Fort Augustus Pier

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Fort Augustus Pier (1903-1906)

Opened on the Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway.

Description

This station was north of Fort Augustus station on the west side of Loch Ness.

This was a single platform station, with the platform on the east side of a loop. The station served a pier, built in concrete, opened with the railway. There was a small goods yard on the east side of the station by the pier. The station notably bore the name 'Pier' on its signs.

Initially David MacBrayne ran ferry services from the pier to Inverness with a subsidy from the railway for calling at the pier. MacBrayne ran ferries from Glasgow to Inverness via the Caledonian Canal and from Banavie to Inverness - a service directly in competition with the railway which only served a part of the journey and required a ferry interchange.

The station building, on the platform, was demolished after closure. The building was akin to the station buildings elsewhere on the line and on the Mallaig Extension.

To the west of the station was the 'Pier House' which has survived in modified form. This building was not the station building.

Closure to passengers came in 1906 and, officially, to goods in July 1924, although in reality this may have been considerably earlier (probably 1915). The disused track remained for some time and was lifted south as far as the A82 in 1935.

The trackbed and platforms survived until the 1960s. More recent landscaping has hidden the formation of the platform.

Local

Accommodation is available at the former station site Old Pier House .

Tags

Station Pier

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
09/05/2019


Chronology Dates

22/07/1903Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway Highland Railway
Line opened by Eliza Stewart Ellice of Invergarry House. The service was operated by the Highland Railway who were keen to keep the North British Railway away from Inverness. Connecting David Hutcheson and Co steamers operating along the Caledonian Canal connecting the line to Inverness via Loch Ness and the canal. Stations opened at Gairlochy, Invergarry, Aberchalder, Fort Augustus and Fort Augustus Pier. The Lovat Arms and Station Hotel was rebuilt and reopened in connection with new line.
30/09/1906Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway
Fort Augustus Pier station and line to Fort Augustus station closed.

Books


Forgotten Railways: Scotland