Cairngorm Funicular Project, Cairngorm
Most of us don't mind the odd drop of rain now and again, but the construction team for the Cairngorm mountain railway had to deal with rather more than that. Working within the delicate natural environment of Britain's largest nature reserve, they encountered winds of 120 miles per hour, snow in June and thousands of wayward skiers every winter - and they still got the job done!
They were there to build a 2km long funicular railway - essentially a cable car system on rails with the carriages pulled up and lowered down the track from a drive system at the top station.
Being such a sensitive environment, it was the team's priority to minimise any damage to the surrounding land. 6000m2 of turf was removed and stored; even the soil underneath was bagged up and labelled. Lichen and moss-covered boulders were kept and reinstated 'sunnyside up' at their original locations.
To make things even more complicated, everything needed to build the railway had to be taken up the mountain without touching the ground - by cableway or helicopter.
Despite the difficulties, the team managed to get the project finished and the mountain back to the way it was. Apart from the new railway, you'd never know they'd been there!
Fast Facts
The top station is at 3600ft near the top of Cairngorm, where the highest recorded windspeed is 171 mph.
- At one point, the team had to clear 7m of snow before they could start work
The cableway was needed to transport:
- 11000 tonnes of concrete to build the 93 bases and columns for the railway
- 21000 concrete blocks
- 190 concrete beams each 18m long and weighing 8 tonnes
- The materials for the 250m long tunnel and the two stations