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The Jacobite steam train travelling over the concrete Glenfinnian Viaduct in 2005, built for the West Highland Railway Mallaig extension
For the contemporary railway line, see West Highland Line.

The West Highland Railway (WHR) was a railway company in the Western Highlands of Scotland. Construction of a single track line to Fort William started in 1889, supported by the North British Railway (NBR), and it was the NBR who took over operations when the line carried passengers for the first time on 7 August 1896 after construction had been delayed by a dispute between the contractor and railway company. An extension to Mallaig, with viaducts built in concrete by Robert McAlpine & Sons, opened on 31 March 1901.

Permission for a railway serving the area had previously been denied, but a Royal Commission in the late 1880s recommended that improved communications would reduce the poverty in the area. The extension to Mallaig was approved in 1894, but construction of the line was delayed after Parliament argued over the subsidy that had been promised to the railway company. The local Highland Railway was protective of its monopoly of train services to Inverness and opposed the building of the line and its extensions, but was only successful in preventing a connecting line being built through the Great Glen.

Tourists came for the scenery that included views of mountains, moorland, glens and the Atlantic Ocean, or for hunting grouse or deer. Passengers could obtain baskets containing breakfast or lunch from the privately-owned refreshment room at Crianlarich. Summer tourist traffic was greater than expected, but few people travelled in winter. Income never exceeded operating expenses, and the WHR was absorbed by the NBR in December 1908.[note 1]

The former West Highland Railway tracks and stations are used today by ScotRail services between Mallaig and Glasgow, a sleeper train to London and steam train between Mallaig and Fort William.

Origins edit

 
Scotland railways in the late 1800s showing the West Highland Railway in red

The railway mania years of the 1840s saw several proposals to provide the West Highlands of Scotland with a railway. The "Caledonian & Grand Northern Railway" prospectus claimed the support of the railway engineers Locke and Errington, but was withdrawn after a letter from Errington was published saying he had no knowledge of the scheme. A "West Highland Railway" prospectus was promised after claims that the "Scottish Western Railway" proposal was too expensive, but never appeared. The "Scottish North Western Railway", "Caledonian Northern Direct" and "Scottish Grand Junction Railway" also gained financial support, but the end of the mania saw the end for plans of a railway line in the West Highlands[1] until the Highland Railway reached Strome Ferry on the west coast of Scotland in 1870. The Callander & Oban Railway (C&OR), a subsidiary of the Caledonian Railway, later opened a line to Oban in 1880.[2]

The Glasgow & North Western Railway bill was presented to Parliament in November 1882 and proposed a line to Inverness from a junction at Maryhill in Glasgow via Loch Lomond, Rannoch Moor, Fort William and the Great Glen. The 167-mile (269 km) long railway was supported by the North British Railway, Thomas Walron Smith was nominated chief engineer and financed from London.[3] The original route bypassed both Fort Augustus and Fort William so has to give minimum offence to their inhabitants, although the local council at Fort William supported the railway and invited the company to build a line to its pier. The plans were supported by people in the Oban area hoping for a shorter journey to Glasgow.[note 2] The Highland Railway argued that there was insufficient traffic for two lines to Inverness, and it was also opposed by the Caledonian Railway, the Caledonian Canal Commissioners, David MacBrayne, who owned most of the West Highland steam ferries, and landowners who saw the West Highlands as a preserve for deer and sheep. At the time most of the population was on the poverty line and the area was seen as the most backward in Europe. A Royal Commission had been set up to determine the causes and it was already plain from reports that there was an urgent need for transport.[5][6][7] The railway bill was considered in April and May 1883, and the parliamentary committee debated the quality of fish caught on Scotland's west and east coasts, the effect the railway would have on the deer, the market for tourists and the difficulties in the construction of the line.[8] On 31 May the committee decided against the railway; a plea was made for a line that ended at Fort William, but the chairman suggested that a new bill should be presented.[9]

The Napier Commission concluded in 1884[10][11] that the solution to the poverty in the West Highlands was to improve its transport links. Lochaber was 50 miles (80 km) from the nearest railway station at Kingussie. The daily coach from Fort William took over 6 hours; travelling second class the journey cost 14s 6d,[note 3] and this increased to 17s 6d for first class. Local landowners approached the railway companies with plans for a railway line: it was reported that the Caledonian Railway had not been interested, but the North British Railway had offered to operate it and would allow a junction with its Helensburgh to Glasgow line at Craigendoran.[13]

