Overview

The railway between Aberdeen and Inverness was built by the Great North of Scotland Railway, the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction and the Inverness and Nairn, the former two companies meeting end on at Keith. Of the 50 stations that have come and gone over the years, ten remain open. In little over a hundred miles we encounter 16 existing, or former, rail junctions - on average one every seven miles - a remarkable testament to the commercial rivalry and duplicity of lines between the Highland and GNSR companies in the latter half of the 19th Century. Today the route is operated by First Scotrail class 158 "Express Sprinters". The route is mostly of single line and features tokenless block and electric key token sections controlled from manual signal boxes with semaphore signals. This scenic route was filmed in sunny or good weather from the cab, from the trackside and from the air. Much of the fascinating history is to be found in the narration, expertly delivered by Sally Magnusson.

1. Peter Middleton

   Writer