Connel Ferry railway station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Connel Ferry | |||
| Aiseag a' Chonghail | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | |||
| Place | Connel | ||
| Local authority | Argyll and Bute | ||
| Operations | |||
| Station code | CON | ||
| Managed by | First ScotRail | ||
| Platforms in use | 1 | ||
| Live departures and station information from National Rail | |||
| Annual Passenger Usage | |||
| 2004/05 ** | 3,268 | ||
| History | |||
| Key dates | Opened 1 July 1880 | ||
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |||
| Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Connel Ferry (source) | |||
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Connel Ferry railway station is a railway station serving the village of Connel in western Scotland. This station is on the West Highland Line.
The station is near the viewpoint over the Falls of Lora.
[edit] History
Connel Ferry station was opened on 1 July 1880, when the final section of the Callander and Oban Railway, between Dalmally and Oban, came into use. The original layout at Connel Ferry comprised a crossing loop with platforms on either side, with some sidings on the north side.
Considerable enlargement of the station took place in 1903, with the opening of the branch line to Ballachulish. The original Down platform became an island platform, with the Down Main line routed alongside the new south face, and the Up Main line (the original Down line) to its north. The former Up platform became the Branch Platform and a bay platform was constructed at its west end. A goods loop ran to the south of the Down Main line. A turntable was provided in the goods yard for turning the branch line locomotives.
A short distance beyond the junction, the branch line spanned Loch Etive by means of the impressive Connel Bridge, a cantilever bridge with a span length that was at the time second only to the Forth Bridge. In 1940, additional sidings were laid in on the south side of the station for the wartime traffic, these being removed in 1948. The Ballachulish branch closed in 1966. The extensive track layout was reduced to just a single line routed via the former Branch Platform (the original Up platform). The island platform was taken out of use. The layout grew again in 1968 when an oil storage depot with two sidings was built on the site of the goods yard. A run-round loop was laid alongside the single line to the east of the station, connected at each end by points controlled from a ground frame.
The disused island platform was demolished in 1985.
[edit] Signalling
From the time of its opening in 1880, the single line between Dalmally and Oban was worked by the electric token system, this being the first ever application of that system in everyday service.
The enlarged layout of 1903 was controlled from two large wooden signal boxes, the East box having 42 levers, and the West box 56. The latter controlled the branch line junction and a signal gantry located nearby spanned three tracks. The signal gantry was replaced on 22 January 1953. Both signal boxes closed on 8 January 1967 and all signals were removed.
In 1988, the station became a Token Exchange Point in connection with the new Radio Electronic Token Block signalling system. The Train Protection & Warning System was installed in 2003.
[edit] External links
- Train times and station information for Connel Ferry railway station from National Rail
- Map and aerial photo of Connel Ferry railway station from Multimap.com
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taynuilt | First ScotRail West Highland Line |
Oban | ||
| Historical Railways | ||||
| Ach-na-Cloich Line open; Station closed |
Callander and Oban Railway | Oban Line and Station open |
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| Callander and Oban Railway Ballachulish Branch |
North Connel | |||
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