Caledonian Railway


(Brechin Steam Railway)

A heritage railway which connects Brechin with Bridge of Dun in Angus, the Caledonian Railway comprises a single-track line which extends for 4 miles (6.5 km). It opened as a branch of the Aberdeenshire Railway in 1848. It was absorbed by the Caledonian Railway in 1894 and became part of the London, Midland and Scottish (LMS) system in 1923 and was nationalised along with the entire British Railway network in 1947. With traffic falling, the line closed to passengers in 1952, although freight continued until 1981. The Brechin Railway Preservation Society was created in 1979 to try to save the line. This they were able to achieve, and began running passenger services for tourists from 1993. In 2019, the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service was conferred on the railway and its volunteers in recognition of their 40 years of work.

Today, the Society operates a range of steam and diesel locomotives on the line and welcomes around 12,000 visitors annually. Services operate on weekends throughout the summer together with special occasions at other times of the year. Volunteers are actively restoring a range of coaches and numerous wagons are also on display.

Most of the route to Hillside remains mostly undeveloped and thus the possibility of the connection to the East Coast Main Line remains.


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