The Morayshire Railway was the first railway to be built north of Aberdeen, Scotland. It received royal assent in 1846, but construction was delayed until 1851 because of the adverse economic conditions existing in the United Kingdom. The railway was built in two phases, with the section from Elgin to Lossiemouth completed in 1852. When the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (I&AJR) reached Keith via Elgin, the Morayshire was able to complete the Speyside second phase by connecting the Craigellachie line at Orton. Initially, the Morayshire ran its own locomotives on the I&AJR track between Elgin and Orton, but this was short-lived, and the Morayshire carriages were then hauled to Orton by the I&AJR. Disagreements with the I&AJR eventually forced the Morayshire into constructing a new section of track between its stations at Elgin and Rothes; this was completed in 1862. The Morayshire accomplished its final enlargement by connecting to the new Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) Craigellachie station in 1863. Crippling debt forced the company into an arrangement with the GNoSR for it to assume operation of the track in 1866. By 1881, the Morayshire had greatly reduced its liabilities, and its long-sought-after amalgamation with the GNoSR finally took place.
Elgin to Lossiemouth Concept to development
James Grant, an Elgin solicitor, later to become Provost of Elgin, and co-owner with his brother of the Glen Grant distillery at Rothes, first envisaged the construction of a railway between Elgin and Lossiemouth in 1841.Vallance, Great North, p. 37 A ground survey showed that the line was feasible and could be built relatively cheaply, but there was little financial support for the enterprise. On 3 February 1844 and still steadfast in his belief in the project, Grant addressed the board of the Elgin and Lossiemouth Harbour Company to gain their support—the board's opinion was that there was little need for railways north of Dundee, let alone one between the two towns.Ross, Travellers Joy, p. 1 Following the harbour company's own investigation, it changed its opinion and gave it its backing.Barclay-Harvey, History of Great North, p. 28
In the mid-1840s, railway mania swept throughout the United Kingdom.Vallance, Great North, p. 19 At a meeting arranged by the supporters of an Inverness to Elgin railway on 19 February 1845, it was generally agreed that such a railway would be beneficial. Grant addressed the meeting, stating that he had no objection but warned the people of Elgin that Lossiemouth harbour was important to Elgin and that they should be wary of companies that could interfere with the free trade that came through the port.Ross, Travellers Joy, p. 2 These warnings were heeded, and Grant succeeded in resurrecting the scheme as the Morayshire Railway at a meeting held on 3 March 1845.Barclay-Harvey, History of Great North, pp. 28, 29 At a further meeting held on 11 April, it was also decided that the track would extend south to Craigellachie.Ross, Travellers Joy, p. 3
Measures were taken to seek parliamentary authority in 1846, but before the bill was presented, the GNoSR was created. A decision was taken that the two railways would connect at Elgin and the Morayshire Railway would connect its Speyside line to Craigellachie at Orton.Thomas, Forgotten Railways, p. 190 The company's capital was agreed at £50,000.Barclay-Harvey, History of Great North, p. 29£50,000 in 1841 was worth around £6,222,000 in 2024 The (9 & 10 Vict. c. clxxviii) approving this scheme was obtained on 10 July 1846. Still, financial panic gripped the United Kingdom in 1847, and the entire project was shelved.Barclay-Harvey, History of Great North, pp. 29, 30 An internal crisis developed within the company following a change of some of the directors. The board declared that powers would be requested to abandon plans for the Craigellachie extension, as there was no sign of the GNoSR starting their scheme. Some Edinburgh based shareholders—with the financial upheaval of the previous few years feared that the entire project was no longer viable—attempted to get the entire railway cancelled at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held on 24 February 1851 using the Abandonment of Railways Act 1850 (13 & 14 Vict. c. 83). This motion was carried by 1,800 shares to 677. Provost Grant suspected that due processes had not been observed and protested to the Railway Commissioners, who, on 21 March 1851, called for a list of shareholders who had attended the abandonment EGM. The commissioners found that the necessary shares owned by those attending were insufficient for an abandonment.Ross, Travellers Joy, p. 7 The Edinburgh shareholders withdrew their support, placing the company in a critical position. The Railway Commissioners granted the abandonment of the Craigellachie section on 10 July and agreed that the company's capital be reduced to £29,700.£29,700 in 1851 was worth around £4,441,000 in 2024Barclay-Harvey, History of Great North, p. 30 However, it was not until Elgin Town Council agreed to invest £1,000£1,000 in 1851 was worth about £149,600 in 2024 in shares. Colonel Brander of Pitgaveny made a considerable addition to his already substantial holding when the contract for the Elgin to Lossiemouth section was placed.Vallance, The Great North, pp. 37,38
Construction and opening
Hutchings & Co. were awarded the contract and the first sod was cut at Bareflathills just outside Elgin near the River Lossie by the wife of James Grant on Saturday, 30 November 1851. A large cheering crowd gathered to witness the ceremony amid the firing of cannons.Bartlam, Moray's Railways p.6 This point was chosen because it possessed the three most difficult engineering features to be overcome—the bridge over the River Lossie, the road bridge over the track and the very deep cutting.
