All aboard for a trip through Scotland’s wild spaces
The popularity of the West Highland line’s steam train service has inspired a new book celebrating a journey now recognised as one of the best in the world, writes John Hunt
The West Highland line in Scotland, from the banks of the Firth of Clyde to Fort William and along the Road to the Isles to the Atlantic fishing port of Mallaig, is undoubtedly one of the most scenic in the UK and, indeed, the world. Add to this the romance of steam operation and the vagaries of the Scottish weather and the result is a pictorial odyssey that is arguably second to none.
The West Highland lines were relatively late comers on the railway map, the main line from Glasgow to Fort William not opening until August 1894, the extension to Mallaig following in April 1901. For more than 60 years it survived only to come under serious threat of closure in the infamous Beeching Report of 1963. Fortunately, it survived threats of closure and withdrawal of freight traffic and the sleeper service to and from London, though rationalisation took place with the withdrawal of staff at all but Fort William and Mallaig stations, and local goods traffic. Then, in the 1980s, traditional signalling all but disappeared, replaced by a single control centre at Banavie, near
Fort William, that controls all train movements from Craigendoran Junction, on the banks of the River Clyde, to Crianlarich, Oban, Fort William and Mallaig.
Then, in 1984, after some serious lobbying of the powers that be, it was announced that steam trains would once again grace the tracks of the Road to the Isles between Fort William and Mallaig, the first steam to operate over the line since 1 June 1963. The inaugural services ran over the late May bank holiday in 1984, and since then, the steam operation has burgeoned to the extent that the season now extends from Easter through to the end of October, with two trains running each day in the peak summer months from mid May through to mid September, and promoted and operated by Carnforth-based West Coast Railways.
In the 21st century the West Highland line is very much in the spotlight, having benefited immensely from favourable reports in the travel press, which voted the line as one of the best, not just in the UK, but the world, and the decision by Warner Brothers to choose the line for locations for the hugely successful Harry Potter films. Passenger traffic has enjoyed a renaissance and the line would seem to have an assured future. The Jacobite effect is a major factor in this: nowadays the two train Jacobite service carries around 700 people a day to Mallaig. The Harry Potter phenomenon is seen to remarkable effect when the Jacobite crosses the iconic Glenfinnan viaduct when, every day, come rain or shine, there are literally hundreds of spectators to watch the train cross the viaduct, even if they never see a Ford Anglia in flight.
Glenfinnan is, however, just one aspect of what is an enticing and unique experience. The Jacobite journey starts at sea level in the shadow of Britain’s highest mountain, the 4406 feet Ben Nevis and ends up 42 miles away on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. In between there is a lot of climbing involved for the steam locomotive, on gradients as steep as 1 in 45, the highest point on the line being Borrodale summit at over 100 metres (300 feet) above sea level, which means a lot of hard work and noise from the engine. Not far from Fort William the line crosses the Caledonian Canal at Banavie, at the foot of a rise of locks named Neptune’s Staircase. En route to Mallaig the line then skirts the shore of no less than eight sea and freshwater lochs, negotiates 11 tunnels, calls at the most westerly station on the UK main land at Arisaig and, at Morar, crosses the UK’S shortest river. All this in a tremendous mountain setting as far as the eye can see.
Unsurprisingly, the line has attracted increasing number of photographers, intent on capturing images of steam at work in a truly amazing landscape. We came up with the idea that whilst there had been many previous publications on the West Highland line, nothing had come remotely close to graphically illustrating the stunning scenery, changeable weather and steam locomotives in imperious action. So, we discussed
Come rain or shine, hundredsofspectators watch the train cross the Glenfinnan viaduct
the concept with Silver Link Publishing and, with a favourable response, contacted as many of the photographers that we knew had visited the line. We also agreed that we should include the line from Glasgow to Fort William as this had been used for the movement of the locomotives and stock to and from Fort William, as well as a numerous special trains. The response was staggering: more than 30 photographers, young and not so young, submitted their best work and we realised that potentially we had a winner on our hands. The bonus was that whilst many of the pictures could be regarded as traditional train shots, there was a significant departure from the norm with some of the younger and more intrepid photographers displaying a more adventurous approach by climbing to incredible lofty vantage points to really show off the steam train in the stunning landscape or using light, shade and steam to create amazing images. As a result we have a book that not only records the locomotives that have worked the Jacobite steam service since 1984, and many of people who have made it possible, but is a remarkably diverse photographic essay on the scenery through which the whole line runs from Glasgow to Mallaig.
The end result is a hitherto unprecedented combination of photographic styles and breathtaking vantage points, providing a mesmerising mix of unforgettable images not just of steam trains but the majestic Scottish landscape, that make this book a ‘must have’ souvenir of the West Highland experience.
● On The Iron Road to the Isles by John Hunt is published by Silver Link Publishing at £45 on 24 October, and available at www.nostalgiacollection.com or through local independent bookshops and Waterstones and WH Smiths.