Altnabreac railway station

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Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox station

Altnabreac railway station (Template:IPAc-en) is a rural railway station in the Highland council area of Scotland. It serves the area of Altnabreac Template:En dash a settlement in which the station itself is the main component Template:En dash in the historic county of Caithness. The name Altnabreac derives from the Scots Gaelic Allt nam Breac, meaning "the stream of the trout".[1]

The station is on the Far North Line, Template:Convert from Template:Rws, situated between Forsinard and Scotscalder.[2] The station comprises a single platform capable of accommodating a four-carriage train. The station is managed by ScotRail, who operate all trains serving it. Services were suspended on 12 November 2023 due to an access dispute with a neighbouring property[3] but resumed on 6 April 2025.[4]

History

File:Altnabreac.jpg
The station looking southwest. Note the old water tank in the foreground, and the overgrown disused platform to its left.

The station was opened by the Sutherland and Caithness Railway on 28 July 1874[5] and later absorbed by the Highland Railway.[6]

The reason for the station's construction is a mystery. At the time of construction it was Template:Convert from the nearest settlement and Template:Convert from the nearest road.[7] The only source of traffic at the station, Lochdhu Lodge, approximately Template:Convert to the south, was not built until 1895 and the Altnabreac School was not built until 1930. However, it had a passing loop with a water tank so may have been established for purely operational reasons. The water tank has not seen regular use since 1962Template:Sfn and the line was singled in 1986;Template:Sfn both the water tank and the old second platform can still be seen.

On 5 July 1988 The Independent newspaper published an article about the disposal of nuclear waste and one of the sites being considered was Altnabreac due to its remoteness and geology of the area and that if chosen the nuclear waste would be transported by train from Sellafield.[8]

In 2021, Highland Council approved the construction for a timber loading terminal near the station.[9]

Access dispute and closure

On 30 October 2023 Ian Appleby, the owner of a neighbouring property, was arrested for behaving in a threatening or abusive manner as part of a dispute with Scotrail and Network Rail over access to the station. From Sunday 12 November 2023, ScotRail trains were temporarily not calling at Altnabreac due to the altercation.[3]

On 21 November 2023, The Times published an article stating that a meeting was to take place the following Monday. In attendance would be representatives from British Transport Police, business leaders, Network Rail, Police Scotland, politicians, and ScotRail to consider issuing a compulsory buy-back order on the property evicting the couple from their home.[10]

On 24 November 2023, Appleby and his partner stated that they were being harassed by ScotRail drivers who were blaring their trains' horns as they passed, and denied claims by the previous residents that they had chained themselves up to stop railworkers access to the station and track, when they had only installed a chain on their gate instead. They also claimed that Network Rail had damaged their property by digging holes on it and leaving them open.[11]

On 15 May 2024, The Northern Times reported a fiscal depute, wherein Grant McLennan dropped the case at the Wick Sheriff Court not proceeding with the prosecution of Ian Appleby, due to a lack of corroboration.[12] The civil dispute between neighbouring property and Network Rail remains ongoing following the resumption of service. [13]

Accidents and incidents

On 21 September 1898, a Highland Railway mail train was almost involved in a collision with a platelayer's trolley that had been left on the track. One of the platelayers, John Morrison noticed the train coming down the track at high speeds, so he scrambled to get the trolley off the track. He succeeded in getting the trolley off the track before the train collided with it but was killed in the process.[14]

In January 1978, a train from Inverness to Wick became trapped in a blizzard with approximately 70 passengers on board. A rescue locomotive was sent to recover the train but also had to turn back. All 70 passengers - apart from some who walked the Template:Convert to Scotscalder - were eventually rescued by helicopters approximately 24 hours after leaving Inverness.[15]Template:Sfn

Location

The station is on a private dirt road between Loch More, Caithness and Forsinain, marked as a cycle trail on Ordnance Survey maps. Being about Template:Convert from the nearest paved road and Template:Convert from the nearest village, Altnabreac is often listed as one of Britain's most geographically isolated railway stations, alongside Template:Rws elsewhere in Scotland, Template:Rws in mid Wales and Template:Rws in Norfolk.Template:Sfn Dixe Wills says of the area:

"What is all the more remarkable is that the following events took place in the vicinity of the most remote station on my itinerary, a place girded round by peat-black lochs and dismal bogs and overshadowed by dark, anonymous plantations of doomed conifers, where nothing of any note has happened these past 70 years save for intense despondent brooding."Template:Sfn

The nearest village is Westerdale, which itself is in fact closer to Scotscalder station. Nevertheless, despite its isolation, the station is used by walkers and off-road cyclists, as well as railway enthusiasts and those who enjoy visiting remote locations.

Facilities

The station had a small shed that was previously used as a waiting shelter but this is currently boarded up and unusable.[16] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.

On 20 December 2022, Transport Scotland introduced a new "Press & Ride" at some request stops along the line,[17] following successful trials of the system at Template:Rws over the previous four months.[18][19] Previously, passengers wishing to board a train at Scotscalder had to flag the train by raising their arm (as is still done at other request stops around the country); this meant that the driver needed to reduce the train's speed before a request stop (to look out for any potential passengers on the platform and be able to stop if necessary), even if the platform was empty. The new system consists of an automatic kiosk (with a button for passengers to press) at the platform; this will alert the driver about any waiting passengers in advance and, if there is no requirement to stop, the train can maintain line speed through the request stops, thus improving reliability on the whole line.[20] It is planned for Altnabreac to receive the system sometime in 2023, along with Dunrobin Castle.[21]

Passenger volume

The main origin or destination station for journeys to or from Altnabreac in the 2022–23 period was Thurso, making up 104 of the 280 journeys (37.1%).[22]

Passenger Volume at Altnabreac[22]
2002–03 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23
Entries and exits 93 164 171 222 177 212 156 172 238 296 138 240 312 356 658 408 232 46 230 280

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

File:Altnabreac Station Approaching Train to Wick (16351516469).jpg
A Class 158 approaching Altnabreac Railway Station.

On weekdays and Saturdays, the service pattern from the station consists of four trains per day northbound to Template:Rws via Template:Rws and three trains per day southbound to Template:Rws via Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws, Template:Rws and Template:Rws. (There is a fourth train bound for Inverness but it is not scheduled to call at Altnabreac.) On Sundays there is just one train per day each way.[23]

The station is designated as a request stop requiring that passengers intending to alight inform the guard in advance, and any passengers wishing to board must ensure they are in view of the train driver, and are required to use a hand signal to stop the train.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Template:Rws style="background:#Template:ScotRail colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   ScotRail
Far North Line 		style="background:#Template:ScotRail colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   Template:Rws

Template:Historical Rail Insert

Template:Rws
Line and station open 		style="background:#Template:HR colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   Highland Railway
Sutherland and Caithness Railway
 style="background:#Template:HR colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   Template:Rws
Line and station open

Template:S-end

References

Template:Reflist

Bibliography

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:Railway stations served by Abellio Scotrail

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  23. ↑ eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 219
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