 
The railway crossing Rannoch Moor

In January 1889 seven men planned to walk across Rannoch Moor to meet a landowner to discuss the proposed route. The party included Charles Forman, with colleagues from his Glasgow engineering company, and Robert McAlpine of Robert McAlpine & Sons. Forman's chief engineer James Bulloch was the only man in the party who had crossed the moor before. On the first day the men made their way to the lodge where they planned to spend the night, but the keeper had not been expecting them and food and beds not been prepared. The next morning they left in rain and sleet; progress was slow and by mid-afternoon they reached the River Gauer, where they met Sir Robert Menzies' head keeper, who offered them Rannoch Lodge for the night. They declined, but as dusk fell men could not continue and fell behind. Bulloch managed to find a group of shepherds, who found most of the party at 2:30 am the following morning. McAlpine had managed to find shelter in a cottage; the party reformed and made their way to the Inveroran Inn for the night. That night a blizzard struck and the next day they walked through deep snow to Tyndrum railway station; if the snow had fallen earlier the outcome of the walk across the moor would have been different.[14]

This plan was for a line that terminated at a new ferry and fishing port at Roshven, but landowners to the north and west of Fort William opposed the railway, arguing that it would adversely affect the deer. The bill was also opposed by the Highland Railway, who argued that the new port would duplicate its harbour at Strome Ferry. The promoters settled for a line that terminated at Fort William, with no overt threat to the Highland Railway’s route to Inverness.[15][16] The Caledonian Railway and C&OR proposed a shorter line branching from the line to Oban and advised that crossing Rannoch Moor would be difficult; Forman denied that a party had got lost on the moor, although another member of the party later wrote that the story was "free from varnish". After the preamble to the bill was proved the North British appointed its chairman the Marquess of Tweedale as the West Highland chairman, undertook to pay £150,000 for the construction of the line and guaranteed 3+1⁄2 per cent to the those who held West Highland stock, valued at £800,000. The bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons on 3 July 1889 and celebrated that night in Fort William with a torchlight procession through the town.[17] Royal Assent was granted to the West Highland Railway Act on 12 August 1889.[18]

The C&OR later continued to work on the line to Fort William, which passed through Ballachulish. Two bills were published in 1896, one sponsored by the Caledonian and C&OR for a branch line north from Connel Ferry to Ballachulish, and a second supported by the North British and WHR for a connecting line to Fort William. The NBR and WHR were unsuccessful gaining permission for a bridge at Ballachulish and did not build their section of line, but the C&OR opened a branch in 1903.[19]

Construction edit

 
Creag-an-Arnain Viaduct beside Loch Lomond, now a Category B listed structure[20]

Formans & McCall were appointed engineers and Lucas & Aird won the construction contract.[21] The ceremonial first sod was dug by Lord Abinger on 23 October 1889. The route was split into five sections, each with a resident engineer and inspectors, and camps were established at Craigendoran, Arrochar by Loch Long, Inverglas by Loch Lomond, Crianlarich, served by the C&OR, and Fort William. Each camp had a private telephone line connecting it with headquarters in Helensburgh.[22] At first navvies from Ireland were employed, but many left for work on the Manchester Ship Canal as they became unhappy with the isolated countryside. Lucas & Aird advertised locally for workmen and offered to pay for passage, thereby managing to attract men from the Western Isles and Highlands who would not otherwise have been able to afford to travel.[23]

The route had been designed for economical construction and where possible the spoil taken from cuttings was used for nearby embankments. The mica-schist rock was cut with explosives. Bridges were built by Alexander Findlay & Company, and were normally of a steel lattice girder design, except for Creag-an-Arnain Viaduct (also known as Craigenarden Viaduct) built in the beauty spot by Loch Lomond with castellated parapets of whinstone.[24] By June 1891 a line had been built between Fort William and Loch Treig, and the railway celebrated with a dinner in Invergloy, near Spean Bridge.[25]

Lucas & Aird had agreed to build the railway for £393,638; the work done certified each month by Formans & McCall’s inspectors determined the amount paid. However, the contractors found the work harder than they had expected and asked for a review of the contract. The railway company refused this increase in their costs, so in July 1891 Lucas & Aird stopped work and dismissed most of the navvies; by the end of the month the only men employed were those required to maintain the plant. The dispute was heard at Dumbarton Sheriff Court that August; the West Highland argued that a price had been agreed, whereas Lucas & Aird argued that the line being built was substantially different than that originally planned. The Sheriff found for the railway company and an independent engineer appointed to assess the work that had been completed. The West Highland Railway started to look for another contractor, but after agreeing an increase of £10,000 Lucas & Aird resumed work in October, although it would be spring 1892 before the workforce returned to its full complement.[26][note 4]

