52-404: The Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway was a Scottish railway company that connected the Aberdeenshire ports of Banff and Portsoy with the main line of the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) main line at Grange, a place some distance east of Keith. The railway opened in 1859, and was renamed the Banffshire Railway in 1863 when the GNoSR began running services. The company
104-658: A 3 + 1 ⁄ 4 mile branch from the Banff line to a harbour at Portsoy . Authorised capital was £90,000. By this time the GNoSR had opened its line from Aberdeen to Huntly, and extended as far as Keith, and the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (I&AJR) was building its line from Inverness, with the intention of reaching Keith; it did so in 1858. Although the GNoSR and the I&;AJR needed to work co-operatively to make
156-484: A different council area (Aberdeen City). Aberdeenshire borders onto Angus and Perth and Kinross to the south, Highland and Moray to the west and Aberdeen City to the east. Traditionally, it has depended economically on the primary sector (agriculture, fishing, and forestry) and related processing industries. Over the last 40 years, the development of the oil and gas industry and associated service sector has broadened Aberdeenshire's economic base, and contributed to
208-444: A dividend of 2% was declared. The desperate financial situation could hardly be allowed to continue, and in 1863 the GNoSR agreed to work the line. From 1 February 1863 it would do so for 60% of receipts, reducing to 50% if receipts reached £7 per mile per week. The arrangement was ratified by Act of Parliament of 21 July 1863; the opportunity was taken to rename the company The Banffshire Railway. The directors continued in optimism, as
260-620: A large number built for export, usually to the designs of the Crown Agents . The company manufactured locomotives to order for main line companies. Four 0-4-4T locomotives were supplied to the Metropolitan Railway between 1896 and 1901. In 1915, F. G. Smith of the Highland Railway ordered six 4-6-0 s to his own designs. However they were rejected by that railway as being too heavy, they were taken over by
312-532: A mobile phone air time reseller. The Hawthorn Leslie building still standing in Hebburn has been the target of numerous arson attacks in recent years. This, combined with the presence of asbestos in the brickwork and the ease of access to children, has led to repeated calls from Hebburn residents and councillors for the building to be demolished. After the merger the locomotive side continued manufacturing for main line , light and industrial railways, including
364-420: A rapid population growth of some 50% since 1975. Its land represents 8% of Scotland's overall territory. It covers an area of 6,313 square kilometres (2,437 sq mi). Aberdeenshire has a rich prehistoric and historical heritage. It is the locus of a large number of Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites, including Longman Hill , Kempstone Hill , Catto Long Barrow and Cairn Lee . The area
416-574: A success of the trunk route, there was considerable friction between them, and for some years through passengers needed to change trains at Keith. The headquarters of the company were in Banff, and most of the directors were local landowners and business people, but the chairman was the Hon Thomas Bruce , the deputy chairman of the Inverness & Aberdeen Junction Railway. The contractors were B & E Blyth of Edinburgh, and construction
468-457: Is estimated at £3,496M (2011), representing 5.2% of the Scottish total. Aberdeenshire's economy is closely linked to Aberdeen City's (GDP £7,906M), and in 2011, the region as a whole was calculated to contribute 16.8% of Scotland's GDP. Between 2012 and 2014, the combined Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City economic forecast GDP growth rate is 8.6%, the highest growth rate of any local council area in
520-462: Is much higher, at £741.90, as many people commute out of Aberdeenshire, principally into Aberdeen City. Total employment (excluding farm data) in Aberdeenshire is estimated at 93,700 employees (Business Register and Employment Survey 2009). The majority of employees work within the service sector, predominantly in public administration, education and health. Almost 19% of employment is within
572-546: Is reason to believe that the management of the line was poor: Grant is blunt: "The line was grossly mismanaged from the start, poor track laying resulting in the first train derailing, with its carriages, down a bank." As well as being responsible for the construction of the line, Benjamin Blyth was responsible for procuring the locomotives and rolling stock. In February 1859 two side tank engines were ordered from Hawthorn's of Leith but they were not ready until September, and for
