Ballachulish was a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

at Ballachulish 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 speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

. 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 th ...

at Connel Ferry.

History

This station opened as Ballachulish on 20 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 Kinlochleven () ( gd, Ceann Loch Lìobhann) is a village located in Lochaber, in the Scottish Highlands and lies at the eastern end of Loch Leven. To the north lie the Mamores ridge; to the south lie the mountains flanking Glen Coe. The village ...

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

, which was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the

Grouping Grouping may refer to: * Muenchian grouping * Principles of grouping * Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system * Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm See also ...

of 1923. The station then passed to the Scottish Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948, and was closed by the

British Railways Board British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...

Throughout its existence, the Ballachulish Branch was worked by the electric token system. Ballachulish signal box 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