Dornoch Light Railway

The Dornoch Light Railway was a branch railway in Scotland that ran from The Mound on the Far North Line to Dornoch, the county town of Sutherland.

It opened in 1902, having been heavily subsidised by the fourth Duke of Sutherland. It was worked by the Highland Railway.

Although it provided a useful link, the journey to Inverness was circuitous, and the development of road services for goods and passengers led to a steep decline, and it closed in 1960.

The Sutherland Railway opened its line to Golspie in 1868, part of a route that eventually connected Inverness to Thurso and Wick, operated as the Far North Line. The Dornoch Firth presented a considerable natural barrier to the direct route of the line, although a crossing at Meikle Ferry would have been possible, putting Dornoch (population 2,861 in 1861) on the main line. However the Duke of Sutherland desired that the railway should come through Ardgay, and as he funded a considerable part of the cost of the line his wishes were complied with. The line made a wide westward sweep through Invershin and Lairg, and left Dornoch some considerable distance—7 miles—from the nearest station at The Mound. Passengers made their way to the main line in an ancient mail coach.

The passing of the Light Railways Act 1896 encouraged many local communities to consider whether they could provide a railway connection for themselves. The Act implied that less formal, low-cost operational and engineering arrangements would be possible, although this was never made specific. The Dornoch Light Railway Company was formed in early 1897 to build a branch line; it ran north-west to the station at The Mound, and it opened on 2 June 1902. It was the first light railway in the Highlands, and it cost £28,000 (equivalent to £2,740,000 in 2015) to construct.

The fourth Duke of Sutherland was its chairman, and contributed £5,000, and gave much of the land free; he had a seat on the Highland Railway board. A prospectus was issued in November 1898, quoting the cost of the line at £30,000; individual subscriptions reached £9,501. Sutherland County Council offered to contribute £1,000; Dornoch Borough Council put in £500. The Treasury was asked for £9,000.

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