Tulloch to Newtonmore 1980s British Rail plan

[adamedwards]

Many years ago I recall a speculative BR plan to build a new line from the Highland Main Line near Dalwhinnie to Tilloch to replace the line over Rannoch Moor. So my speculative crayoning is if now built would it speed up services to Fort William (money will be found on the Golden Tree of Holyrood) and if you kept the Rannoch Moor route too, would an Oban to Inverness service have value? It would have some stunning scenery. (I'm quite sure it's nonviable, but this is the speculative threads.)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Many years ago I recall a speculative BR plan to build a new line from the Highland Main Line near Dalwhinnie to Tilloch to replace the line over Rannoch Moor.

Do you mean Tulloch?

Previously discussed on here in 2017...

Dalwhinnie/Newtonmore - Tulloch line proposals?

The gap between these stations is relatively close for this part of Scotland. Surely there must have been some proposals to connect the West Highland Line and the Highland Main Line. Have there ever been any proposals to put a railway through there?

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Cheshire Scot]

There is a loose 'railway' connection with a link from the Highland Main Line to Fort William.

Traditionally - by which I mean 60s, 70s - the first train into Fort William was the 06.00 ex Queen St / sleeper ex Kings X arriving shortly after 10.00 (times varied a bit).

At that time rail handled virtually all mail and newspaper traffic nationally. For a town such as Fort William to receive mail and newspapers so late in the day was clearly unacceptable and therefore the Glasgow/Edinburgh to Inverness overnight conveyed mail and (Scottish printed) newspapers for Fort William and points beyond (and probably for decades before the 60's too). These were conveyed by road from Kingussie to Fort William so I suppose arrived in the Fort between 04.30 and 05.00. Thus the shops had newspapers on sale first thing in the morning and first postal delivery was made off this connection.

The 06.00 also conveyed mail (including that transferred across Glasgow from the Down West Coast Postal), and papers such as the Times, Telegraph etc., meaning mail, presumably predominantly from England, would be second delivery in FW - remember the days of first and second deliveries. Forward from Fort William the 06.00 conveyed the mails and newspapers for the Mallaig line (including parts of Ardnamurchan transferred to road at Lochailort), it appears it was acceptable for these locations not to receive newspapers and mail until as late as e.g. 12.00 in Mallaig.

 

[Dr Hoo]

As noted in one brief post in the previous (2017) thread, the idea was briefly looked at in connection with aluminium industry traffic between Invergordon and Fort William. It was never a passenger-led proposal (at least in BR days).

I am not aware that the 'proposal' ever got any serious traction and the Invergordon plant shut not long afterwards. Just as well that £££ weren't wasted.

 

[4-SUB 4732]

Unless the Highland Main Line was ‘mega rapid’, this would make Glasgow journey time improvements negligible and only really work for Edinburgh.

On top of that, 226,000 people use the Oban line and 319,000 on the Fort William side. Realistically, the West Highland would be best served with some TOC-operated express bus services between Fort William and Inverness, and Crianlarich to Perth. That way, at least, connections are made Cross-Scotland.

 

[Bald Rick]

Realistically, the West Highland would be best served with some TOC-operated express bus services between Fort William and Inverness, and Crianlarich to Perth. That way, at least, connections are made Cross-Scotland.

The concept of ‘express’ on those roads is quite amusing. Also the idea that a bus would be needed.

For the amount of passenger traffic on each route, a 7 seater would be sufficient.

 

[E100]

The concept of ‘express’ on those roads is quite amusing. Also the idea that a bus would be needed.

For the amount of passenger traffic on each route, a 7 seater would be sufficient.

Certainly in the high season the Fort William to Inverness city link buses beg to differ.


Interestingly the Spirit of Scotland rovers includes city link buses between Fort William and Inverness.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The concept of ‘express’ on those roads is quite amusing. Also the idea that a bus would be needed.

For the amount of passenger traffic on each route, a 7 seater would be sufficient.

There is a Citylink coach service from FW to Inverness a few times a day. It doesn't run empty. The demand is higher than you might think, particularly from tourists.

 

[A0wen]

There is a Citylink coach service from FW to Inverness a few times a day. It doesn't run empty. The demand is higher than you might think, particularly from tourists.

It may not run empty but it probably doesn't run full enough to justify a rail reinstatement.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It may not run empty but it probably doesn't run full enough to justify a rail reinstatement.

I'd agree, I was just taking issue with the suggestion that a 7 seater minibus would be adequate - it does load a full-sized coach quite reasonably, particularly in tourist season.

 

[Bald Rick]

Ok I was being a little dramatic, but on the assumption that if you were to build a railway you’d want at least an hourly service, I think an express (ie limited or non stop) 7 seater once an hour each way would cover demand for most of the year. To put it in context, that would be comfortably more capacity than the number of people who use Crianlarich station each year.