West Highland Line

The Jacobite steam train on the Glenfinnan Viaduct

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Legend 264.3 km Mallaig 259.5 km Morar 252.3 km Arisaig 246.6 km Beasdale (Stops on request) 239.0 km Lochailort (Stops on request) 224.1 km Glenfinnan 213.6 km Locheilside (Stops on request) 207.6 km Loch Eil Outward Bound 202.8 km Corpach 201.2 km Banavie 197.5 km Fort William 183.5 km Spean Bridge 178.2 km Roy Bridge 169.0 km Tulloch 152.9 km Corrour 141.2 km Rannoch 116.3 km Bridge of Orchy 103.8 km Upper Tyndrum 163.3 km Oban 153.3 km Connel Ferry 142.4 km Taynuilt 133.1 km Falls of Cruachan (summer only) 127.9 km Loch Awe 123.5 km Dalmally 104.2 km Tyndrum Lower 96.2 km Crianlarich 82.1 km Ardlui 69.2 km Arrochar and Tarbet 51.9 km Garelochhead 41.0 km Helensburgh Upper 26.6 km Dumbarton Central 16.1 km Dalmuir 0.0 km Glasgow Queen Street ( Buchanan Street)

The West Highland Line (Scottish Gaelic: Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean - "Iron Road to the Isles") is one of the most scenic railway lines in Britain, linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban on the west coast of Scotland to Glasgow. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the iconic Trans-Siberian and the Cuzco to Machu Picchu line in Peru.^[1][2][3]

Passenger services on the line are operated by First ScotRail: three daily return services between Glasgow Queen Street and Mallaig/Oban, and one nightly (except Saturdays) Caledonian Sleeper service between London Euston and Fort William.

During the summer season a steam locomotive-hauled daily return service between Fort William and Mallaig known as "The Jacobite" is operated by West Coast Railways.

Onward ferry connections operated by Caledonian MacBrayne are available from Mallaig to the Isle of Skye, to the small isles of Rùm, Eigg, Muck, and Canna, and to Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula. From Oban ferries sail to the islands of Lismore, Colonsay, Coll, Tiree, Mull, Barra and South Uist.

The West Highland Line is one of two scenic railway lines which access the remote and mountainous west coast of Scotland, the other being the Kyle of Lochalsh Line which connects Inverness with Kyle of Lochalsh.

History

The route was built in several sections:-

• Glasgow Queen Street to Cowlairs Junction - Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
• Cowlairs Junction to Bowling - Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway (later absorbed into the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway)
• Bowling to Dumbarton Central - Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway, operated by the Caledonian Railway
• Dumbarton Central to Dalreoch - Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway
• Dalreoch to Craigendoran - Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway
• Craigendoran to Fort William - West Highland Railway sponsored by the North British Railway
• Crianlarich to Oban - Callander and Oban Railway, operated by the Caledonian Railway.

Route description

A Class 156 "Super-Sprinter" at Oban station on 25 June 2005

Since the great improvements to Scottish trunk roads in the 1980s, the train journey can take significantly longer than the equivalent road journey. The line takes a circuitous route that brings it into Fort William from the north-east. The line is single track throughout and trains must wait at stations with crossing loops for opposite direction trains to pass. Over much of the Rannoch Moor section the speed limit is 30 mph to avoid damage to the foundations of the track which float on the boggy ground.

Shortly after leaving Queen Street station in Glasgow, and beyond Queen Street Tunnel, the line follows a northwesterly course through the suburbs of Maryhill and Kelvindale. Between Westerton and Dumbarton, the route is shared with the North Clyde Line before branching northward at Craigendoran Junction towards Garelochhead and emerging alongside the northwesterly shores of Loch Lomond; the section where the West Highland Line is generally accepted to "begin proper". Significant points on the journey include Crianlarich, an important Highland junction of both road and rail, and Tyndrum, the smallest place in Scotland to boast two railway stations.

After Tyndrum, the line climbs onto Rannoch Moor. In winter, the moor is often covered with snow, and the deer may be seen running from the approaching train. The station at Corrour on the moor is one of the most remote stations in Britain and is not accessible by any public roads. Carrying on northwards, the final stop before Fort William is Spean Bridge.

The section between Fort William and Mallaig passes over a viaduct at Glenfinnan, through Arisaig with its views of the Small Isles of Rùm, Eigg, Muck and Canna, and the white sands of Morar before coming to Mallaig itself.

With the exception of route between Glasgow Queen Street and Helensburgh Upper, and the short section between Fort William Junction and Fort William station, the railway is signalled using the Radio Electronic Token Block, controlled from the signal box at Banavie station.

The route in detail

Places served along the route from Glasgow Queen Street are listed below. Sleeper services to Fort William start, however, at London Euston, calling at Edinburgh Waverley.

The West Highland Line crossing Rannoch Moor north of Rannoch station

Arisaig railway station is the most westerly in mainland Great Britain

Mallaig is the northern terminus of the line and departure point for ferries to Skye

West Highland Line in film

Glenfinnan Viaduct, on the line between Fort William and Mallaig, is a filming location for the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter series of films.

Eddie McConnell's poetic documentary A Line for All Seasons (1970) showcases the line and its history set against the scenery of the western highlands as it changes through the seasons.^[4]

Corrour station features in Trainspotting (1996), directed by Danny Boyle.

Museum

There is a museum dedicated to the history of the West Highland Line situated at Glenfinnan Station.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: West Highland Line