Keith & Dufftown Railway
The Whisky Line
© Geoff’s Rail Diaries 2023
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
30 September 2023
Almost the first thing one sees, as the 60-year-old DMU
pulls away from the ‘Malt Whisky capital of the World’
(Dufftown station) is the Glenfiddich distillery. There are
dozens within a 15-mile radius. It was the distillery traffic
that kept the line in business after the Keith to Elgin via
Craigellachie line closed to passengers in 1968. When
freight finished, the line saw railtours (notably the ‘Northern
Belle’) until 1991 when the line finally closed. The Keith
and Dufftown Railway Association soon began work to
relaunch the line as a heritage railway, with full reopening
in 2001. Services on the line are provided by a small fleet
of first generation DMUs (class 108); the railway also
possesses a couple of small diesel shunters.
I’d found myself staying with an old friend in Huntly, just a
few miles further east – “we must have a ride on the Keith
and Dufftown”. A couple of first class returns meant we
could sit in the comfortable armchair-type seats on the
right behind the driver, with a clear view of the line ahead.
Immediately past the distillery, the train crosses a stone
viaduct over the river Fiddich, then follows a route away
from roads, past a small loch and through green and
increasingly open rolling countryside as it leaves the hills
behind. The 45-minute journey seems to be over much
more quickly. There’s time to admire the magnificent
wooden structure that is Keith Town (rebuilt from scratch
by the preservationists), take a few photos and a visit to
the bookshop before we’re on our way back to Dufftown,
forgoing our first class entitlement for seats at the other
end of the train, for another good view of the line ahead.
Back at Dufftown, the Sidings Café provides an excellent
lunch. It seems to be a popular venue for the locals – it’s
open six days per week. It makes good use of the space
provided by a couple of MkI coaches, one partially fitted
with kitchen and serving area. We’d had a most enjoyable
visit to a friendly railway with a comfortably uncommercial
atmosphere. Well worth a visit!
Link: The Whisky Line
