Glenfinnan Viaduct

[Stevekir]

This super picture appeared in my paper today. Its just a straight-through piece of line and wouldn't make a good layout, but its worth looking at.View attachment 122852

 

[Laurie]

Greatest rail journey I have ever been on Steve.


Scot Rail Fort William to Mallaig. Incredible scenery. The line hardly crosses the road and I cannot


remember seeing a house. It goes through one of the most extraordinary scenic areas I have ever seen.


Passes Glenfinan where stand the monument to Bonny Prince Charlie. Being a Stewart that has some


significance.


Also by road it is the most pretty of routes. By mountain and dale. By loch where flags grow on the shore


and the ground is covered by pretty wild flowers. It is just God's own country.


Laurie


Family photos in the 60's


View attachment 122866

View attachment 122867

View attachment 122868

View attachment 122869

View attachment 122870


View attachment 122871

 

[monica]

you have a good eye for a layout Steve,would look great done,

 

[CharleyGnarlyP290]

Are any of you familiar with the Tehachapi Loop in the US?

 

[Gern]

Begs the question why they put such a curve there when they could have gone practically straight nearer the loch.


Anyway, when you gonna build one for us Steve?

 

[Stevekir]

Begs the question why they put such a curve there when they could have gone practically straight nearer the loch.
Anyway, when you gonna build one for us Steve?

I thought of that but concluded that a crossing nearer the loch would seem to cover more low ground.


With my incredibly slow modelling, if I returned to rail layouts I would need two lives.

 

[Stevekir]

Are any of you familiar with the Tehachapi Loop in the US?

Not before I just now searched for it. Interesting. However, my favourite loopy railway is Namtu, Burma, where I was born. It was a silver and lead mine in the mountainous jungle of the Northern Shan State. My grandfather there was a mining engineer and my father an electrical engineer, between them from 1920 to 1942 when the Japanese invaded Burma (my father had to escape by walking from Burma to India, quite a walk!) Actually, the mine was (still is) at Bawdwin, the smelter at Namtu and the hydroelectric plant at Mansam Falls.


There are lots of movies of the railways in that area, the rolling stock and the buildings, filmed by people going on a holiday there. Search for namtu mines railways. This is my favourite:


View attachment 122872



Its a 270 degree loop. There is a movie of it on YouTube at:

The best bit starts at 3 minutes when you see them going all the way round. As everyone knows, a narrow guage layout allows more or less full sized rolling stock but the narrow gauge allows more track for a given layout size. In a scale smaller than OO gauge you could fit this loop plus a goods yard on the size of an office desk.


I personally don't remember this loop because I was sent at the age of 5 to Aberdeen to live with my grandparents. If I were to start a layout it would be that. Mmmm.... Tempting.

 

[Laurie]

Quite incredible Steve. Amazing amount of effort went into railways.


Laurie

 

[spanner570]

Steve, when we went over to the Outer Hebrides this September, we camped for a few nights close to Mallaig at Arisaig. Whilst we were there we took the train from Mallaig to Fort William, bought a cooked chicken from a supermarket at Fort William, ran back to the station and caught the same train back to Mallaig and ate the chicken on the beach back at the campsite!


We didn't want to pay the silly money to ride the steam driven 'Hogwarts Express', but bought two return tickets for a quarter of the price on the local rattler. Far better, no smoke or fumes as we slowly travelled along....magic scenery all the way. I'll see if I can root out a couple of pickies.....


After our hols. we drove back along the beautiful Road to the Isles and had a good look at the viaduct from close up - I was surprised to discover it is made of concrete not stone or brick and was the first attempt at mass concreting in the U.K. by yes...McAlpines!


Thanks for posting the picture, it made me and present Mrs. Ron hanker to get back to the area toot sweet!

 

[Benhur]

Would not be too difficult to include as part of a Highland layout. Noch can supply most of the viaduct in parts to be joined and weathered and the grass,trees and loch can come from Faller or Kibri etc.


The Burma loop would be good to build but not sure about obtaining Locos etc.


Big change now when I get the Virgin train to London from Glasgow.

 

[Laurie]

If any of you take this route again when you return to Fort William visit this place.


On the edge of Fort William on the edge of Loch Eil there is the Old Ferry Booking


and Station Building. The Ferry discontinued the building has been turned into a


Restaurant. So we 6, mum dad and the kids, trooped into this little establishment


and seated ourselves.


Longoustines straight from the Loch that day. Absolute perfection best ever.


Then Trout, caught that day. Yummy man


To finish Scot's best ever Crinachan. Layed toasted oats rasberries and cream


laced with whisky.


To finish----- a single malt .


Is that not perfection--- yes it is.


Down the road a little. A Manor House on a mile long drive all situated on the edge


of Lock Linne. A fine place, a Hotel originally Clan Chief Stewart's house.


Laurie Stewart and Company stayed and I wore my kilt day and night.


Laurie

 

[Stevekir]

Laurie and Ron:


We were in Mallaig last Summer, with langoustines. The upstairs fish restaurant said that their fish came from one boat only, and the first landing after mooring to avoid delay .Yes, there are so many out of the way places in Britain. I loved both your posts. Your (Ron's) pics would be nice to see. Time is passing. I (we) have decided to get out to them more next Summer.