 
Sculpture of James Renton at Rannoch station

By June 1892 good progress had been made on the line, except for the 20 miles (32 km) of desolate bog that is Rannoch Moor. Turf and brushwood laid on the surface disappeared, and tonnes of ash were brought in to build a surface that was stable enough to lay tracks on. In the area north of Rannoch station the bog was 20 feet (6.1 m) deep; this was crossed by a 684-foot (208 m) long viaduct. The following summer the railway was about to run out of money, but James Renton, a West Highland Director, invested his own money; in his honour navvies sculptured his likeness out of stone and placed it at Rannoch station. On 5 September 1893 the last length of rail on the moor was put into place and Renton drove in the last spike.[27][28][29]

Fort William had been established in 1690 by supporters of William of Orange, who were fighting the Highlanders under Cameron of Lochiel. The line’s route passed through the disused fort, and an engine shed was built on the site, although the Governor’s Room, where in 1692 Colonel Hill had signed the order for the Massacre of Glencoe, was preserved. By the late 1880s the town relied on tourism, and allowed the railway to build its station between the town and the shore of Loch Linnhe, although some residents were unhappy that the line cut off the town from the loch.[30]

After the line had been been laid stations needed to built, signalling installed and staff had to be recruited before the Board of Trade could be invited to inspect the line.[31] Major Marindin visited the line several times, and his last trip was on 3 August 1894 before he gave the necessary permission to open the line a few days later.[32] The official opening date was on 11 August 1894, although public services had been running since the company had received authorisation on 7 August. A special train with two green locomotives hauling ten red carriages left Glasgow Queen Street at 8:15 am, 40 minutes after the timetabled passenger service.[33] When the train arrived at Fort William the Marquess and Marchioness of Tweeddale alighted, and Lady Tweeddale ceremonially opened the railway.[34]

Early operations edit

 
View of Rannoch station, showing the Swiss Chalet style buildings

The Glasgow, Dumbarton & Helensburgh Railway had reached Helensburgh in 1865, and it had been absorbed by North British by 1882. The West Highland left the line at Craigendoren,[18][35] climbed alongside Loch Long to its first summit at Glen Douglas, and then descended to Ardlui on the shore of Loch Lomond; stations opened in this section at Helensburgh, Row (later Rhu), Shandon, Garelochhead, Arrochar and Tarbet and Ardlui. For the next 44 miles (71 km) the line climbed with a gradient between 1 in 65 and 1 in 50 to a new station at Crianlarich. It then crossed over the Callander & Oban Railway and the River Fillan before running alongside both to Tyndrum. The horseshoe bend across the mouth of Allt Chronghlais (Kinglass) avoided the need for a viaduct and embankment, and after passing through stations at Bridge of Orchy and Rannoch the line reached its 1,347-foot (411 m) summit on Rannoch Moor. At Loch Treig the line headed north to Inverlair (later Tulloch), before descending to the terminus at Fort William; intermediate stations opened at Roy Bridge and Spean Bridge.[36][37][38] The railway was single track with passing loops at stations and at Glen Douglas, Gorton and Corrour.[39] Most of the stations had island platforms, and the buildings were built to Swiss chalet style, attributed to James Miller, a Glasgow architect. For the single line working, Saxby & Farmer electric tablet instruments were usually placed in the station master’s office; signal boxes on the platforms housed the lever frames that worked the points.[39][29] Locomotives would pause to take on water at Crianlarich, where passengers could obtain baskets containing breakfast or lunch from the privately-owned refreshment room.[40]

 
A standard North British Railway locomotive, similar those provided for the West Highland Railway.

The North British Railway provided a modified form of its 4-4-0 locomotive. Eighteen West Highland bogies were built in 1893–1894 and classified by the North British as class N. These worked both the passenger and goods trains, although some 0-6-0 North British class C was used on the latter.[41] The line, with its tight curves and steep gradients, limited the speed; for most of the time trains travelled below 40 miles per hour (64 km/h), and 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) was rarely exceeded.[42] Carriages were built specially for the line, 50 feet 1 inch (15.27 m) long with a compartment at each end of a large saloon. They were designed to give as many passengers as possible a window seat, and were fitted with large windows: 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m) by 2 feet 4+1⁄2 inches (0.724 m) on the first class carriages and 4 feet (1.2 m) by 2 feet 4+1⁄2 inches (0.724 m) on the third class carriages. Originally the windows did not open, but ventilation was fitted after the interiors became too hot.[43] Steam heating was available from November 1894.[44]

The line opened with three passenger services a day between Fort William and Glasgow taking about 4+3⁄4 hours. Usually there were three carriages, two third-class and one first-class, except for the first and last service of the day when a carriage from Edinburgh and London Kings Cross was also attached. When the London to Fort William service was published, the Caledonian Railway advertised a competing service from London Euston via Oban and MacBrayne steam ferry.[45] In the hope of local traffic, there were four trains a day between Garelochhead and Craigendoran connecting with trains to Glasgow, but the stations were high on hills and passengers found it easier to continue using the ferry.[45]

