.
A new pier was built at Kyle of Lochalsh for ferry services to Skye and the Outer Hebrides. Kyle rapidly expanded from a handful of houses to a busy rail and sea terminal.
It opened up new markets, as fish could now reach Billingsgate within 24 hours It no longer took 6 weeks to walk cattle to market. It also had the additional benefit of bringing tourists to the area.
The line was threatened with closure in 1963 following the Beeching Report, ‘Shaping Britain’s Railways’, but was reprieved as supplying a valuable transport link in an area poorly served by roads and public transport. Several small stations were closed. The line was threatened with closure again in 1970, and the ferry service to Stornoway moved to Ullapool in 1973. The line survived as it was needed to transport materials for a new oil rig construction facility at Kishorn.
Transport of goods along the line finished in finished in 1983 and the opening of the Skye Bridge in 1995 led to the end of Skye ferry.
Continuing discussions about the line's viability lead to the formation of The Friends of the Kyle Line in 1995 to promote and protect the line. They run the museum in the station building and rent out the refurbished Signal Box
ROUTE
It must be forty plus years since I last travelled on the line and I had forgotten just how good it was. We began our journey at Kyle of Lochalsh in a modern two unit rail car. It was busy with groups, day visitors and people with luggage. Sit on the left hand side leaving Kyle of Lochalsh for the best views.
The station is very much ’at the end of the line’ overlooking the Isle of Skye, less than half a mile away.
The remains of rail tracks can still be seen on the old pier.
The line quickly leaves the village behind and runs along the coast with small wooded islands. The sea is incredibly clear.
A deep, steep sided cutting can be seen ahead where the line cuts inland.
The line cuts inland past the tiny crofting settlement of Duirinish before swinging round Bagh an t-Srathaidh to Plockton.
Plockton Station is about half a mile above the village which can be seen through the trees with its houses spread out along the shore. This was a planned fishing village built when the crofters were cleared from their land in the early C19th to make way for sheep. Now it very much depends on tourism having been put on the map when the TV series Hamish Macbeth was filmed here in the 1990s.
From Plockton, the line runs along the shore of Loch Carron, with mixed deciduous woodland with bluebells still in flower in late May.
On the far side of the loch from Stromeferry station is the tiny settlement of Stronemore, which was connected to Stromeferry by ferry which ran until 1970.
At the head of the loch is the larger settlement of Lochcarron this straggles along the coastline and the remains of the old croft strips up the hillside can still be seen.
The line passes the tiny Attadale Halt and through an avalanche shelter built in 1978 to stop rocks falling on the track. Strathcarron Station is at the head of the loch and the Stationmaster’s House now provides self catering accommodation.
The line now follows the River Carron up the wide valley floor, with a few scattered settlements.
cont...
Before the arrival of the railways, transport links in the north of Scotland were very poor and most relied on travel by sea. Inverness was the county town of Inverness-shire, which stretched from the east of Scotland across to Skye and parts of the Outer Hebrides. The quickest way between Inverness and those outlying parts of Inverness-shire, was by train to Glasgow and then by steamer to the isles.
A railway line between Inverness and Dingwall was opened in 1862, and was extended to Wick and Thurso. In 1870, an extension was built from Dingwall to Stromeferry, where there was a ferry connection to Skye and the Isle of Lewis.
The section between Stromeferry and Kyle of Lochalsh eventually opened in 1897. It was a massive engineering project involving the building of 29 bridges and 31 cuttings, at the average cost of £20,000 a mile, making it the most expensive rail route to be built in the UK at the time.
A new pier was built at Kyle of Lochalsh for ferry services to Skye and the Outer Hebrides. Kyle rapidly expanded from a handful of houses to a busy rail and sea terminal.
It opened up new markets, as fish could now reach Billingsgate within 24 hours It no longer took 6 weeks to walk cattle to market. It also had the additional benefit of bringing tourists to the area.
The line was threatened with closure in 1963 following the Beeching Report, ‘Shaping Britain’s Railways’, but was reprieved as supplying a valuable transport link in an area poorly served by roads and public transport. Several small stations were closed. The line was threatened with closure again in 1970, and the ferry service to Stornoway moved to Ullapool in 1973. The line survived as it was needed to transport materials for a new oil rig construction facility at Kishorn.
Transport of goods along the line finished in finished in 1983 and the opening of the Skye Bridge in 1995 led to the end of Skye ferry.
Continuing discussions about the line's viability lead to the formation of The Friends of the Kyle Line in 1995 to promote and protect the line. They run the museum in the station building and rent out the refurbished Signal Box
ROUTE
It must be forty plus years since I last travelled on the line and I had forgotten just how good it was. We began our journey at Kyle of Lochalsh in a modern two unit rail car. It was busy with groups, day visitors and people with luggage. Sit on the left hand side leaving Kyle of Lochalsh for the best views.
The station is very much ’at the end of the line’ overlooking the Isle of Skye, less than half a mile away.
The remains of rail tracks can still be seen on the old pier.
The line quickly leaves the village behind and runs along the coast with small wooded islands. The sea is incredibly clear.
A deep, steep sided cutting can be seen ahead where the line cuts inland.
The line cuts inland past the tiny crofting settlement of Duirinish before swinging round Bagh an t-Srathaidh to Plockton.
Plockton Station is about half a mile above the village which can be seen through the trees with its houses spread out along the shore. This was a planned fishing village built when the crofters were cleared from their land in the early C19th to make way for sheep. Now it very much depends on tourism having been put on the map when the TV series Hamish Macbeth was filmed here in the 1990s.
From Plockton, the line runs along the shore of Loch Carron, with mixed deciduous woodland with bluebells still in flower in late May.
On the far side of the loch from Stromeferry station is the tiny settlement of Stronemore, which was connected to Stromeferry by ferry which ran until 1970.
At the head of the loch is the larger settlement of Lochcarron this straggles along the coastline and the remains of the old croft strips up the hillside can still be seen.
The line passes the tiny Attadale Halt and through an avalanche shelter built in 1978 to stop rocks falling on the track. Strathcarron Station is at the head of the loch and the Stationmaster’s House now provides self catering accommodation.
The line now follows the River Carron up the wide valley floor, with a few scattered settlements.
cont...
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