4x snow avalanches block West Highland Line

[artfullodger]

1st Post here..

You may have seen news that West Highland Line was blocked by snow... I've a few pictures of the avalanched line I'll try to attach.. when I've editted them down to the site limits...

Cheers!

Lodger

 

[yorkie]

Or you can put them on a site such as flickr (or Fotopic, the preferred site among rail enthusiasts but it can be temperamental at times and rather slow, as well as looking dated these days) and link to them here?

I have travelled the West Highland line several times, mostly in 2005/2006 behind class 37s on the sleeper. It's not the same now! Some of the drivers up there are legendary.

 

[artfullodger]

RE...

I have travelled the West Highland line several times, mostly in 2005/2006 behind class 37s on the sleeper. It's not the same now! Some of the drivers up there are legendary.

An acquaintance of mine, retired signalman from WH line, who's father was a fireman/driver on the old steam locos years ago told me some winter nights when the blizzards were blowing were almost un-cope-able-with. Night before last at "Tulloch Bridge" (Met office measuring station just north of Loch Treig, some 200m W of line, some way south of Tulloch Station) it was -13.6deg Celcius...


Cheers!

Lodger

 

[artfullodger]

Attached pics
.
The West Highland Line was closed due to Avalanches for a few days early March 2010. There were 4 small-ish ones visible, below the steep slopes of Beinn Odhar (901m), from an A82 lay-by, from where these photos were taken

The line remained closed for some days due to risk of further avalanches after the heaviest snowfall for some years: Glencoe Ski centre some 25 Km further North had 80cm in 24 hours.

 

[EltonRoad]

It's still shut. Apparently there's one 156 shuttling between FW and Mallaig. No fuelling facilities in FW, so it got fuelled by a road tanker.