Fort Augustus Locks
John Cameron, vice-president of the National Transport Trust, unveiled a Red Wheel at Fort Augustus today, saying:
'While the Crinan Canal where I was yesterday is Scotland's smallest, today we are at a truly Monster Canal, but one that shows the hallmarks of Thomas Telford, the canny Scot who built it – for two thirds of its sixty miles had already been provided by nature.
'This could be said to be where the Levelling Up agenda really began, with the Government seeking to provide work and stem the flow of emigration.
'Maybe the original dreams of commercial traffic didn't work out, but it has made a much greater contribution by bringing tourists here, with Queen Victoria leading the way in 1873, and was a damned sight more successful than schemes to bring railways to the Great Glen.
'And where better to place the Red Wheel than this splendid visitor centre which offers all-year-round facilities for visitors and locals? I see that it boasts a 'grab and go' offer, so I'm going to grab this curtain, then go for a look round myself.'
Location: Fort Augustus Locks
Original line: Caledonian Canal
Photographer: John Yellowlees
Contact photographer: John Yellowlees
Date: 16/04/2023
Image number: 85225
Other photographs of Fort Augustus Locks on RailScot
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