SECTION 10
#1732786699761624-639: The Caledonian Railway . The London and North Eastern Railway ordered a batch of Great Central designed locomotives from the Company in 1925/6. In addition it built locomotives to its own designs such as a 4-2-2-0 with four cylinders - two inside and two outside - connected separately to the two pairs of driving wheels. It was produced for the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 but could not produce sufficient steam to compete effectively with
676-506: The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 . It covers the combined area of the Banff and Buchan, Gordon, and Kincardine and Deeside districts that had been created in 1975. The present Aberdeenshire Council area therefore consists of all of the historic counties of Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire (except the area of those two counties making up Aberdeen City), as well as the north-east portions of Banffshire. The population of
728-644: The Moray Coast line closed completely in 1968. In 1840 the Aberdeen Railway opened its line from the south to that city, at last connecting the north of Scotland with the growing network further south. Interests in Aberdeen contemplated building a railway from Aberdeen to Inverness : it would have been called the Great North of Scotland, but the idea failed to attract tangible support, and it
780-516: The North Sea such that coastal areas are typically cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than inland locations. Coastal areas are also subject to haar , or coastal fog. Hawthorn Leslie %26 Company R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited , usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie , was a shipbuilder and locomotive manufacturer. The company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982. The company
832-664: The Scottish Wars of Independence , the King of England Edward I travelled across the area twice with his invading army, in 1296 and 1303. In 1307, Robert the Bruce was victorious near Inverurie . These new families set the stage for the upcoming rivalries during the 14th and 15th centuries. This rivalry grew worse during and after the Protestant Reformation when religion was another reason for conflict between
884-469: The Act also authorised the company to build from Portsoy westward along the coast to Portgordon, about 14 miles. Additional capital of £100,000 was permitted, and the GNoSR could subscribe £80,000. Before that could be contemplated, the operational financial crisis continued, as the profit margin on operations was still not enough to service interest charges on bank loans. In January 1864, the deputy chairman of
936-805: The American products. The company later had a number of standard designs including 0-4-0 ST s and fireless locomotives . Hawthorn Leslie, in collaboration with the English Electric Company, built diesel shunting locomotives for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in the 1930s. This design formed the basis for the later British Rail Class 08 diesel shunter. Hawthorn Leslie, and its successor Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns, built four electric locomotives for Kearsley power station between 1928 and 1946 and three of these still exist. No. 2 has been converted to battery operation and
988-426: The Banff and Portsoy lines had shifted to the east, and Grange West curve, part of the original line, was closed on 7 May 1960. The original route from Tillynaught to Banff closed to passengers on 6 July 1964. The section from Grange to Tillynaught fed the coast line, and therefore remained open until both sections closed on 6 May 1968. This line was the last steam operated line in the north east of Scotland. Parts of
1040-540: The Banffshire Railway wrote to the GNoSR board to state that "through dint of great perseverance" the Banffshire directors had raised guarantees of £20,000 towards construction of the coastal line west from Portsoy, though to go only as far as Buckie . Urging the GNoSR to make a start on the promised construction, the Banffshire bemoaned the fact that traffic was going from the coast on a carrier's carts to
1092-485: The GNoSR did not construct the planned coast line running west from Portsoy and serving the numerous fishing settlements, the idea continued to interest the GNoSR. On 12 July 1882 the GNoSR got an Act for the construction of the line, through to Elgin , which had long been a key objective for the company. The line opened in stages from 1884, and fully on 1 May 1886. The junction at Grange was built facing west, towards Keith. To allow trains to run directly from Aberdeen on to
SECTION 20
