Ballachulish Railway Station
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Ballachulish was a
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
at
Ballachulish The village of Ballachulish ( or , from Scottish Gaelic ) in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred on former slate quarries, and now primarily serves tourists in the area. Name The name Ballachulish (from Scottish Gaelic, ''Baile a' Chao ...
on the southern shore of Loch Leven at East Laroch (south Ballachulish) in
Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...
. It was the terminus of the Ballachulish branch line that linked to the main line of the
Callander and Oban Railway The Callander and Oban Railway company was established with the intention of linking the sea port of Oban to the railway network. This involved a long line from Callander through wild and thinly populated terrain, and shortage of money meant that ...
at Connel Ferry.


History

This station opened as Ballachulish on 24 August 1903Butt (1995), page 23 with two platforms. There was a goods yard on the north side of the station. Within two years it was renamed as Ballachulish & Glencoe and renamed again following the opening of the 'new' road between Glencoe Village and Kinlochleven in 1908 as Ballachulish (Glencoe) for Kinlochleven. Apart for a short closure in 1953, this latter name remained until closure in 1966. In the railway timetables the name was shortened to simply Ballachulish with a note stating "Ballachulish is the Station for Glencoe and Kinlochleven". The station was opened by the
Callander and Oban Railway The Callander and Oban Railway company was established with the intention of linking the sea port of Oban to the railway network. This involved a long line from Callander through wild and thinly populated terrain, and shortage of money meant that ...
, which was absorbed into the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with London and North Eastern Railway, LNER, Great Western Railway, GWR and Southern Railway (UK), SR. The London, Midland an ...
during the
Grouping Grouping generally refers to the creation of one or more groups, or to the groups themselves. More specifically, grouping may refer to: * Shot grouping in shooting sports and other uses of firearms * the use of symbols of grouping in mathemati ...
of 1923. The station then passed to the
Scottish Region of British Railways The Scottish Region (ScR) was one of the six regions created on British Railways (BR) and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and ex-London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) lines in Scotland. It existed from the creation ...
on
nationalisation Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with priv ...
in 1948, and was closed by the
British Railways Board The British Railways Board (BRB) was a State ownership, nationalised industry in the United Kingdom that operated from 1963 to 2001. Until 1997, it was responsible for most railway services in History of rail transport in Great Britain 1995 to d ...
in 1966, when the Ballachulish Branch closed. In the early 1990s the station buildings were converted into a medical centre. Houses have been built in the station yard. The engine shed remained, being used by a local garage until 2015, when it was demolished to make way for more private housing.


Stationmasters

*James Skinner 1903 - 1914 *William Reid 1938 - 1941 (afterwards station master at Callander) *George Roger 1941 - 1943 (formerly station master at Burrelton) *Duncan Donald MacNaughton 1943 - 1947 (formerly station master at Errol, afterwards station master at Coupar Angus) *James Matthewson from 1959 (formerly station master at Kirriemuir)


Signalling A signal is both the process and the result of transmission of data over some media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processing, information theory and biology. In ...

Throughout its existence, the Ballachulish Branch was worked by the electric token system. Ballachulish
signal box A signal is both the process and the result of transmission of data over some media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processing, information theory and biology. In ...
was located west of the platforms, on the north side of the railway. It had 21 levers.


References


Notes


Sources

* * * * {{Jowett-Nationalised
Ballachulish station on navigable 1954 map
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1903 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1966 Disused railway stations in Highland (council area) Beeching closures in Scotland Former Caledonian Railway stations James Miller railway stations