The Skye Marble Railway was a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

industrial railway An industrial railway is a type of railway (usually private) that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics, or military site. In regions of the world influenced by British ra ...

on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...

, Scotland which operated from 1910 to 1912.

Marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

was discovered near Kilchrist in Strath Suardal about south west of Broadford around 1907. A large factory was built near the quarry for cutting and polishing the quarried blocks. In January 1910, the company put before the Skye District Committee plans for the railway including a level crossing in Broaford. The plans were accepted by the Committee with the provision that the company take responsibility for any accident which happened at the crossing. By August 1910, it was reported that the railway to the marble quarries was progressing well and expected to be completed within the anticipated timeframe. The light railway extended from Broadford pier to the quarries, and there was a branch line to the factory. The railway was operated by a

Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a locomotive-building company, founded in 1864 in Hunslet, England. It manufactured steam locomotives for over 100 years and currently manufactures diesel shunting locomotives. The company is part of Ed Murray & So ...

steam locomotive named ''Skylark'', which was acquired second-hand from Ireland. Shortly after completion in late October 1910, Lachian Macleod, a native of the Isle of Raasay, was employed by the company on a service train between Broadford and the quarry when a wagon got out of control on an incline. He leapt from the wagon and received a fracture of the skull which proved fatal. The blocks of marble were cut in workshops on the Island and shipped to Antwerp from the pier in Broadford. The quarry venture was not successful for very long, and by 1913 the railway was being offered for sale as part of the liquidation of the business. The sale comprised a 9½-in, 4-wheeled locomotive, 500 tons of and flat-bottomed rail and 9,000 6-foot creosoted sleepers.

References

Railways on Scottish Islands 3 ft gauge railways in Scotland Closed railway lines in Scotland Isle of Skye Railway lines opened in 1910 Railway lines closed in 1913 1908 establishments in Scotland 1913 disestablishments in Scotland {{Scotland-rail-transport-stub