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Caledonian Steam Railway (Brechin)
Brechin City railway station.jpg
Locale Brechin, Angus, Scotland.
Coordinates 56°43′53″N 2°39′07″W / 56.7315°N 2.652°W / 56.7315; -2.652
Commercial operations
Name Caledonian Railway
Built by Caledonian Railway
Original gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Owned by Caledonian Steam Railway (Brechin)
Operated by Caledonian Steam Railway (Brechin)
Stations 2
Length 4 miles (6.4 km)
Preserved gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
1993 re-opened


The Caledonian Steam Railway (Brechin) is a special railway run by people who love old trains. It's a private limited company created by the Brechin Railway Preservation Society. Their goal is to run train services on a historic railway line. This line used to be part of the Caledonian Railway. It runs between Brechin and Montrose in Angus, Scotland. The Aberdeen Railway built this line way back in the 1840s. Passenger trains stopped running in the early 1950s. The entire line was finally closed by British Rail in 1981.

Discover the Brechin Railway Line

This historic railway line has been brought back to life! It is now preserved for about 4 miles (6.4 km). You can ride trains between Brechin railway station and Bridge of Dun railway station. Since 1993, trains have been running on weekends during the summer. They also run on special days throughout the year. Both railway stations have been carefully restored.

Why the Line Doesn't Reach Montrose

The original railway line went all the way to Montrose. Montrose still has a working train station on the main rail network. However, there are no plans right now to connect the Brechin line back to the main network. A section near Dubton, close to Montrose, has been redeveloped. This makes it very hard to reconnect the preserved railway to the national train system.

Future Plans: Extending the Line

Even though connecting to Montrose is tricky, there's still hope for the "CR Brechin" to grow. There's a long-term goal to extend the line by another 3+1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) to Dubton. This would make the railway a total of 7+1⁄2 miles (12.1 km) long! It would only need a short piece of track to be put back in place.

Meet the Locomotives

The Caledonian Steam Railway is home to many interesting locomotives. These are the engines that pull the trains. They have both powerful steam engines and modern diesel engines.

Steam Locomotives

Steam locomotives are classic engines that use steam to move. They are often very old and have a lot of history.

  • Peckett 0-4-0ST no. 1376 "BAC No1" (Looks like Percy from Thomas the Tank Engine). It was built in 1915. This engine is currently on display and doesn't move.
  • Barclay 0-4-0ST no. 1863. Built in 1926. This engine is ready to run!
  • Peckett 0-6-0ST no. 1889 "Menelaus". Built in 1934. This engine is taken apart and waiting for a big repair.
  • Barclay 0-6-0ST no. 2107 "Harlaxton" (Looks like Thomas the Tank Engine). Built in 1941. This engine started running again in Summer 2016.
  • Peckett 0-6-0ST no. 2153. Built in 1954. This engine is also taken apart and being repaired at a place called Flour Mill.
  • Bagnall 0-6-0ST 2749 no. 6. Built in 1944. This engine is stored at Bridge of Dun and not currently in use.
  • Bagnall 0-6-0ST 2759 no. 16. Built in 1944. Also stored at Bridge of Dun and not in use.
  • Hunslet 0-6-0ST 2879 no. 447. Built in 1943. Stored at Bridge of Dun and not in use.

Diesel Locomotives

Diesel locomotives use diesel engines, similar to those in trucks, to power the train. They are often newer than steam engines.

  • Ruston 48DS 4wDM no. 458957. Built in 1961. This engine is working and painted maroon with yellow and black stripes.
  • F. C. Hibberd 4wDM no. 3747. Built in 1955. Stored at Bridge of Dun and not in use.
  • Yorkshire Engine Company 0-4-0 no. 212 "Royce". Built in 1958. This engine is working.
  • Yorkshire Engine Company 0-4-0 no. 211 "Rolls". Built in 1956. This engine is also working.
  • BR 0-6-0 Class 08 no. 3059 "Brechin City". Built in 1954. This engine is working and painted in a blue color used by British Rail.
  • BR 0-6-0 Class 11 no. 12052. Built in 1949. This engine is working and painted in an old black British Rail color.
  • BR 0-6-0 Class 11 no. 12093. Built in 1951. This engine is working and painted in a green color used by British Rail.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 25 no. 25072. Stored and waiting for a big repair.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 25 no. 25083. Built in 1963. This engine is waiting for repairs.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 26 no. D5301. Built in 1959. Stored and waiting for a big repair, painted green.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 26 no. D5314. Built in 1959. This engine is working and painted green.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 26 no. 26035. Built in 1959. Stored and waiting for a big repair, painted blue with yellow ends.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 27 no. D5353. Built in 1961. Stored and waiting for a big repair.
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 27 no. D5370. Built in 1962. This engine is working and painted green with yellow warning panels.
  • BR Co-Co Class 37 no. 37097. Built in 1962. This engine is currently being repaired and is painted blue.
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