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Morayshire Railway
All photographs of this railway in date order.
![Former Great North of Scotland Railway line from Elgin to Dufftown crossing the former Highland Railway from Elgin to Keith.<br><br>[Ewan Crawford //]](/images/0/28.jpg "Elgin East")
![View looks east towards Buckie over Lossie Junction.<br><br>[Ewan Crawford //]](/images/0/739.jpg "Lossie Junction")
![Elgin station yard viewed from the west.<br><br>[Ewan Crawford //]](/images/0/740.jpg "Elgin East")
![View looking east towards the site of the former Morayshire Brickworks. The line froms from left to right.<br><br>[Ewan Crawford //]](/images/0/741.jpg "Morayshire Brick")
![View looking west towards the site of Rifle Range Halt.<br><br>[Ewan Crawford //]](/images/0/742.jpg "Rifle Range Halt")
![Longmorn former Station Building looking north, 14/10/05.<br><br>[John Gray //]](/images/5000/5576.jpg "Longmorn")
![The fine building at Elgin (East/GNSR/LNER).<br><br>[Ewan Crawford //]](/images/8000/8897.jpg "Elgin East")
![Remains at Lossiemouth.<br><br>[Ian Dinmore //]](/images/12000/12932.jpg "Lossiemouth")
![A typical scene at Elgin freight depot in the late 1970s - a BR lorry waits to offload a container of whisky casks for Central Scotland while a Class 24 draws a rake of conventional and container wagons into place under the depot's gantry crane.<br><br>[Frank Spaven Collection (Courtesy David Spaven) //]](/images/36000/36914.jpg "Elgin East")
![62267, a LNER D40, on the harbour wall at Lossiemouth, Morayshire. Date unknown, certainly early 50's. Thought to be a Neville Stead photograph.<br><br>[Peter Todd Collection //]](/images/55000/55302.jpg "Lossiemouth")
![G.E.R. B.12. 4.6.0 61526. Elgin Sheds.<br><br>[G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 04/07/1950]](/images/9000/9207.jpg "Elgin East")
![G.N.S.R. 62251. Elgin Sheds.<br><br>[G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 04/07/1950]](/images/9000/9208.jpg "Elgin East")
![G.N.S.R. 4.4.0 62227 at Elgin (L.N.E.).<br><br>[G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 04/07/1950]](/images/9000/9209.jpg "Elgin East")
![Old locomotive at Longmorn Distillery in 1951. This was in the siding at the north end of the station, the 'main line' being seen just to the right. The 2-2-0 at the buffer is McLaren no. 614 of 1898, recorded as scrapped in 1949.<br><br>[Alec Unsworth (Courtesy Chris Unsworth) //1951]](/images/56000/56166.jpg "Longmorn")
![Longmorn in 1951. The view looks north.<br><br>[Alec Unsworth (Courtesy Chris Unsworth) //1951]](/images/56000/56572.jpg "Longmorn")
![Summer of 1966 at Lossiemouth station, two years after closure. As the photographer's friend, David Fasken recollects, <I>I remember that it was absolutely intact in every way and it brought the 'Marie Celeste' to mind. Inside the booking hall it looked as if the staff had received a phone call and had simply got up and left.</I> <br><br>[David Spaven //1966]](/images/35000/35699.jpg "Lossiemouth")
![Folowing closure of the Speyside line in 1968, the future (other than a short interlude while coal traffic continued to Aberlour) lay in modern railheads at Dufftown (for grain and coal) and Elgin (for whisky and general freight). At Elgin a new container crane was installed, and here a BR feeder lorry with a whisky 'custom lock' container from Speyside stands beside a Class 24 shunting the ex-GNSR yard.<br>
<br><br>[David Spaven //1968]](/images/26000/26350.jpg "Elgin East")
![The last ever departure board at Elgin East on Saturday 4th May 1968, announcing the final trains to Aberdeen via the coast, as well as Cairnie Junction via the Craigellachie and Dufftown route. Note the board for 'rail bus to Aviemore' surviving three years after closure! Platforms 5 & 6 refer to the platforms of the adjacent ex-HR Elgin West station. [See image 26833] <br>
<br><br>[David Spaven 04/05/1968]](/images/26000/26815.jpg "Elgin East")