In the winter the service was cut on two trains each way per day.[44] The first winter of 1894–95 was the worst of the 19th century. Rannoch Moor was covered daily in blizzards; the line between Tulloch and Rannoch was impassable for days, despite the efforts of staff to clear the line. At the beginning of February the Fort William curling team travelled by train for a match on Loch Rannoch, but abandoned the game due to the weather. Marooned on the moor, they found shelter in workmen’s huts, and they were joined the following day by groups of men sent to clear the line; by the end of the day there were 200 men on the moor. The weather improved the following day and they were able to dig themselves out. The following year the line was protected against snow with fences, and a roof built over the cutting at Cruach Rock.[46]

The 1889 Act gave permission for a 1+3⁄4-mile (2.8 km) branch, which left the line 1 mile (1.6 km) from Fort William, to a pier on the Caledonian Canal at Banavie. The hope of this short branch, which opened on 1 June 1895, was that the canal would provide a route to Inverness.[47] A short curve opened at Crianlarich to the C&OR on 20 December 1897, although initially this was only used for goods traffic.[48]

Mallaig extension edit

 
The Mallaig extension, in red

Although Fort William was a salt water harbour, it was 100 miles (160 km) by sea to the western fishing areas and fish traffic was seen as vital to the line’s economic future. The West Highland now considered a port at Mallaig, 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Loch Nevis, as the best option, but concluded that such a railway could not pay its way. In 1892 a government committee agreed, and suggested that a grant be paid so that such a railway could be built.[49] The West Highland Railway (Mallaig Extension) bill was published in January 1894. This was unsuccessfully opposed by the Highland Railway, about to extend its line from Strome Ferry to the Kyle of Lochalsh, and the extension was authorised on 31 July 1894.[50][18]

However, the passage of the West Highland Railway (Guarantee) bill, which financed the construction of the line, was delayed. The Tories and Liberals disagreed in the Commons over public transport subsidies, and it became the main issue of an election in Inverness. The bill was withdrawn and this was met with protests in Fort William by residents and navvies who had stayed on anticipation of more work. The West Highland Railway (Guarantee) Act eventually passed on 14 August 1896 guaranteed shareholders 3 per cent on £260,000 of the capital for thirty years and made a contribution of £30,000 to the estimated £45,000 cost of a pier at Mallaig. The first sod was cut on 2 January 1897 at Corpach by Lady Margaret Cameron of Locheil.[51]

After the guarantee bill had been withdrawn the navvies had left the area and Lucas & Aird had found new work. Simpson & Wilson were appointed engineers for the extension and Robert McAlpine & Son, headed by Robert McAlpine, became the contractors. McAlpine, known as "Concrete Bob", was pioneering construction using concrete as it was 10 to 30 per cent cheaper than stone and needed less maintenance. McAlpine’s 28-year old son Robert was placed in charge of the construction of the 39-mile-53-chain (63.8 km) long line, and Robert’s younger brother Malcolm, then 19, was appointed as his assistant.[52] The main base was established at Lochailort, and this had the first hospital manned by two nurses and a doctor on a construction site in Britain. It proved difficult to attract sufficient navvies and skilled men, and this delayed work. The line was built with severe curves and gradients of 1 in 50 as the rock was hard and difficult to work. There was insufficient air for the all the pneumatic drills until the steam compressor was replaced by a water turbine in 1897.[53]

While working on the line Malcolm McAlpine was seriously wounded by an explosion and rushed to the hospital at Lochailort. His father was in Glasgow that evening, and when he received a telegraph from the doctor explaining his son had major internal injuries and was not expected to live he commissioned a special train and left with William Macewan, a distinguished surgeon. However, when the special arrived at Craigendoran the West Highland had closed for the night and there were no special orders allowing the driver to continue. Robert argued with the driver and eventually the train left after he had said he would take full responsibility. The train arrived at Fort William at 5 am the following morning, having travelled the length of the line without tablet and the driver and fireman operating the point levers. It was then seven hours to Lochailort by road; Macewan operated that afternoon. Four days later Macewan decided that Malcolm needed to be looked after in Glasgow, but thought that the jolting of a journey in a coach would kill him. He was carried by stretcher and taken in a boat to Banavie, from where a special train took him to Glasgow. Malcolm McAlpine recovered to live until he was 89.[54]

