These decorated silver ceremonial spades were used to cut the first sods of local railway lines in the late 19th century. The first spade was used to cut the first sod of the West Highland Line, the 160-mile track from Glasgow to Mallaig. The turf was cut by Lord Abinger, Chairman of the Railway Company, on the 23 October 1889. At the time, the West Highland area was suffering through a lack of transport. In October 1887 the provost of Fort William N. B. MacKenzie mobilised local support for a new railway connection with Glasgow. The British Northern Railway agreed to offer part of the funds, with the British government providing the rest. The second spade is from the cutting of the turf of the Fort Augustus railway by Mrs Edward Ellice on 2 March 1897. This was the route from Spean Bridge via Invergarry to Fort Augustus. This line closed permanently in 1946. The Glasgow to Mallaig route is still operational today and is often heralded as one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world.