Ledmore Junction is a real place in the county of Sutherland between Bonar Bridge and Lochinver. The layout is based on three lines that were proposed by the Highland Railway in 1897 but never built. A line from Culrain to Ullapool, a line from Lairg to Laxford Bridge and a line from Garve, on the Kyle of Lochalsh line, to Lochinver. In the event this layout proposes that the line was built but the Lochinver line was extended on to Laxford Bridge. And the line to Ullapool, instead of coming from Garve was built from Ledmore Junction
The line runs from Culrain, on the far north line, along the south bank of the River Oykell to Ledmore Junction and then onto Lochinver and Laxford Bridge, on the shores of Loch Laxford. A 17 mile branch line runs southwest from here to Ullapool. If you're wondering why the buildings have horizontal planking instead of the Highland Railway vertical planking, well, that's simple. The Highland Railway proposed the lines but couldn't afford to build them. So they were built by the Great North of Scotland Railway, who had running powers over Highland metals from Elgin to Culrain. The Highland Railway didn't like that!!
A saving grace for the line has been the building of a North Sea Oil Construction Terminal at Loch Laxford. Because of the poor roads and remote location materials for the terminal all come by rail and block trains of both cement trains from the south, and oil pipes from Invergordon can frequently be seen on the line. I owe a great debt of thanks to fellow Oxford MRC members Peter McConnell who built the baseboards, Ron Alcock who spent hours laying the track and wiring the layout up and Andrew Burchett who created the backscene for me.
Ledmore Junction has now been sold.
