Geograph - photograph every grid square

The Far North Line is the name given to the railway which heads north from Inverness to Scotland's north coast. Opened in stages between 1862 and 1874, the Far North Line takes a route of more than 150 miles through the counties of Ross & Cromarty, Sutherland and Caithness. The line splits at Georgemas Junction, a remote station in Caithness, with one branch going to Wick and the other to Thurso. Thurso is the northernmost railway station on the British railway network.

More information about the Far North Line can be found on the websites of Scotrail Link and the Friends of the Far North Line: Link

Built by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) at its Derby Litchurch Lane Works, the British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit (DMU). They were built between 1989 and 1992 to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains on key long distance cross-country routes.
An improvement on previous incarnations of the Sprinter series, the 158 offered luxuries such as air conditioning, an on-board payphone, power-operated interior doors, a toilet in each carriage, and provision for a refreshment trolley service. They also offered a top speed of 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) and a generally more comfortable ride for passengers. They have a range of up to 1,600 miles between refuellings.
Built for British Rail, they are currrently operated in the UK by, Abellio ScotRail, Arriva Trains Wales, East Midlands Trains, Great Western Railway, South Western Railway and Northern.