West Highland Line

West Highland Line
A train to Mallaig crossing Rannoch Moor
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Glasgow Argyll and Bute Highland Scotland
Termini	Glasgow Queen Street Mallaig Oban
Stations	33
Service
Type	Rural Rail
System	National Rail
Operator(s)	Caledonian Sleeper Abellio ScotRail West Coast Railways
Rolling stock	Class 156 "Super Sprinter" Caledonian Sleeper stock
Technical
Line length	Glasgow Queen Street to Crianlarich: 59 miles 22 chains (95.4 km) Crianlarich to Oban: 41 miles 73 chains (67.5 km) Crianlarich to Fort William: 63 miles 14 chains (101.7 km) Fort William to Mallaig: 41 miles 28 chains (66.5 km) *Total (including reversing at Fort William): 205 miles 57 chains (331.1 km)
Number of tracks	One
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Operating speed	70 mph (110 km/h) maximum

This article is chiefly about the present-day route; for historical development of the West Highland Railway (Company) see West Highland Railway

The West Highland Line (Template:Lang-gd - "Iron Road to the Isles") is a railway line linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban in the Scottish Highlands to Glasgow in Central Scotland. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the notable Trans-Siberian line in Russia and the Cuzco to Machu Picchu line in Peru. The ScotRail website has since reported that the line has been voted the most scenic railway line in the world for the second year running.

The West Highland Line is one of two 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. The line is the westernmost railway line in Great Britain.

At least in part, the West Highland Line is the same railway line as that referred to as the West Highland Railway.

History

Glenfinnan viaduct

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.

There is an additional section from Fort William (or a junction near Fort William) to Mallaig, built as the Mallaig Extension Railway.

Route description

Train crossing bridge at Banavie

The summit of the line just north of Corrour

Shortly after leaving Queen Street station in Glasgow, and beyond Queen Street Tunnel, the line diverges from the main trunk route to Edinburgh & Perth at Cowlairs and follows a northwesterly course through the suburbs of Maryhill and Kelvindale. Between Westerton and Dumbarton, the route is shared with the North Clyde Line to Helensburgh before branching northward at Craigendoran Junction towards Garelochhead, the section where the West Highland Line itself is generally accepted to begin. It gives high-level views of the Gareloch and Loch Long before emerging alongside the northwesterly shores of Loch Lomond, then climbs Glen Falloch to Crianlarich.

The branch to Oban diverges at Crianlarich, an important Highland junction of both road and rail, and runs through Glen Lochy to Dalmally and through the Pass of Brander to reach salt water at Taynuilt and Connel Ferry before a final climb over a hill to Oban. Both the Maillaig and Oban branches of the line pass through the village of Tyndrum about 5km from Crianlarich, making it both the smallest and most-northerly settlement in the UK to be served by more than one railway station.

After Bridge of Orchy, the line climbs onto Rannoch Moor, past the former crossing point at Gorton Crossing to Rannoch station. In winter, the moor is often covered with snow, and 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 road. This is the summit of the line at 410 m (1347 ft) above sea level. Carrying on northwards, the line descends above the shores of Loch Treig and through the narrow Monessie Gorge. The final stop before Fort William is Spean Bridge. The section between Fort William and Mallaig passes over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, 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 the 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.

Services

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

During the summer season from May until October a steam locomotive-hauled daily return service between Fort William and Mallaig known as "The Jacobite" is operated by West Coast Railways. There is one train a day in May, September and October, and two trains per day from June until the end of August.

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, to South Uist, and to Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula. From Oban ferries sail to the islands of Lismore, Colonsay, Coll, Tiree, Mull and Barra.

Route timings

Since improvements to Scottish trunk roads in the 1980s, a train journey can take significantly longer than the equivalent road journey. There are several reasons for this. The line is entirely single track once it leaves the North Clyde suburban network at Craigendoran and trains must wait at stations with crossing loops for opposite direction trains to pass. Even when no crossing is timetabled, each train must pause at the various token exchange points whilst the driver contacts the main signalling centre at Banavie to swap tokens electronically and obtain permission to proceed. Up to 15 minutes have to be allocated for trains to divide or combine at the junction station at Crianlarich, whilst trains heading to/from Mallaig also have to reverse at Fort William & traverse the Banavie swing bridge at low speed. A further issue is finding suitable timetable paths for Oban & Mallaig trains on the busy North Clyde line, which carries an intensive local stopping service. As West Highland trains only stop at Dumbarton Central & Dalmuir on this stretch, it is not uncommon for them be delayed by a preceding local train and so recovery time has to be included in their schedules to reduce the possibility of a late arrival in Glasgow.

