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ALSO VISIT
About Dornoch
About
Sutherland
Gilchrist Family of
Ospisdale
Scottish Hill
Walking |
Changing Times
As we have seen the Highland
Railway constructed the branch and undertook to operate it for a
period of 50 years. This arrangement was subject to an agreement
dated April 1901. The Highland Railway was to construct the railway
and charge the Dornoch Company "Actual Cost" for this work except
the £1,000 needed for the junction at the Mound which the Highland
Company was to pay. The Highland Company would also allow the
Dornoch Company free use of sidings, station accommodation and staff
at the Mound. Operation of the line was also to be on an "Actual
Cost" basis with the Highland Company providing all locomotives,
coaches, wagons and plant of every kind for the working of the
railway. They had absolute discretion in regard to the manner of
working, subject to the provision that a reasonable use be made of
the line and at least two passenger or mixed trains would run each
day in the winter and three in the summer.
All operational staff were
employed and paid by the Highland Company, while officers required
to manage capital, financial and directorial departments were the
responsibility of the Dornoch Light Railway.
The Highland Company, after
collecting all revenues, would deduct the actual cost of operating
together with a sum for shared services eg. rolling stock
maintenance, central accounting etc. then pay the balance to the
Dornoch Company. It was this allowance which was to be the subject
of much argument between the companies accumulating in a
supplementary agreement being drawn up in 1906, which laid down a
fixed sum of £153.2s.6d. per annum plus 10/- per week for any
additional carriages supplied.
The Highland Railway would of
course benefit from through bookings of passengers, parcels and
freight and increased use of its station at the Mound. Section
thirteen of the original agreement indicates the position held by
the Duke of Sutherland:
"The most Noble Cromartie Duke
and Earl of Sutherland, and each of his sucessors in the title of
Earl of Sutherland, as long as he is a Director of the Dornoch Light
Railway Company, may from time to time, as and when he may think
fit, after giving twenty four hours notice to the Second Party (The
Highland Railway Company) on each occasion of his intending so to
do, run his private engine and carriage over the railway, and the
Second Party shall not demand or take any tolls, rates or charges in
respect thereof."
It is interesting to note that
no provision is made for timetabled trains, presumably if the Duke
wanted to travel at the same time as a regular service it was just
hard luck on the other passengers!
The railway was operated
throughout on the "one engine in steam" principle. Traffic would
consist mainly of parcels, mails, papers, coal and livestock.
Large quantities of fish would
originate at Embo, which at the turn of the century was home for 30
large decked boats and had a population of over 600.
In the summer of 1906 the "Further North
Express" ran on Fridays only non stop from Inverness at 4.30.p.m. to
Dornoch arriving at 7.33.p.m. There was no return service and the
experiment was not repeated.
CONTENTS
HOME
The Early
Years | Working the
Railway | Changing Times | Motive Power | The Route Described | A Journey in 1954
Last Loco | The Mound | Cambusavie | Skelbo | Embo | Dornoch | The
Dornoch Hotel | More Images
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