FORT WILLIAM TRAIN DISASTER

Date: 1995 

Location: Fort William

Type: sculpture, installation, protest

Technique: hand-built

Material: timber, plastic belting

George came to Lochaber to help the political and community campaign to save the West Highland Sleeper when the London – Fort William service was under the axe in 1995.  He designed and built the sizeable ‘Black 4’ locomotive shown careering into Loch Linnhe to publicise the threat to the service.  It was built at the West End Car Park in Fort William in a couple of days using timber and heavy plastic belting that had become redundant from snow fences on the A82 over Rannoch Moor.  I was Divisional Road Engineer at the time and it was great fun working with George!

John Hutchison
(submitted to the Mapping Memories project, 2021)