A miniature train has been welcomed into Inverness after an epic 72-mile journey through the Great Glen from Fort William.
Model railway engineers, enthusiasts and volunteers helped build the track for its journey which started on June 20.
About 100 volunteers – from engineers to rail enthusiasts – worked in four separate groups to help lay the track along the Great Glen Way at different stages.
Hoists were used to elevate parts of the track at the steepest sections.
And on Saturday afternoon, the gas-powered locomotive, which travelled along entirely at 3mph, arrived at its final stop at Inverness Castle, where a crowd of more than 150 people broke into celebration.
As a fitting end to the journey, a model layout containing the 1950s Inverness railway station and a miniature of the castle had been created by Inverness and District Model Railway Club.
Club secretary Gerry Parks watched on as the train, called the Roundhouse Silver Lady, arrived at its destination just before 4pm on Saturday.
He said: “The atmosphere was very jubilant. The Prosecco was out and there was a lot of ‘whooping it up.’
“Considering the terrain, and to actually make it without digging out the land, it’s a huge achievement.
“They were starting at 7am (each day) and going through to midnight and the camera units were camping along the way.
“As the train went on, volunteers would lift the track and it was handed on for the next sections.
“I think they had a few problems with the loco coming off the track, but that’s understandable.”
Mr Parks said that seven members from the club were there to see the train arrive, along with volunteers and camera crew and several public spectators.
The extraordinary journey has been filmed for a TV programme called The Biggest Little Railway in the World.
The programme will also celebrate a Victorian-era idea to build a full-scale, working railway through the Great Glen.
It is understood that the programme will be shown in October.