#17327866997611144-594: The Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway station at Fochabers . The GNoSR had its own financial problems, and was mightily sceptical about the Buckie extension (as it had become) and delayed taking action. The extension to Buckie was not started, but in 1865 the Banffshire Directors cheerfully reported that "the line continues to be satisfactorily worked by the Great North of Scotland Railway". The Company got an Act dated 30 July 1866 to allow extension of
1196-672: The Scottish Lowlands to the Highlands . Some of the most well known and historically important trackways are the Causey Mounth and Elsick Mounth . Aberdeenshire played an important role in the fighting between the Scottish dynasties . Macbeth fell at Lumphanan in 1057. During the Anglo-Norman penetration, other families arrive, such as House of Balliol , Clan Bruce , and Clan Cumming (Comyn). During
1248-521: The UK and above the Scottish rate of 4.8%. A significant proportion of Aberdeenshire's working residents commute to Aberdeen City for work, varying from 11.5% from Fraserburgh to 65% from Westhill. Average Gross Weekly Earnings (for full-time employees employed in workplaces in Aberdeenshire in 2011) are £572.60. This is lower than the Scottish average by £2.10 and a fall of 2.6% on the 2010 figure. The average gross weekly pay of people resident in Aberdeenshire
1300-734: The UK. In 2011, 82.2% of residents identified as 'White Scottish', followed by 12.3% who are 'White British', whilst ethnic minorities constitute only 0.9% of the population. The largest ethnic minority group is Asian Scottish/British at 0.8%. In addition to the English language, 48.8% of residents reported being able to speak and understand the Scots language. The largest settlements in Aberdeenshire are: 19,060 14,660 12,570 12,110 11,150 10,070 8,940 7,440 4,700 4,700 4,550 4,000 3,890 3,830 3,140 3,120 3,050 3,010 2,920 2,800 Aberdeenshire's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
1352-482: The area during this period, as they left signs at Kintore . Christianity influenced the inhabitants early on, and there were Celtic monasteries at Old Deer and Monymusk . Since medieval times, there have been many traditional paths that crossed the Mounth (a spur of mountainous land that extends from the higher inland range to the North Sea slightly north of Stonehaven ) through present-day Aberdeenshire from
1404-532: The areas of the historic counties of Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire except the area making up Aberdeen City Council area, as well as part of Banffshire . The historic county boundaries are still officially used for a few purposes, namely land registration and lieutenancy . Aberdeenshire Council is headquartered at Woodhill House in Aberdeen , making it the only Scottish council whose headquarters are located outside its jurisdiction. Aberdeen itself forms
1456-435: The branch trains did not run through to and from the GNoSR main line: onward passengers had to change trains. The junction there faced towards Keith. At first, there were three trains daily between Grange and Banff, with connecting trains between Tillynaught and Portsoy. At the time Portsoy was a flourishing and important port town. In addition there were two daily trips between Banff and Portsoy, reversing at Tillynaught. There
1508-572: The clans. The Gordon family adhered to Catholicism and the Forbeses to Protestantism . Aberdeenshire was the historic seat of the clan Dempster . Three universities were founded in the area prior to the 17th century, King's College in Old Aberdeen (1494), Marischal College in Aberdeen (1593), and the University of Fraserburgh (1592). During the 17th century, Aberdeenshire was
1560-564: The coast line, a connection to the Banff Branch was laid on land given by the Duke of Richmond , completing a triangle between Grange, Grange South, and Grange North Junctions, opening on 3 May 1886. Parliamentary authorisation was given retrospectively in the company's Act of 19 July 1887, in order that charges for its use could be legally made. On 1 June 1898 an exchange platform called Cairnie Junction came into use at Grange South Junction;
1612-432: The council area has risen over 50% since 1971 to approximately 263,750 in 2022, representing 4.7% of Scotland's total. Aberdeenshire's population has increased by 9.1% since 2001, while Scotland's total population grew by 3.8%. The census lists a relatively high proportion of under 16s and slightly fewer working-age people compared with the Scottish average. Aberdeenshire is one of the most homogeneous/indigenous regions of
Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
