Pictures: All Aboard! Keith and Dufftown Railway celebrate the opening of their new Dram Tram
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KEITH and Dufftown Railway have officially opened their newly renovated train, the Dram Tram.
The refurbishment has taken almost a year, with a core group of around eight volunteers dedicating their Tuesdays and Saturdays to the project.
The new coach, dubbed The Dram Tram, was the brainchild of Engineering Head Bruce Crowe. He said: "About eight years ago I had this idea to do something with a spare coach we had lying around.
"The carriage was one of five and they come in pairs, so the coach had just been parked on the side and left unloved for more than ten years and I thought we could do something with it."
The project was a huge undertaking but over the course of the year the carriage has transformed and will be available from next year for functions, parties and whisky tastings.
The group of volunteers have removed and replaced the interiors with decoration that stays true to the railway's history as the Whisky line, with tartan carpets and curtains and furniture made with Whisky casks from Speyside Cooperage.
The Dram Tram's first public unveiling took place last Saturday (November 26) was a big success, with lots of Keith and Dufftown locals coming to see volunteers work. The team have even booked their first wedding - set to take place in October next year.
Bruce added: "We're all really chuffed with how it turned out. The idea was in my mind for so many years that it was quite scary when it started to come alive.
"It was such a huge project so it is an incredible sense of achievement and we're all very happy with it. Although now that people have seen it and realised we can do it, they're now onto us to do the rest of the fleet out and bring them up to standard." He laughed.
