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Description

This is a two platform station with a passing loop. The main station building, waiting room and footbridge remain. The main building is timber and, in common with many Highland Railway stations, 'H' shaped in plan. At its north end the building is built out with a small glazed porch, a former signal box dating from the resignalling of 1957. Platforms are linked by a lattice footbridge. There is a small car park. The station is at 914 ft above sea level.

There was a sizeable goods yard extensively used by Canadian foresters in both World Wars. A narrow gauge railway (Carrbridge Timber Extraction Railway, closed and removed) ran westwards from near the station - Inverlaidnan Siding to the north - to assist logging activities.

When opened the station was a terminus between 1892 and 1897 while the line north west to Inverness was completed. (The next portion opened north to Daviot in 1897, and throughout in 1898.)

The station had two boxes, north and south. The north box was on the east side of the line, by the sand drag. The south box was on the west side. Both boxes were in timber. The north box opened in 1898 with the line and the south may have opened in 1892 when the line first reached Carr Bridge.

Water columns were provided on both platforms.

Both boxes were replaced in 1957 by a single signal box in the station building. This in turn was replaced by a panel at Aviemore in 1979. All the signal boxes were called Carr Bridge as the renaming of the station to Carrbridge was in 1983.

The signal box at the south end remained for many years, although out of use, and is now at Bo'ness.

There is a sand drag at the north end of the station into which an out of control train can be derailed. This is due to the gradient north of the station which climbs to Slochd Summit. The drag was installed around 1940 after an accident where a train was hit by runaway wagons.

The fine lattice footbridge between the platforms still stands.

To the north of the station the line crosses the Baddengorm Burn. This was the site of a terrible crash when the previous bridge was washed away in a flash flood. There is now a much larger Baddengorm Burn Viaduct. Note, immediately north of the station the line crosses the Dulnain Viaduct [Carrbridge], the Baddengorm Burn is the next bridge north.

During heavy snow a freight train derailed at Carrbridge on the 4th of January 2010, the clean up taking until the 12th to clear the line.

The line is supported and promoted by the Highland Main Line Community Partnership .

Local

Carrbridge is host to the annual Carve Carrbridge Scottish Open Chainsaw Carving Competition and the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship.

An Old Pack Horse Bridge over the River Dulnain is in the village centre.

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