Fort William: The return of steam to the West Highland Line in May 1984 sees an immaculate 673 <I>Maude</I> standing at Fort William with the <I>West Highlander</I>.
Peter Todd 28/05/1984
Fort William
Location type
StationName and dates
Fort William (1975-)Station code: FTW National Rail ScotRail
Where: Highland, Scotland
Opened on the West Highland Railway.
Open on the West Highland Line.
Description
This is a terminus with an island platform. The station replaced Fort William [1st] when the line was cut back in 1975. The platform is canopied at the buffer end.
The station is at the north east end of the town and connected to it by an underpass of the A82. The bus station is alongside.
The station is served by several trains a day to Glasgow Queen Street High Level and Mallaig and a sleeper which arrives from London in the morning and leaves in the evening.
For much of the year this is the starting point for 'The Jacobite' which runs through splendid scenery over Glenfinnan Viaduct to Mallaig. The Jacobite
The extreme east end of the station, the lines leading to the platforms, is on the course of the original line. (The curve of the line here followed the original course of the Ruver Nevis.) The bulk of the station was built on the site of a house and some wooded parkland (formerly before the east wall of the fort). The extreme north west of the building is on the site of the east fortifications.
Local
Just to the west of the station, on the bank of Loch Linnhe, are the partial remains of Fort William itself.
Visit Fort William - Cromwellian Barracks
The town was called Maryburgh, to complement Fort William, named for William and Mary.
Fort William is the northern end of the West Highland Way and the railway provides a good method of returning south. Walking south the path next meets the railway at Bridge of Orchy.
Visit Scotland - Ben Nevis
Tags
Terminus stationExternal links
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
Facilities
Gaelic name: An Gearasdan
Chronology Dates
| /11/1882 | Glasgow and North Western Railway Glasgow and North Western Railway proposed, the Bill presented to Parliament to seek approval. The route was to have been a 167 mile long railway from Glasgow to Inverness via Fort William. Supported by the North British Railway and opposed by the Highland Railway, Caledonian Railway (part owners of the Callander and Oban Railway), Caledonian Canal, David MacBrayne and some landowners. The Bill was rejected in 1883. It was not built (a less ambitious variation of it, the West Highland Railway with an Act in 1889, did open). |
| 28/07/1884 | Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway (Highland Railway) Act passed. This was partly in response to the proposed incursion of the North British Railway's Glasgow and North Western Railway from Glasgow to Inverness via Loch Lomond, Crianlarich, Glencoe, Fort William and the Great Glen. |
| 23/10/1889 | West Highland Railway First sod cut by William Frederick Scarlett (Lord Abinger) near Fort William. |
| 07/08/1894 | West Highland Railway Public opening from Fort William to Craigendoran. Stations opened at Craigendoran Upper, Helensburgh Upper, Row, Shandon, Garelochhead, Arrochar and Tarbet, Ardlui, Crianlarich, Tyndrum [WHR], Bridge of Orchy, Gortan (private), Rannoch, Corrour (private), Inverlair, Roy Bridge, Spean Bridge and Fort William [1st]. |
| 22/07/1901 | West Highland Railway Sleeper cars from Kings Cross to Fort William commence. |
| / /1924 | Fort William Smelter Site clearance begins in Fort William to build a smelter for the British Aluminium Company. |
| 01/08/1931 | West Highland Railway Fersit Halt and branch opened, Loch Treig was to be converted into a reservoir to serve the smelter at Fort William. |
| 02/09/1939 | West Highland Railway Banavie Pier to Fort William (Banavie Junction [2nd]) closed to passengers. By closure the service was meagre - a service from Fort William [1st] on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and a reverse working on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays. Banavie Junction [2nd] to Mallaig Junction remains open to passengers as part of the Mallaig Extension (West Highland Railway). |
| 06/08/1951 | West Highland Railway Banavie Pier to Fort William (Banavie Junction [2nd]) (excluded) closed to goods and completely. Banavie Junction [2nd] to Mallaig Junction remains open to passengers as part of the Mallaig Extension (West Highland Railway). |
| 13/06/1975 | West Highland Railway New Fort William station opened, old station Fort William [1st], by the pier, closed. |
| / /1977 | Fort William Smelter The Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway closed, some track remained by the works in Fort William. |
| / /1983 | Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway
Stobcross Railway Maryhill Park signal box burns down, line from Maryhill Park Junction [1st] to Knightswood South Junction (Anniesland) out of use. Trains from Rothesay Dock to BSC Ravenscraig Steelworks (imported coal) and stock movements unable to run. Fort William sleeper diverted to run through Singer. |
| 14/05/1990 | West Highland Railway Motorail service commences running to Fort William. |
| 04/10/2005 | First ScotRail 'Contact Centre' for First ScotRail opened in Fort William by Scottish Transport Minister Tavish Scott. |
| /02/2010 | West Highland Railway GB Railfreight wins three year contract to move alumina from North Blyth to the Lochaber Smelter, Fort William. |
| 11/04/2011 | North Blyth Branch (Blyth and Tyne Railway) GB Railfreight hires Deltic 55022 Royal Scots Gray to operate the North Blyth Alcan Terminal to Lynemouth Aluminium Works short distance run. (The locomotive also made the run to the Lochaber Aluminium Works near Fort William.) |
| 04/03/2020 | West Highland Railway A Class 55 'Deltic' visits Fort William for the first time (55019 'Royal Highland Fusilier') on a tour from Cardiff. |