 
The Loch nan Uamh Viaduct

Most of the bridges on the extension were built in concrete with an arched span of 50 feet (15 m); the 1,248-foot (380 m) long curved viaduct at Glenfinnan used 21 of these standard spans.[55] The rails are supported 100 feet (30 m) above the valley below by pillars, and some of these were hollow. A local story told of a horse and cart that had fallen down a shaft and was left there, the animal having been killed by the fall,[56] but in 2001 the remains of a horse was found in one of the piers of the nearby eight arch Loch nan Uamh Viaduct. At Borrodale Burn there was an agreement with the landowner to face the piers with granite, so to cut costs Borrodale Viaduct was built with a span of 127 feet 6 inches (38.86 m), twice that of any concrete bridge at the time.[57][58]

The line and Mallaig harbour opened on 31 March 1901. Fort William remained a terminus and through trains between Mallaig and Glasgow needed to reverse. Public stations opened at Banavie (the original station at the end of the branch becoming Banavie Pier), Corpach, Locheilside, Glenfinnan, Lochailort, Morar, Arisaig and Mallaig; a private station opened for Arisaig House at Beasdale. The signal line had passing loops at stations, except for Banavie, Corpach, Locheilside and Morar. Mallaig was built with an island platform, but the other stations had side platforms, passengers crossing the line at the platform ends. The platforms and station buildings were built in concrete, except for the wooden signal boxes provided by the Railway Signal Company.[59] The extension was served by four trains a day each way, with an additional train on Saturdays.[60] That summer, sleeper carriages ran from London Kings Cross to Mallaig, but in subsequent years these terminated at Fort William.[61]

Inverness edit

 
A viaduct on the I&FAR
Main article: Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway

Railways had been proposed connecting Fort William with Inverness through the Great Glen valley in 1842 and 1882.[62] The North British and Highland railways both proposed a line in 1893,[63][64] and similar proposals were made the following year. The Highland Railway expected local support, but some Highlanders were unhappy with the service provided and thought they could benefit from competition. However, in 1895 agreement was reached and the two railways withdrew their bills from parliament.[65]

The Invergarry & Fort Augustus Railway (I&FAR) was formed in 1896 by Lord Burton, who owned deer hunting estates in Glen Garry and Glen Quoich. The 24-mile line proposed to link Spean Bridge with Fort Augustus and a pier on the Caledonian Canal. As Fort Augustus was only 30 miles (48 km) from Inverness the Highland Railway opposed the line, but approval was given on 14 August 1896.[66][67] The Highland and North British railways now considered their 1895 agreement void and in December 1896 three bills were presented for railway to join Fort Augustus and Inverness, as they were joined in parliament by the Invergarry & Fort Augustus Railway. Legal fees were high for all parties. Inverness Town Council backed the local Invergarry & Fort Augustus Railway, the Highland Railway won in the Commons without gaining running rights to Spean Bridge, but lost in the Lords.[68]

Construction started on 2 February 1897, and the I&FAR built on a grand scale. A station was built at Invergarry in the style of those on the WHR; Fort Augustus had two terminal platforms and one for a line through to the pier. A platform was built at Spean Bridge on the WHR for I&FAR trains. The line was complete in 1901, although the company had no money left to buy locomotives or rolling stock. The company approached the NBR to run the line, the Highland offered better terms, but it was 30 June 1903 before parliament approved the operating arrangements and the first train was able to run.[69]

Initially, four trains a day ran between Spean Bridge and Fort Augustus, the journey taking about an hour. Local people used the line instead of the Caladonian Canal steamer as it was half the price, but tourists continued to catch the ferry at Banavie. In the first six months of 1904, the I&FAR spent £5,473 but received only £976 in income. Costs were cut and the pier station closed in 1906, but on 31 October the I&FAR were informed that the Highland would withdraw services on 20 April 1907.[70] Agreement was reached with the North British for four trains a day in summer and two in winter, and these started on 4 May 1907. In the summer of 1910 the NBR announced that they would withdraw services on 31 January 1911. Under pressure from local people they operated trains for the summer season before withdrawing services on 31 October 1911.[71] After Inverness County Council promised a grant of £600 a year and the NBR agreed to operate the line and take it over, it reopened on 1 August 1913. Ownership of the railway passed to the NBR on 28 August 1914, the county council contributing £5,000 to the total cost of £27,500.[72]

Traffic edit

 
The original Fort William station, as printed in The Railway Magazine in 1906

Tourists came for scenery that included views of mountains, moorland, glens and the Atlantic Ocean,[73] and the traffic was greater than had been predicted. The next day after opening had been the Glorious Twelfth, when the grouse shooting season opened; in later years girls were employed for two summer months as clerks at the stations on Rannoch Moor.[74] However, few passengers travelled in winter. The transport of fish had been one of the reasons for the extension to Mallaig, and fish vans were attached to passenger trains, but the volume did not reach expectations and little freight was carried.[75] Locals benefited after the West Highland Railway opened, and as they believed in keeping the Sabbath there were no trains on a Sunday; an attempt by the Highland Railway to run a fish train at Strome Ferry on a Sunday in 1882 had led to it being held by violence until midnight.[76]

