Kyle of Lochalsh Extension
(Highland Railway)

This railway is open. Passenger services are provided by ScotRail between Kyle of Lochalsh, Stromeferry and Inverness.

Eilean Donan Castle

Skye Bridge nearing completion

Kyle of Lochalsh is the terminus of the line. The station is also known as Kyle. 

Until recently ferries (such as the car ferry shown above, right) crossed from Kyle to Kyleakin, but this has now ceased since the opening of the Skye bridge. The Skye bridge approach roads pass through Kyle but not Kyleakin, making the port a backwater. The cuttings required for the road bridge approaches dwarf the cuttings of the railway approach and it is now difficult to imagine the difficulty with which the Railway was blasted through and what a remote Railway village Kyle of Lochlash was. 

The terminus at Kyle was essentially a "green field site". A village had to be constructed for the railway staff including a Hotel, shops, a library and accommodation. At Kyle of Lochalsh the line turns southwards. Before the station there area number of impressive cuttings. The locomotive shed [5] once stood on the up side of the line outside the station area. After the locomotive shed the track divided three ways beside the signal box  [6] (shown right, closed 3 June 1984) which is on the down side of the tracks. One track leads to the eastern face of the station pier, one track divided into storage sidings and the third leads to the western face of the station pier. The station [7] consists of a broad island platform on a pier with a West Highland Railway style swiss chalet station building. About three berths for vessels were available at the pier. On either side of the island platform a number of freight sidings were available, including a shed on the west pier. Turntables provided access to the south face of the pier. The sidings have been much reduced, on the west pier there remains a loop and loading bank siding, and on the east pier there are two tracks which are not looped. Recently the loading bank has been used to load rubble for the repairs to the seawall at the West of Stromeferry (shown in photograph, left). Since the introduction of timber traffic on the line by the English, Welsh and Scottish Railway this loading bank also sees use for loading timbers. (Photographs of this operation not scanned in yet). 

To the west of the station (to the left of the photograph shown here, right, also shown top) is the site of the slipway for the car ferries which ran until recently. The ex-Highland Railway's Hotel also is sited to the west of the station. The withdrawl of the ferries and increase in convenience for tourist car-owners with the opening of the bridge is the most recent of many services which have been withdrawn from Kyle of Lochalsh. (The line itself nearly closed in 1973). Older examples include 1973, Ullapool-Stornoway ferry service replaces Kyle-Stornoway and  1975, Kyle to Portree mailboat service ends. Given the gradual decline, the timber traffic is a welcome boost, one hopes it fairs better than the abandoned facilities at Stromeferry.

Diameter of the turntable at Kyle shed: from Cormack and Stevenson's book 'Highland Railway Locomotives; Book 1'
1901 - 50' 0"
1920 - 50' 0"
1948 - 54' 0"

Further JT comments "a picture in Rails to the Kyle of Lochalsh p246 that shows a 60' turntable installed in 1946 to accomodate introduction of the Black 5s."