Slochd Summit

Location type

Place

Name and dates

Slochd Summit (1897-)

Where: Highland, Scotland
Opened on the Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway (Highland Railway).

Description

Slochd (or Slochd Mor or The Slochd) is a summit, 1,315 ft above sea level, and passing loop between Carrbridge station and the former Tomatin station. There was no station here. The railway and road both make use of a narrow pass in the hills.

On the east side of the line were two railway cottages, separated from the railway by the original course of the road over Slochd Summit.

Trains could stop here to remove pilots, which had assisted with the climb to Slochd from either Aviemore or Inverness. There was little let-up in the 23 mile climb from Inverness, from near sea level to the 1,315 ft summit.

The loop opened in 1898 - after completion through to Inverness. (This portion of the line had opened in 1897 with a temporary terminus at Daviot. The loop had north and south cabins. The north box was on the north/east side of the line and the south box on the south/west side.

The boxes were replaced in 1944 with a cabin relocated from Millburn Junction (where the junction was remodelled for Millburn Yard in 1943). The replacement box was on the north/east side midway along the loop. The box had a brick base and timber upper. The southbound line was the loop, the northbound being straight through. A the south end was a refuge siding, accessed by reversing from the northbound line.

The loop closed in 1963 and box and loop lifted.

The crossing was re-opened in 1979, now controlled from Aviemore box.

With improvements to the A9 the road was relocated a little to the east, obliterating the site of the railway cottage.

Slochd itself is a very small settlement about half a mile to the south. Nearby Slochd and on the railway route is Slochd Viaduct.

Tags

Summit

Aliases

The Slochd Slochd Slochd Crossing Slochd Mhuic

External links

NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
06/06/2020


Chronology Dates

  /  /1963Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway (Highland Railway)
Slochd Summit loop closed.
  /  /1979Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway (Highland Railway)
Slochd Summit loop re-opened.

News items

04/02/2020Azumas Highest challenge [Rail Engineer]
24/02/2015Tree damages windscreen on Inverness-Edinburgh train [BBC News]
02/05/2012Inverness and Aviemore rail line reopens after landslip [BBC News]
28/04/2012Engineers work around the clock to repair damaged rail line [Inverness Courier]
27/04/2012Highland Chieftain train stopped in its tracks by landslide [Highland News]