Morayshire Railway - Chronological Events

Chronological Events

• 16 July 1846 - Act receives Royal assent. Authorised from Lossiemouth to Elgin and from Orton to Craigellachie.
• 10 July 1850 - Authorisation of Orton to Craigellachie abandoned.
• 28 November 1851 - First Sod cut
• 10 August 1852 - Line opens from Elgin to Lossiemouth.
• 1858 - Orton to Craigellachie re-authorised.
• July 1858 - Pre-opening inspection of Orton to Rothes line (passed but the Elgin to Orton section of the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway fails).
• 23 August 1858 - Orton (on the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway) to Rothes opened.
• 23 December 1858 - Rothes to Craigellachie opened.
• December 1859 - Linksfield Level Crossing Halt and Greens of Drainie Halt closed.
• 3 July 1860 - Elgin to Rothes authorised (avoiding difficulties using the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railways Elgin to Orton section).
• 17 May 1861 - Extension from Craigellachie to join the Strathspey Railway authorised.
• 30 December 1861 - Elgin to Rothes opened to freight.
• 1 January 1862 - Elgin to Rothes opened to passengers (Intermediate station opened at Longmorn).
• 1 June 1863 - Craigellachie Viaduct declared finished
• 5 June 1863 - Conditional halt added at Coleburn between Elgin and Rothes.
• 1 July 1863 - Line opened from Craigellachie (Dandaleith) to Speyside Junction. GNSR took over the operation of the Morayshire Railway
• 1864 - Craigellachie renamed Dandaleith and Strathspey Junction renamed Craigellachie.
• 31 July 1866 - Rothes to Orton closed.
• 1871 - Coleburn closed and Birchfield Platform (conditional halt) opened to replace it.
• 11 August 1881 - Morayshire Railway absorbed by Great North of Scotland Railway.
• 12 August 1885 - Lossie Junction (Morayshire Railway]) to Garmouth opened. Stations opened: Calcots, Urquhart and Garmouth.
• 1898 - Longmorn distillery branch opened.
• 1902 - Elgin station rebuilt.
• 1903 - Railcars used on Lossiemouth branch.
• 1907 - Rothes to Orton track lifted.
• 1 January 1923 - Great North of Scotland Railway amalgamates with other companies to form London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).
• June 1923 - LNER introduces sleeping car from London (King's Cross) to Lossiemouth.
• 31 December 1947 - Nationalisation of railway companies to form British Railways.
• 6 April 1964 - Lossiemouth to Elgin (Lossie Junction) closed to passengers.
• 28 March 1966 - Elgin East to Lossie Junction to Lossiemouth closed to freight.
• 6 May 1968 - Elgin to Buckie to Cairnie Junction closed to passengers.
• 4 November 1968 - Elgin East to Craigellachie closed to freight.