Callander and Oban Railway
Stations in bold are still open |
The Callander and Oban Railway company was formed in 1864 with the objective of linking Callander, Scotland to the west coast port of Oban over challenging terrain, particularly at Glen Ogle and the Pass of Brander at Loch Awe. Callander had been reached in 1858 by the Dunblane, Doune & Callander Railway (soon to be absorbed into Scottish Central Railways and then Caledonian Railway). Starting in 1866, the single track line passed Killin in 1870, reaching Tyndrum in 1873 and Dalmally in 1877. Following completion in 1880, Oban developed as a fashionable resort, though economically the railway was never really profitable.
In 1923, the Railway became part of LMS.
Contents
Branch lines and connections to other lines
Major constructions came when a branch line was built to Ballachulish.
There were also connections to the:
- Dunblane, Doune & Callander Railway at Callander railway station
- Comrie, St Fillans & Lochearnhead Railway at Balquhidder Junction
- Killin Railway
- West Highland Railway at Crianlarich
Dunblane, Doune & Callander Railway
The Dunblane, Doune & Callander Railway had opened in 1858. It was formally closed with the eastern section of the Callander and Oban Railway on 5 November 1965.
Killin Railway
The five mile Killin Branch opened on 13 March 1886. The branch to Loch Tay at Killin was privately owned and funded by local landowners as the Killin Railway required viaducts over the rivers Dochart and Lochay.
Ballachulish Branch
The 1903 branch to the Ballachulish slate quarries spanned Loch Etive with a spectacular cantilever bridge at Connel, and also Loch Creran.
Comrie, St Fillans & Lochearnhead Railway
The Comrie, St Fillans & Lochearnhead Railway connection (following the take-over by the Caledonian Railway) from Crieff along Loch Earn reached Balquidder Junction on 1 May 1905 with the Kendrum Viaduct over Glen Ogle at Lochearnhead.
West Highland Railway
The chord between Crianlarich Upper and Crianlarich Lower Junction was opened in 20 December 1897, connecting to the West Highland Railway, however it did not see its first regular passenger services until 23 May 1949.
Ben Cruachan Quarry Branch
The Ben Cruachan Quarry Branch was a short freight-only line that connected east of Loch Awe railway station. It closed in 1916.
Closures and current operations
Only the Crianlarich - Oban section remains today as a branch of the West Highland Railway. The eastern section was scheduled for closure on 5 November 1965, however the section between Callander and Crianlarich was closed following a landslide in Glen Ogle on 27 September 1965 and never reopened.[1][2] Much of the eastern section has been converted to a cycle path known as the Rob Roy way, with the Kendrum viaduct restored in 2001 (one span had collapsed).
The Ballachulish branch closed on 28 March 1966. Connel Bridge and Creagan (Loch Creran) Bridge are now used for road traffic, the latter following an almost complete reconstruction in 1999.
