[1] Sir William MacKenzie of Coul House had opposed the railway on the grounds of loss of privacy at his residence, but Parliament had not upheld his objections.

MacKenzie continued his opposition in such a way that construction could not proceed, and at length the Dingwall and Skye company obtained a second Act, on 5 July 1865,[note 1] authorising an alternative route.

As the proposed line approached Strathpeffer it turned sharply northwards, at the location that later became Fodderty Junction, climbing at 1 in 50 to a local summit at the Raven's Rock (458 feet), there continuing west to meet the originally intended route.

The inconvenient location of the station was a considerable disadvantage, and the Highland Railway were approached to build a line to the town itself.

Higginson describes it: A gabled canopy, supported on cast iron columns, extended its full length while inside extensive offices and waiting rooms were to be found.

A bow fronted gable, embellished with intricate bargeboards, served to relieve the otherwise plain frontage which faced onto a wide and sweeping approach.

[2] With the opening of the Highland Railway hotel, the Company started running a Tuesdays-only train in summer, the Strathpeffer Spa Express.

A limited goods service continued, but that too succumbed to road competition, and the branch closed completely on 26 March 1951.

Numerous other visiting engines appeared on the branch, including the elegant "Loch" class 4-4-0s designed by David Jones, which worked the Strathpeffer expresses.

[4] The old railway station building currently performs an important role in the town's tourist trade and cultural activities.

[22]: 156  Initially, the museum was based on the doll and toy collection of former Strathpeffer resident, Mrs Angela Kellie but subsequently expanded to tell the story of childhood in the Scottish Highlands.

It rented space in Strathpeffer's restored Victorian railway station building and by 2007 had an average of 8,500 visitors a year.

[26] The museum tells the story of childhood in the Highlands of Scotland, using photographic collections, interpretive displays and artefacts.

Themes include Birth and Baptism, Homelife, Health and Nutrition, Leisure, Child Labour and Education.

There is an oral-history film, "A Century of Highland Childhood";[27] A locally based group has outlined plans for restoration of steam train services to Strathpeffer, starting with an initial one-mile length of track.