History

The History of Glenfinnan Station and The Museum

The history of the Station Museum cannot be told without recognition of the hard work of the Friends of Glenfinnan Station who support the charitable Trust which is the backbone and driving force behind what you see today at Glenfinnan. Without them the inevitable march of progress would have swept away part of our Railway Heritage.

Following the arrival of the West Highland Railway into Fort William in 1894 a movement to further develop the area and in particular to establish an important fishing harbour at Mallaig resulted in the Mallaig Extension being opened in 1901.

Glenfinnan Station formally opened to the public in April 1901 and continues to this day to serve the community as well as the large numbers of tourists who now visit the area each year.

Initially the Station provided both passenger and freight traffic and the lines to the loading bank remain today as part of this history, although freight facilities no longer exist.

Following the decline of rail travel in the 1960s and the inevitable rise of the motor car the whole line was threatened with closure under the Beeching Proposals. Fortunately the reprieve was swift but the downstream effect of cost savings led to mass redundancies and the potential dereliction of stations.

To save the buildings, Glenfinnan Station Museum was therefore set up in 1991 and now stands as a tribute to those far sighted people who made this possible. The Museum seeks to tell the story of the West Highland Railway and its construction and development over the past 100 years.

We are always interested in encouraging new members of the Friends Association and it is possible to join and help us by using the downloadable Application Form here.