![Suitable weather for a unique occasion in British Railways closure history at the ex-GNSR Elgin East station on 4th May 1968 - with the last trains for two different lines waiting side by side prior to departure. On the left at Platform 1 (the through road from ex-HR Elgin West station) is D5331 on the 19.09 (last Up) train to Aberdeen via Buckie, while at bay Platform 2 is a DMU forming the 19.07 (last Up) train via Craigellachie. (The EE Type 4 lurking in the background at the buffer end of Platform 4 is probably off the Scottish Malt Distillers Doncaster - Burghead/Muir of Ord block grain train.) [See image 26815]<br><br>[David Spaven 04/05/1968]](/images/26000/26833.jpg "Elgin East")
![Cleaner at work in the old booking hall at Elgin East in 1977.<br><br>[Ian Dinmore //1977]](/images/18000/18398.jpg "Elgin East")
![A 1977 view showing the westward expansion and modernisation of Elgin freight depot following the removal of the platforms (the Class 24 is standing in the former through platform road) after the withdrawal of the Coast and Craigellachie passenger services in 1968. For the next 25 years Elgin served as a major railhead for whisky, military equipment, oil and general freight traffic, with a mix of containerised and conventional wagon business.<br><br>[David Spaven //1977]](/images/26000/26832.jpg "Elgin East")
![Site of platforms 1-4 at Elgin East in the summer of 1977. By the time of this scene the former passenger station had been transformed into a modern freight depot - notwithstanding the filthy whisky container!<br>
<br><br>[David Spaven //1977]](/images/30000/30616.jpg "Elgin East")
![A modern container crane dominates Elgin's busy freight depot in the early summer of 1977. Nowadays the crane is still there (just) but rail freight activity has been only occasional for some years [see image 18087].<br><br>[David Spaven //1977]](/images/35000/35242.jpg "Elgin East")
![25227 shunting the GNSR yard at Elgin on 30 October 1978.<br>
<br><br>[Peter Todd 30/10/1978]](/images/27000/27633.jpg "Elgin East")
![25227 shunting the GNSR yard at Elgin on 30 October 1978. What lay behind the bushes, I never found out!<br><br>[Peter Todd 30/10/1978]](/images/37000/37454.jpg "Elgin East")
![A DMU stands at Elgin East in 1979. <br><br>[Ian Dinmore //1979]](/images/34000/34435.jpg "Elgin East")
![Platform scene at Elgin East in 1979 looking north.<br><br>[Ian Dinmore //1979]](/images/39000/39108.jpg "Elgin East")
![A DMU stabled alongside platform 1 at Elgin East in 1979, some 11 years after the station had closed to scheduled passenger services.<br><br>[Ian Dinmore //1979]](/images/39000/39635.jpg "Elgin East")
![25009 backs onto a freight in Elgin goods yard in February 1979<br>
<br><br>[Peter Todd 08/02/1979]](/images/24000/24247.jpg "Elgin East")
![27002 preparing to take a freight out of Elgin East goods yard amidst a light covering of snow in February 1979.<br><br>[Peter Todd 08/02/1979]](/images/24000/24298.jpg "Elgin East")
![Platform scene at Elgin East in 1980. The station closed to passenger services in 1968 [see image 26815].<br><br>[Ian Dinmore //1980]](/images/38000/38027.jpg "Elgin East")
![25050 shunting Elgin GNSR goods yard. 16 Oct 1980.<br><br>[Peter Todd /10/1980]](/images/57000/57751.jpg "Elgin East")
![The former GNSR station at Longmorn viewed from the nearby distillery in late 1980. The internal distillery lines had been left in place when BR closed the Elgin - Rothes route and were well worn with rotten sleepers (I understand it was second hand GNSR rail from the 1880's.) The management eventually decided to scrap the rail, tarmac the trackbed and buy a lorry. They offered the whole internal system to the Strathspey Railway, rail, sleepers, points, loco and wagons. In consequence many of us spent some time on site readying materials for loading onto lorries. So far as I know much of it will still be at Boat of Garten.<br>
<br><br>[Peter Todd 22/11/1980]](/images/27000/27407.jpg "Longmorn")
![This box once controlled traffic at Elgin East(GNSR) and also the junction with the HR. <br><br>[Brian Forbes //1985]](/images/11000/11128.jpg "Elgin East")
