Glenfinnan: Both 'The Jacobite' trains pass each other at Glenfinnan. Black 5 No.44871 is hidden by the trees heading back to Fort William, and, sister engine 45407 has just arrived with the afternoon train to Mallaig.
John Gray 24/08/2016
Glenfinnan
Location type
StationName and dates
Glenfinnan (1901-)Station code: GLF National Rail ScotRail
Where: Highland, Scotland
Opened on the Mallaig Extension (West Highland Railway).
Open on the West Highland Line.
Description
Glenfinnan is one of the great railway destinations in Scotland. The station itself, nestled among mountains, is superbly preserved and has the Glenfinnan Station Museum . To the east is the world famous 21 arch Glenfinnan Viaduct (both famous in its own right and through the Harry Potter books and films) and to the south east is where Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) raised his standard at the start of the second Jacobite uprising, celebrated with the Glenfinnan Monument. The scenery is a superb vista of mountains and lochs. Loch Shiel, with no public road, stretches south. For much of the year steam engines operate on the line, supplementing the ScotRail trains, and westbound steam trains pause here for some time, to allow visitors a quick visit to the station and museum. There are well built paths to vantage points to see these trains.
The station has two platforms. The main station building is on the westbound platform with an original timber waiting shelter on the eastbound. There is no footbridge, but footways at either end of the platforms (that at the west end is the original). The museum is in the main building. Glenfinnan Station Museum
There are restaurant cars, serving food, in the former goods yard, and a camping coach. The yard was approached by reversal and is at the east end of the station, south of the line. The signal box ('B' listed, closed 1986) still stands, no longer in active use and part of the museum. There is no footbridge between the platforms, there are footways at either end.
There is a car park, but it has limited space. There is an overflow car park by the station entry.
To the west the line runs uphill to a summit of the line, at 361ft, to Loch Eilt and runs along its south bank, separate to the road, to Lochailort.
To the east the line runs over the Glenfinnan Viaduct and then east to Loch Eil whose west end is served by Locheilside station.
14.58 miles from Banavie Junction [2nd].
Glenfinnan was a railhead for a large area. Via boats on Loch Shiel, Glenfinnan also served locations along the loch.
Local
The Jacobite
NTS - Glenfinnan Monument
Nearby, to the south of the station, is a pier on Loch Shiel served by Highland Cruises .
Glenfinnan Estate
Strictly speaking the station is not in Glen Finnan, but in the glen of the Amhainn Shlatach river, which is just to the west.
Tags
Station museum scenicExternal links
Canmore site recordNLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
12/06/2023
Facilities
Gaelic name: Gleann FhionnainListing: B
Glenfinnan Viaduct on footThe viaduct is east of Glenfinnan station. There are two convenient walking routes to the viaduct. The easier is to walk down the hill from the station and turn left onto the main road, follow the pavement downhill past the church and turn left before the road crosses the River Finnan (just beyond is the Glenfinnan Visitors' Centre) and follow the dirt road to the viaduct. The other route is to use the scenic footpath which climbs above the station and east, past a viewpoint which looks out over the station, to approach the viaduct from above at its west end. The two can be combined to make a circular walk. |
