Civvies and soldiers alike will be heading to Keith and Dufftown Railway this weekend to take a journey back to the roaring ’40s.
The heritage railway’s 1940s weekend spectacular is a popular day out for vintage enthusiasts of all ages.
From the Land Girls and Lumber Jills who kept the home fires burning, to the daring Desert Rats, Dufftown Station will hark back to wartime with a variety of displays.
Both Dufftown and Keith Town stations will be transformed into wartime stops, complete with criss-crossed masking tape to ‘bomb-proof’ windows.
The charming stations make a delightful and authentic backdrop for the vintage weekend, and visitors are always encouraged to get on board with the dress code.
From evacuees to the humble housewife, from pin-ups to the Home Guard — there’s a variety of inspiration for attendees.
They always say an army marches on its stomach, and the NAAFI (Navy, Army, Air Force Institute) are on hand to make sure rations are available for visitors.
There will be displays of military vehicles from the period, as well as talks on both British and German military kit given aboard the trains.
ID cards are checked before embarking on the scenic route to Keith Town, but passengers will need to ‘keep mum’ because there could be a sneaky spy on board…
The rise and fall of Keith and Dufftown Railway
The 1940s weekend is just one of the events run by Keith and Dufftown Railway, a heritage line taken over by volunteers in 1998.
It was originally a Great North of Scotland Railway branch line linking Speyside with the mainline to Aberdeen and Elgin when it opened in 1862.
Dufftown was once a through station taking traffic onwards to Craigellachie, rather than the heritage railway terminus it is today.
The line operated between Keith and Dufftown for more than 100 years, with stops along the way at Keith Town, Auchindachy and Drummuir.
But passenger services were withdrawn in May 1968.
Goods traffic continued with a freight-only service for a coal depot and the Dufftown distillery, but eventually this train also ceased to run, ending in 1984.
But it wasn’t quite the end of the line for the scenic railway, nicknamed ‘the whisky line’.
Grampian Railtours began operating distillery excursions called the ‘Northern Belle’ from Aberdeen to Dufftown during the summer months.
Both rail and whisky enthusiasts could enjoy the spectacular scenery and distilleries, but sadly the tours stopped running in late 1990.
And on March 31 1991, British Rail closed the line for good due to the cost of maintenance.
Grampian Railtours decided to run one final train on March 24 that year – a class 47 locomotive with Mark 3 coaches.
The last train on the line drew into Dufftown station to the sound of bagpipes, while trainspotters gathered to say farewell.
But not everyone was ready to say goodbye to the Keith and Dufftown Railway.
The Keith and Dufftown Railway Association was established in 1993, with a view to preserving the route.
And thanks to dedicated volunteers, heritage locos began running regularly once again in the year 2000.
Trains continue to operate during the summer season – in addition to events like Santa Specials at Christmas.
The stations at Dufftown and Keith have also been beautifully restored, and visitors this weekend will be able to enjoy the addition of 1940s food displays too.
The event is on this weekend, June 17 and 18, for more information visit the Keith and Dufftown Railway website.
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