RAILWAYS OF SCOTLAND
Volume 4: Aberdeen
And The Grampians

'The Granite City' – Aberdeen, was the focal point for several rural lines, in addition to the main line routes from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. Despite some ‘dieselisation’ in the 1960’s, steam workings still survived, particularly on the southern routes from Aberdeen, and several impressive scenes are featured in and adjacent to the city's Ferryhill locomotive depot.

The lines to Peterhead and Fraserborough feature and further along the Moray Coast the branch line from Tillynaught Junction to Banff is shown in detail, including the last scheduled passenger train to use the branch, which was steam-operated until closure.

A circular tour in 1963 from Elgin to Forres via Craigellachie, Grantown-on-Spey and Dava provides a fascinating view of the network of lines and small wayside stations that served this beautiful, but sparsely populated area. A remarkable 1930's colour sequence features one such station: Dandaleith, which handled traffic for the nearby farms and the local distillery.

Of all the routes linked to Aberdeen the Deeside line to Ballater was the most prestigious, as Ballater's terminus station served the Royal Family's summer home at Balmoral. Footage of two Class B1 locomotives at the head of the last steam-hauled Royal Train to Ballater contrasts dramatically with views of demolition crews at work following the line’s closure in 1966.

DVD Info

Region: 2
Running Time: 59 minutes