West Highland Railway
By Mountain, Moor and Loch
| The line This railway runs from Craigendoran (near Glasgow) to Fort William. The line had a branch to Banavie Pier. |
The
Service
There are three passenger trains in each direction every day and a sleeper train to London. The line is also open to freight to the Alumium smelter at Fort William and the papermill at Corpach. |
Also known
as The line is also known as "The West Highland line". |
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This map is clickable, click on stations or other lines for their details. (I need to correct the spelling of Gorten to Gorton).
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From Craigendoran Junction (junction with the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway) north by the Gareloch, Loch Long, Loch Lomond, Glen Falloch, Strathfillan, Bridge of Orchy, Rannoch, Spean Bridge to Fort William. A branch ran from Fort William north to Banavie on the Caledonian Canal. This was extended west to Mallaig. At Crianlarich a junction was made with the Callander and Oban Railway. This conection is now the route to Oban as the Callander and Oban Railway has been closed between Crianlarich and Callander and its connection on to Dunblane also closed. A now closed branch, the Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway was built from Spean Bridge north to Fort Augustus on Loch Ness.
This junction faces east. The single track West Highland Railway joins the double track (east of this location) Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway here.
There were platforms on the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway route here - two through platforms and a third running out onto the pier here. There was also a high level island platform on the West Highland Railway route.
This was an island platform station. The loop here was extended during the Second World War. The westbound track has now been removed and the trackbed raised. The station building has been demolished but an elegant roofred green metalwork footbridge gives access to the station.
This station is closed. Originally called Row. Unusually for the West Highland Railway this station was built with two platforms. Both platforms remain, the building has gone and the track has been slewed to the most direct path between the platforms.
This was the junction for the Military Port #1 Railway. The line was built during the Second World War to provide extra ports to replace ones destroyed by bombing. The site is still in use as the Faslane Submarine Base. The railway has been closed and uplifted. The junction site is slowly reverting to nature.
This station is now closed. The station was a typcial West Highland Railway island platform station. The station is completely demolished. The track has been re-layed to run through the middle of the site.
This halt is closed. It was operated in conjunction with the building of the Loch Sloy Hydro Scheme at Inveruglas. German Prisoners of war were taken by train to work on the dams.
This station is open. The station consists of an island platform with a track down each side. The building still stands here.
This station is closed. It consisted of a single platform with a building of a style not seen elsewhere on the line. The station has been demolished.
This station is closed. It consisted of an island platform (which still exists) and signalbox. There are sidings here for the neighbouring military base.
This station is open. The station is an island platform with a track down both sides and a small goods yard. This goods yard to the south sees some timber traffic. The station is midway between the towns of Arrochar and Tarbet.
This station is closed. It consisted of a single platform with a passing loop and a few sidings. What appears to be the old sign from the Inveruglas station now adorns the Inveruglas farm. This station was operated in connection with the construction of the Loch Sloy Hydro-Scheme using German prisoners of War from World War II.
This station is open. It is an island platform station with a track down each side and some sidings. The building here was demolished due to subsidence and the disused signal-box is now used instead.
This station is closed. This was a single platform halt built in Glen Falloch at a remote point.
This station is open. It consists of an island platform with a track down either side, a shed for keeping maintenance railway vehicles in and a loading bank and sidings which are used for loading timber. The original building here has been demolished and a new one provided. A station tea-room operates from the platform.
This station has also been known as Crianlarich Upper. See also the Callander and Oban Railway. The above photograph shows the route of the West Highland Railway passing over the Stirling to Fort William road. At the north end of the station a spur runs to the Callander and Oban Railway which is today used for trains running to Oban. Often sprinter sets run up from Glasgow to here as two joined 3-coach trains, they then split and take different routes north to Fort William and west to Oban.
This station was originally called Tyndrum. The station is an island platform with a track down each side. The original building here still stands.
This station is open. It is an island platform station with a track down either side of the platform. It has some sidings approached from the south end of the station. The original building and signalbox still stand.
This station is now closed. There was a signalled passing loop at this station. The station was an island platform. The passing loop remains but is operated by ground frames at either end of the site.
This station is open. It is an island platform station with a track down either side and it still has its original building. At the north end of the station is the Renton stone - a memorial to one of the railway directors who gave up part of his personal fortune to see the completion of the line succeed. The stone was carved by the navvies who were impressed by his generosity.
There is a tearoom at this station. There is a turntable pit from a former turntable here.
This station is an island platform and has a track down both sides. The station building still stands and is now a bunkhouse (Morgan's Den). The photograph shows a sprinter at the down platform heading for Fort William one evening. The up platform is no longer used for regular services, the loop only being used for maintenance trains. This station was orignally a passing place (loop) called Luibruaridh (pronounced Lebruary) and then a private station until the 11th of September 1934 when it opened to the public.
This was the station set in the middle of no-where used in the film "Trainspotting".
From this station there is a nice walk back along a drove road to Rannoch station.
This halt is closed. It was used in conjunction with the building of a nearby hydro-electric scheme dam.
This branch is closed. It was used to deliver materials to the costruction site of a hydro-electric scheme dam. Over the top of the line here passed the Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway.
Top
This station is open. It was originally called Inverlair. It has two platforms and two tracks with a goods yard accessed from the west end. The main station building still stands on the southbound platform, the other has been removed.
The waiting room at this station was often used as the church meeting hall in its early days. There were two platforms here with a passing loop. The loop has been lifted but the disused platform remains. The station building has been replaced by a bus shelter.
This station is open. The station has two platforms and a passing loop. This was the junction for the Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway. The old booking office from the branch railway remained until recently on the platform in use as a post-office. A restaurant now operates from the main station building.
This works is located on the south side of the line in Fort William. The works have sidings throughout. The works produces a lot of traffic which keeps the railway busy hauling trains of bauxite and completed aluminium slabs.
This junction was originally called Banavie Junction, became Mallaig Junction and is now Fort William Junction. It faces west towards Fort William. Originally it gave access to the Banavie Pier branch before the Mallaig line was opened.
This station replaces the original station is Fort William. The line was cut-back to the location of the goods yard and locomotive shed. The present station consists of a terminating island platform with a carriage siding on the north side of the site.
The original terminus of the line is closed. This terminus had glass canopies and three platforms. The station was located by the MacBraynes pier in the town and the railway approached along the waterfront. The approach is now a roadway and the pier building is now a fish restaurant.
This was laid out between the Glasgow and Mallaig lines during the Second World War.
This depot was built to replace the original goods yard and engine sheds in Fort William when the terminus was re-sited. The depot is still in operation and handles a lot of timber. In the summer months the Steam engines used on the line to Mallaig are stabled here.
This is where the Mallaig Extension Railway joins the Banavie Pier Branch. The Banavie Branch is closed and lifted. When the Mallaig line was opened Banavie Junction (Old) was renamed Mallaig Junction.
This was a passenger terminus by the Neptune's Staircase locks on the Caledonian Canal. The passengers had to climb up the embankment of the canal to reach it. There was a steep siding which ran up the embankment to a quayside location for freight. The Banavie Branch is closed and lifted.
Page created on: 10/03/1997
Page last edited on: 07/04/2005
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