The West Highland Line is regularly named one of the UK’s most beautiful railways. This doesn’t surprise Scotrail guard Suzie Sangan, who never tires of taking the trip along it. “The line is absolutely stunning and that’s basically my office,” she says. “Every day is different. I get to meet a lot of lovely, very interesting people and I’ve got great colleagues – the train crew is like a big family.”
The West Highland Line runs north and west from Glasgow and forks shortly after it snakes along the shores of Loch Lomond: the northerly line terminates at Mallaig, a tiny fishing port with ferries to Skye, and a branch line runs to Oban, the gateway to the Hebridean islands. Sangan works on the Mallaig line, which climbs Highland moors to Fort William – the jumping-off point for Ben Nevis – and skirts freshwater and sea lochs as it meanders to the coast. The climax of the journey is the 100ft-high, 21-arched Glenfinnan Viaduct.
“No matter how many times I travel over the viaduct, I still get excited about it because I’m aware that a lot of passengers on my train have never done it before, and some of them have travelled from the other side of the world to do this journey,” says Sangan, who is one of the stars of The World’s Most Beautiful Railway, a series about the workers and volunteers who keep Scotland’s railways on track. “It’s a beautiful structure, and you’re looking down to Loch Shiel and the famous Bonnie Prince Charlie monument.”
This 18m-high statue has loomed over the loch since 1815, a tribute to the Jacobites who fought in Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s short-lived campaign to regain the British throne in 1745. Her favourite station is Corrour, a request stop marooned in the wilds of Rannoch Moor, 20 miles from the nearest road. “It’s 1,339 feet above sea level and the highest station in Britain, so it’s a mecca for walkers and climbers. It’s wild, untamed… a bit like myself on an early shift in the depths of winter! The station has a lovely restaurant and the old signal box has been turned into a B&B. I’m desperate to stay a night there.”
From May to October, you can also chug from Fort William to Mallaig on the Jacobite, the steam train that doubled as the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films. “That’s an amazing journey and the volunteers who work on it are so lovely,” says Sangan. “There are a lot of young lads who are obviously passionate about the steam engine, and it’s great to see that passion. I like to think we’re as passionate on our line as well – I really do love my job. There’s a little bit of adventure around every corner, be it the scenery or the people who are travelling. Whatever the weather, it never fails to deliver.”
The West Highland Line is regularly named one of the UK’s most beautiful railways. This doesn’t surprise Scotrail guard Suzie Sangan, who never tires of taking the trip along it. “The line is absolutely stunning and that’s basically my office,” she says. “Every day is different. I get to meet a lot of lovely, very interesting people and I’ve got great colleagues – the train crew is like a big family.”
The West Highland Line runs north and west from Glasgow and forks shortly after it snakes along the shores of Loch Lomond: the northerly line terminates at Mallaig, a tiny fishing port with ferries to Skye, and a branch line runs to Oban, the gateway to the Hebridean islands. Sangan works on the Mallaig line, which climbs Highland moors to Fort William – the jumping-off point for Ben Nevis – and skirts freshwater and sea lochs as it meanders to the coast. The climax of the journey is the 100ft-high, 21-arched Glenfinnan Viaduct.
“No matter how many times I travel over the viaduct, I still get excited about it because I’m aware that a lot of passengers on my train have never done it before, and some of them have travelled from the other side of the world to do this journey,” says Sangan, who is one of the stars of The World’s Most Beautiful Railway, a series about the workers and volunteers who keep Scotland’s railways on track. “It’s a beautiful structure, and you’re looking down to Loch Shiel and the famous Bonnie Prince Charlie monument.”
This 18m-high statue has loomed over the loch since 1815, a tribute to the Jacobites who fought in Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s short-lived campaign to regain the British throne in 1745. Her favourite station is Corrour, a request stop marooned in the wilds of Rannoch Moor, 20 miles from the nearest road. “It’s 1,339 feet above sea level and the highest station in Britain, so it’s a mecca for walkers and climbers. It’s wild, untamed… a bit like myself on an early shift in the depths of winter! The station has a lovely restaurant and the old signal box has been turned into a B&B. I’m desperate to stay a night there.”
From May to October, you can also chug from Fort William to Mallaig on the Jacobite, the steam train that doubled as the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films. “That’s an amazing journey and the volunteers who work on it are so lovely,” says Sangan. “There are a lot of young lads who are obviously passionate about the steam engine, and it’s great to see that passion. I like to think we’re as passionate on our line as well – I really do love my job. There’s a little bit of adventure around every corner, be it the scenery or the people who are travelling. Whatever the weather, it never fails to deliver.”