Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

1940s weekend: Journey to the past with the glorious Keith and Dufftown Railway

Moray's popular heritage railway will be transported back to wartime Britain for one weekend only, as its vintage 1940s weekender returns.

'Soldier' Nigel Bodiam, and tea ladies Lynne Millar and Penny Balmer at the 1940s weekend in 2013. Image: DC Thomson
'Soldier' Nigel Bodiam, and tea ladies Lynne Millar and Penny Balmer at the 1940s weekend in 2013. Image: DC Thomson

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.

Dufftown Station during the 1940s weekend in 2018. Image: Kirstie Waterston/DC Thomson

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.

The Desert Rats’ display in 2018. Image: Kirstie Waterston/DC Thomson

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.

Emily Wilson and Sophie Huby serve tea at the NAAFI stall to Duncan Morris, in homeguard uniform, at Dufftown Station in 2014. Image: Gordon Lennox/DC Thomson

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.

Beb Bodiam, with Craig Gordon and Aidan Morrison, in period dress as they wait for the train at Keith Station in 2014. Image: Gordon Lennox/DC Thomson

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.

Buying tickets at the charming ticket office at Dufftown Station in 2018. Image: Kirstie Waterston/DC Thomson

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.

Nigel Bodiam dressed as a soldier on board the train at Keith Town Station in 2014. Image: Gordon Lennox/DC Thomson

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.

The singing group ‘Mozaic’ entertained passengers by singing period songs at Keith Town Station in 2014. Image: Gordon Lennox/DC Thomson

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.

The NAAFI van is always a popular spot. Image: Kirstie Waterston/DC Thomson

If you enjoyed this, you might like:

Conversation