Ballachulish

At long last the line is complete. Testing now underway. Will open on 1 Jan 2017. All members welcome to visit.

At long last wiring of the layout is making progress. Very time consuming. The railway layout is otherwise complete and can be viewed by anyone interested. Now hope to be open generally to the public during the Autumn.

At long last wiring of the layout is making progress. Very time consuming. The railway layout is otherwise complete and can be viewed by anyone interested. Now hope to be open generally to the public during the Autumn.

Opening day now scheduled for 1 July 2016. The railway will be part operational since much wiring still required. All welcome to visit between 10am and 4pm. No charge but small donation to operating costs would be appreciated. We are located in the grounds of the Loch Leven Hotel, Old Ferry Road, North Ballachulish, PH33 6SA. The stations on the layout are Oban, Connel, North Connell Halt, Creagan, Ballachulish Ferry, Ballachulish, Crianlarich High and Crianlarich Low all set in 1953.

Now 2 weeks to go to formal opening. Entry is free until the end of June while we are wiring and completing tests. Hope to see all you enthusiasts in Ballachulish! 30 minutes from the Glenfinnan Viaduct. Come and visit in the grounds of the Loch Leven Hotel, Ballachulish PH33 6SA.

The new railway shed arrives on Wednesday and weather permitting will be up by the weekend. The 24 (4x2) boards will then be moved into position leaving only the last board (8x8) to be constructed. The exhibition now likely to open on 11 April.

Work progressing with the quarry almost finished. That makes 21 out of 29 boards with only 10 weeks to go until installation in the "Railway Shed" gets underway. Lots to do especially wiring it up! Next board features open countryside between Oban and Connel so hopefully only a few days work. Hopefully our Hotel visitors will want to see it. One or two who have visited the Loch Leven Hotel before and have expressed an interest will make the journey again. Beautiful train journeys to Oban, fort William and Mallaig across the Glenfinnan viaduct.

Next on the list is the gravel quarry where work begins tomorrow. The layout is still on schedule for practical completion in March with public opening a month later. In truth will never be absolutely complete. Only an hour from the Glenfinnan Viaduct a must see for the railway enthusiast.

Next on the list is the gravel quarry where work begins tomorrow. The layout is still on schedule for practical completion in March with public opening a month later. In truth will never be absolutely complete. Only an hour from the Glenfinnan Viaduct a must see for the railway enthusiast.

The brewery is now complete with the canal running beneath it. The brewery has its own platform situated on a siding connecting to the main line to Oban Goods yard. A level crossing allows the brewery wagons to cross the line into the yard. The brewery sits in the lee of the bridge crossing the edge of Loch Awe. The Loch is my next task. Any tips on modelling a swirling current would be appreciated.

Work has commenced on Board 20 of the layout which features the Brewery. The layout will eventually have 28 boards each 4 ft x 2 ft. If anyone wishes to see the layout when it opens please email me on Ginnesfamily@aol.com.

A new permanent model railway exhibition will open to the public during the Spring of 2016 in North Ballachulish, near Fort William in Scotland. The exhibition displays a 28 feet by 8 feet OO gauge model of stations and towns on the former Ballachulish Branchline which ran from Connel to Ballachulish from 1903 until 1966. The layout is set in the mid fifties and stations on the layout include Oban, Connell, Creagan, Ballachulish Ferry and Ballachulish. The exhibition will be sited in the grounds of the Loch Leven Hotel next to the Ballachulish Bridge. Further posts to follow reporting on progress towards opening.