Distant Signals - West Highland Line in the 1980s

This STV production documents a period when traditional signalling was going and the then new, RETB system was being introduced. Narrated by Ian Anderson.

[@martinmclellan5661]

Donnie McLellan was my grandfather. Nice to have this wee interview with to look back on

Thank you SOO much for posting this! I've been after it for years!

[@domhnallmorris]

No problem. Me too and then my brother got a job at stv.

[@peterfinucane8122]

Walked the West Highland Way back in 2007. Stayed at Bridge of Orchy Station which was a backpackers. Traveled on the rail line from Fort William to Mallaig with the Jacobite steam train. What a beautiful area.,

[@dodgydruid]

I thought I recognised Rannoch's station master, often we would make the long journey from say Aberfeldy where we were camping and go watch the trains which were quite scarce up and down. Rannoch itself has a history of how they used to pack everything and anything under the sinking tracks in a battle against nature and how when the snow came the place would disappear under huge drifts that overcame the diesels as much as it did the steam engines. Sometimes in the 70's my brother and I found Morar's old roundel sign plus a stop and a couple distant wooden signals and we took them back to show me BR signalman father who got really cross and drove us back over the bay and made us chuck them in the bushes we had found them :( I mean Morar's post WW2 station sign O.o, however he didn't spot the two telephone insulators we had found and had hidden in our clothes bags, one LMS signed on top, the other may have been a Caledonian railway one, used to have a collection of them including LNER, GWR, SR and BR signed ones and my father thinking they were worthless threw 'em away whilst I was in service... what would they and the roundel sign be worth today?

[@dodgydruid]

My father was offered I think Locheilside if we bought the station and back then it was absolutely sparse and what BRB property's hadn't told me mum and dad was someone had torched the station building and it was gutted and no amount of promises of sending in the chippies etc got my mum to move on that decision. My father would have taken work at Banavie and BR wanted me mum to be the station sort of person and the place back then saw like 1 person a week and it was so cold and wet and miserable she would have left me dad if he said yes lol Funny thing was my father was known as the English looney who was going to buy the knackered station and any lingering doubts put to rest and so his plans to return to Scotland came to naught as we had plans indeed of a campsite, small shop maybe but that cold wet day sealed that fate thankfully hehe Both my English daughters live and work in Scotland so at least one generation put our family back in the land of the sweaty sock as us Londoners would call it hehe

[@martinmclellan5661]

Rannoch Station’s master is my grandfather

[@ronaldmacarthur9863]

@@martinmclellan56618

[@cliffyoung4612]

Great shot at 12:10 of train emerging from the mist.

[@wyattmaximus2684]

Instablaster...

[@ronaldbayne1431]

Lovely. You brought together the dichotomy of people verses money. Give me people on Rannoch Moor any time. Thanks. Rmb

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

Amazing film thankyou😃

[@RHR-221b]

Thank you, d. To Mr McLellan, Mr Fullarton and their Families. Stay free. R 👍

[@RHR-221b]

PS. Is the narrator, Ian Anderson, AKA Jethro Tull? 😎

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

hi Superb i travelled from stranraer to Glasgow then to Crianlarich stayed ft William n Mallaig took 2/3 days back in 86

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

wish icudfind fotos of then Its Sad d modern train travel Not d Same n No one talk to in ireland

[@dannypaulread1023]

RETB saved the Highlands railway. So glad it is still going!

[@ChangesOneTim]

Certainly true that RETB saved the Far North railway, faced with the unaffordable cost of renewing miles of blizzard-destroyed telegraph pole route. Very fortunate that one BR team was already developing a solid-state signalling system and another team a driver-signalman radio network at the time. RETB in Scotland was updated with 21st century tech a few years ago.

[@mindyourlanguage77]

Can anyone tell me what that wonderfull piece of music is at the begining?

[@mindyourlanguage77]

Can anyone tell me what that wonderfull piece of music is at the begining and the end sung by the choir ?

[@wire9486]

Shaun Davey - The Pilgrim (1984) (Celtic)

[@RHR-221b]

💚