![Elgin East. Although closed to passengers in 1968 still in departmental use in 1987.<br><br>[Brian Forbes /05/1987]](/images/12000/12355.jpg "Elgin East")
![Looking along the through platform at Elgin East in August 1987 as a class 47 passes below the A941 road bridge with an Aberdeen - Inverness train. <br><br>[Ian Dinmore /08/1987]](/images/35000/35970.jpg "Elgin East")
![Looking over the GNSR yard at Elgin, past the disused signalbox. A container train is under the gantry To the right are some tank wagons with the former engine shed beyond.<br><br>[Bill Roberton //1991]](/images/57000/57260.jpg "Elgin East")
![Nothing remains of Rothes station. This was the view north at the station with the unique station building and platforms off to the right and goods yard straight ahead. The junction between the original route via Sourden and later route via Longmorn was beyond.<br><br>[Ewan Crawford //1997]](/images/62000/62182.jpg "Rothes")
![Around 1996 the remains of Lossiemouth station were tidied up into a garden and carpark. This 1997 view looks towards the buffer stops with the remains of the very long single platform on the left. The nearly as long goods loading bank remains out of shot off to the right.<br><br>[Ewan Crawford 02/02/1997]](/images/38000/38299.jpg "Lossiemouth")
![View north at Dandaleith. The station has been obliterated by a road re-alignment and was located above the retaining wall shown here. Dandaleith was the southern terminus of the Morayshire Railway and was called Craigellachie from 1858 until the line's extension to Craigellachie on the Strathspey Railway in 1865. View looks to Elgin in 1997.<br><br>[Ewan Crawford 02/02/1997]](/images/38000/38305.jpg "Dandaleith")
![Longmorn station basking in evening sunshine in 1997. The view looks to Elgin.<br><br>[Ewan Crawford 02/02/1997]](/images/38000/38312.jpg "Longmorn")
![View north at Birchfield Platform in 1999. Ahead was the route to Elgin East and behind the camera the line continued to Rothes.<br><br>[Ewan Crawford //1999]](/images/62000/62909.jpg "Birchfield Platform")
![View north at Coleburn. The distillery sidings were to the left.<br><br>[Ewan Crawford //1999]](/images/62000/62921.jpg "Coleburn^s Platform")
![Scene at Elgin freight depot on 2nd April 2002 during a woodchip-by-rail demonstrator project managed by the photographer for Scottish Enterprise. Unfortunately, the crane failed at the vital moment, and the laden container had to be sent by road to Mossend...<br><br>[David Spaven 02/04/2002]](/images/37000/37346.jpg "Elgin East")
![The striking entrance and former booking hall at Elgin East, September 2004. The old building is now in use as commercial offices.<br><br>[John Furnevel 12/09/2004]](/images/1000/1285.jpg "Elgin East")
![Concourse - Elgin East - September 2004 (complete with newspaper kiosk).<br><br>[John Furnevel 12/09/2004]](/images/2000/2822.jpg "Elgin East")
![The station frontage at Elgin East in September 2004.<br><br>[John Furnevel 12/09/2004]](/images/2000/2823.jpg "Elgin East")
![Elgin Centre signal box in September 2004. Elgin East station is off picture to the left.<br><br>[John Furnevel 12/09/2004]](/images/3000/3719.jpg "Elgin East")
![Elgin East station frontage - 12 September 2004.<br><br>[John Furnevel 12/09/2004]](/images/3000/3834.jpg "Elgin East")
![View northeast from the road bridge over Elgin East station and Yard in September 2004. The former locomotive shed, now in use as commercial premises, stands in the background beyond the stored wagons.<br><br>[John Furnevel 12/09/2004]](/images/5000/5382.jpg "Elgin East")
![Longmorn south of Elgin on the former line to Aviemore via Craigellachie. A view of the former Goods Yard and Station Building looking north, 14/10/05.<br><br>[John Gray 14/10/2005]](/images/5000/5575.jpg "Longmorn")
![Longmorn former Station. Platform side looking north. Building is in good condition, platform heavily overgrown, building on southbound platform burnt down. 14/10/05.<br><br>[John Gray 14/10/2005]](/images/5000/5577.jpg "Longmorn")
