Keith and Dufftown Railway 2.8.24
On Friday 2nd August, I finally managed to tick off a Heritage Railway that I've wanted to visit for a long time: The Keith and Dufftown Railway!
About the Railway
The Keith and Dufftown Railway is the UK's most northerly Heritage Railway, and is situated around 40 miles North East of Aviemore and 55 miles northwest of Aberdeen in the heart of Whisky Country with many Distilleries close to the railway!
The railway's eastern terminus of Keith Town, is an approx 30 minute walk from the National Rail station in Keith, which is on the Aberdeen - Inverness line.
The Keith and Dufftown Railway running for 11 miles from Dufftown railway station to Keith Town via Drummuir and a request stop at Towiemore Halt.
Originally part of the former Great North of Scotland Railway line which linked Aberdeen with Elgin, the line closed to passengers in 1968 but was retained as a freight-only branch for British Rail, mainly for the many local distilleries, with the line truncated at Dufftown. Sporadic visits to the line by the Northern Belle followed and even an Intercity 125 HST visiting the line until complete abandonment of the line in 1991. The line passed into the hands of the Keith and Dufftown Railway Association in 1998 and the branch was severed from the National Network with the removal of some track panels at Keith. The line was re-opened between Keith Town and Dufftown in 2000 and the scenic line passes through forests and farmland and past lochs, glens and distilleries with wildlife to be seen (when I was there, there was plenty of deer that could be seen lineside and crossing the track in front of the train). There are plans to reopen the line from Keith Town up towards the Junction with the main line to enable better access to the line for the public.
Ticket office facilities and toilets are available at both Keith Town and Dufftown, with a gift shop also being available at Keith Town. Food and refreshments are available at The Buffer Stop cafe at Dufftown, which is located in a pair of Mark 1s and a mark 2 carriage (and is open Tuesday - Sunday during the operating season and is so popular that booking is required to sit in).
Trains operate on Fridays - Sundays from Easter till the end of September with departures from Dufftown at 10.30, 13.30 & 15.30 and Keith Town at 11.30, 14.30 and 16.20 (Journeys last approx 40 minutes each way). There are also special events at other times of the year.
Rolling Stock
Motive power on the line is mainly provided by 5x class 108 vehicles, which can be marshalled into 2 car or 3 car formation depending on demand one of the vehicles, DCTL 56491, has been converted into a mobile Function Coach, housing a bar, whisky snug and tables and chairs and can be used as part of the service train. A recent purchase of an ex Northern 3 car class 144 Pacer, also provides a higher capacity unit for busier times and is also used on the first journey of the day. Another recent purchase is of a class 107 multiple unit from the Strathspey Railway, which will be a future restoration project. Another future restoration project is the Class 140 prototype Pacer unit, which was one of the early purchases for the railway. There are also 3 small shunters which are used for Driving experiences and for works trains on the line.
Multiple unit Fleet List
| Vehicle Type > | DBMS | DMSL | DMCL | DMCL | DTCL | Unit Name | Livery | Notes | Image |
| Class | |||||||||
| 107 | 52030 | 52008 | British Railways Green (faded) | Purchased 2023 from Strathspey Railway, awaiting restoration |
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| 108 | 51568 | 52053 | Spirit of Banffshire | British Railways Green | Both 51568 & 52053 are power vehicles meaning the unit can tackle the line's gradients with ease! 51568 facing Dufftown and 52053 facing Keith. Both vehicles arrived in 2001 and the KDRA took ownership of them in 2005. |
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| 108 | 53628 | 56224 | Spirit of Speyside | British Railways Green |
53628 faces in the Dufftown direction. Built in 1958 and was based in Chester / Manchester area before transferring to Oxfordshire. Part of the final class 108 working in Oct 1993 and stored at Southall till 1998. Moved to East Anglia Railway Museum in 1998, then to Dufftown on 7th March 2000. 56224 faces in the Keith direction and is a driving trailer. Built in 1959 and initially allocated to Bletchley depot and worked on the Cambridge - Oxford line. Was withdrawn in early 1990s and moved to Mid Norfolk Railway followed by Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in 2004. Arrived at Dufftown on 17th March 2010. |
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| 108 | 56491 | 'Uisge Beatha' | British Railways Green | 56491 faces in the Keith direction. Built in 1960, and after withdrawal eventually ended up at Dufftown. In 2022, the vehicle was converted into a mobile function coach known as the 'Dram Tram' complete with bar, snug and seating compartment. Can carry 28 passengers. |
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| Fleet Number | DMS | DMSL | Livery | Notes | Photo |
| 140001 | 55500 | 55501 | BR Blue Grey | 1981 built prototype Pacer unit. Was initially used as an evaluation unit before becoming a driver training unit at Neville Hill Depot in Leeds in 1985 before falling out of use. The unit moved to Dufftown in 1994 and work has been carried out for restoration as and when time, resources and funds permit. |
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| Fleet Number | DMS | MS | DMSL | Livery | Notes | Photo |
| 144022 | 55822 | 55858 | 55845 | Debranded Northern | Built in 1986/87 in Derby and mainly used on services around York and Leeds. Withdrawn in 2000, 144022 moved to Dufftown on 8th September 2000. 144022 Generally used on the 10.30 service from Dufftown and 11.30 return |
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Trip Report
I left home around 8.15am and drove the 188 miles up to Dufftown via the M9, A9 and A95 with a 30 minute stop off at Pitlochry and 15 minutes at Boat of Garten, arriving at Dufftown around 1pm. Due to the current temporary timetable in operation on Scotrail services at the moment, I decided not to risk going by train.
Upon arrival I bought a ticket for the 13.30 departure (£16 for a 22 mile round trip which is very reasonable) then went to the Sidings cafe, which is housed in a pair of Mark 1s and a Mark 2f on the platform to buy a tea and cake before getting on the train. The train was formed of DTCL 56491 'Uisge Beatha' + DMCL 52053 +DMCL 51568. I sat in 51568 near to the rear cab so as to get the drivers eye view out through the cab and sat on one of the very comfortable 3+2 seats! It was a lovely journey through the countryside and all too soon, we were at the terminus at Keith Town, where I got off and had a look about the station and got a few photos of our train.
On the 14.30 return journey I once again sat in 51568 and this time had the forward view! We stopped at Drummuir for 5 minutes, which allowed passengers to get off and have a look at some carved wooden statues near the station as well as the view of the nearby river. Once back on, we made our way towards Dufftown passing some deer on the way and having to stop a couple of times as they were on or very near to the track.
We were soon back in Dufftown where I got some photographs of the station and of the recently acquired class 107, awaiting restoration and of DBMS 53628, 'Spirit of Speyside' which was parked up further down the platform. After the 15.30 service departed, I asked if I could photograph 144022 and 140001, which were stabled in a siding outwith the station and the chairman of the KDR Association took me up to see them and also let me go aboard both units for some photos of the passenger saloons and the drivers cabs!
Once I had a look round, it was unfortunately time to head back home. The return journey was not quite as straight forward due to an accident on the A9, leading to a diversion through Aviemore, the closure of the M80 at Haggs (and diversion via Kilsyth and Croy) and the M73/74 junction at Maryville (diversion via Uddingston and Bothwell) , meaning that it took over 5 hours to get home!
I had a fantastic visit to the Keith and Dufftown railway and will definately return there! The railway is very enthusiast friendly, the volunteers and staff were all extremely friendly and could not do enough for you and I would like to say a huge thanks to the chairman, who showed me round the 144 and 140 for taking the time to do this! I would thoroughly recommend a visit! More information on the KDR can be found on their website: https://keith-dufftown-railway.co.uk/