Fort William Aluminium Pier
Location type
Name and dates
Fort William Aluminium Pier (1929-)Opened on the Piers, Slips and Staiths.
Opened on the Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway.
Description
This pier was built around 1925 as an jetty for the Lochaber Aluminium Works, initially used during its construction and later, after rebuilding, for import and export of materials.
The Lower Works Railway of the Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway connected the pier to the works.
The line initially crossed over the West Highland Railway's Banavie [1st] branch at the north end of the later Fort William Junction Yard. The site is now a footbridge.
After opening of the works this was realigned to cross by the disused bridge at Fort William Junction.
Due to the rising gradient between the pier and works trains, of five wagons, were pushed from the rear by a locomotive.
An electric crane was provided by William Arrol & Co to replace an older steam crane.
The line fell out of use around 1977. Some track remains embedded in concrete at the pier.
