West Highland Line

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 fishing port of Mallaig on the west coast to Glasgow. Passenger services on the line are operated by First ScotRail, primarily between Glasgow and Mallaig with the daily Caledonian Sleeper overnight service between Fort William and London Euston.

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

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 top of 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 WHL 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 the 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 it featured as a location in the 1996 film "Trainspotting". Carrying on northwards, the final stop before Fort William is Spean Bridge.

The sleeper train terminates at Fort William, but the true glory of the West Highland Line is yet to come. The section between Fort William and Mallaig passes over a magnificent viaduct at Glenfinnan, through Arisaig with its fine views of the Small Isles of Rùm, Eigg, Muck and Canna, and the sparkling white sands of Morar before coming to Mallaig itself. "The Jacobite" steam locomotive-hauled train operates over this section in summer.

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.