The Strathspey Railway is based at Aviemore and runs a steam train service to the village of Boat of Garten and on to Broomhill near Nethybridge, Dulnain Bridge and 3.5 miles from Grantown on Spey.
Relive the Golden Age of Steam
Steam, smoke and hot oil - the smells and sounds of rail travel as it was in the Fifties. Combine this with spectacular Highland scenery in the Cairngorms National Park and you have the ingredients for a great day out on the Strathspey Steam Railway. As the train makes its way from Aviemore, through Boat of Garten to Broomhill, have a snack or a drink from the bar while relaxing in a vintage carriage and enjoy the views over moorland to the Cairngorm Mountains and River Spey. The round trip, visiting the whole line from any of the stations, takes about an hour and a half, or you can break your journey and catch a later train back.
Boat of Garten and Broomhill stations provide access to the Abernethy Forest trails and to the Speyside Way. You are in 'Monarch of the Glen' country and Broomhill Station is perhaps better known as Glenbogle Station in the successful television series.
Why not chat to the driver and fireman to find out how a steam engine works, or to the guard and station staff about their part in keeping steam alive on Scotland's heritage railway in the Highlands?
Volunteers, staff and management at the Strathspey Railway are delighted at the prospect of seeing one of their favourite locomotives steam once again in Strathspey, thanks to a £50,000 restoration grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The LMS designed Ivatt locomotive, No 45612, was originally built for British Railways in Swindon in 1952 but sent to be scrapped at Barry in Wales when steam traction was phased out. Fortunately, it was recovered for use on heritage railways and served the Strathspey line well until 2006 when it had to go out of service awaiting costly repairs. It is a type of engine and tender which was much used for local services in the north-east of Scotland in the fifities and early sixties which is the main period that the Strathspey Railway seeks to re-create.
To celebrate its successful application for Heritage funding, Strathspey Chairman Railway Chairman Douglas Scott donned his overalls to help Shed Foreman John Crabtree and 17year old Engineering Trainee Calum Titley begin work on the restoration of the engine.
The grant will help to cover the restoration costs of repairs to the boiler, wheels, axleboxes and other essential parts. All of this work is estimated to cost around £140,000 but the HLF grant now means that work can definitely start. A group of supporters called the '45612 Covenanters' have already raised £40,000 through lump sum donations or regular standing orders. The balance of the funding will be met by the Strathspey Railway Association and the Strathspey Railway Company Ltd.
The social, commercial and agricultural development of Badenoch and Strathspey, over the last 150 years, owes much to the railways. With that in mind, the Strathspey Railway seeks to involve schools, colleges and the community generally through organised visits, shed open days, projects and other educational activities such as giving talks to groups. An important 'spin off' of such involvement would be stimulating more interest in our railway heritage and increasing recruitment to learn, and keep alive, the diverse tradtional skills needed to keep a steam railway running. Seventeen year-old Calum Titley from Hopeman, who is an Engineering and Welding Student at Moray College, is one of the railway's trainees helping to ensure that Strathspey has a bright future.
This locomotive is a firm favourite with drivers and firemen on the railway. It has a large cab area which is ideal for footplate training and accommodating those who just want to experience the atmosphere on a live steam engine.The boiler will be stripped out and go off to England shortly for restoration to certifiable standard. Meantime, the Railway looks forward to the return of restored Caledonian Railway No828, in its original stiking blue livery, in 2010.
Contact Details:
Aviemore Station
Dalfaber Road
Aviemore
Cairngorms National Park
PH22 1PY
tel: 01479 810 725
web: www.strathspeyrailway.co.uk
Approximate Location:
At A Glance
Opening Times:
May: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
June: Wednesday to Sunday
July and August: 7 days a week
September: Wednesday to Sunday
October: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
See our website for our full timetable.
