Deeside Railway Company

From it’s opening in 1853 to it’s closure in 1966, five generations of reigning British monarchs travelled to their Highland home on the Deeside line. The Deeside Railway Company was founded in 1845 and the plans approved in the Deeside Railway Act, 1852. The line was then built from Aberdeen to Ballater between 1853 and 1856.

AAGM collections include the spade and barrow used at the cutting of the first turf at Park on Monday 5th July 1852. The turf was cut by Mrs Kinloch of Park and it is the Kinloch arms and motto “Non Degener” on the steel spade. Speeches and a toast “God speed the line” were followed by a cake and wine banquet.

The railway line formally opened on 7 September 1853, but already nearly 1700 people had taken an excursion along Deeside for the Aberdeen holiday on 22 July 1853. Other excursions followed, including trips to see the Queen arriving in August 1860 and around the turn of the century, excursions to the platform at the Loch of Aboyne were available in winter for curling and ice skating.

Rail excursions did not recover their popularity after the Great War and with the coming of modern roads and cars, the line became less economical until it fell under the ‘Beeching axe’. The last passenger services ran on Saturday 26 February 1966. Today the line is used for walking, cycling and horse riding and there are proposals to extend the pathway beyond the original railway line from Ballater to Braemar.