A History of Britain’s Railways
Inverness and Nairn Railway
This page
Introduction
Local area
Chronology
Locations
Nairn
Gollanfield Junction
Dalcross
Castle Stuart Platform
Allanfearn
Millburn Junction
Millburn Yard
Welsh's Bridge Junction
Inverness Shed
Lochgorm Locomotive Works
Inverness
Rose Street Junction
Inverness Harbour
This site
Highland
Railway
Inverness
and Aberdeen Junction Railway
Inverness
and Ross-shire Railway
Fort George Branch (Highland
Railway)
Inverness
and Aviemore Direct Railway
Other sites
ScotRail
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This line is open. Passenger services are provided by ScotRail from Inverness to Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Stations remain open at Inverness and Nairn. |
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 Inverness Station |
This line runs east alongside the Moray Firth from Inverness to Nairn.
From Inverness to Nairn.
This was the eastern terminus of the line. The line was later extended further east by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway to Elgin. Until recently this station still had two operational signalboxes, one at either end of the station. There were two boxes at either end of many of the station on the Highland Railway due to the length of the loops and Board of Trade Regulations. In latter years the signalman cycled between the boxes.
The westbound platform station building was a museum for a few years but has closed. It is presently a flower shop.
Also until recently this station had a goods shed. This has been dismantled and is being taken to the preserved railway, "The Caledonian Railway", for use at its Bridge of Dun station on the former Aberdeen Railway.
This was the junction for the Fort George Branch (Highland Railway). The station was known as Fort George until the branch line opened. The original station building from the first station still stands.
There is a siding here for a timber company. The former station here is closed.
This halt is closed and little remains today. The site is close to Inverness Airport which does not have a station.
This station is closed. There is still a level crossing here at an attractive site by the Moray Firth.
This is the west facing junction between the Aberdeen and Perth (Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway) routes.
This yard has sidings for concrete and timber traffic as well as a carriage stabling and cleaning shed. The yard used to occupy land by the Moray Firth but after land reclamation it is now separated from it by the A9 and some industrial estates.
At this junction the direct line to the far north, which by-passes the Inverness terminus, leave the station approach lines at an east facing junction. The junction had a very fine signalbox and gantry signals, all now demolished.
Welsh's Bridge is named for a land owner who had a house on this land and was an objector to the building of the railway.
This roundhouse shed was approached by passing under a 'triumph arch' which was the water tank for the shed. Nothing remains of the shed now, its site is occupied by a supermarket, although the site of the turntable is picked out with stones.
At these works the Highland Railway used to build its locmotives. Following closure of Inverness Shed the works came into use as a heavy maintenance and running shed. They remain in that use today. The works are located by the east end of the station.
This station is built within a triangular junction. There is a freight by-pass running between Millburn Junction and Rose Street Junction. Lines come in from the East and terminate in a number of platforms, one of them having a link to lines which approach from the North and terminate at other platforms. The station could be said to be two terminii built next to each other.
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East-facing platforms. The train shed (glass roofs) can be seen in the background. The North-facing platforms are in the right background. |
 Similar view from another platform showing the east and southbound platforms. |
At this junction the northbound lines from Inverness station meet the by-pass line from Welsh's junction. These lines are tightly curved and were installed when the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway was opened. This line leaves the former Inverness Harbour line and runs west crossing the River Ness on a viaduct.
This harbour, on the River Ness, was served by a line which approached on a tight west to north curve and steep gradient. Trackwork remains embedded in in quaysides today. The harbour line, cut short, is in use today for freight.
