Dava

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Dava (1864-1965)

Opened on the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway.

Description

This was a two platform station with very long platforms capable of handling 12 carriage trains as this was a former mainline. The main station building was on the northbound platform, two storeys with a timber single storey waiting room extension. The station was 985 ft above sea level.

There was a loading bank to the north of the station, on the east side of the line, approached frm the south.

Being on a section of line requiring hard work from the locomotives the station had a water tank on the southbound platform, water columns on both platforms and the Highland Railway had a reservoir off to the east.

From 1882 there were two signal boxes, the north box was on the west side opposite the goods siding. The south box was on the east side at the very south end of the loop.

After 1898 what had been the main line railway became a secondary route when the more direct route from Aviemore to Inverness via Slochd Summit opened.

The boxes were replaced with a single box in 1919. This was on the west side, projecting out from the timber portion of the station building.

This was a somewhat remote station, not far north of [the double summit at Dava Summit. It was the Post Office for the area. A signalman recalled the night shift. Other than deer lowing at night he could hear trains approaching from many miles away. Stars were intensely bright. And the smell of the peats burning in the cottages' fireplaces.

The straight through line was the northbound platform, the loop was the southbound line.

The line here passes through very high exposed moorland and considerable snow drifts were not uncommon. There were lengths of snow fences (made with pallisaded sleepers) to both north and south. Some lengths had double layers of fencing. The Heatherbell Cutting to the south was a particulalry difficult location. Blockages occured here in 1865, 1880, 1883 (when a train with livestock became stuck leading to the death 54 pigs and 33 bullocks) and 1963.

Platforms were low and wooden step blocks were used.

The station, loop, box and line closed in 1965.

Today the railway cottages and former station building are houses.

Due to the exposure of the trackbed much of the ballast remains relatively intact. Some sections even still have sleeper indentations.

The Dava Way runs north from Grantown-on-Spey West to Forres taking in much of the trackbed of the former railway. The Dava Way avoids the station itself but approaches the former station along the trackbed from either direction (Dava Way ).

Tags

Station snow fences blockages

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map




Chronology Dates

01/11/1864Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
Dava station opened.
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.

News items

25/03/2022Upkeep of Dava Way will be made easier thanks to Tesco funding [Strathspey and Badenoch Herald]

Books


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

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

The Highland Railway

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