Royal Deeside Railway

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The Royal Deeside Railway is a heritage railway at Milton of Crathes in Scotland. It sits on part of the old Deeside Railway, which used to run from Ballater to Aberdeen. The line was built between 1853 and 1866 and was often used by the Royal Family visiting Balmoral. It closed in 1966–1967 as part of the Beeching cuts.

A group called the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society formed in 1996 to restore the section between Banchory and Milton of Crathes. Restoration began in 2003, and they opened a one-mile short line in 2007. The first steam passenger service ran in 2010.

In 2020, the railway opened a new station at Birkenbaud Crossing. A station building from the old Oldmeldrum Railway was moved to Milton of Crathes and now serves as the Preservation Society’s headquarters. Much of the track is old Guild Street track from near Aberdeen, and some sleepers are unsafe; they are looking at fixes to reuse them.

The railway faced financial trouble in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, trains run about 1 mile from Milton of Crathes to Birkenbaud Crossing. All services start and end at Milton of Crathes, with a round trip taking about 15–20 minutes. Milton of Crathes has one platform, two tracks (including a run-round loop), a small shop, a museum, a ticket office, and a car park with disabled access.

The railway owns the original BEMU, a battery-powered converted diesel engine that was used on the Deeside line from 1958 to 1966. It needs a full electrical overhaul but can also be used as a passenger coach. The line uses rolling stock including the steam engine Bon Accord and BR Class 03 diesel shunters that haul three Mark 2 passenger coaches in red and cream, with a fourth coach being rebuilt.

There are plans to extend the line to Riverside Halt and then to Banchory. Riverside Halt would be the end of the running line, with a new loop and space to store extra coaches. An extension to Banchory would use the Deeside Way track bed, but the old Bridge of Bennie would need strengthening for trains. A new Deeside Way bridge was installed in December 2020, but delays have kept it closed, so the railway cannot yet reach Banchory. The extension to Banchory is estimated to cost about £250,000.