July 8, 2018

Train station Fort William Highland

Notes: Fort William – The terminus at Fort William was positioned in facility Square next to Loch Linnhe and close to the pier and Macbraynes Bus Station. The primary building was of stone and stone building featuring a turret and a double curved entranceway. There have been two platforms, certainly one of that has been an island, the track extended from a single side of the island system onto the pier.

Merchandise services had been supplied at another products place at Parade Corner, half a mile north regarding the passenger terminus, near to the present Fort William Station. Items stations contains a large brick items shed and linked building and a loading platform with a canopy. The products station has now been demolished while the website redeveloped. Fort

William in addition had a-two road stone engine shed and turntable alongside items place. To accommodate an innovative new road through Fort William the station was resited half a mile north on 9th Summer 1975. Building regarding the brand new road had started just before this date and after closure the station and adjacent coach section were rapidly demolished.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WEST HIGHLAND RAILWAY & THE LINES AROUD FORT WILLIAM
The foundation for the West Highland Railway dates back to 1884 once the North British Railway backed the Glasgow & north-western Railway to build a line from NBR at Maryhill in Glasgow to Fort William with a proposition to extend the line to a junction utilizing the Highland Railway five miles south of Inverness.

The Highland Railway vigorously opposed the scheme which will have taken traffic from their particular line because the proposed course will have decreased the length between Glasgow and Inverness by 47 kilometers; the balance ended up being declined. 36 months later, the western Highland Railway Bill proposed a unique line from Helensburgh on the NBR to Fort William without any connection to

Inverness. The Highland still opposed the system but without success and an Act ended up being offered twelfth August 1889 plus in these program capabilities we received to create a brief branch from Fort William to Banavie regarding Caledonian Canal.

Construction started the same 12 months and the line exposed with its totality on 7th August 1894 using Banavie part opening on 1st June 1895. At first apart from an area solution there were three daily trains between Glasgow and Fort William and a fourth from Kings Cross during summer months. A sleeper service was introduced from Kings Cross in 1901.

In 1895 The western Highland and North British Railway introduced a Bill to increase the Banavie part to Mallaig, a distance of 41 kilometers. Once again the Highland opposed the scheme fearing so it would divert traffic from the path to Strome Ferry and its own recently sanctioned approach to the Kyle of Lochalsh. The Highland withdrew its objection after receiving an agreement your western

Highland and NBR would not promote a line between Fort William and Inverness for at least ten years.

The West Highland Act ended up being passed in 1896 and construction began listed here 12 months but there were numerous engineering troubles and line, that has been run because of the NBR, didn’t available for traveler traffic until first April 1901.

In 1896 the Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway introduced a Bill to build a 24 mile part through the West Highland at Spean Bridge to Fort Augustus. There is again substantial resistance from Highland due to the short distance between Fort Augustus and Inverness but the Bill was passed on 24th August that year and inspite of the 1895

contract there were several schemes to increase from Fort Augustus to Inverness but this never happened. Construction ended up being finished at the end of 1901 but by this time around there was no cash to acquire locomotives and moving stock because of the hefty manufacturing expenses necessary to finish the line. The NBR agreed to work the line at expense price but this is refused because of the I & FA which as an alternative supplied the range towards Highland which brought the NBR in further dispute aided by the Highland. The Highland sooner or later obtained expert to get results the line which exposed on 22nd July 1903. The NBR and Highland then decided their long running dispute with a further arrangement never to encroach further on each other people territory.

In the 31st December 1908 the first range between Craigendoran and Fort William, the Banavie part additionally the Mallaig expansion had been absorbed by the NBR.

In the beginning the primary line carried little freight traffic but this gradually improved and by 1920 there were five everyday cargo trains between Glasgow and Fort William.

The western Highland passed through a few of the most scenic areas of Scotland. Whenever built the part of range between Craigendoran and Fort William had been largely without general public roadways along with the prospect of sparse traffic for many years the line ended up being built as cheaply possible with numerous razor-sharp curves. The line between Craigendoran and Fort William and the Mallaig part had been single track throughout with passing locations. Initially there have been 16 intermediate stations in the primary range with one place during the terminus of Banavie branch. It was rebranded Banavie Pier with the orifice for the Mallaig extension and an extension section at Banavie had been opened at the same time making the original terminus to provide the pier.

The majority of the advanced programs comparable, the structures being largely of timber construction on reduced length of brick, except Rhu, Tulloch, Roy bridge, Spean Bridge and Fort William the stations have an island system attached to the entrance by subway. The main intermediate station is Crianlarich where there was a junction aided by the Callander – Oban range.

The buildings in the Mallaig expansion resemble those regarding main range however with the exemption of this terminus at Mallaig all the programs have actually side platforms.

The Fort Augustus branch closed to passenger traffic on first December 1933 and to products on first January 1947. The short branch to Banavie Pier closed to passengers on 16th December 1939 and to goods traffic on 6th August 1951.

The remainder of this line continues to be open to passenger traffic with a frequent daily steam service called ‘The Jacobite’ during the summer running between Fort William and Mallaig, this is basically the only planned vapor hauled train to run regarding mainline in Great Britain. The products place AT Fort William closed in the 1970’s however the range nevertheless holds freight traffic to the

aluminium smelter at Fort William. Until recently the paper mill at Corpach has also been nonetheless rail served; the mill has now shut and has been demolished. The diesel shunter through the mill is on loan to your Strathspey Railway. A big saw build is usually to be constructed on your website, this can continue to use railway transport.

Source: www.disused-stations.org.uk