Ullapool 7mm/O
A Journey to the Western Edge: Inverness to Ullapool and Lochinver via the Garve and Ullapool Railway By George Bradshaw (in imagined form, 1985) ⸻
There is a romance to the far North-West that no map can convey and no motor coach can truly capture. It is only from the carriage window of a train—pulled perhaps by a grumbling Class 37 in BR blue—that the Highland drama properly unfolds. In 1985, one of the most stirring railways in all Britain is the Garve and Ullapool Railway, a line long dreamt of by Victorian engineers and finally realised in the late 1930s, with a further wartime extension northward to the port of Lochinver.
Departing Inverness in the soft light of a Highland dawn, our journey westward begins with a reassuring clatter along the familiar metals of the Kyle of Lochalsh line. The trains here are pure BR Scottish Region: powerful Class 37 locomotives in weathered blue, nose-first and noble, haul all manner of traffic—from the early parcels service to the mixed freight wagons that speak of the region’s stubborn industry.
At Dingwall, the route splits. Our train, perhaps the 08:12 to Ullapool, curves westward with stately grace, hugging the Cromarty Firth before climbing into the hills toward Garve. Here, the drama of the Highland landscape intensifies—and so too does the engineering.
Garve, once merely a sleepy junction, has grown into a crucial interchange. Here begins the Garve and Ullapool Railway proper, built with steel determination through hills and glens to connect the port of Ullapool to the Highland network. This line—curving away from the Kyle route—was designed to sweep through some of the most unspoilt wilderness in Britain, through mossy glens, past black lochs, and over heather-covered heights.
A key feature of the route is Lochdrum, a lonely yet industrious outpost in the hills. The station boasts an island platform, a passing loop, and permanent-way sidings, where rust-coloured ballast wagons and yellow departmental coaches often rest. It is here that trains regularly pass: the morning northbound parcels with mailbags destined for Ullapool’s post office, and the first southbound passenger working from Lochinver.
By midday, the railway bustles in quiet Highland fashion. Four passenger services in each direction—well-patronised by local folk and walkers—are each hauled by stalwart Class 37s. The carriages, Mk1s and Mk2s in BR blue-grey, echo with the stories of local chatter and long-distance travellers bound for ferry connections at Ullapool or the quiet stone houses of Assynt.
At Ullapool, the station has taken on the role of a true maritime terminus. The platforms bustle with crofters, fishermen, and the occasional wide-eyed tourist. A modest freight yard lies adjacent, handling everything from tankers of fuel oil—shipped in for the region’s isolated depots—to flat wagons loaded with timber and fish crates. The station pilot, a resident Class 20 with an unglamorous but essential duty roster, potters about shunting wagons and making up the afternoon freight.
In the summer months, the line hosts a true gem of Highland rail travel: a steam service worked by a proud LMS Black 5, polished and pluming smoke against the vastness of the moors. This train, known affectionately as The Wester Ross Express, departs Inverness mid-morning, its carriages filled with nostalgic travellers, steam enthusiasts, and honeymooners seeking the magic of misty glens and bracken-fringed burns.
From Ullapool, the line continues north, built at great wartime expense during 1942 to serve the naval anchorage at Lochinver. This northern extension, though sparse in traffic, is still vital. A daily passenger return operates, calling at remote halts and whistle-stops, with Lochinver itself boasting a small terminus that recalls Mallaig or Thurso in its windswept solitude. The freight train—heavy with supplies and returning empty containers—makes a daily return from Inverness, reaching Lochinver by early afternoon.
Signalling remains largely traditional: tablet working on single-line sections, with token exchange at key points. Semaphore signals still stand proudly at Garve and Lochdrum, their arms slicing the mist with mechanical precision.
Thus runs the Garve and Ullapool line in the year 1985—a line of rugged dignity, kept alive by community, commerce, and the sheer beauty of the North-West Highlands. To ride it is to understand why the railway is not merely a convenience, but a lifeline, and a testament to the enduring vision of those who dared to dream of steel through the heather.
⸻ Timetable Highlights (1985 Working Assumptions):
• 05:32 Inverness – Ullapool Parcels
• 08:12 Inverness – Ullapool Passenger
• 09:45 Ullapool – Inverness Passenger
• 12:06 Inverness – Lochinver Passenger (via Ullapool)
• 13:35 Inverness – Ullapool Freight (mixed)
• 14:02 Ullapool – Inverness Steam (Black 5, summer only)
• 16:48 Ullapool – Inverness Passenger
• 17:55 Lochinver – Inverness Passenger
• 19:22 Inverness – Ullapool Fuel Oil Train
• 22:10 Ullapool – Inverness Parcels
⸻ “In journeying to the wild places, one comes home to the soul,” wrote one traveller. There can be no better proof of this than the line from Inverness to Ullapool—and beyond.
