Roger Farnworth Railways

[rogerfarnworth]

RE: The Highland Railway again...
The Highland Railway as a Company is long-gone. Many of its routes area still in use, others have been abandoned. This thread will hopefully cover the majority of the Highland's lines. ...

H.A.Vallance notes that in the years prior to the coming of the railways to the North of Scotland there was a series of different initiatives intended to improve transport links. The first were the roads built by General Wade (250 miles of military roads) which “were quite unsuited to the requirements of trade operating under peace-time conditions.” [17: p11] The biggest contribution to raid development was made by Thomas Telford. He “was appointed to survey for new roads and for the improvement of existing highways. In the course of … 17 years he constructed about 920 miles of road, and built some 1,200 bridges.” [17: p11] But it was the coming of the railways to the Highlands, that most effectively addressed the regions transport problems.

Earlier articles about the Highland Railway network can be found here:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/04/01/the...le-branch;

and here:

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/03/23/the...er-branch;

These two articles cover the Strathpeffer Branch and the Fortrose Branch respectively.

Trains Illustrated No. 18 which was published in 1976 focussed on The Highland Railway. [1] The introductory article, ‘Highland Retrospect’, was written by Paul Drew. [1: p4-11]. The linked article starts from Drew's article to begin looking at the Highland Railway's network.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/05/01/the...ay-part-1/

Further articles will follow in due course. ...

[rogerfarnworth]

RE: The Killin Railway again. ...
An online acquaintance sent this link to me. From 4 minutes 17 seconds into the film, it shows some views of Killin Railway Station

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxuwKg3wgUE

[rogerfarnworth]

RE: The Railways of Skye and Adjacent Islands - Part 1
In April/May 2025 we had a holiday on Skye and as part of that started finding out about the history of industrial railways on Skye and immediately adjacent islands.

The first we investigated was a line used to carry Diatomite from Loch Cuithir to Lealt on Skye the linked article below looks at that industry and follows the line. ...

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/05/01/the...-to-lealt/

Other articles will follow in due course. ....

[rogerfarnworth]

Re: The Highland Railway's Fort George Branch
This short branch was established to bring a railhead closer to Fort George.

The featured image in the linked article shows Highland Railway No. 29 at Fort George Railway Station in Ardersier in charge of a train of four wheel coaches.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/05/03/the...rge-branch

[rogerfarnworth]

The Railways of Skye and Adjacent Islands - Part 2
The Talisker Distillery Tramway

The Talisker Distillery Tramway was a short 2ft-gauge tramway which opened in 1900 and closed in 1948. It ran from Carbost Pier on Loch Harport, along the Harport shore to Talisker Distillery and was used to transport materials for Talisker Distillery.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/05/03/the...y-tramway/

[rogerfarnworth]

The Railways of Skye and Adjacent Islands
Part 3 – The Skye Marble Railway

The featured image for this article is the only photograph I have been able to find of ‘Skylark’, the locomotive which for a matter of only a few years operated on the Skye Marble Railway. Further notes about the locomotive can be found in this article. An information board across the road from Kilchrist Church, features Skylark at the head of a train of wagons. [5]

Some sources say that in 1904, an aerial ropeway was constructed to transport marble to Broadford Pier from Kilchrist Quarries (alternatively known as Kilbride Quarries or Strath Suardal). The quarries were used to excavate marble. [1][2] Other sources talk of the line being worked first by horses. [14] There was an incline between the upper and lower Quarries at Kilchrist which appears to have been rope-worked. It is most likely, given the length of line from Kilchrist to the quay at Broadford and the relatively shallow gradients, that the line from the marble works down to Broadford was worked by horses, but it is entirely possible that an aerial ropeway was employed. Nothing remains of the line beyond the formation which now carries a footpath once South of Broadford, and, as will be seen below, some rails in the surface of the pier at Broadford.

http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/06/02/the...e-railway/