Royal Deeside Railway facts for kids
The Royal Deeside Railway is a special heritage railway in Scotland. It is located at Milton of Crathes railway station and uses part of the old Deeside Railway line. This railway lets people experience train travel from the past.
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The Original Railway
The first Deeside Railway was built between 1853 and 1866. It connected Ballater railway station to Aberdeen Ferryhill railway station. The Royal Family often used this line. They traveled on it to visit Balmoral Castle. The railway line closed down in stages between 1966 and 1967. This closure was part of a plan called the Beeching Report. This report suggested closing many railway lines across the UK to save money.
Bringing the Railway Back to Life
A group called the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society started in 1996. Their goal was to bring back a part of the old Deeside Railway. They wanted to restore the section between Banchory and Milton of Crathes.
Work on restoring the railway began in 2003. By 2007, the society was able to run trains on a one-mile section of track. The first steam train carrying passengers ran in 2010. In 2020, a new station opened at Birkenbaud lay-by.
A platform was built at Milton of Crathes station. An old station building from the closed Oldmeldrum Railway was moved there. This building now serves as the society's main office. Much of the track used by the railway came from an old train yard in Aberdeen. Some of the old wooden and concrete parts that hold the tracks are not safe anymore. The society is looking for ways to fix and reuse the concrete ones.
In 2020, the railway faced money problems. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
What the Railway Offers Now
The Royal Deeside Railway currently offers passenger rides. The journey covers 1 mile of track. It goes from Milton of Crathes to Birkenbaud Crossing. All trains start and end at Milton of Crathes. A round trip takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
Milton of Crathes station has one platform and two tracks. These tracks allow the train engine to move from one end of the train to the other. The station also has a small shop, a museum, and a ticket office. There is a car park available with easy access for people with disabilities.
The railway owns an original British Rail BEMU train. This train was changed from diesel to battery power. It ran on the Deeside Railway from 1958 to 1966. The BEMU needs a lot of electrical repairs. However, it is sometimes used as a passenger coach. It offers a different ride than the Mark 2 coaches.
The trains are pulled by different engines. One is a steam engine called "Bon Accord." It used to work at the Aberdeen Gas Works. They also use British Rail Class 03 diesel engines. These engines pull three British Rail Mark 2 passenger coaches. These coaches are painted in a classic red and cream color. A fourth coach is currently being fixed up.
Plans for the Future
The railway plans to extend its line soon. A new station called Riverside Halt will be built. This station will let passengers get off the train. They can then walk a mile back to Milton of Crathes. Or, they can continue walking along the Deeside Way towards Banchory. This new station will be the end of the line for passenger services. It will create a train journey between Milton of Crathes and Riverside Halt. This journey will go through Birkenbaud Crossing.
A new loop line is being built at Riverside Halt. There will also be two new side tracks. These tracks will store trains that are not currently in use.
In 2020, the group announced plans to extend the railway even further. They want to reach Banchory railway station. This would use the old railway path, which is now part of the Deeside Way.
A big challenge for extending the railway to Banchory was an old bridge. This 19th-century railway bridge is called the Bridge of Bennie. It currently carries the Deeside Way, which is a path for bikes and walkers. The railway wanted to use this old bridge again. But, the Bridge of Bennie needed to be made stronger for trains to cross it. If the railway used the old bridge, a new bridge would be needed for the Deeside Way path.
A new bridge for the Deeside Way was put in place on December 15, 2020. However, there were delays due to COVID-19 rules and other problems. This meant the new bridge remained closed to the public. So, the Deeside Way still uses the Bridge of Bennie. This means the railway cannot extend its operations yet. It is estimated that extending the railway to Banchory will cost about £250,000 once all the work is finished.
Locomotives (Train Engines)
- Steam locomotives
- Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No. 807 "Bon-Accord". This engine is working. It used to work at the Aberdeen Gas Works.
- Andrew Barclay 0-6-0ST No. 2139 "Salmon". This engine's boiler permit expired on January 1, 2019. It is waiting for repairs.
- Diesel locomotives
- Multiple units
- BR BEMU unit 79998+79999. This unit is working. It is used as a passenger coach pulled by another engine.
See also
- Milton of Crathes railway station