1664-412: The end of the ascendancy of Episcopalianism and the feudal power of landowners. An era began of increased agricultural and industrial progress. The present council area is named after the historic county of Aberdeenshire , which has different boundaries and ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 . The pre-1975 territory of Aberdeenshire
1716-582: The exchange platform enabled trains on the Keith and Banff lines to exchange passengers here rather than at Huntly: the island platform had no public road access until 1965. In the spring of 1910 the rails of the Portsoy harbour branch, unused for around 25 years, were lifted. The construction of extended harbours at Buckie and Macduff, able to take the larger steam powered boats of the 1890s had rendered Portsoy's cramped harbour useless. The emphasis for access to
1768-758: The location of more fighting, centred on the Marquess of Montrose and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms . This period also saw increased wealth due to the increase in trade with Germany , Poland , and the Low Countries . After the end of the Revolution of 1688 , an extended peaceful period was interrupted only by fleeting events such as the Rising of 1715 and the Rising of 1745 . The latter resulted in
1820-483: The old line are suitable for walkers. Most of the stations and other buildings have disappeared, though a few of the latter have become private residences. Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( Scots : Aiberdeenshire ; Scottish Gaelic : Siorrachd Obar Dheathain ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland . It takes its name from the historic county of Aberdeenshire , which had substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area includes all of
1872-634: The opening of the line two engines had to be hired in from the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway. During subsequent operation there were delays and cancellations due to non-availability of locomotives. Two further locomotives were ordered from Hawthorn's. The railway still had problems and at the end of 1862 it was agreed that the GNOSR should take over the working of the line from the beginning of February 1863. The four locomotives were taken into GNoSR stock as numbers 37–40 in August 1863. The first two engines
1924-783: The public sector. Aberdeenshire's economy remains closely linked to Aberdeen City's and the North Sea oil industry, with many employees in oil-related jobs. The average monthly unemployment (claimant count) rate for Aberdeenshire in 2011 was 1.5%. This is lower than the average rate of Aberdeen City (2.3%), Scotland (4.2%) and the UK (3.8%). The following significant structures or places are within Aberdeenshire: There are numerous rivers and burns in Aberdeenshire, including Cowie Water , Carron Water , Burn of Muchalls , River Dee , River Don , River Ury , River Ythan , Water of Feugh , Burn of Myrehouse , Laeca Burn and Luther Water . Numerous bays and estuaries are found along
1976-615: The seacoast of Aberdeenshire, including Banff Bay , Ythan Estuary , Stonehaven Bay and Thornyhive Bay . Aberdeenshire has a marine west coast climate on the Köppen climate classification . Aberdeenshire is in the rain shadow of the Grampians , therefore it has a generally dry climate for a maritime region, with portions of the coast receiving 25 inches (64 cm) of moisture annually. Summers are mild, and winters are typically cold in Aberdeenshire; Coastal temperatures are moderated by
2028-553: The shipbuilding and marine engine activities were put into separate subsidiaries, Hawthorn Leslie (Shipbuilders) Ltd. and Hawthorn Leslie (Engineers) Ltd. In 1968 the Company's shipbuilding interests were merged with that of Swan Hunter and the Vickers Naval Yard to create Swan Hunter & Tyne Shipbuilders . The company's shipbuilding and marine engineering interests were both nationalised and subsumed with British Shipbuilders in 1977; in 1979 its engine business
2080-495: The time Parliament held the view that too many railways would be a bad thing; in consequence it was the GNoSR inland proposal that was chosen, and authorised by Act of 26 June 1846; the others were rejected. The financial crash that followed the Railway Mania made it obvious that the GNoSR would be unable to complete all of its intended network, and for the time being it planned only to build from Aberdeen to Huntly . There
2132-469: The time for the construction of the line to Portgordon by one year, but significantly the Act granted optional powers for amalgamation with the Great North of Scotland Railway. The Banffshire Railway activated the powers to become absorbed by the GNoSR, and this was ratified by an Act of 12 August 1867. The Act also authorised the abandonment of the Portgordon line. Although the Banffshire Railway and
Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
