The West Highlander Steam Express

Saturday 21st September to Tuesday 24th September 2013

Join us for an exhilarating four day tour around the Western Highlands of Scotland on our own exclusive steam hauled chartered train, featuring three different steam locomotives. The tour begins in Preston, where there are good connections from London, Birmingham, The Midlands and the North of England.
There is no better way to enjoy the superb scenery of the Western Highlands than to travel through it by train. Highlights of the tour include visits to Fort William, Mallaig and Oban plus views of the majestic Ben Nevis, the tranquil Loch Lomond, the barren beauty of Rannoch Moor, and much, much more.
Mountains and moorland, lochs, glens and seascapes abound as we travel the West Highland Line, the world famous Fort William to Mallaig Line, plus the Oban Line.
Our train will be hauled by an LMS Royal Scot class, two LMS Black 5’s and LNER K1 class steam locomotives. It offers the option of travel in Premier Class, with a full meal service served at your seat, First Class or Standard Class. A buffet car will b

Saturday 21st September
A Royal Scot from Preston to Glasgow
Our train departs from Preston hauled by steam locomotive No. 46115 “Scots Guardsman” and heads north, passing through Lancaster. After Oxenholme Lake District, the gradient begins to increase and our steam locomotive will be working hard as we climb up to Grayrigg Summit. We pass through the scenic Lune Gorge and Tebay before commencing our assault on the dramatic Shap Fell, a major obstacle in the days of steam. On arrival at Carlisle there will be a break while our steam locomotive is serviced. We cross the border into Scotland at Gretna and, after Lockerbie, face a formidable climb up to Beattock Summit. The route then drops down through undulating countryside to Carstairs and Glasgow Central Station. We transfer to Glasgow hotels for overnight accommodation.

Sunday 22nd September
The spectacular West Highland Line to Mallaig
We transfer to Glasgow Queen Street Station for an early departure, at around 06:30. Today our special train will be hauled by steam locomotive No. 46115 “Scots Guardsman” for the journey to Fort William. We travel around the outskirts of Glasgow towards the West Highland Line. We shall soon be passing within sight of the famous River Clyde between Dalmuir, Dumbarton and Craigendoran. After a brief stop at Arrochar & Tarbet Station we witness the tranquil beauty of Loch Lomond. We leave Crianlarich, where the Oban line branches off, and head for the wild and desolate Rannoch Moor. We pass by Loch Treig and through the amazing Monessie Gorge. The highest mountain in Scotland at 4,418ft, Ben Nevis, comes into view as we approach Fort William around lunchtime. Here we have a short break and a different steam locomotive, K1 class No. 62005, comes on to our train for the journey to Mallaig and back. We cross the impressive Caledonian Canal at Banavie and run beside Loch Linnhe. The splendid curved Glenfinnan Viaduct is a masterpiece of engineering famous in its own right but given greater prominence recently through the Harry Potter films. Take the opportunity to photograph it, it’s a fabulous sight. We are travelling through some of the most breathtaking scenery that Scotland has to offer. The beautiful colours of the glens and lochs stand out in contrast against the sombre tones of the mountains. There are views of the Atlantic Ocean and distant islands before we arrive at Mallaig. Here we have a break and an opportunity to explore this fishing and ferry port, to take a leisurely stroll to sample the bracing sea air, to spend some time shopping, or enjoying the excellent traditional fish and chips! We return to Fort William, make our way to our hotels for overnight accommodation and maybe ‘a wee dram or two’!

Monday 23rd September
Fort William, Oban and Glasgow
At 09:00, after a hearty traditional Scottish breakfast, we leave Fort William, steam hauled by No. 46115 “Scots Guardsman”. Climbing out of Fort William through the spectacular scenery of the Monessie Gorge, we pass Roy Bridge, then tackle the steepest part of the climb up to Corrour, the second highest summit on British railways. We cross Rannoch Moor and continue through Tyndrum Upper to Crianlarich where we change locomotives. We set off for Oban double headed by two Black 5 locomotives 44871 and 45407, passing through Tyndrum Lower and continuing through the magnificent scenery of Loch Awe and the Falls of Cruachan. Soon after passing Taynuilt we arrive at the terminus of the line, Oban, where there will be a break for lunch. As soon as we leave Oban we begin an awesome climb where the locomotives will be working flat out to reach the summit. We begin our descent to Connel Ferry and Taynuilt, retracing our route to Crianlarich, from where “Scots Guardsman” will return our train to Glasgow. We face another stiff climb up to Glen Douglas before descending to Helensburgh and the Clyde valley. We pass through Dumbarton and Springburn before arriving at Glasgow Queen Street.

Tuesday 24th September
Journey home
We depart Glasgow Central at 09:30 hauled by No. 46115 “Scots Guardsman” travelling by the Glasgow and South Western route through Paisley and Dalry to Newton on Ayr. Here we take the freight only line to Mauchline Junction where we join the Glasgow and South Western Main Line. We continue through Kirkconnel, Dumfries and Gretna to Carlisle. We continue steam hauled climbing up to Shap summit, and then descend to pass through Carnforth and Lancaster en route to Preston.

The Locomotives

The West Highlander Steam Express will be hauled in turn by four different steam locomotives.

LMS Royal Scot Class 4-6-0 No. 46115 “Scots Guardsman”
Preston – Glasgow – Preston and Glasgow – Fort William – Glasgow

LNER K1 Class 2-6-0 No. 62005
Fort William – Mallaig – Fort William

2 x LMS ‘Black 5’ Class Nos. 44871 & 45407
Crianlarich – Oban – Crianlarich

Train Timings

Price

Price per person: Premier Class £955 – First Class £755 – Standard Class £545
Single supplement: Premier Class £100 – First Class £100 – Standard Class £79

Price includes

Premier Class
• 3 nights’ hotel accommodation in Glasgow and Fort William
• 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners silver served at your seat on the train
• First class accommodation on the train
Table for two supplement £50 per person

First Class
• 3 nights’ hotel accommodation and breakfast in Glasgow and Fort William
• Dinner in Fort William
• First class accommodation on the train
Table for two supplement £50 per person

Standard Class
• 3 nights’ hotel accommodation and breakfast in Glasgow and Fort William
• Dinner in Fort William
• Standard class accommodation on the train

Meals included each day are shown as: B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner