Attempts to clear snow drifts will take place later this morning, as rail engineers battle to reopen part of the Far North Line.
(Permalink) Altnabreac Ardgay Brora Dunrobin Forsinard Georgemas Junction Golspie Helmsdale Kildonan Kinbrace Lairg Rogart Scotscalder Snow Thurso Weather Wick

Drifting snow was continuing to cause major disruption to Highland railway lines on Tuesday - despite the arrival of milder air across the region.
(Permalink) Altnabreac Ardgay Brora Dunrobin Forsinard Georgemas Junction Golspie Helmsdale Huntly Insch Inverurie Keith Kennethmont Kildonan Kinbrace Lairg Rogart Scotscalder Signalling Snow Thurso Weather Wick

Huge snow drifts were continuing to cause major disruption on Highland railway lines on Monday.
(Permalink) Altnabreac Ardgay Brora Dunrobin Forsinard Georgemas Junction Golspie Helmsdale Huntly Insch Inverurie Keith Kennethmont Kildonan Kinbrace Lairg Rogart Scotscalder Signalling Snow Thurso Weather Wick

Hopes for a resumption of the regular freight traffic on the northernmost stretch of the rail network are being boosted with a trial run later this month. Very few commercial loads have been hauled either into or out of Caithness since a burst of activity in the 1990s when the freight arm of former freezer manufacturers Norfrost established a terminal at Georgemas Junction. Consignments of timber were also moved south by rail following the creation of a railside loading bay near Kinbrace in 2002.
[This article is not available on the Press and Journal website.]
(Permalink) Georgemas Kinbrace

The Scottish Executive has awarded EWS with £1m for timber traffic. The grant will be broken up as follows;



- £158,000 to partly finance the re-development of the rail freight depot at Beattock for timber. EWS is seeking further funding.



- £766,000 for a track access grant for timber sent by rail from Fort William, Crianlarich and Arrochar to Chirk in North Wales.



- £143,000 for a track access grant for timber from Kinbrace in Sutherland to Inverness. The project is also supported by the Highland Council, the Forestry Commission, the Highland Rail Partnership and EWS.


(Permalink) Arrochar and Tarbet Beattock Chirk Crianlarich EWS Forestry Commission Fort William Highland Council Highland Rail Partnership Inverness Kinbrace Timber West Highland Lines

A new platform for loading timber at Kinbrace has been opened. For one week each month five trains will be dispatched to Inverness for the Nexfor at Dalcross.

(Permalink) Dalcross Kinbrace

A passenger train became trapped in drifting snow at Kinbrace and passengers taken off hours later. A number of other trains also became stuck or were cancelled.


(Permalink) Kinbrace