Loch Treig Base Camp

Location type

Place

Name and dates

Loch Treig Base Camp (1890-1894)

Description

This construction camp, dating from the building of the West Highland Railway, was located at the north end of Loch Treig, where there were narrows now lost with the raising of the water level.

There were stepping stones across the narrows here (predating the railway) and during the railway's construction a footbridge was built to allow a dry-shod crossing.

The camp had several wooden sheds and a pier. It was of rather a shanty town appearance. On the railway there was a siding serving the pier, which was approached from the north and on the water side.

A small puffer, named 'Loch Treig', was assembled here and launched into the loch on the 10th of June 1890. This puffer ran south from the rail served pier and carried construction materials south to various lochside worksites.

This was, and remains, a very remote area, a harsh landscape popular with hillwalkers but with almost no population. There is no road down the length of the loch today. There was at the time a very rough lochside path (it has pretty much disappeared and will be partly underwater) so the use of the puffer was necessary to transport materials. Blasting was required due to the extremely hard rock to cut out a shelf above the loch. Over the five miles between Fersit and Corrour there are a quite staggering 150 small bridges crossing various mountain streams. Further south aerial ropeways were required to get materials up to the line as it gently climbs 450ft on its approach to Corrour.

The camp was cleared after the line was opened in 1894.

Today the site is lost with the raising of the level of Loch Treig to form a reservoir. See Loch Treig Dam.

Tags

Base camp Construction camp Aerial ropeway

External links

NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map


Nearby stations
Fersit Halt
Tulloch
Roy Bridge
Corrour
Spean Bridge
Invergloy Platform
Gairlochy
Rannoch
Invergarry
Banavie Pier
Banavie
Fort William
Fort William [1st]
Corpach
Aberchalder
Loch Treig Tunnel
Creag Dhearg Lineside Cottage
Loch Treig Dam
Loch Treig Valve Shafts
Loch Treig Speeder Shed
Bridge 1
Fersit Speeder Shed
Bridge 2
Fersit Siding
Fersit Fitting Shop
Fersit Store
Fersit Cement Shed
Intake C
Bridge 3
Tourist/other
Loch Treig Signal Box
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.