Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway to Rothes and Craigellachie. This was completed on 23 December 1858, but the "Craigellachie" station was on the west side of the River Spey, at Dandaleith. The Morayshire Railway operated between Elgin and its Craigellachie station, but that involved some running over the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway; instead of co-operating for mutual benefit, the latter railway constantly obstructed the Morayshire's operation, and despite being desperately short of money, the MR decided to build its own independent line from Elgin to Rothes, opening it on 1 January 1862. That gave access to its "Craigellachie" (Dandaleith) line, which it then extended over the River Spey to Craigellachie proper. This made the Morayshire Railway and the K&DR very attractive to the GNoSR, as that company could now reach Elgin independently of the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway. Moreover it also gave access to a junction with the Speyside Railway, another line that was nominally independent but actually fostered by the GNoSR. The Craigellachie station was in fact named "Speyside Junction", underlining the strategic significance of the connection. The Speyside Railway The proposed Forres to Perth line of the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway was becoming a reality; it opened in 1863. The GNoSR saw this as a threat that might be turned into an opportunity if it could connect into the line itself. It therefore encouraged the promotion of the Speyside Railway, which was to run from Dufftown through Craigellachie and Grantown to Boat of Garten, approaching Aviemore on the I&PJR. All these schemes came together so that in July 1863, the Speyside Railway opened, and connected with the newly opened Morayshire extension at Craigellachie; for a time the station there was known as Speyside Junction. So the GNoSR, controlling these satellites, had access to Elgin and to the main line south to Perth. However if the objective was to by-pass the obstructive Inverness companies, there was a major problem: the Boat of Garten connection was at the whim of the I&PJR. (Indeed the southward conveyance of traffic was also subject to that company's pleasure.) For some time the Speyside Railway – in reality the GNoSR – came no further south than Abernethy for three years, finally being connected at Boat of Garten on 1 August 1866. Absorption by the GNoSR For some time the GNoSR had been supporting local railways financially, and in many cases working