2184-408: The wagons. There had been considerable difficulty in attracting subscriptions for shares; the authorised capital was £90,000 but only £48,000 was actually subscribed. At the end of the first year, shareholders were told that the passenger business had exceeded expectations, and "that the receipts were ample to meet the working expenses, but not to cover the whole of the interest charges". Nevertheless,
2236-408: Was 0-4-2 tanks and were named Banff and Portsoy . The third and fourth engines were 0-4-2 tender engines named Strathisla and Keith . The early coaches employed were four-wheeled non corridor vehicles, although later six-wheeled and much later bogie carriages were used. Orders for carriages were placed with Brown, Marshalls and Co. Ltd. of Birmingham and Messrs Wright of Birmingham supplied
2288-409: Was constantly short of money, and it was absorbed by the GNoSR in 1867. In 1886 a railway line was opened connecting Portsoy with coastal communities to the west, and reaching Elgin . Trains from Aberdeen ran over the Banffshire line to Portsoy and continued on the new coast line. The Banff section from Tillynaught closed to passengers in 1964 and completely in 1968; the line from Grange to Portsoy and
2340-441: Was dropped. In March 1845 the idea was revived, once again under the name the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR). It would connect Aberdeen and Inverness; many held the view that the line should follow the north coast so as to serve the numerous fishing villages there, but a set of branch lines, as well as a completely independent coastal railway through Banff and Portsoy, were proposed instead. There were rival schemes, and at
2392-589: Was formed by the merger of the shipbuilder A. Leslie and Company in Hebburn with the locomotive works of R and W Hawthorn at St. Peter's in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1886. The company displaced its locomotive manufacturing interests in 1937 to Robert Stephenson and Company , which became Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns Ltd. Perhaps the most famous ship built by the Company was HMS Kelly , launched in 1938 and commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten . In 1954,
2444-429: Was merged with George Clark & NEM , which had also been nationalised, to form Clark Hawthorn . The company's main shipbuilding yard at Hebburn closed in 1982, was sold to Cammell Laird and then acquired by A&P Group in 2001 but now lies derelict. The Company itself, deprived of its main activity, diversified into telephones. In March 1993, Vodafone made a bid for the Company which by then had become
2496-416: Was opened throughout on 30 July 1859, but there was a derailment on opening day, limiting train operation to a single journey. A full service was begun on 2 August. Stations on the line were at Grange, on the GNoSR and managed jointly, Knock, Cornhill, Tillynaught and Ladysbridge, with the terminus at Banff Harbour and at Portsoy. There were also request stopping places at Millegan, Barry and Ordens. At Grange
2548-680: Was settled in the Bronze Age by the Beaker culture , who arrived from the south around 2000–1800 BC. Stone circles and cairns were constructed predominantly in this era. In the Iron Age , hill forts were built. Around the 1st century AD, the Taexali people, who left little history, were believed to have resided along the coast. The Picts were the next documented inhabitants of the area and were no later than 800–900 AD. The Romans also were in
2600-421: Was still considerable local support for connecting some of the coastal settlements into the railway network, and as the money market returned to normal, energetic local interests succeeded in getting a company authorised: this was the Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway, authorised by Act of 27 July 1857, to construct a 16-mile line from Grange station, on the main line of the (GNoSR), to the harbour at Banff and
2652-457: Was supervised by their resident engineer, William Keir. Heavy earthworks were avoided in the planning of the line by accepting steep gradients; the ruling gradient was 1 in 70 for a long distance approaching the Glenbarry summit. Train movements approaching Portsoy Harbour had to negotiate a 1 in 30 descent from the passenger terminus, an extreme gradient requiring special precautions. The line
SECTION 50
#17327866997612704-459: Was then split between four of the five new districts in the Grampian region: Banff and Buchan (which also included eastern parts of Banffshire, including its county town of Banff ), Gordon , Kincardine and Deeside (which also included most of Kincardineshire), and Aberdeen City. Local government functions were shared between the two levels. The modern council area was created in 1996 under
#760239