Alford Valley Railway

The Alford Valley Railway is a narrow-gauge line in Aberdeenshire’s Howe of Alford. It follows part of the route of the old Great North of Scotland Railway branch from Kintore to Alford, opened in 1859. The original line climbed to 618 feet above sea level near Tillyfourie, where navvies cut a deep granite cutting. Passenger trains took just over an hour to cover the sixteen miles. Goods trains served local granite quarries until the 1960s. The present railway uses reclaimed equipment from a peat moss line and reopened in 1980. It runs for about three kilometres through Murray Park Woods and links Alford station with Haughton Park. A small museum sits in the restored station building, and the old granite carriage shed now shelters rolling stock. The line closed in 2017 but was revived in 2023 by a community group. Visitors find the original granite platform still in use beside the restored station building. A short museum displays locomotives and artefacts from the old branch line. The track passes beside Alford Golf Course and ends at Haughton Park, where a platform stands in the woods. Nearby museums share the story of transport and local heritage. The reopened line offers a quiet journey through Aberdeenshire’s countryside.