The painstaking task of re-laying a bridge over a Highland river for the first time since the 1960s began yesterday.
A huge crane was brought in to assist engineers installing the steel structure over the River Dulnain.
It is a vital part of the Strathspey Railway Charitable Trust’s plans to extend their line from Broomhill to Grantown.
The steel bridge was donated by Network Rail in 2008 and was previously used to cross Merry Street in Motherwell.
The massive rail-borne Kirow 1200 crane, operated by Colas Rail, lifted the bridge beams into position over the course of several hours yesterday. The heavy lifting work will continue today.
The crane can lift up to 125 tonnes, and each of the main bridge beams, over 90ft long, weighs 14.5 tonnes.
Members of 39 Engineer Regiment based at Kinloss, will assist with later bridge work.
Tracks will be laid over the bridge and onward over Muckrach Estate.
The next obstacle is the creation of a planned tunnel under a realigned A95 Aviemore-Grantown road.
Trust chairman David Fraser said: “We are indebted to a number of companies, both local and national, who have been able to help at reduced or no cost at all.”
It is hoped that the restoration of a railway to Grantown will boost the town’s economy. The popular attraction carried more than 65,000 passengers annually.
The Rails to Grantown project aims to reinstate the line from Broomhill to the Strathspey town, which was lost during the Beeching cuts in the 1960s. The Broomhill station, near Nethy Bridge, is better known as Glenbogle station from the TV series, Monarch of the Glen.