Kyle of Lochalsh line

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Kyle of Lochalsh Line
Duncraig Loch Carron.jpg
The platform at Duncraig railway station alongside Loch Carron, looking northeast towards Inverness
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleHighland, Scotland
TerminiDingwall
Kyle of Lochalsh
Stations13
Service
SystemNational Rail
Operator(s)Abellio ScotRail
Rolling stockClass 158
Technical
Line lengthDingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh: 63 mi 64 chains (102.7 km)
Track gaugeStandard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Route map
Rail map Scotland Kyle line.png
  • v
  • t
Kyle of
Lochalsh Line
Legend
 Kyle of Lochalsh ferry/water interchange
Duirinish Red flag waving.svg
Plockton
Duncraig Red flag waving.svg
Stromeferry
Attadale Red flag waving.svg
Strathcarron
Achnashellach Red flag waving.svg
Glencarron (c. 1964)
Achnasheen
Achanalt Red flag waving.svg
Lochluichart Red flag waving.svg
Garve
Achterneed (c. 1965)
Strathpeffer (c. 1946)
Far North Line
to Wick
 Dingwall Junction
Dingwall
Far North Line
to Inverness

The Kyle of Lochalsh Line is a primarily single track railway line in the Scottish Highlands, from Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh. Many of the passengers are tourists, but there are also locals visiting Inverness for shopping, and commuters. All services are provided by Abellio ScotRail and run beyond Dingwall to Inverness. In the past there were some through services to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen.[1] None of the line is electrified, and all trains on the line are diesel-powered, as are all other trains in the Scottish Highlands.

History[]

The route was built in two parts: the Dingwall and Skye Railway, between Dingwall and Stromeferry, opened on 19 August 1870,[2] while the Kyle of Lochalsh Extension (Highland Railway) took the line beyond Stromeferry to Kyle of Lochalsh on 2 November 1897.[3] Dingwall station itself had been open since 1862, as an intermediate station on the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway (part of the modern-day Far North Line).

The Strathpeffer Branch operated between 1885 and 1951.[4]

In 1933, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway introduced two named trains on the line, The Hebridean and The Lewisman.[5]

In July 1939 a landslide between Attadale and Stomeferry derailed an engine and six freight vans. The landslide was caused by recent heavy rains.[6]

In 1949 it was planned to relocate Lochluichart station to allow the flooding of the area by the Glascarnoch-Luichart-Torr Achilty hydroelectric scheme.[7] On 3 May 1954 a new station was opened as Lochluichart.[8] The deviation required about two miles (three kilometres) on stone-pitched embankments and in rock cuttings, a 100-foot (30 m) bridge over the River Conon and a 36-foot (11 m) bridge.[9]

In the 1960s the line was listed to be closed under the Reshaping of British Railways report; however it was reprieved and services continued.[10]

In 1970, British Rail wanted to close the line when Ross and Cromarty council voted to create a new £460,000 (equivalent to £7,300,000 in 2020)[11] ferry terminal at Ullapool (43 nmi or 80 km from Stornoway) replacing that at Kyle of Lochalsh (71 nmi or 131 km from Stornoway).[12] In December 1971 it was reported that the costs of operating the line were £318,000 per annum (equivalent to £4,600,000 in 2020),[11] with revenue of £51,000 per annum (equivalent to £740,000 in 2020),[11] and the Secretary of State for Transport agreed that the line should close,[13] but a spirited local campaign again succeeded in reversing this decision and keeping it open.

In 1989 the bridge over the River Ness at Inverness was washed away, leaving both the Kyle line and the Far North Line stranded, but new "Sprinter" trains were brought over by road, and a temporary yard was built to service them at Muir of Ord. The section of line along Loch Carron is particularly troublesome and prone to landslides, often closing that section.

Cascaded rolling stock[]

ScotRail Class 158s at Strathcarron

From 1999 onwards, the then ScotRail operator, National Express, began the removal of the Class 156 "Sprinter" trains. Their replacement was to be the faster, higher standard Class 158s. These trains offered a better all round travelling experience, with air conditioning, improved speed, lighting, seating, storage and general comfort. There is now a dedicated fleet of Class 158 units based at Inverness serving the Kyle of Lochalsh line, the Far North Line to Wick and Thurso, and the Aberdeen to Inverness Line. The next franchise owner First ScotRail continued the current situation, with improvement to the depot facilities at Inverness.

Services[]

As of July 2021, the line is served by a total of four trains per day in each direction Monday−Saturday. On Sundays the frequency reduces to just one train per day each way, though this increases to two per day during the summer.[14] All trains run the entire length of the line and are extended beyond Dingwall to and from Inverness.[14] All services call at every intermediate station on the line,[14] although Lochluichart, Achanalt, Achnashellach, Attadale, Duncraig and Duirinish stations are designated as request stops: passengers wishing to board the train at these staions must flag the train by raising their arm, while those wishing to alight must inform the on-board train supervisor to arrange for the train to stop.

Onward transport interchanges[]

Interchange Stop ID SMS Code Connections Service Numbers
Dingwall 45323484 Connections to Strathpeffer and the north of the Black Isle S10, 21
Garve 45324737 (East)
45324754 (West)		 Scottish Citylink coach services to Ullapool (for ferry services to Stornoway on Lewis) 61[15]
Achnasheen 45327657 Highland Council bus links westward to Gairloch 700, 708
Strathcarron 45328548 Highland Council bus connections onwards to the villages of Lochcarron, Kishorn, Shieldaig, Torridon and Applecross 702, 703, 704
Kyle of Lochalsh 45323763 Scottish Citylink coaches westward to Portree and Uig on Skye (for ferry services to Tarbert on Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist), eastwards to Kintail and Fort William 915, 916, 917[15]

Route[]

Class 158 at Achnasheen
A Class 158 at Kyle of Lochalsh; the Isle of Skye can be seen across the water.
The view from Duirinish. Skye can be seen in the background with a covering of snow.

