Six of the worst

[whole diary]

[bobm]

Notes the other day that the road is to be closed for 12 weeks with rubber mats over the rails to let cars share.

More details here - https://www.highland.gov.uk/info/1523/transport_and_streets/104/stromeferry_bypass

[froome]

Here's the 1963 view for comparison:

That's interesting.  I'm guessing there really was a ferry in those days ... the road ran from Kyle of Lochalsh up to the Strome Ferry which crossed Loch Carron ... rail only on to Strathcarron along the south side of the loch.

Putting in the road was tough engineering, and the section now has a rock slide issue.  Notes the other day that the road is to be closed for 12 weeks with rubber mats over the rails to let cars share.

The ferry ran until 1970, when the road along the south bank of Loch Carron was completed. It was one of the last of Scotland's coastal ferries to close, and personally I would like to see it reinstated. The village has died since then, by-passed by traffic shooting along the road, and having cycled along it myself, taking a ferry across to North Strome would be a far more pleasant and civilised way to head up that coast.

The road itself is dramatic, having been carved out of sheer rock in places, and has been suffering since from landslips, which have closed it several times. This has meant the ferry being temporarily reinstated a couple of times in the last 10 years.

[bradshaw]

From Wikipaedia
Stroke Ferry lies next to the narrowest part of Loch Carron and for many years, there was a ferry service here to North Strome. This provided a link with the first road built in 1809 along the north side of the loch.[2] Completion of the Stromeferry bypass (A890) along the south-eastern shore of the loch made the ferry service redundant and it ceased operating in 1970. At that time, there were two vessels providing the service. The larger of the two, Pride of Strome, measuring 16m long x 5m wide, was built in 1962 by Forbes of Sandhaven.[3] The smaller, Strome Castle, measuring 9m long x 3m wide, was built in 1958 by Nobles of Fraserburgh.[4] Both boats now lie wrecked on the shore of Loch Carron between North Strome and Lochcarron.

A ferry service has been restarted a number of times when rock falls closed the road.

The current use of the rail line for cars was the subject of a short video on Twitter the other day;
 https://mobile.twitter.com/btpnorthscot/status/1044219984157773824

[eightonedee]

I think the village was doomed to be depopulated early. It's on a narrow north-facing ledge ledge on the side of the loch, with quite a high hill behind shading it form the sun - it must be a cold and gloomy place in winter. Unlike pretty Duirnish or Plockton!

[grahame]

I love this picture

and from Wikipedia:

Observance of the Sabbath was strong in the Highlands in the 19th century and the railway company's running of trains on Sundays caused considerable controversy among the local population. On 3 June 1883, Stromeferry was the scene of a Sabbatarian riot in which over 200 fishermen took possession of the railway terminus to prevent the unloading of fish on a Sunday. Ten men were imprisoned as a result. The involvement of both police and military in breaking the riot was questioned in the House of Commons where it was stated that there was no law preventing Sunday traffic in Scotland.

[froome]

I love this picture

There is a very good reason for that sign. If a car, or worse a larger vehicle, does drive down the steep lane into the village (or township as it would be known in Scotland) it would find it extremely difficult to turn round at the bottom, as the lane literally just goes into the slipway into the loch. The tuning space here is very limited.

and from Wikipedia:

Observance of the Sabbath was strong in the Highlands in the 19th century and the railway company's running of trains on Sundays caused considerable controversy among the local population. On 3 June 1883, Stromeferry was the scene of a Sabbatarian riot in which over 200 fishermen took possession of the railway terminus to prevent the unloading of fish on a Sunday. Ten men were imprisoned as a result. The involvement of both police and military in breaking the riot was questioned in the House of Commons where it was stated that there was no law preventing Sunday traffic in Scotland.

Running any sort of service on the Sabbath was a major cause of resentment in Highland communities in the 19th century, just as the idea of running ferry services to the Outer Hebrides was until quite recently.

[stuving]

I think the village was doomed to be depopulated early. It's on a narrow north-facing ledge ledge on the side of the loch, with quite a high hill behind shading it form the sun - it must be a cold and gloomy place in winter. Unlike pretty Duirnish or Plockton!

I think the real reason why what was built as a large station became a minor one quite soon after, and a very small one after road transport became available in the area, can be found in the rest of the Wikipedia entry:

The station opened for passenger traffic on 19 August 1870[4]
...
The station was destroyed by fire along with a train of 14 vehicles on 16 October 1891.[6]

For the first 27 years of its existence it was the line's terminus, bringing prosperity to the village. Steamer services linked to Portree on Skye, and Stornoway on Lewis. With the opening of the extension to Kyle of Lochalsh, steamer services were transferred there.

So at the time of that riot, fish was being unloaded from a large local fleet at the main railhead, which soon after transferred to Kyle.

You may think you can guess what the original station and pier were like from what's there now. But that doesn't work; if you look at the two available 25" maps (1875 and 1902) in NLS and especially use the georeferenced option to overlay the second with a satellite image, you'll see that it was very different. The much more extensive facilities of suitable for a terminus and its goods pier have gone (though I imagine traces remain), and smaller ones been built in their place.

[eightonedee]

Do you think it is a fear of attack by extreme sabbatarians that keeps so many GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) staff at home on Sundays these days?

[Umberleigh]

Is 2 Reading Station new side entrance?

Now that is funny

[grahame]

Notes the other day that the road is to be closed for 12 weeks with rubber mats over the rails to let cars share.

More details here - https://www.highland.gov.uk/info/1523/transport_and_streets/104/stromeferry_bypass

The railway section was Kyle of Lochalsh to Strathcarron, necessitating long road closures when a train was in section even if it was many miles away.   But now the North Stay News tells us

A NEW signalling system designed to ease traffic congestion during major roadworks on the Stromeferry bypass has now gone live.

As reported last week, rail network, Highland Council and road transport chiefs had been hoping to install temporary rail signals closer to the site on the A890 – in a bid to reduce the time that a temporary bypass onto the rail tracks remains closed.

Before the new signals went in, the signalling section ran all the way from Kyle of Lochalsh to Strathcarron station, meaning that the road had to stay closed when a train was located anywhere between those two stops – despite being miles from the scene.

To slash that waiting time, Network Rail has installed temporary stop boards and an automatic warning system for trains approaching Stromeferry which will allow services to be brought to a halt before reaching the road diversion.

The new signals, which Network Rail chiefs said would essentially act like a level crossing, went live on Saturday. They are expected to slash the window when the road will be closed to as little as 20 minutes at a time.

It said it hoped the compromise will prove effective at balancing the needs of rail users with those of the wider community, adding that it cannot suspend train services on any railway.

Simon Constable, head of route safety for Network Rail Scotland, said: "We have been working closely with Highland Council and our industry partners to find a solution which maintains safety on the railway while improving waiting times for motorists.

[article continues]

I have to wonder why such a system wasn't put in place earlier ...