Over much of the Rannoch Moor section the speed limit is 60 mph for the Sprinter and 70 mph on the approach to Rannoch station. The Caledonian Sleeper travels at 40 mph maximum, slowing down for a number of bridges on the route due to the heavy weight of the Class 67 locomotive which hauled the train until the end of the old franchise in April 2015. New sleeper operator Serco has replaced these with refurbished Class 73/9 electro-diesels since it took over, which have a lighter axle load; it isn't yet clear if the new locos will be cleared to run at higher speeds now they are in service.

Rolling Stock

Past, Present and future rolling stock on the line

Past Rolling Stock (From 1980)
Class	Image	Operator	Route	Maximum Speed		Built	In Service	Other Notes
37		British Rail (Until 1983) BR ScotRail (From 1983)	Glasgow Queen Street to Oban/Mallaig London Euston to Fort William (Takes over from electric loco at Edinburgh) Freight	mph	kmh	1959-1964	1981-1985	Class 37/0
				80	130
		BR Scotrail	Glasgow Queen Street to Oban/Mallaig]] (Until 1989) London Euston to Fort William (Takes over from electric loco at Edinburgh) Freight	90	145	1959-1964	1985-2006	Class 37/4
67		First Scotrail (Until 2015) Caledonian Sleeper (From 2015)	London Euston to Fort William (Took over from electric loco at Edinburgh)	125	201	1999-2000	2006-2016
Mark 1 Passenger Coach		British Rail (Until 1983) BR Scotrail (From 1983)	Glasgow Queen Street to Oban/Mallaig	100	160	1951-1963	1961-1989
Current Rolling Stock
156		BR Scotrail (Until 1994) ScotRail (National Express) (1994-2004) First Scotrail (2004-2015) Abellio Scotrail (2015-2018)	Glasgow Queen Street to Oban/Mallaig	75	121	1987-1989	1989- October/ November 2018	To be replaced in late 2018 by the Class 158 and Class 153.
73		Caledonian Sleeper	London Euston to Fort William (Takes over from electric loco at Edinburgh)	90	145	1965-1967 Rebuilt 2014-2016	2016-	Replaced Class 67 when their lease from DB Schenker Expired Class 73/9
66		DB Schenker	Freight	75	121	1998-2015	2000-	Class 66/0
		GB Railfreight						Class 66/7
		West Coast Railways	Special Passenger Workings (Royal Scotsman)
37		West Coast Railways	Special Passenger Workings (Royal Scotsman)	90	145	1959-1964	1985-	Class 37/5
		Direct Rail Services	Freight/ Special Passenger Workings	90	145	1959-1964		Class 37/6
LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0		West Coast Railways	Mallaig to Fort William	40	64	-	-
Peppercorn Class K1				40	64	-	-
Mark 1 Passenger coach				100	160	1951-1963
Mark 2 Passenger Coach		Caledonian Sleeper	Edinburgh Waverly to Fort William	100	160	1963-1975	1964- December 2018	To be replaced in late 2018 by new British Rail Mark 5 Passenger Stock
		West Coast Railways	Special Passenger Workigs (Royal Scotsman)
Mark 3 Sleeper Coach		Caledonian Sleeper	London Euston to Fort William			1979-1980	1980- December 2018	To be replaced in late 2018 by new Britsh Rail Mark 5 Sleeper Stock
		West Coast Railways	Special Passenger Workings (Royal Scotsman)
Future Rolling Stock
158		Abellio Scotrail	Glasgow Queen Street to Oban/Mallaig	90	145	1989-1992	October/ November 2018	Will replace the elderly Class 156 in late 2018
153				75	121	1991-1992		These single car units are to be completely adapted to accommodate bikes, skis and other outdoor equipment. They will be attached to the Class 158s when they enter service on the route.
Mark 5 Passenger Coach		Caledonian Sleeper	Edinburgh Waverly to Fort William	100	161	2016-2018	Late 2018	These new coaches will replace the Mark 2s.
Mark 5 Sleeper Coach			London Euston to Fort William					These new coaches will replace the Mark 3s.