Although income in 1896 was over £45,000 and this rose to over £92,000, this never exceeded expenses.[77] Locals also quickly benefited from the extension to Mallaig. In the first year, imported coal replaced peat locally for domestic fuel, tourists visited the area and locals made their way to an exhibition in Glasgow.[78] In 1899 the North British Railway paid the £34,000 interest due to West Highland stockholders, [79] and in 1902 West Highland stock was replaced by three per cent debentures paid by the North British Railway. In December 1908,[a] the 142-mile (229 km) long West Highland Railway together with its Banavie branch line and valued at £2.37 million, was absorbed by the North British Railway.[80]

Legacy edit

More powerful locomotives, the 4-4-0 Class K and the 0-6-0 Class B, were trialled in 1906.[81] The Class K stayed and named after local Glens became became known as the Glens. It was a mixed-traffic locomotive not specifically designed for the West Highland line, but they hauled most of the passenger trains for the twenty years after 1913. New corridor carriages arrived in 1913, fitted with no vestibules to allow compartments with windows at the ends.[82] The Arrochar & Tarbet and Criagendoran local service was taken over by Class L and M 4-4-0 tank locomotives.[83]

On 1 January 1923 the North British Railway became part of the Scottish division of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).[84][85] In 1929 the British Aluminium Company began the construction of an aluminium smelter at Fort William. The Hall–Héroult process, developed in the late 19th century, requires low cost DC electricity, and this was generated by turning Loch Treig into a reservoir and piping the water through Ben Nevis to generators on the other side.[86] The water level in Loch Treig rose by 33 feet (10 m) requiring a diversion to the line, which opened on 7 August 1932. Freight traffic on the line increased from about 27,000 tons in 1926 to 47,000 in 1931, and Fersit railway station was provided between 1 August 1931 and 1 January 1935 for workmen building the plant.[87] Excursions ran on Sunday for the first time in the late 1920s. There was initial resistance by the Fort William townsfolk, but in the early 1930s up to 1,000 people would visit on a fine Sunday.[88] The passenger service was withdrawn from the I&FAR from 1 December 1933, although a weekly coal train ran until 31 December 1946.[89]

 
A K2 locomotive hauling a freight train at Ardlui in 1948

Former Great Northern Railway dining carriages were transferred to the line in July 1929.[82] By the early thirties passenger numbers had increased, and the typical train was made up of five passenger carriages and a number of fish vans and needed to be hauled by two locomotives. Thirteen K2 locomotives, named after Lochs, were allocated to the West Highland, and these could haul a train unassisted on the Mallaig extension. The first LNER Class K4, Loch Long, was trailed on the line in 1937, and it was found that this class could haul most trains unaided. Five more were built at Darlington, and named after clan chiefs. The first, No. 3442, was named Mac Cailien Mor, a name associated with the Duke of Argyll, and was soon renamed The Great Marquess. No. 3445 was later delivered with the name of Mac Cailin Mór, a translation of great marquess into Gaelic.[90][91]

After the outbreak of the second World War a naval base opened at Corpach, and the Mallaig extension was placed a prohibited zone, so that passengers needed a pass. [92] A naval base also opened at Faslane, and from May 1942 was served from a junction between Rhu and Shandon on the West Highland. The branch was operated by the military until the end of hostilities in August 1945, when it passed to the LNER.[93] After the war, a hydroelectric power station was built beside Loch Sloy and a bridge carried the line over the water pipes. A platform opened in August 1945 at Faslane to take prisoners of war to work on the project, and stations later opened at Inveruglas and Glenfalloch for construction workers; these closed later in that decade.[94][note 5] The Sunday excursions that had been suspended at the start of the war were replaced after the war by regular Sunday services.[93]

Great North of Scotland Railway

Britain's railways were nationalised on 1 January 1948 and the former West Highland Railway line was placed under the control of British Railways.[95] The 1955 Modernisation Plan, known formally as the "Modernisation and Re-Equipment of the British Railways", was published in December 1954, and with the aim of increasing speed and reliability steam locomotives were replaced with electric and diesel traction.[96] Initially Class 27 and Class 29 diesel locomotives were used on the line;[97] these were later replaced by the Class 37.[98]

