The railway through Deeside began on 7th September 1853 when the line opened between Aberdeen and Banchory. On 2nd December 1859 the line was extended to Aboyne and on 17th October 1866 to Ballater which became the terminus. A track was laid to the Bridge of Gairn but was not used and its alignment is today the walk-way known as the Old Line. Originally the whole line was a single track with passing loops but between 1884 and 1899 a double track was laid to Park (by Drumoak) enabling a frequent suburban service between Aberdeen and Culter. This popular service was nick-named 'The Subbies'.
Over the years Ballater saw a great variety of steam locomotives. The best remembered is the 'Great North' 4-4-0 class of which 'Gordon Highlander', the sole survivor, is now in the Glasgow Transport Museum. From 1958 an electric battery railcar, affectionately christened 'The Sputnik' was used experimentally for some years.
Initially the railway as far as Aboyne was operated by the Deeside Railway Company and to Ballater by the Aboyne and Braemar Railway Company. The companies joined to form the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1876. The 'Great North' itself was amalgamated in 1923 with other east coast railways to form L.N.E.R. Finally, in 1948 British Railways assumed responsibility
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Every effort is made to make sure that all the information is correct but we strongly recommend that you call The Old Royal Station before you set off on your day out to confirm opening times and admission prices.
Please also note that the position on Google maps for The Old Royal Station is a rough estimate using their postcode in the database and might be slightly out.
It may also be worth clicking the web link for The Old Royal Station to see if there are any special events coming up or currently on.
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