Lines of the West Highland

Lines of the West Highlands

The lines to the West Highlands start their journey in the heart of Central Scotland and were built to link up with ports on the far West Coast. Built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, to handle passenger traffic, and transport mail, livestock and fish to Scotland’s industrial heartland, they were a valuable link to Scotland’s island communities. Holiday traffic was a welcome source of revenue.

Large parts of the lines run through sparsely populated areas, and the companies building them often struggled to raise the money for their construction. Nowadays, very little freight is carried. However, the lines are used for tourism, an industry that the West Highlands and Islands rely heavily upon. The magnificent scenery surrounding them makes it easy to understand their appeal. There is even a regular steam train service between Fort William and Mallaig on a line that received a lot of welcome publicity from the Harry Potter films. With more than 175 stunning photographs, this book takes the reader from Glasgow to Oban and Fort William, and along the ‘Road to the Isles’ to Mallaig.

Available: NOW

ISBN: 978 1 80282 350 9

Price: £15.99

Series: Britain’s Railways Series, vol 34

Format: Paperback, 96 pages

Author: Ian Lothian