Glen Douglas Halt railway station was known as Craggan in the line's construction reports, also Glen Douglas Siding, Glen Douglas Platform (Private), Glen Douglas (Private) and finally Glen Douglas Halt. Opened by the North British Railway in 1894 or 1895 its status has changed several times along with its official name. The form Glendouglas was also sometimes used, such as on the platform name board.

Location

This old station on the

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Crianlarich Crianlarich (; gd, A' Chrìon Làraich) is a village in Stirling council area and in the registration county of Perthshire, Scotland, around north-east of the head of Loch Lomond. The village bills itself as "the gateway to the Highlands". E ...

trunk section of the

West Highland Line The West Highland Line ( gd, Rathad Iarainn nan Eilean - "Iron Road to the Isles") is a railway line linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban in the Scottish Highlands to Glasgow in Central Scotland. The line was voted the top rail journey in the ...

was situated in a remote spot above Craggan,

Loch Long Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Sea Loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately in length, with a width of between . The loch also has an arm, Loch Goil, on its west ...

,''Building the West Highland Railway'' Arrochar, Tarbet and Ardlui Heritage, http://www.arrocharheritage.com/Navvies.htm at the head of

Glen Douglas Glen Douglas ( gd, Gleann Dùghlais) is a glen in the southwest Scottish Highlands. It is drained by the Douglas Water, which discharges at the village of Inverbeg at its eastern end into Loch Lomond. The glen is followed by a single-track roa ...

, which drops away east to Inverbeg on

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...

.''Mountain Moor and Loch'' p43 It is in the parish of

Luss Luss (''Lus'', 'herb' in Gaelic) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, on the west bank of Loch Lomond. The village is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. History Historically in the County of Dunbarton, its origina ...

, historically in

Dunbartonshire Dunbartonshire ( gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann) or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders Pe ...

, now in the

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...

Council area. It is at a local summit (560 feet, 171 m) between the stations of

Garelochhead Garelochhead ( sco, Garelochheid,
gd, Ceann a' Gheàr ...

and Arrochar and Tarbet. The site is accessible by a short track from the public road between Craggan and Inverbeg via Glen Douglas. The Three Lochs Way, a 34-mile (55 km) off-road walking and cycle route between Balloch and

Inveruglas Inveruglas ( gd, Inbhir Dhubhghlais) is a hamlet on the west shore of Loch Lomond, fairly near the north end of the loch and is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. It is situated on the A82 trunk road, connecting Glasgow to ...

, passes by the station.

History

The

West Highland Railway The West Highland Railway was a railway company that constructed a railway line from Craigendoran (on the River Clyde west of Glasgow, Scotland) to Fort William and Mallaig. The line was built through remote and difficult terrain in two stages ...

opened the line to passengers on 7 August 1894; later it was operated by the North British Railway, until in 1923 it became part of the London and North Eastern Railway. In 1948 the line became part of the Scottish Region of British Railways following nationalisation. When the line was being built, the West Highland Railway was concerned about possible damage to the line caused by earth tremors emanating from the

Highland Boundary Fault The Highland Boundary Fault is a major fault zone that traverses Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east. It separates two different geological terranes which give rise to two distinct physiographic terr ...

, an ancient geological fracture zone, branches of which run in the area. A warning bell was therefore fitted in the signalbox (and also in Arrochar and Tarbet signalbox). There is no record of its ever being activated. The status of the station was somewhat open to question from the start and the precise details of naming and use are debated. One source gives the designation from 1895 to 1926 as Glen Douglas Siding, supported by

OS map , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg , logo_width = 240px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , di ...

place names; Glen Douglas Platform (Private) from 1926 to 1942; Glen Douglas (Private) from 1942 to 1961 and finally Glen Douglas Halt as a stop for the general public from 1961 to its final closure in 1964. The Summer 1962 timetable shows 4 trains each way (6 on a Sunday). The NBR Study Group record that Glen Douglas ceased to see regular passenger use after 1926 when it is recorded that the station was mainly used by school pupils. The halt was used by railway staff until about 1973 In 1896 the all station service from Craigendoran to Arrochar gave Glen Douglas passing place a regular service. In the 1897 regulations for the exchange of goods between the North British Railway and the

Caledonian Railway The Caledonian Railway (CR) was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively extended its network and reached Edinburgh an ...

Glen Douglas is not recorded as a fully fledged station. The station was used from September 1926 by the children of railway personnel who attended the

LNER LNER may refer to: * London and North Eastern Railway, a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1923 until 1947 * London North Eastern Railway, a train operating company in the United Kingdom since 2018 * Liquid neutral earthing resistor, a typ ...

school there, other schools being at

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in North West England, southeast of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A major landmark is Gorton Monastery, a 19th-century Hig ...

in an old carriage on the platform and at Rannoch in a purpose built corrugated iron building. A small school is shown on OS maps located near Tullich and a hamlet of Craggan is shown on the shores of

with a Creagan Sithe place name near by. An official British Railways photograph of 1959 shows a one coach Wickham railbus taken at a neat and tidy Glen Douglas Station with a northbound train from

Craigendoran Craigendoran (Gaelic: ) is a suburb at the eastern end of Helensburgh in Scotland, on the northern shore of the Firth of Clyde. The name is from the Gaelic for "the rock of the otter". It is served by Craigendoran railway station. Craigendoran pi ...

. This was the 'Wee Arrochar' service from Craigendoran Upper station that ceased in 1964 after which Glen Douglas Halt closed. Seating and lighting was provided.

Infrastructure

Standing close to the Glen Douglas Summit at 564 feet (172 metres) and 15 miles (24 km) from Craigendoran Junction the station had an island platform within a passing loop. In common with the line's other remote passing places, Corrour and

, on the platform it had a tall conventional signal box and adjacent low buildings in which the staff lived which have now been demolished. A pair of semi-detached small railway cottages were located at Glen Douglas, similar in appearance to the one at Whistlefield railway station. The 1914

records the name 'Glen Douglas Siding' and shows a signal box, an island platform with buildings, a short loading dock and a single siding to the south on the western side with associated structures and a building all linked to the rough access track. The Colquhoun's Estate tenants had successfully petitioned the North British Railway for this freight facility that served both Lochlongside and Lochlomondside. The siding was opened on 27 May 1895.

DM Glen Douglas Defence Munitions (DM) Glen Douglas is a military munitions depot located near Loch Long, Argyll and Bute, in Scotland. It is operated by Defence Equipment & Support, part of the Ministry of Defence. It was formerly known as RNAD Glen Douglas. ...

is connected on the east side of the line to the rail network via a short branch from the West Highland Line, served from the south and running into the depot at the site of the old station which at one time mainly served the base. A ground frame is present and the site is a radio electronic token block exchange point. The track runs as if an island platform were still present.

The West Highland Line

References

Notes

Sources

* * McGregor, John (1982). ''All Stations to Mallaig'', D. Bradford Barton Ltd. * McGregor, John (1994). ''100 years of the West Highland Railway.'' ScotRail. * McGregor, John (2014). ''The West Highland Railway. 120 Years.'' Amberley Publishing Ltd. * Thomas, John (1992). ''The West Highland Railway''. Newton Abbot:David St John Thomas. * ''Mountain Moor and Loch: on the Route of the West Highland Railway'', Sir Joseph Causton & Sons, 1st edition, 1894
Station on navigable O.S. map.

External links

Video of the West Highland Line. Mallaig to Fort William.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glen Douglas railway station Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1894 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1895 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1964 Former North British Railway stations Beeching closures in Scotland Disused railway stations in Argyll and Bute