Morayshire Railway

The Morayshire Railway was the first railway to be built north of Aberdeen, in Scotland. It received royal assent in 1846 but construction did not start until 1851 due to the economic conditions existing in the United Kingdom at the time. The railway was built in two phases with the section from Elgin to Lossiemouth completed in 1852. When the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (I&AJR) reached Keith via Elgin, the Morayshire was able to complete the Speyside second phase by connecting the Craigellachie line at Orton. Initially the Morayshire ran its own locomotives on the I&AJR track between Elgin and Orton but this lasted only a short time and the Morayshire carriages were then hauled to Orton by the I&AJR. Disagreements with the I&AJR eventually forced the Morayshire into building a new section of track between their Elgin station and Rothes and was completed in 1862. The Morayshire completed its final act of enlargement by connecting to the new Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR) station in 1863. Crippling debt forced the company into agreeing with the GNoSR for it to take over the running of the track in 1866. When the Morayshire finally managed to greatly reduce its debt, a long sought after amalgamation with the GNoSR finally took place in 1881.

The notion of constructing a railway from Elgin to Lossiemouth was first considered in 1841 by James Grant, an Elgin solicitor who owned, with his brother, the Glen Grant distillery at Rothes—Grant was later to become Provost of Elgin. A survey showed that the line was feasible and could be built relatively cheaply yet little financial support for the project could be obtained. On 3 February 1844 and still steadfast in his belief in the project, Grant addressed the board of the Elgin and Lossiemouth Harbour Company in an effort to gain their support—the board's opinion was there was little need for railways north of Dundee, let alone one between the two towns. Following the harbour company's own investigation, it changed its opinion and gave it their backing.

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