Train derailment

Train derailment
Many of you will have heard of the train derailment just 7 miles down the road from us at Cruachan falls.  Fortunately no one was seriously injured, but the road (and rail) have been closed, causing huge diversions.  The cause of the derailment is thought to be due to rocks on the line.  The system for detecting rocks has worked for many years, it's what we call the piano wires.  It's a series of parallel wires to the side of the track and if a rock hits it then the signal goes red.  I'd never been sure this was still working, but when someone I know grabbed hold of one to swing down, it certainly brought the signal up! So whether these rocks found a gap or whether they'd been disturbed lower down is not clear.

The next challenge for the authorities was to remove the derailed carriage.  As it was close to the road, a crane was brought in to lift the carriage off from the road, however, the road here is not a real road.  The road around Loch Awe is a combination of bridge and causeway that was built by the spoils from the Cruachan power station build.  This turned out not to be strong enough for the crane, let alone the crane and carriage.  So the structure has had to be supported, and last Friday there was successful lift off.
  The BBC has a great picture of the carriage being lifted up http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/10295107.stm
Also a video of it being lifted off http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8736322.stm

We are hoping the road will be reopened by Monday, a slight further delay due to diesel spillage on the road, and they have to dismantle the supports.

Latest wildlife updates:  the tawny owls have been regularly seen around the garden with their young.
Yesterday there were 7 basking sharks in Loch Scridean, watched from Torr na Locha.  The pictures are Irises at Torr na Locha and cows at Pennyghael in the sea, halfway on the drive across Mull to Torr na Locha.
Renate