The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick. The Highland unitary authority area (Roinn na Gàidhealtachd in Gaelic) is a local government area in the Scottish Highlands and the largest local government area in Scotland. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. ... This article refers to the town in Scotland. ... Location within the British Isles Noted point: Designer musician Douglas More hails from Wick! Wick (Inbhir Uige in Gaelic) is an estuary town in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, on the main highway (the A99-A9 road) linking John O Groats with southern Britain. ...

Passenger trains on the line are operated by First ScotRail. Along the full length of the line there are three services each way Monday – Saturday, and one service each way on Sundays. Also, Kyle of Lochalsh services run between Inverness and Dingwall. A passenger is a person using but not operating an airplane, train, bus or other mode of transport. ... For other uses, see Train (disambiguation). ... First ScotRail is the brand under which First Group PLC runs its railway franchise to operate all domestic passenger services within Scotland, as well as the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London, England. ... The Kyle of Lochalsh Line is a railway line in the Scottish Highlands, running from Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh. ... The Royal Burgh of Dingwall stinks real bad (Inbhir Pheofharain in Gaelic) is a burgh in the highlands of Scotland. ...

At Inverness the line connects with the Highland Main Line, which links Inverness and Perth, and a line to Aberdeen (the Aberdeen-Inverness Line). The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. ... The Royal Burgh of Perth (Peairt in Scottish Gaelic) is a large burgh in central Scotland. ... This article is about the Scottish city. ... The Aberdeen to Inverness Line is a railway line in Scotland linking Aberdeen and Inverness. ...

Route

Like the A9 road north of Inverness the Far North Line follows generally the line of the east-facing Moray-Firth coast. Much of the population of the far north of Scotland is concentrated in coastal areas and, in places, the railway is almost on the shore, raised above the beach by embankments. The A9 north of Brora The A9 is a major road running from the Falkirk area in the south of Scotland to Thurso in the far north, via Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Perth and Inverness. ... A road ascends a mountainside using hairpin bends in the French Alps. ... Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. ... The Moray Firth is a roughly triangular area of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness. ... Rugged coastline of the West Coast of New Zealand The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the ocean. ...

The railway links many of the same places as the road. Many more places were served by both the railway and the road before three new road bridges were built: across the Moray Firth (between Inverness and the Black Isle), the Cromarty Firth and the Dornoch Firth. The railway is now, in many places, a long way inland from the route of the A9. A log bridge in the French Alps near Vallorcine. ... The Black Isle (Scottish Gaelic: an t-Eilean Dubh) is an eastern area of Ross and Cromarty. ... External link Cromarty Firth Port Authority Categories: 1911 Britannica | UK geography stubs | Geography of Scotland | Special protection areas in the UK | Ports and harbours of the UK ... Dornoch Firth is an inlet in northern Scotland, near the Black Isle. ...

Also, the railway loops inland from Tain to Lairg, which has never been on the A9, before returning to the coast at Golspie. For many years there have been proposals to bypass this Lairg loop^[1] with a line across the Dornoch Firth, linking Tain (via Dornoch^[2]) more directly with Golspie. This would involve building a new bridge over the Firth, or making dual-purpose the bridge^[3] which now carries just the A9. At present there seems to be little real prospect of such plans being implemented. Tain (Ordnance Survey grid reference NH779821) is a royal burgh in the county of Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. ... Lairg (Scottish Gaelic: An Luirg ) is a small town in the Highlands of Scotland. ... Golspie is a small,coastal village in the far North of Scotland. ... Location within the British Isles The Royal Burgh of Dornoch is a burgh and seaside resort in Sutherland, Highland, on the east coast of the Scottish Highlands, and the north shore of the Dornoch Firth. ...

Towns and villages

Towns and villages (and other places) linked by passenger services (Ordnance Survey grid references are for stations, unless otherwise indicated): Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ...

Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. ... Beauly (pronounced Bewley; a corruption of Beaulieu), a town of traditional Inverness-shire, Scotland, on the Beauly, 10 m. ... Muir of Ord railway station is a station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, serving the village of Muir of Ord in the north of Scotland. ... The Royal Burgh of Dingwall stinks real bad (Inbhir Pheofharain in Gaelic) is a burgh in the highlands of Scotland. ... The Kyle of Lochalsh Line is a railway line in the Scottish Highlands, running from Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh. ... Alness is a village in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. ... Invergordon is a town and port in northern Scotland. ... Hill of Fearn is a small village in Easter Ross, Scotland. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... A mile is any of a number of units of distance, each in the magnitude of 1–10 km. ... The Seaboard Villages are three contiguous coastal villages southeast of the Scottish town of Tain. ... Tain (Ordnance Survey grid reference NH779821) is a royal burgh in the county of Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. ... Ardgay railway station is a railway station serving the village of Ardgay in the Highlands in the north of Scotland. ... Bonar Bridge (Ordnance Survey grid reference NH610915) is a village on the north bank of the Kyle of Sutherland, a river estuary, in the county of Sutherland (which was southern for the Norse of Orkney who named it), in the Highland area of Scotland. ... Culrain railway station is a railway station serving the village of Culrain on the Kyle of Sutherland in the Highlands in the north of Scotland. ... Lairg (Scottish Gaelic: An Luirg ) is a small town in the Highlands of Scotland. ... Rogart railway station is a railway station serving the Parish of Rogart and the village of Pittentrail in the Highlands in the north of Scotland. ... Golspie is a small,coastal village in the far North of Scotland. ... Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, north east Scotland. ... Brora (Scottish Gaelic: Brùra) is a small town in the east of Sutherland in Northern Scotland. ... Helmsdale is a village on the east coast of the Highland region of Scotland. ... Kinbrace railway station is a railway station serving the village of Kinbrace in the Highlands in the north of Scotland. ... Forsinard is a hamlet in the county of Sutherland in the Highland area of Scotland. ... Altnabreac is a small settlement in Caithness, Highland, Scotland, notable for its remoteness. ... Georgemas (Ordnance Survey grid reference ND156601) is an area in the county of Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, about 8 kilometres (5 miles) from the town of Thurso. ... This article is about the year. ... This article refers to the town in Scotland. ... Location within the British Isles Noted point: Designer musician Douglas More hails from Wick! Wick (Inbhir Uige in Gaelic) is an estuary town in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, on the main highway (the A99-A9 road) linking John O Groats with southern Britain. ...