The stations on the line that have passing loops are Dingwall, Garve, Achnasheen and Strathcarron. Only Dingwall and Kyle stations are staffed, however all stations along the route have lighting and passenger information posters with train timetable details. Most have passenger information telephone points fitted so that remote customer service staff can be contacted. Normal office hours apply. Along the route there are 29 bridges and 31 cuttings.

Places served No. of Platforms Staffed Ordnance Survey
grid references
Dingwall Two Yes NH553586
Garve Two No NH395613
Lochluichart One No NH322625
Achanalt One No NH260615
Achnasheen Two No NH164586
Achnashellach One No NH003485
Strathcarron Two No NG942421
Attadale One No NG924391
Stromeferry One No NG865346
Duncraig One No NG811331
Plockton One No NG794329
Duirinish One No NG777315
Kyle of Lochalsh Two Yes NG762271

Kyle of Lochalsh Line in film and books[]

The Kyle of Lochalsh Line was featured in Eddie McConnell's lyrical documentary The Line to Skye (1973) with commentary by Scottish writer William McIlvanney, commissioned as part of Ross & Cromarty's campaign to keep the line open at a time when it was threatened with closure. The film follows the train from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, describing the communities, landscape and wildlife along its route, while contrasting the frustration of motorists with the relaxation of the journey by rail.[16]

In Stephen Durrell's 1939 documentary West of Inverness, the importance of the Kyle of Lochalsh line to the crofters of the West Highlands is demonstrated through its role of transporting passengers, mail, parcels, food and livestock to and from their communities. The film shows the LMS steam locomotives that operated the line at this time.[17]

In the episode of Great Railway Journeys of the World "Confessions of a Trainspotter" (1980), Michael Palin travels from London to the Kyle of Lochalsh and returns with the railway station's sign.

Video 125 Ltd. produced a driver's eye view documentary of the line in 1987, when the service was still operated using loco-hauled trains, in this case motive power being provided by Class 37 no. 37262 named Dounreay after the nuclear power station. Narration was by Paul Coia.

Nicholas Whittaker travelled the line both ways during the summer of 1973, an experience he wrote about in his 1995 book Platform Souls.[18]

As with the other railway lines of the western Highlands (the West Highland Railway and the Callander and Oban Railway), John Thomas wrote a comprehensive and highly readable history, The Skye Railway.

Future[]

In the Scottish Government's National Transport Strategy, published in February 2020, it was stated that the line would not be electrified with overhead lines, but rather, an alternative to diesel traction will be used for the route.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ GB National Rail Timetable 2013-14, Tables 239 & 240 (Network Rail)
  2. ^ "New Railway in the North". Morning Post. British Newspaper Archive. 20 August 1870. Retrieved 15 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "Railways in the Western Highlands. Opening of New Kyle Extension". Glasgow Herald. British Newspaper Archive. 3 November 1897. Retrieved 15 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ H A Vallance, C R Clinker, Anthony J Lambert, The Highland Railway, David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1985, ISBN 0 946537 24 0
  5. ^ Allen, Cecil J. (1967). Titled Trains of Great Britain. Ian Allan Ltd. p. 95.
  6. ^ "Scots relive nightmare of holiday train disaster". Aberdeen Evening Express. Scotland. 27 December 1962. Retrieved 15 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "A Station To Be Moved". Dundee Courier. Scotland. 6 May 1949. Retrieved 15 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  9. ^ Cooke, B.W.C., ed. (June 1954). "Re-Siting of Lochluichart Station". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 100, no. 638. Westminster: Tothill Press. p. 432.
  10. ^ "Rail Cuts Reprieve". Aberdeen Press and Journal. Scotland. 18 December 1963. Retrieved 22 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ a b c UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Ross and Cromarty council vote. Ullapool is Ferry Terminal". Aberdeen Press and Journal. Scotland. 22 October 1970. Retrieved 25 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ "British Railways Board. Public Notice. Transport Acts 1962-68. Passenger Services". Aberdeen Press and Journal. Scotland. 23 December 1971. Retrieved 25 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ^ a b c North Highlands timetable, May 2021 − ScotRail
  15. ^ a b "Scottish Citylink Timetables". Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  16. ^ "Scottish Screen Archive - Full record for 'LINE TO SKYE, the'". Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  17. ^ "Scottish Screen Archive - Full record for 'WEST OF INVERNESS'". Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  18. ^ Platform Souls. Nicholas Whittaker, Gollancz, 1995
  19. ^ Shirres, David. "Decarbonising Scotland's Railway". Rail Engineer. No. 190. pp. 46–53. Retrieved 3 July 2021.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Further reading[]

  • Thomas, John (1977). The Skye Railway. David and Charles. ISBN 0 7153 7383 8.
  • Kelly, Peter (September 1983). "Pearls beyond price". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. pp. 23–33. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.
  • Dunn, Pip (22 October – 4 November 1997). "The Skye survivor". RAIL. No. 316. EMAP Apex Publications. pp. 40–41. ISSN 0953-4563. OCLC 49953699.
  • Vallance, H.A. (November 1966). "The Northern Highland Lines Today: Part One – Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh". Railway Magazine. Vol. 112, no. 787. pp. 612–616.

External links[]

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