The contractor switched to two 12-hour shifts and had a workforce of around 300 navvies.Ross, Travellers Joy, p. 11 It was reported at the board meeting held on 2 April 1852, that although the track was half-finished a strike within the workforce had provoked a serious disturbance. There were two stories in circulation regarding the incident. The first of these was that Irish navvies had come onto the job, undercutting the locals' wages, and the other was that the contractor, who was from England, employed English labour, and it was they who objected to the Irish.Vallance, The Great North, p. 38 The outcome was that a clash of some sort had taken place and that four of the instigators were arrested and sentenced to various periods of hard labour—a fifth person was to be sent to the Court of Judiciary for trial after assaulting the sheriff.Ross, Travellers Joy, pp. 11, 12 The result of all this was that the Morayshire Railway was ordered to pay for ten additional police constables to regulate the workforce.
It had been decided that the opening date would be Tuesday, 10 August 1852. Still, at the board meeting on 31 July, it was reported that the locomotives had not arrived from Messrs Neilson & Co of Glasgow—a day later, the boat containing the engines docked at Lossiemouth.Ross, Travellers Joy, p. 13 The two locomotives bought for the line were small 2-2-0 tank engines costing a total of £2,622 7s d,Barclay-Harvey, History of Great North, p. 31£2622 in 1852 was worth about £387,500 in 2024 and were named by the company, Elgin and Lossiemouth.Thomas, Forgotten Railways, p. 187 The Board of Trade Engineer inspected the line on 4 August and travelled in a locomotive a day later and declared himself satisfied with the railway and rolling stock.Ross, Travellers Joy, p. 14
On 10 August 1852, a general holiday was declared in Elgin and Lossiemouth. The directors of the company, along with other local dignitaries, walked at the head of a procession from the town centre, at St Giles Church, to the station, where, accompanied by celebratory cannon firing, they were given a rousing send-off.Ross, Travellers Joy, pp. 16, 17 Some people instead walked to Lossiemouth to see the train arrive. The board of the Elgin and Lossiemouth Harbour Company met the passengers and escorted them to the recently opened Steamboat and Railway Hotel, where they were entertained. They then proceeded to a large marquee erected overlooking the station on top of the quarry cliffs, where many people made fine speeches before lunch.Ross, Travellers Joy, pp. 17–20 The celebrations included sports and games. The Board and prominent citizens met later that evening for a commemorative dinner. The trains ran all day until midnight and carried around 3000 passengers.
Operation
The day following the opening event, a regular five return journeys per day, Monday to Saturday, were instituted. Soon after, the frequency was reduced to four return journeys per day, but then in 1857, it was increased to six return journeys, reflecting the increased use of Lossiemouth harbour for exporting and importing materials. It took the trains 15 minutes to run the , including the conditional stops at Linksfield Level Crossing and Greens of Drainie. These stops were abandoned in 1859.Vallance, The Great North, pp. 38, 39
A first and second class service was provided until 1855, then a first and third thereafter, while the fares were levied at d and 1d per mile respectively. There was little difference in the coach seating layouts, only in the quality of the seats. The first year saw the company run a decent profit, and investors were rewarded with a 5% dividend. However, the dividend in 1858 was halved to 2.5% due to a reduction in revenue caused by the closure of Lossiemouth harbour for four months for basin enlargement.Ross, Travellers Joy, p. 40 This was discussed at the annual general meeting in the following October—at this meeting, the main instigator of the railway, James Grant, was elected chairman.Vallance, The Great North, p. 39
Joseph Taylor and Charles Cranstoun, the company's Engineer and General Manager respectively, designed an ingenious device for coupling and uncoupling carriages and locomotives, thereby removing a significant hazard that claimed many lives annually across Britain. It operated very successfully on the Morayshire line and was highly regarded by railway experts, but faced reluctance by other railway companies for its adoption—it is unclear if any other railways also used it. The Mechanics' Magazine, after having seen the device in operation, wrote:
Within a short time of co-designing the coupling device, Joseph Taylor was killed in an accident near Oakenhead Bridge just outside Lossiemouth on 23 April 1857. He was driving a tank locomotive which collided with a ballast train. In the same year also near Lossiemouth, a passenger was killed when a badly secured barrier gave way on a truck.Levi, Annals of British Legislation, Series D - "Railways, Shipping &c.", Chap. LXXX 'Railway Accidents' (1857) p.168
The Craigellachie enlargement