Some notable railway-related features

• The Horse Shoe Curve, between Upper Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy
• The Cruach Rock snowshed, between Rannoch and Corrour
• Glenfinnan viaduct, between Locheilside and Glenfinnan
• The Pass of Brander stone signals, between Dalmally and Taynuilt
• Arisaig is the furthest west railway station in Great Britain.

The two branches of the line are described in detail by John Thomas in his two books (see Sources).

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 and Queen Street Low Level (to pick up or set down depending on direction).

Place	Station	OS reference	Notes
Glasgow to Crianlarich
Glasgow	Glasgow Queen Street	NS592655
Dalmuir	Dalmuir	NS484714
Dumbarton	Dumbarton Central	NS397755
Helensburgh	Helensburgh Upper	NS298833
Garelochhead	Garelochhead	NS242910
Arrochar and Tarbet	Arrochar and Tarbet	NN311045
Ardlui	Ardlui	NN317155	Request stop for the Caledonian Sleeper.
Crianlarich	Crianlarich	NN384250	At Crianlarich the former West Highland Railway route to Fort William and Mallaig links to the remaining section of the former Callander and Oban Railway to Oban.
Crianlarich to Oban
Tyndrum	Tyndrum Lower	NN327301
Dalmally	Dalmally	NN159271
Loch Awe	Loch Awe	NN124274
Loch Awe	Falls of Cruachan	NN079267	Falls of Cruachan is a request stop, used mainly by hikers.
Taynuilt	Taynuilt	NN003312
Connel	Connel Ferry	NM916340
Oban	Oban	NM857298
Crianlarich to Fort William
Tyndrum	Upper Tyndrum	NN333302
Bridge of Orchy	Bridge of Orchy	NN300394
Rannoch	Rannoch	NN422578
Corrour	Corrour	NN356663	Request stop for the Caledonian Sleeper.
Tulloch	Tulloch	NN354802
Roy Bridge	Roy Bridge	NN272810	Request stop for the Caledonian Sleeper.
Spean Bridge	Spean Bridge	NN221814
Fort William	Fort William	NN105741	Services from Glasgow reverse out of Fort William to continue to Mallaig. The Jacobite runs from Fort William to Mallaig.
Fort William and Mallaig route
Banavie	Banavie	NN112767
Corpach	Corpach	NN096767
Loch Eil	Loch Eil Outward Bound	NN054783
Loch Eil	Locheilside	NM994786	Request stop.
Glenfinnan	Glenfinnan	NM898810
Lochailort	Lochailort	NM768826	Request stop.
Beasdale	Beasdale	NM709850	Request stop.
Arisaig	Arisaig	NM663867
Morar	Morar	NM677929
Mallaig	Mallaig	NM675970	Ferries link Mallaig to Armadale, the Isle of Skye, South Uist and the Small Isles.

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.

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.

Gallery

• 
  A freight train heading south on the West Highland Line
• 
  A Scotrail service crosses Loch Awe in 2017
• 
  Bridge of Orchy Station in 1961
• 
  Railway Bridge near Inverlochy Castle
• 
  Approaching the Glenfinnan Viaduct

References

Sources

• Thomas, John (1965). The West Highland Railway. Newton Abbot: David and Charles (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-7153-7281-5.
• Thomas, John (1966). The Callander and Oban Railway (1st ed.). Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. OCLC 2316816.
• Thomas, John; Farrington, J.H. (1990). The Callander and Oban Railway (2nd ed.). Newton Abbot, Devon: David St John Thomas. OCLC 60059451.
• Thomas, John (2000). The Callander and Oban Railway (3rd ed.). Newton Abbot, Devon: David St John Thomas. ISBN 0-9465-3761-5. OCLC 228266316.

Further reading

• McGregor, John (2013). Great Railway Journeys Through Time: West Highland Line. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445613369. OCLC 839316369.
• Kelly, Peter (September 1983). "Pearls beyond price". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. pp. 23–33. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965. {{cite magazine}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
• Bellass, Eddie (June 1984). "Oban line". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. pp. 35–37, 39. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.

External links

• Video of entire journey from Glasgow Queen Street over Fort William to Mallaig: filmed from the cab of the train.
• Video footage of Garelochhead railway station
• Lochailort railway station