Steam in the Western Highlands by Jack Kernahan (Hardcover)

Steam in the Western Highlands by Jack Kernahan (Hardcover).

The West Highland Railway and the Callander & Oban Railway, traversing the mountains, lochs and glens of Scotland's Western Highlands, provided some of the finest areas for steam locomotive photography in Britain. The entire route from Craigendoran to Mallaig together with the section from Crianlarich to Oban are still in operation, but all the branches. plus the eastern section of the Callander & Oban have been closed. All parts of the routes are covered in this book, which, like the preceding two volumes on Scottish branch and main lines, takes readers on a tour. After traversing the complete route of the West Highland to Mallaig, a short visit is paid to the fascinating but ill-fated Invergarry & Fort Augustus Railway. Journeying down the beautiful Bailachulish branch along the shores of Loch Linnhe, we reach Oban, and then across to Callander via the Pass of Brander and Glenogle, pausing for a short trip on the proudly independent Killin Railway.

The steam locomotives have now gone from the glens and lochsides, but The Scottish Railway Preservation Society run tours to Mallaig and Oban using their preserved rolling stock recalling part of an age now gone. This volume recalls the last thirty years of steam at work in the West Highlands, and is the work of members and friends of The Scottish Railway Preservation Society, but principally of Campbell Lawson Kerr, who regrettably died during its production.

THE SCOTTISH RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY

The Society was formed in 1961 to preserve some of the smaller relics of Scotland's railways, but the acquisition in 1965 of Caledonian 0.4 4T No 419 changed the emphasis to larger relics, and at its depot in Falkirk visitors can now see fourteen locomotives, twelve coaches as well as a substantial collection of wagons Many of these items have been restored by the Society to original livery and operating condition, whilst several of the coaches are used regularly on Scottish railtours run by the Society