Boat of Garten

Location type

Station

Names and dates

Boat of Garten (1863-1965)
Boat of Garten (1978-)

Station code: BGR National Rail ScotRail
Where: Highland, Scotland
Opened on the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway.
Opened on the Strathspey Railway.
Open on the Strathspey Railway [Preserved].

Description

This is a preserved station on the Strathspey Railway. The architect of the station building, (dating from around 1904), was William Roberts. A 1860s stone portion, house styled like at Dava, is extended by the newer timber portion. It was a junction station, the line from Perth dividing here to go north to Forres or north east via Strathspey to Keith. The station is 712 ft above sea level.

The station had two platforms on the Forres route and the southbound platform's second face, it was an island, was for the Keith route. The main station building was on the northbound platform. Platforms are linked by a lattice footbridge, originally located north of the station building and since relocated to the south. Some Keith route trains continued on to terminate at Kingussie.

There was a carriage shed for the Great North of Scotland Railway at the north end of the island platform. It was approached from the north.

To the north the two single track lines ran north to Broomhill Junction (not actually a junction, but a division point) - the line north to Forres was the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway of 1863 and the line to Keith was the original Strathspey Railway, reaching here in 1866.

There was a goods yard on the east side, approached from the south. This yard also facilitated exchange between the two companies.

To the north, on the Keith route, was the Boat of Garten Shed.

The station has two signal boxes. Both north and south boxes are 'B' listed. The north box is on the west side and the south box on the east side. The boxes opened around 1885 (the south box was replaced in 1922) and survived until the station closed to passengers. The Great North of Scotland Railway paid for the north box in exchange for station access.

After 1948 British Railways stopped marshalling trains at Boat of Garten and used the yard at Aviemore Yard for marshalling Dava and Keith route trains.

The was station closed to passengers in 1965 by British Railways when the line north to Forres [2nd] closed completely. The Strathspey Railway remained open through to Craigellachie until June 1969 for goods traffic.

The broad bridge over the road to the north of the station was removed in 1974, severing the closed Speyside trackbed route north.

The station was re-opened by the Strathspey Railway in 1978.

A new single track bridge over the road, in sympathetic style, was installed in 1996. The line north to Broomhill was completed and opened in 2002.

Local

Boat of Garten was a ferry crossing the River Spey. A chain operated ferry was employed due to the flow of the river. A road bridge opened in 1899.

RSBP - Loch Garten

Boat of Garten Village

Tags

Station terminus preservation heritage

Facilities

Listing: B




Nearby stations
Carrbridge
Nethy Bridge
Broomhill
Aviemore Speyside
Aviemore
Ballifurth Farm Halt
Grantown-on-Spey West
Grantown-on-Spey East
Base Station
Castle Grant Platform
Shieling Station
Ptarmigan Station
Cromdale
Kincraig
Tomatin
Boat of Garten Shed
Laggantygown Loop
Broomhill Junction
Spey Viaduct [Broomhill]
Carrbridge Heritage Park
Abernethy Timber Siding
Old Pack Horse Bridge
Dulnain Viaduct [Carrbridge]
Inverlaidnan Siding
Baddengorm Burn Viaduct
Aviemore Shed
River Dulnain Viaduct
Aviemore Yard
Tourist/other
Carrbridge Golf Club
Dalfaber Level Crossing
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.


Long way round


Despite the route being an extremely long way round the Great North of Scotland Railway advertised its route to the south via Aberdeen.

This was despite departure being north east via Speyside, east via Craigellachie, Keith and Aberdeen before finally turning south having changed over to the Caledonian Railway or North British Railway.


Chronology Dates

03/08/1863Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
Forres [2nd] to Aviemore opened. Stations opened at Forres [2nd], Rafford, Dunphail, Grantown [HR], Broomhill, Boat of Garten and Aviemore.
05/07/1865Strathspey Railway
Extension from Abernethy [Strathspey] to Boat of Garten authorised.
01/08/1866Strathspey Railway
Abernethy [Strathspey] to Boat of Garten opened.
  /  /1958Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
Boat of Garten Shed, north of Boat of Garten station, closed on introduction of diesel railbus on the Strathspey Railway services.
06/09/1965Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
Dallas Dhu Siding (excluded) to Boat of Garten (excluded) closed to freight.
18/10/1965Strathspey Railway
Boat of Garten to Craigellachie closed to passengers.
18/10/1965Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
Forres [2nd] to Aviemore closed to passengers. Stations closed at Boat of Garten, Broomhill, Grantown-on-Spey West, Dava and Dunphail. Dallas Dhu Siding (excluded) to Boat of Garten (excluded) closed to all traffic. Both Forres West Junction and Forres East Junction to Forres South Junction closed to passengers. Further south on the retained line Kincraig closed.
04/11/1968Strathspey Railway
Boat of Garten (excluded) to Aberlour (excluded) closed to freight.
04/11/1968Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
Boat of Garten to Aviemore (excluded) closed to freight.
  /  /1978Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
Aviemore to Boat of Garten conveyed to the Strathspey Railway [Preserved].
  /  /1978Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
Aviemore Speyside to Boat of Garten re-opened by the Strathspey Railway [Preserved].
31/05/2002Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
Boat of Garten to Broomhill re-opened.
  /10/2011Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
The Strathspey Railway [Preserved] commissions a new water tank at Boat of Garten re-using a tank from Alloa (yard?).

News items

09/12/2021Charity is chuffed by success of Santa Express service to strath [Strathspey and Badenoch Herald]
01/12/2021All Aboard The ScotRail Santa Express [ScotRail]
01/10/2021Santa's set for Strathspey! [Strathspey and Badenoch Herald]
15/07/2019Major fire near to Boat of Garten steam railway station [Strathspey Herald]
19/07/2016Drivers risk collisions at Aviemore railway crossing [BBC News]
27/03/2009Launch of the 'Rails to Grantown' appeal [Press and Journal]
31/05/2002Boat of Garten to Broomhill re-opened to passengers [Railscot]

Books


A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: The North of Scotland v. 15 (Regional railway history series)

Bradshaw's Guides Scotlands Railways West Coast - Carlisle to Inverness: 5

Forgotten Railways: Scotland

Highland Railway Album: No. 1

Highland Railway Album: No. 2

Highland Railway Carriages and Wagons

Highland Railway: People and Places - From the Inverness and Nairn Railway to Scotrail

Old Grantown to Aviemore: Upper Strathspey

Speyside Railways: Exploring the Remains of the Great North of Scotland Railways and Its Environs

Strathspey Railway: Guide book

The Highland Railway

The Highland Railway : The History of the Railways of the Scottish Highlands - Vol 2