Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway)
Introduction
This railway is closed. It opened in 1884, two years ahead of the Great North of Scotland Railway's equivalent line, not only to provide a service to the town and area but also to capture the considerable fish traffic from Buckie. The line closed in 1915 as a wartime economy and its track lifted in 1917 for the war effort (at Invergordon Harbour, US Naval Base 17 and US Naval Base 18). Although reinstated it never reopened to passengers, but was used at either end for goods traffic until 1933 (north end) and 1966 (south end). Passenger services are still provided by ScotRail between Inverness, Keith and Aberdeen.
Dates
| 01/08/1884 | Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway) Line opened. Stations opened at Forgie, Enzie, Drybridge Platform, Rathven, Buckie [HR] and Portessie [HR], along with Portessie Shed. |
| 01/05/1886 | Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway) Combined Portessie [GNSR] and Portessie [HR] station and junction opened with the opening of the Moray Coast Railway (Great North of Scotland Railway). |
| 09/08/1915 | Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway) Closed to passengers, and to freight between Aultmore (excluded) and Buckie [HR] (excluded). |
| 01/04/1944 | Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway) Closed to freight between Portessie [HR] and Buckie [HR]. |
| 03/10/1966 | Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway) Closed to freight between Keith (excluded) and Aultmore. |
Locations along the line
These locations are along the line.
This is a one platform station, with a second out of use platform on the former route to Dufftown. There is a passing loop to the east of the station, inconvenient when trains are running late.
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See also
Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
Keith and Dufftown Railway
David Bosher 16/06/2019
Brian Haslehust 12/08/1965
Ewan Crawford 01/02/1997
Bill Roberton //1990
This signal box was west of the Highland Railway part of Keith station. It controlled the approach to the station and goods yard, to the east, and the junction between the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway, of 1856, and the Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway), of 1884.
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See also
Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway
This was a two platform station with the main station building on the southbound platform. The station had north and south signal boxes.
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Enzie was a two platform station with a passing loop on a single track line. The main station building was on the northbound platform. It was up a hill and somewhat remote from any sizeable population.
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Ewan Crawford //1999
Array
More detailsThis was a single platform station on the east side of the line. The station had a timber platform and waiting shelter.
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This was a single platform station with a goods yard to the east of the station, served from the north. Rathven itself is to the north east.
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This station opened in the south of Buckie, on high ground above the town and harbour. It opened in 1884, just ahead of the competing Buckie [GNSR] station of the GNoSR in 1886.
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This was a shared station with the Great North of Scotland Railway. The Highland Railway owned the southern face of an island platform, the north face being the westbound line of the GNoSR. The Highland's single track from Buckie [HR] had a loop at the platform and sidings. There were water columns, the water tank being alongside the engine shed turntable.
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This was a two road Highland Railway locomotive shed at the east end of the comapny's part of the Portessie [HR] and Portessie [GNSR]] station.
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Ewan Crawford 02/02/1997
This was a double track junction to the east of the Portessie [GNSR] and Portessie [HR] station where the lines from their Buckie [GNSR] and Buckie [HR], respectively, met.
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See also
Moray Coast Railway (Great North of Scotland Railway)