![Former Station at Longmorn, main building looking south, 14/10/05.<br><br>[John Gray 14/10/2005]](/images/5000/5578.jpg "Longmorn")
![Building on goods platform at Longmorn, 14/10/05.<br><br>[John Gray 14/10/2005]](/images/5000/5580.jpg "Longmorn")
![Former Goods platform at Longmorn looking south. Longmorn is three miles south of Elgin. Distillery in background, 14/10/05.<br><br>[John Gray 14/10/2005]](/images/5000/5595.jpg "Longmorn")
![Scene in the yard at Elgin East on 18 February 2008 as EWS 37422 prepares to take out a train of seed potato traffic destined for Ely, Cambridgeshire. <br><br>[Mick Golightly 18/02/2008]](/images/18000/18087.jpg "Elgin East")
![The abandoned signal box standing opposite the former Elgin East station. View northeast on 18 February 2008. <br><br>[Mick Golightly 18/02/2008]](/images/18000/18094.jpg "Elgin East")
![The screened off platform and concourse standing under the impressive glass roof of the former Elgin East station on 18 February, with the main yard area and sidings opening out just beyond to the north. The substantial station building is now in use as office accomodation. <br><br>[Mick Golightly 18/02/2008]](/images/18000/18128.jpg "Elgin East")
![Heavy lifting gear in the yard at Elgin East. Photographed on 18 February 2008. <br><br>[Mick Golightly 18/02/2008]](/images/18000/18199.jpg "Elgin East")
![Frontage to former Elgin East station. June 2009<br><br>[David Pesterfield 26/06/2009]](/images/24000/24417.jpg "Elgin East")
![Lossiemouth station has been completely removed but the inevitable replacement is marked as Old Station car park on town maps and the trackbed can be walked from here about half way to Elgin. [See image 12932] for a view of the substantial station building before demolition. <br><br>[Mark Bartlett 02/07/2011]](/images/34000/34854.jpg "Lossiemouth")
![The formation of the Lossiemouth branch line as seen looking south east from the top floor of Spynie Palace, a Historic Scotland ruin on the outskirts of Elgin. Closed to passengers in 1964, the line ran more or less dead straight across the flat countryside between the two towns and the trackbed can be walked for most of its length. <br><br>[Mark Bartlett 02/07/2011]](/images/35000/35442.jpg "Greens of Drainie")
![A distant view of the trackbed of the long closed Lossiemouth branch, running straight across the flat landscape. The town itself can be seen on the horizon in this view looking north from the top of ruined Spynie Palace on the outskirts of Elgin. The branch trackbed is now a footpath for most of its length. <br><br>[Mark Bartlett 02/07/2011]](/images/35000/35449.jpg "Greens of Drainie")
![The magnificent woodwork around the booking hall ticketing hatch at Elgin East in February 2013. Sadly too late to purchase a single to Boat of Garten. As it says on the window, now the office of Moray Chamber of Commerce.<br><br>[Brian Taylor 07/02/2013]](/images/41000/41985.jpg "Elgin East")
![The hatch at the rear of the John Menzies kiosk which once served passengers in the booking hall at Elgin East station, seen here on 7th February 2013.<br><br>[Brian Taylor 07/02/2013]](/images/41000/41995.jpg "Elgin East")
![The former John Menzies kiosk on the platform at Elgin East sports a fresh coat of paint on 7 February 2013, more than 45 years after selling its last packet of 'Capstan' [see image 41995]. <br><br>[Brian Taylor 07/02/2013]](/images/42000/42001.jpg "Elgin East")
![66097 runs round its train of empty whisky tanks and containers at Elgin Yard on 13th September. The platform side of the former GNoSR passenger station has seen better days, but the main building is still in splendid condition. Condemned OTA timber wagons are returning to nature on the background.<br><br>[David Spaven 13/09/2013]](/images/44000/44751.jpg "Elgin East")
