The Kyle of Lochalsh Line is a railway line in the Scottish Highlands, running from Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh. The population along the route is very sparse, but the scenery is certainly very beautiful, and many of the passengers on the trains are tourists. All trains run to Inverness, running along the Far North Line from Dingwall to Inverness. Services are provided by First ScotRail. The Scottish Highlands are the mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault. ... The Royal Burgh of Dingwall (Inbhir Pheofharan in Gaelic) is a burgh in the highlands of Scotland. ... Kyle of Lochalsh is a small village on the North-West coast of Scotland, which developed in the late 19th century with the arrival of the railway. ... Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. ... The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick. ... 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. ...

History

The initial aim was to connect Skye to Inverness. Although Inverness was Skye's county town at the time, it was easier to get there via Glasgow. The line opened in 1870, but with its terminus at Stromeferry. Boats provided onward connection to Skye and the Outer Hebrides. The logical route for the line would taken it through Strathpeffer, a spa town, and one of the few centres of population, but disagreements with landowners meant that it bypassed the town, until 1885 when a branch line was opened. The branch closed in 1951. In 1895 the line was extended to Kyle, through some unforgiving terrain; almost all of the extension is in rock cuttings or embankments. At the time it was the most expensive railway ever built in the UK per mile, and much money was provided by the government. looking towards Quiraing, Skye. ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Stromeferry is a village on the west coast of Scotland. ... Western Isles redirects here. ... Strathpeffer is a village and former Spa town in the Scottish Highlands, 5 miles west of Dingwall with a population of 1,469 [1]. It lies in a valley, with varying elevation from 200 to 400 feet above sea level, but is sheltered on the west and north and has... A spa town is a town frequented, in times past, for health reasons, to take the waters. The name derives from the Belgian town Spa, and in continental Europe, a spa was known as a ville deau (town of water). ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The line never gained much traffic: connections with the ferries were often unreliable; much freight traffic was stolen by the West Highland Main Line upon its opening. The line avoided the Beeching Axe due to social necessity, but throughout the 1970s it was variously threatened with closure, but won a reprieve until the Caledonian MacBrayne service to Lewis was moved from Kyle to Ullapool. It was eventually saved in connection with supplying goods for oil platform fabrication at the nearby Kishorn Yard. In 1989 the bridge over the River Ness was washed away, leaving both it and the Far North Line stranded, but new sprinter trains were brought over by road, and a temporary yard was built to service them at Muir of Ord. The section of line along Loch Carron is particularly troublesome, and prone to landslides, often closing that section. The West Highland Line is one of the most romantic railway lines in Britain, linking the fishing port of Mallaig on the west coast to Glasgow. ... Many railway lines were closed as a result of the Beeching Axe The Beeching Axe was an informal name for the British Governments attempt in the 1960s to control the spiralling cost of running the British railway system by closing what it considered to be little-used and unprofitable... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Caledonian MacBrayne (usually shortened to Cal-Mac) is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries between the mainland of Scotland and all major islands on Scotlands West coast. ... Looking towards the Uplands in the centre of the Island of Lewis Lewis (Leòdhas in Scottish Gaelic), is the northern part of the main island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, the southern part of which is called Harris, however Lewis and Harris are treated by Scots as separate... Ullapool is a small town in the County of Cromartyshire in the western Scottish Highlands. ... An oil platform is a large structure used to house workers and machinery needed to drill and then produce oil and natural gas in the ocean. ... The Kishorn Yard was a fabrication yard for oil platforms at Loch Kishorn in the north-west Scottish Highlands. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth. ...

Route

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. ... The Royal Burgh of Dingwall (Inbhir Pheofharan in Gaelic) is a burgh in the highlands of Scotland. ... Achanalt is a village in the Scottish council area of the Highland. ... Achnashellach is an area in Wester Ross (Scottish Highlands) at the eastern end of Loch Dùghaill. ... Attadale is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Melville. ... Stromeferry is a village on the west coast of Scotland. ... Plockton during Regatta Saturday, the end to the annual sailing fortnight Plockton is a village in the Highlands of Scotland, with a population of 378 [1]. It is a picturesque settlement on the shores of Loch Carron. ... Plockton during Regatta Saturday, the end to the annual sailing fortnight Plockton is a village in the Highlands of Scotland, with a population of 378 [1]. It is a picturesque settlement on the shores of Loch Carron. ... Kyle of Lochalsh is a small village on the North-West coast of Scotland, which developed in the late 19th century with the arrival of the railway. ...

External links

• Dingwall and Skye Railway
• Kyle of Lochalsh Extension Railway
• Strathpeffer Branch