The Duke of Sutherland's Railway had opened between Dunrobin and West Helmsdale (near Gartymore) on 1 November 1870.

The King, met railway workers, representatives of Helmsdale Community Council and members of Sutherland Schools Pipe Band.

He afterwards laid flowers at Helmsdale War Memorial to mark its Centenary and met veterans and members of the local community.

Major Marindin of the Board of Trade investigated and found that the driver Robert Lindsay deliberately ignored the signals as he would have had difficulty in restarting the train on the rising gradient of 1 in 59.

Mondays to Saturdays, there are four train each way that call here - southbound to Dingwall & Inverness and northbound to Wick via Thurso.