Black 5 44996 climbing towards Corrour Summit with special charter, October 2009.

‘Black 5’ climbing towards Corrour Summit with a special charter, 2009.

Royal Scotsman, Pulpit Rock, Loch Lomond

66746 heads south with ‘The Royal Scotsman’, near Pulpit Rock, south of Ardlui, 2017  

Glen Falloch, south of Crianlarich, 2020

Glen Falloch, south of Crianlarich

Mallaig – Fort William summer service passes along south shore of Loch Eilt.

Mallaig – Fort William summer service passes along south shore of Loch Eilt.

Loch nan Uamh from water, 2017

Loch nan Uamh from water, 2017

4

Glasgow to Oban at Glen Falloch, 2016

Slider 19

Oban Train south of Tyndrum in January, 2015

10

Class 66 at Crianlarich (alumina), 2012

K4_LochEilt

K4, 61994, ‘The Great Marquis’, Loch Eilt, 2014

16

Class 156 above Shandon, 2010

MonessieClass47

Class 47, 47826, heads a ‘Statesman Tour’ through the Monessie Gorge, 2012

5

Glasgow to Oban service crosses River Awe Bridge, 2016

Slider 21

Glasgow Queen Street – Oban train above Loch Long at Murlaggan, 2017  

Two Class 73 locos head a southbound SRPS Charter north of Rannoch Station, 2018.

Two Class 73 locomotives head a southbound SRPS charter north of Rannoch Station, 2018.

11

Caledonian Sleeper, Glen Falloch, 2009

7

Mallaig to Fort William, Jacobite  departure, 2016

Class 66 heads an alumina train to Fort William, crossing the Rannoch Viaduct on a June evening, 2015

Class 66 heads a Fort William alumina train across Rannoch viaduct on a June evening, 2015

Glasgow – Fort William/Mallaig winter service, 2020

London to Fort William Caledonian Sleeper, Loch Tulla, 2016

2

Black 5, 45407, Auch Glen Viaduct, 2016

Thompson B1, 61306, heads a charter train south near Whistlefield above Loch Long, 2019

Thompson B1, 61306, heads a charter south near Whistlefield above Loch Long, 2019  

8

Caledonian Sleeper, Rannoch Viaduct, 2016

Slider 17 Garbh Ghoir Viaduct, Rannoch

Garbh Ghoir Viaduct, Rannoch, 2013

Auch_156DMU

Auch Glen, Class 156 Glasgow/Fort William/Mallaig service, 2016

12

Glenfinnan Station, 2015

3

Fort William to London, Caledonian Sleeper, Auch, 2016

14

Locheil Outward Bound, 2017

Deltic Royal Scot, Fort William.

Deltic in charge of ‘Royal Scotsman’, Fort William, 2015

London – Fort William Caledonian Sleeper between Tyndrum & Bridge of Orchy

London – Fort William Caledonian Sleeper between Tyndrum & Bridge of Orchy, 2020

9

Great Britain Charter at Glen Falloch, 2014

Friends of the West Highland Lines

The West Highland Lines, the Top Rail Journey in the World. Britain’s railways of superlatives which take you to the:

  • Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain

    Highest mountain (Ben Nevis)

  • Loch Lomond, the largest loch in Britain

    Largest loch (Loch Lomond)

  • Loch Awe, the longest loch in Britain

    Longest loch (Loch Awe)

  • Loch Morar, the deepest loch in Britain

    Deepest loch (Loch Morar)

  • Corrour, the highest mainline station in Britain

    Highest mainline station (Corrour)

  • Arisiag, the most westerly station in Britain

    Most westerly station (Arisaig)

  • Oban, the gateway to the Hebrides

    Gateway to Hebrides (Oban & Mallaig)

  • Fort William, Britain's outdoor capital

    Britain’s Outdoor Capital (Fort William)

 

The West Highland Lines are world-class railways making a major contribution to accessibility for residents, tourists and freight in this uniquely beautiful part of Scotland. ScotRail trains link the West Highlands with Glasgow and there is also an overnight Caledonian Sleeper linking Fort William and intermediate West Highland stations with London.

This website gives an introduction to the line, with pictures of the spectacular scenery brought to you by Norman McNab, and others as attributed.

To Join The ‘Friends of the West Highland Lines’ – CLICK HERE

Keep up to date with latest News  by visiting our Twitter Feed or Facebook page.

Image from ‘Building the Mallaig Railway’ book.

A fascinating, lavishly-illustrated book about the building of the line from Fort William to Mallaig has been published (November 2020). For Details Click Here.

News Flash  – The Caledonian Sleeper service restarted 29 April 2021 with some restrictions More Information

Covid 19 – Coronavirus –   Following the Scottish Government’s announcement of a relaxation of the Scotland wide travel ban from Friday 16 April, ScotRail will announce a major uplift of services to cater for non essential travel. The alcohol ban, and no catering, plus the need to wear masks and maintain spacing will still apply. This means pre ‘Covid’ capacity will not be available and passengers are urged to book in advance.

 

 

Good News  The Summer 2021 edition of the Society’s magazine ‘West Highland News Plus’  has now been published.

Receipt of this magazine, consisting of a Spring, a Summer and a Winter edition, posted to your address, is reason enough to become a member of the ‘Friends of the West Highland Lines’.  Otherwise copies can be obtained from the Editor, Doug Carmichael, for £4 inc p&p.

This edition includes information on the new Class 153 “Active Travel” coaches, Scottish signal boxes, Part 3 of the Callander and Oban Railway and Tales of the West Highland as well as a wealth of high quality photographs.

ScotRail hope to put their Active Travel Coach into service during the May 2021 timetable.

Image courtesy of ScotRail

The picture above has captured the 10:10 ex Mallaig ScotRail service train passing the head of Loch Eilt west of Glenfinnan. It is bound for Fort William and then onward to Glasgow Queen Street Station.  Travelling on this ScotRail service may not have the romance of the Jacobite and ‘Harry Potter’, but you travel the same route, see the same scenery and have the additional bonus of viewing all the wonderful scenery between Glasgow and Fort William and for a great price.

This Site includes Information on the History, Politics and Engineering features of the West Highland Lines, authored by railway historian, Dr John McGregor and railway author, Gordon Webster. Visitors should note that this is a developing feature of the site and information on these aspects is always being reviewed and added to.

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