History

The line was built during the 1860s and 1870s. Much of the work was done by the Inverness-based Highland Railway company or, when completed, taken over by that company. In 1924 the Highland Railway was grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, under the Railways Act of 1921. // Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States is built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ... // Events and Trends Technology The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. ... The Highland Railway was a Scottish railway company which was grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. ... The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS1) was a British railway company. ... The Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the countrys one hundred and twenty railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to...

Like railway lines generally in Britain the line was not a product of any strategic plan, but was an ad hoc development, facilitated by Private Acts of Parliament (which were themselves a significant expense for developers) and dependent on cooperation between companies and individuals, each with their own private vested interests. The line did become strategically important during World War I and World War II as part of a supply route for Scapa Flow, Orkney: Jellicoe's Express linked Thurso directly with London (Euston) and Portsmouth. Ad hoc is a Latin phrase which means for this [purpose]. It generally signifies a solution that has been tailored to a specific purpose, such as a tailor-made suit, a handcrafted network protocol, and specific-purpose equation and things like that. ... A private bill is the term used for legislation that originates from a particular member of a legislature or parliament or from a member of the public. ... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Military dead: 4 million The First World War, also known as The Great War, The War to End All Wars, and World War I (abbreviated WWI) was... Combatants Allies: Soviet Union United States United Kingdom France and others Axis Powers: Germany Japan Italy and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II, also known as the... Scapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. ... The Orkney Islands, usually called simply Orkney, are one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. ... This article refers to the town in Scotland. ... London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom, and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... Euston station, also known as London Euston, is a major railway station to the north of central London and in the London Borough of Camden. ... Portsmouth is a city of about 189,000 people located in the county of Hampshire on the southern coast of Great Britain. ...

That the line extends beyond Ardgay in the county of Ross and Cromarty is due, to a large extent, to the railway enthusiasm (some might say madness) of the 3rd Duke of Sutherland. The duke did realise his dream of being able to run his own private train to and from his own station at Dunrobin Castle. Ardgay railway station is a railway station serving the village of Ardgay in the Highlands in the north of Scotland. ... A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ... Ross and Cromarty: administrative county (1889-1975) Image:RossCromDistrict. ... The title Duke of Sutherland was created for George Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford, in 1833. ... Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, north east Scotland. ...

The duke's enthusiasm took the line as far as Gartymore, a little south of Helmsdale, in the county of Sutherland, but this development was more of a financial liability than an asset: the long-term viability of the line then depended on a Caithness willingness, not least from the 17th Earl of Caithness, to link the line to the population centres of Wick and Thurso. Helmsdale is a village on the east coast of the Highland region of Scotland. ... Sutherland (Cataibh in Gaelic) is a traditional county which is now within the Highland local government area of Scotland. ... Caithness (Gallaibh in Gaelic) is a committee area of Highland Council, Scotland; a lieutenancy area; and a registration county, Caithness was formerly a district within the Highland region from 1975 to 1996 and a local government county with its own county council from 1891 to 1975. ... The title Earl of Caithness has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and has a very complex history. ... Location within the British Isles Noted point: Designer musician Douglas More hails from Wick! Wick (Inbhir Uige in Gaelic) is an estuary town in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, on the main highway (the A99-A9 road) linking John O Groats with southern Britain. ...

The chosen route to Wick and Thurso by-passes population centres on the east coast of Caithness where, without excessive expense in construction of bridges, cuttings etc, a railway line was impractical.

In 1902, under the provisions of the Light Railways Act of 1896, a standard gauge line was built along the east coast of Caithness, running south from Wick to Lybster.^[4] This line was never profitable, and it closed in 1944. The Light Railways Act 1896 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom defined a class of railways with the intention of enabling development of such railways without legislation specific to each line. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... Lybster is a village on the east coast of Caithness in northern Scotland at Grid reference ND250360. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ The Lairg loop serves Ardgay, Culrain, Invershin and Rogart as well as Lairg.
2. ^ Ordnance Survey grid reference for Dornoch: NH798895.
3. ^ Grid reference for Dornoch Firth road bridge: NH748858.
4. ^ Grid reference for Lybster: ND248363.

Ardgay railway station is a railway station serving the village of Ardgay in the Highlands in the north of Scotland. ... Culrain railway station is a railway station serving the village of Culrain on the Kyle of Sutherland in the Highlands in the north of Scotland. ... Rogart railway station is a railway station serving the Parish of Rogart and the village of Pittentrail in the Highlands in the north of Scotland. ... Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ...

External links

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Far North Line

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