Dr Beeching published his report "The Reshaping of British Railways" in 1963, which recommended closing the network's least used stations and lines.[99] There had been rumours in Fort William that its line would close, but British Rail had recently signed a 22-year agreement to transport timber from a new mill at Corpach and it was not listed for closure.[100] The local service from Craigendoran was withdrawn from 14 June 1964, and the stations at Rhu, Shandon. Whistlefield and Glen Douglas closed.[101] The former C&OR line was scheduled to be closed east of Crianlarich Junction on 1 November 1965, but the line was blocked in Glenogle by a landslide from 28 September 1965.[102] The service between Glasgow and Oban was diverted over the West Highland Railway south of Crianlarich, giving a combined service five or six trains a day over this part of the line and a quicker service between Glasgow and Oban.[103]

 
A Class 156 DMU at Corrour in 2006

A new station in Fort William was opened on 13 June 1975, the new one allowing a road by-pass to be built over the old site on the loch side.[104] A steam train service began between Fort William and Mallaig in the summer of 1984; some trains were extended to Craigendoran from 1987, and the locomotive The Great Marquess appeared in the summer of 1989.[105] Sunday trains reappeared from 1987, and Loch Eil Outward Board station opened in the same year.[105] The line was re-signalled with Radio Electronic Token Block and this was commissioned on 19 May 1988 with a signalling centre at Banavie. The mechanical signal boxes were closed and staff withdrawn from the stations. Class 156 Sprinters took over services from 23 January 1989, speeding up the Glasgow to Fort William service by 24 minutes and allowing trains to Oban and Fort William to divide or join up at Crianlarich.[98]

The Speedlink waggonload service was withdrawn in July 1991; Crianlarich Lower closed fully, having been used for freight since the 1980s.[106] The line's centenary was celebrated in 1994 with exhibitions at Helensburgh, Fort William and Crianlarich; on Sunday 7 August a double-headed steam special included No. 3442 and the present Marchioness of Tweeddale unveiled a commemorative plaque. In 1995 the Mallaig to Fort William steam train service was taken over by the West Coast Railway Company and continued under The Jacobite name.[107]

The West Highland Line has come to include the former C&OR line to Oban, and as of 2014 the ScotRail service includes three trains a day between Glasgow and Mallaig, a sleeper train connection with London Euston and The Jacobite steam train continues to run between Fort William and Mallaig.[108][109][110] Borrodale Viaduct is a Grade A listed structure,[111] as is Glenfinnan Viaduct,[112] which appears on the back of the 2007 Bridges Series Bank of Scotland £10 banknote[113] and in the Harry Potter series of films. The Glenfinnan Station Museum is dedicated to the history of the West Highland Railway.[114]

Notes and references edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ This date differs between sources. Awdry (1990, p. 169) gives the date as the 21st, whereas Thomas (1971, pp. 111 & 178) says it was the 31st.
  2. ^ Trains for Oban left from Glasgow Buchanan Street station and travelled via Stirling and Dunblane to reach Callander.[4]
  3. ^ Before decimal currency was introduced there were 12 old pence (d) in a shilling (s) and 20s in a pound (£). One penny in 1885 was worth the same in 2023 as approximately 57p, and 1s about £6.82.[12]
  4. ^ The number of men who built the line differ in the sources. Thomas & Turnock (1993, p. 277) states this was 4000, whereas Thomas (1971, p. 55) gives the number as 5000.
  5. ^ Butt (1995) gives the closing dates as c. 1948 for for Inveruglas (p. 127) and Glen Falloch [sic] (p. 104) and c. 1949 for Faslane (p. 95).

