Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway)

Introduction

This railway is closed. It opened in 1884, two years ahead of the Great North of Scotland Railway's equivalent line, not only to provide a service to the town and area but also to capture the considerable fish traffic from Buckie. The line closed in 1915 as a wartime economy and its track lifted in 1917 for the war effort (at Invergordon Harbour, US Naval Base 17 and US Naval Base 18). Although reinstated it never reopened to passengers, but was used at either end for goods traffic until 1933 (north end) and 1966 (south end). Passenger services are still provided by ScotRail between Inverness, Keith and Aberdeen.






Dates

01/08/1884Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway)
Line opened. Stations opened at Forgie, Enzie, Drybridge Platform, Rathven, Buckie [HR] and Portessie [HR], along with Portessie Shed.
01/05/1886Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway)
Combined Portessie [GNSR] and Portessie [HR] station and junction opened with the opening of the Moray Coast Railway (Great North of Scotland Railway).
09/08/1915Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway)
Closed to passengers, and to freight between Aultmore (excluded) and Buckie [HR] (excluded).
01/04/1944Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway)
Closed to freight between Portessie [HR] and Buckie [HR].
03/10/1966Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway)
Closed to freight between Keith (excluded) and Aultmore.

Locations along the line

These locations are along the line.

This is a one platform station, with a second out of use platform on the former route to Dufftown. There is a passing loop to the east of the station, inconvenient when trains are running late.
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See also
Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
Keith and Dufftown Railway
158731 on a short working from Inverness to Huntly, with replacement buses beyond the latter, departing from Keith (formerly Keith Junction), on 16th ...
David Bosher 16/06/2019
A Swindon DMU calling at Keith, with the 11.45 Aberdeen to Inverness service, on 12th August 1965. ...
Brian Haslehust 12/08/1965
Under the canopy at Keith in 1997. This portion of the canopy was to survive the demolition of the station building for some years and was linked to ...
Ewan Crawford 01/02/1997
Lost Railfreight 37128 passes Keith station in 1990, with a freight originating at the nearby Chivas Regal site. #COP26 ...
Bill Roberton //1990
4 of 31 images. more


This signal box was west of the Highland Railway part of Keith station. It controlled the approach to the station and goods yard, to the east, and the junction between the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway, of 1856, and the Buckie and Portessie Branch (Highland Railway), of 1884.
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See also
Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway


This was a two platform station with the main station building on the southbound platform. The station had north and south signal boxes.
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Looking south at the former Aultmore station viewed from the roadside. ...
Ewan Crawford //
1 of 1 images.


Enzie was a two platform station with a passing loop on a single track line. The main station building was on the northbound platform. It was up a hill and somewhat remote from any sizeable population.
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The trackbed at the somewhat remote Enzie station, looking to Keith in 1999. This was the south end of the passing loop and the goods yard was on the ...
Ewan Crawford //1999
Buckie line looking north as it crosses over the hills at Enzie. ...
Ewan Crawford //
Looking north towards the station houses at Enzie station. ...
Ewan Crawford //
3 of 3 images.




This was a single platform station on the east side of the line. The station had a timber platform and waiting shelter.
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This was a single platform station with a goods yard to the east of the station, served from the north. Rathven itself is to the north east.
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Looking north at the former Rathven station. ...
Ewan Crawford //
1 of 1 images.


This station opened in the south of Buckie, on high ground above the town and harbour. It opened in 1884, just ahead of the competing Buckie [GNSR] station of the GNoSR in 1886.
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Buckie goods shed by the former Highland Railway station. ...
Ewan Crawford //
Buckie Highland Railway station site, looking east. ...
Ewan Crawford //
2 of 2 images.


This was a shared station with the Great North of Scotland Railway. The Highland Railway owned the southern face of an island platform, the north face being the westbound line of the GNoSR. The Highland's single track from Buckie [HR] had a loop at the platform and sidings. There were water columns, the water tank being alongside the engine shed turntable.
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This was a two road Highland Railway locomotive shed at the east end of the comapny's part of the Portessie [HR] and Portessie [GNSR]] station.
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This was the base of the Highland Railway's water tank at Portessie. The shed closed with the end of passenger services to Keith in 1915 but the ...
Ewan Crawford 02/02/1997
1 of 1 images.


This was a double track junction to the east of the Portessie [GNSR] and Portessie [HR] station where the lines from their Buckie [GNSR] and Buckie [HR], respectively, met.
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See also
Moray Coast Railway (Great North of Scotland Railway)