Railway Cuttings

Extract from Inverness Courier 24.5.1898

Highland Railway Guidebooks

The annual publications of the Highland Railway Company are of so useful a kind that one should not think of spending a holiday in the Highlands without first consulting them. The Tourist Programme for 1898 contains the completest possible information of the many circular tours that are placed at the disposal of the visitor. A holiday in the Highlands of Scotland is a pleasure which does not need to be enlarged upon, but it may be remarked, in passing, that the foreign sightseer may sojourn in this part of the world without any fear of being disturbed by blockades or bombardments or any real of imaginary risks of that sort. The Tourist programme contains a readable account of the varied attractions of the many places that are touched by the railway, and whether one may be in search of mountain, of valley, of loch, of town, or - last but not least - of golf course, he will find just what he wants; and, now that the Highland hotels, generally speaking, are placed on a satisfactory basis, we do not know what else your holiday-seeker should desire.

Extract from Press and Journal 24/11/98

Food chain switches to let train take the strain.

A move by supermarket giant Safeway which will axe more than 3,000 lorry journeys a year on the busy A9 Perth - Inverness road was last night hailed as a major breakthrough. Scottish Transport Minister Calum Macdonald yesterday announced a £680,000 grant to help Safeway supply its stores in Inverness, Nairn, Elgin and Buckie by rail.

From early next year, containers from Safeway's Bellshill depot will travel by rail daily from Mossend, Glasgow to Inverness. From there they will be moved by road to Safeway stores in Inverness and Moray which currently receive daily deliveries of fresh produce and other stock in 10 lorries from Bellshill.

Mr. MacDonald said, "The environmental benefits of transporting freight by rail rather than by road have long been recognised, but in the past rail has often failed to meet the demands of customers. However, the restructuring of the rail freight industry has injected vigour into the sector, and the Government is committed to seeing more freight transported by rail." The Scottish Office grant will allow Safeway to buy custom-built containers and refrigerated units, plus lorries for short hauls.

The company has completed a year-long trial on routes between Glasgow and Gravesend, Kent with railway freight company EWS which is involved in the Highland initiative. The venture is also supported by Railtrack, which has committed itself to enlarging the Killiecrankie tunnel to allow Safeway's new containers access, and to provide freight handling equipment.

Daily Telegraph Travel Supplement 28/11/98

Branching out.

As part of a 2 page spread on the Huddersfield to Sheffield and Hastings to Ashford branch lines the following piece appeared:

While steam lines and preserved routes attract the bulk of holidaymakers, some of the scheduled services on working lines offer equally scenic outings. Here are six of the best:

• Par - Newquay 21 miles; 45 -55 minutes; four trains daily, no service on Sunday.
• Oxford - Worcester 58 miles; 70 - 90 minutes; 14 trains daily, four trains on Sunday.
• Dovey Junction - Pwllheli 57 miles; 110 - 119 minutes, six trains daily, one on Sunday.
• Derby - Matlock 17 miles; 31 minutes; 13 trains daily, six on Sunday.
• Middlesbrough - Whitby 35 miles; 97 minutes; 4 trains daily, no service on Sunday.
• Dingwall - Thurso 143 miles; 196 minutes; three trains daily, no service on Sunday.

A qualifying statement about the fact that the frequencies related to the winter timetable appeared at the foot of the article.

Each line had a short description and I include 'our' one to show the percption people have of the line. "This line first follows the lengths of the Firths of Cromarty and Dornoch, before embarking on the stunning loop inland from Helmsdale, climbing up Strath Ullie. Once in the wilds of Caithness, the train passes through a vast expanse of moorland, almost empty apart from the odd historic fishing lodge, before pulling into the most northerly town in mainland Britain."