References edit

  1. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 17–21.
  2. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 22–23, 26.
  3. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 23–24.
  4. ^ Thomas & Turnock 1993, pp. 271–272.
  5. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 23, 26–28.
  6. ^ Thomas & Turnock 1993, p. 271.
  7. ^ Vallance & Clinker 1971, pp. 48–49.
  8. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 26, 28–32.
  9. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 23–34.
  10. ^ Royal Commission (1884). Report of Her Majesty's Commissioners of Inquiry into the Condition of the Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, etc.
  11. ^ "Beginnings and History". Scottish Land Court. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  12. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  13. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 35–37.
  14. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 39–45.
  15. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 37–39, 45.
  16. ^ Thomas & Turnock 1993, pp. 276–277.
  17. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 45–48.
  18. ^ a b c Awdry 1990, p. 169.
  19. ^ Thomas & Turnock 1993, pp. 271–273.
  20. ^ "Historic Scotland listed buildings (No.864)". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  21. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 49.
  22. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 50–51.
  23. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 51–52.
  24. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 55–58.
  25. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 58.
  26. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 58–60.
  27. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 61-62.
  28. ^ Thomas & Turnock 1993, p. 277.
  29. ^ a b "Historic Scotland listed buildings (No.12245)". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  30. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 65–67.
  31. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 63–64.
  32. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 68.
  33. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 4, 7, 11.
  34. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 3, 13–14.
  35. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 37.
  36. ^ Thomas & Turnock 1993, p. 281.
  37. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 4–14, 63.
  38. ^ One-inch to the mile maps of Scotland (Map) (2nd Edition ed.). Ordnance Survey. 1885–1900. {{cite map}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  39. ^ a b Thomas 1971, p. 63.
  40. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 86.
  41. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 158–159.
  42. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 168, 172.
  43. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 172–174.
  44. ^ a b Thomas 1971, p. 69.
  45. ^ a b Thomas 1971, pp. 68–71.
  46. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 73–79.
  47. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 79.
  48. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 85–86.
  49. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 89–90.
  50. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 90–91.
  51. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 92–95, 177.
  52. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 90, 95–96.
  53. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 96–99.
  54. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 99–100.
  55. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 100, 103.
  56. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 104.
  57. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 100–101.
  58. ^ "Loch nan Uamh Viaduct". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  59. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 87, 102.
  60. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 134.
  61. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 105.
  62. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 112–113.
  63. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 113–114.
  64. ^ Vallance & Clinker 1971, p. 49.
  65. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 114–116.
  66. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 116–117.
  67. ^ Thomas & Turnock 1993, p. 282.
  68. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 118–120.
  69. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 123–125.
  70. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 126–129.
  71. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 129–131.
  72. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 131–133.
  73. ^ Morgan 1906, p. 283.
  74. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 72.
  75. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 72, 85, 106.
  76. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 72, 106–108.
  77. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 87–88.
  78. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 108–109.
  79. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 88.
  80. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 110–111.
  81. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 159.
  82. ^ a b Thomas 1971, p. 174.
  83. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 159–161.
  84. ^ Awdry 1990, p. 152.
  85. ^ Hedges 1981, p. 87.
  86. ^ "Power to the People" (PDF). Historic Scotland. pp. 4, 10.
  87. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 140–141, 178.
  88. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 141–142.
  89. ^ Thomas & Turnock 1993, p. 283.
  90. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 163–164.
  91. ^ Bede, Cuthbert (1902). Argyll's Highlands, or, MacCailein Mor and the Lords of Lorne. John Mackay.
  92. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 144.
  93. ^ a b Thomas 1971, p. 143.
  94. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 144, 178–179.
  95. ^ Hedges 1981, p. 113.
  96. ^ British Transport Commission (1954). "Modernisation and Re-Equipment of British Rail". The Railways Archive. (Originally published by the British Transport Commission). Retrieved 25 November 2006.
  97. ^ Thomas, Paterson & Ranson 1998, p. 169.
  98. ^ a b Thomas, Paterson & Ranson 1998, p. 172.
  99. ^ Beeching, Richard (1963). "The Reshaping of British Railways" (PDF). HMSO. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
    Beeching, Richard (1963). "The Reshaping of British Railways (maps)" (PDF). HMSO. map 9. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  100. ^ Thomas 1971, pp. 145–146.
  101. ^ Thomas 1971, p. 179.
  102. ^ Thomas & Turnock 1993, p. 317.
  103. ^ Thomas, Paterson & Ranson 1998, p. 170.
  104. ^ Thomas, Paterson & Ranson 1998, pp. 165, 178.
  105. ^ a b Thomas, Paterson & Ranson 1998, pp. 171–172.
  106. ^ Thomas, Paterson & Ranson 1998, p. 173.
  107. ^ Thomas, Paterson & Ranson 1998, p. 174.
  108. ^ "Route Specifications: Scotland" (PDF). Network Rail. 2010. pp. 90–92. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  109. ^ Table 227 National Rail timetable, May 2014
  110. ^ "ScotRail franchise". Transport Scotland. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  111. ^ "Historic Scotland listed buildings (No.302)". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  112. ^ "Historic Scotland listed buildings (No.310)". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  113. ^ "Current Banknotes : Bank of Scotland". The Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  114. ^ "About". Glenfinnan Station Museum. Retrieved 20 December 2014.

Books edit

  • Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-049-7.
  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: Details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
  • Hedges, Martin, ed. (1981). 150 years of British Railways. Hamlyn. ISBN 0-600-37655-9.
  • Morgan, W. (July–December 1906). "West Highland Railway". The Railway Magazine, Volume 19.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Thomas, John (1971). The West Highland Railway. Pan Books. ISBN 0-330-02479-5.
  • Thomas, John; Paterson, Alan; Ranson, P. (1998). The West Highland Railway. House of Lochar. ISBN 978-1899863211.
  • Thomas, John; Turnock, David (1993). The North of Scotland. A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain Vol. 15 (2nd ed.). Pan Books. ISBN 0-330-02479-5.
  • Vallance, H.A.; Clinker, C.R. (1971). The Highland Railway. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-330-02720-5.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Highland Railway and West Highland Line.


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