![Longmorn is south of Elgin and was on the line between Elgin and Craigellachie. It served the Longmorn Distillery and three others nearby, the size of the goods yard reflected this, being quite large. This is the main station building, on the northbound platform. There was a waiting shelter on the southbound platform, also in very good condition, but this was burnt down in an act of vandalism before 2005 [see image 38312].<br><br>[John Gray 05/04/2016]](/images/54000/54773.jpg "Longmorn")
![View east from New Elgin Road bridge on the afternoon of 4 April 2017. The former Elgin East station stands on the left, with the main Inverness – Aberdeen line on the right disappearing towards Keith. (Elgin station is behind the camera on the west side of the bridge.) The abandoned Elgin East signal box still survives in the centre, while beyond the gantry crane two class 66 locomotives are stabled with a PW train. A line of wagons loaded with new track panels stands in the sidings.<br><br>[Andy Furnevel 04/04/2017]](/images/58000/58832.jpg "Elgin East")
![An unidentified Class 60 in the yard at Elgin East, on hire from Colas. Elgin West box has gone, Elgin Centre (in the background right) looks like it is not long for this world.<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 08/10/2017]](/images/61000/61092.jpg "Elgin East")
![Two class 60s in Elgin Yard in connection with the track and signalling works at the former site of Elgin West signal box,<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 08/10/2017]](/images/61000/61098.jpg "Elgin East")
![Moray Resource Centre - built on the old good yard at Elgin. When I was a lad a lot of old grain trucks were stored here for at least 5 years.<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 08/10/2017]](/images/61000/61448.jpg "Elgin East")
![Moray Resource Centre - built on old goods yard at Elgin. The view looks east on 8th October 2017 with the truncated line on the right.<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 08/10/2017]](/images/61000/61535.jpg "Elgin East")
![Moray Resource Centre - built on part of the old goods yard at Elgin. When I was a lad a lot of old grain trucks were stored here for at least 5 years. Elgin loco shed which was converted in to a Moray Council Roads department shed is the building over the rails behind the Elgin East sign.<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 08/10/2017]](/images/61000/61574.jpg "Elgin East")
![The last remaining, long disused, box in Elgin is surrounded by developments.<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 14/10/2017]](/images/61000/61281.jpg "Elgin East")
![A split view of New Elgin Road crossing the junction between the Highland and GNSR lines east of Elgin station.<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 14/10/2017]](/images/61000/61674.jpg "Elgin East")
![In the goods yard the loco is saying 'Whatever happened to my track?' There are two class 60s in the goods yard. Looks like the crane is being disconnected.<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 17/10/2017]](/images/61000/61260.jpg "Elgin East")
![Elgin East station and goods yard with not much track down on 17th October 2017.<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 17/10/2017]](/images/61000/61619.jpg "Elgin East")
![Elgin works - points and track back in and access to mainline now has a signal. Elgin Centre box is B listed which is why it has not be demolished. The old GNSR station is also listed.<br>
<br>
<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 20/10/2017]](/images/61000/61296.jpg "Elgin East")
![Elgin works - points and track back in and access to mainline now has a signal. Elgin Centre box is B listed which is why it has not be demolished. The old GNSR station is also listed.<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 20/10/2017]](/images/61000/61297.jpg "Elgin East")
![Elgin works - points and track back in and access to mainline now has a signal. Elgin Centre box is B listed which is why it has not be demolished. The old GNSR station is also listed.<br>
<br>
<br><br>[Crinan Dunbar 20/10/2017]](/images/61000/61298.jpg "Elgin East")
