| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Scotland |
| Dates of operation | November 5, 1855–May 17, 1861 |
| Successor | Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Inverness and Nairn Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Inverness and Nairn Railway was a railway company that operated between the burghs in the company name. It opened its line in 1855 and its passenger business was instantly successful. At first it was not connected to any other line. However it was seen as a first step towards connecting Inverness and Central Scotland, via Aberdeen and when feasible, directly southwards.
The Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway was building a line connecting Nairn with the Great North of Scotland Railway at Keith, completing a route to Aberdeen and Central Scotland. The I&AJR took over the working of the Nairn company in 1857, and absorbed it in 1861.
The Nairn route was therefore on the main route from Inverness to Aberdeen, and from 1863 part of a new direct line to the south from Forres, the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway over a summit at Dava. On the opening of the Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway route in 1898 most southward trains were diverted away, to that route. Nowadays the Nairn line is part of the Inverness to Aberdeen route.