Inveruglas | |
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General information | |
Location | Between Arrochar and Tarbet and Ardlui, Argyll and Bute Scotland |
Coordinates | 56°14′54″N4°42′58″W / 56.24847°N 4.716163°W Coordinates: 56°14′54″N4°42′58″W / 56.24847°N 4.716163°W |
Grid reference | NN31800953 |
Platforms | 1 |
History | |
Original company | London and North Eastern Railway |
Key dates | |
29 October 1945 | Opened [1] |
Circa 1948 | Closed |
Inveruglas was a remote temporary [2] private railway station near the hamlet of Inveruglas, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Opened in 1945 by the LNER, it was built in connection with the construction of the Sloy Hydro-Electric facility and was located on the Ardlui side of the Inveruglas Viaduct and recorded to be out of use by around 1948. [3]
The station lay on the West Highland Railway that opened the line to passengers on 7 August 1894; later 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 and remains open as a route to Fort William, Mallaig and Oban.
Inveruglas had a single platform and was opened by the LNER in 1945, but it closed around 1948 when construction work had been completed. Records show that it was not opened as a standard railway station for the general public and it was not listed in the 1948 British Railways (Scottish Region) timetable. [4] The RCAHMS refer to the station as being temporary. [5]
On 18 October 1950 the scheme was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth as Queen Consort and although she travelled by car the guests arrived by train to Inveruglas station, leaving Edinburgh Waverley at 10.50 with a dining car, calling at Dumbarton and Helensburgh Upper and returning at 17.22. [6]
Inveruglas, 23 miles (37 km) from Craigendoran Junction, had a single long straight platform with a sectional 'slab' concrete frontage, as with Glen Falloch Halt. It was located on the southern or 'loch' side of the line with a signal box located on it, a gravel surface, a passing loop, several sidings and a loading ramp. The station had a typical name board that was later located on the walls of a nearby farm house. A crane stood near the loading dock and a small corrugated iron shelter was provided together with the station name board. A PoW construction camp with several Nissen huts was located immediately behind the platform. [7] The track at Inveruglas was slightly realigned to accommodate the penstocks carrying the water from Loch Sloy that down the hill and enter the power station. [8]
After World War II many German and Italian ex-prisoners stayed in Scotland, and it is recorded that a number of German and Italian POWs had been involved in the early stages of the construction of the Sloy/Awe Hydro-Electric facility between Loch Sloy and Inveruglas, on the west bank of Loch Lomond. [9] The POWs and guards arrived by train from Whistlefield and Garelochhead stations, transported in two carriages to the new railway siding at Inveruglas. The POWS were to learn a trade before returning to their homelands. [10] Glen Falloch Halt may have been used by men building the aqueducts and tunnels that collected water from the Glen Falloch burns and carried it to Loch Sloy. [11]
Construction at the Loch Sloy project began in May 1945, under the auspices of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, and it was completed in 1949, dates that coincide with the known use of Inveruglas station and its passing loop.
The prisoners-of-war were carried from Faslane Platform near Faslane Junction to Inveruglas or the nearby Glen Falloch Halt. [12]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Arrochar and Tarbet Line and Station open | LNER | Ardlui Line open; Station open |
Argyll and Bute 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. The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead at Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival building and estate. The current council leader is Robin Currie, a councillor for Kintyre and the Islands.
The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the head of Loch Long, Loch Fyne, and Loch Goil, near the villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead, on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The mountains are especially popular with hillwalkers, due to their proximity and accessibility from Glasgow. They are largely within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and in part also extend into the Argyll Forest Park. Glens which go into the heart of the range include: Glen Croe, Hell's Glen and Glen Kinglass.
Ardlui is a hamlet in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It is located at the head of Loch Lomond. It is on the A82 road between Crianlarich and Glasgow and Ardlui railway station is on the West Highland Line between Glasgow Queen Street and Oban or Fort William.
Arrochar and Tarbet railway station is a railway station on the West Highland Line in Scotland. It stands between the villages of Arrochar and Tarbet. It is sited 19 miles 45 chains (31.5 km) from Craigendoran Junction, near Helensburgh, between Ardlui and Garelochhead. ScotRail manage the station and operate most services, others provided by Caledonian Sleeper.
Helensburgh Upper railway station serves the town of Helensburgh, Scotland, on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde to the west of Glasgow. It is located in a residential area uphill from the town centre and is by far the smaller of the town's two stations. It is on the West Highland Line, 2 miles 8 chains (3.4 km) from Craigendoran Junction, near Helensburgh, the first station on the line before Garelochhead. ScotRail manage the station and operate most services, with others provided by Caledonian Sleeper.
Ardlui railway station is a rural railway station, serving Ardlui at the north end of Loch Lomond, in Scotland. The station is located on the West Highland Line, sited 27 miles 43 chains (44.3 km) from Craigendoran Junction, near Helensburgh, between Crianlarich and Arrochar and Tarbet. ScotRail manage the station and operate most services, others provided by Caledonian Sleeper.
Crianlarich railway station is a railway station serving the village of Crianlarich in Scotland. It is located on the West Highland Line, sited 41 miles 25 chains (66.5 km) from Craigendoran Junction, near Helensburgh, with Ardlui to the south, and Tyndrum Lower and Upper Tyndrum to the north west, on the routes to Oban and Mallaig respectively, which diverge immediately north of the station. ScotRail, who manage the station, operate most services.
Mallaig railway station is a railway station serving the ferry port of Mallaig, Lochaber, in the Highland region of Scotland. This station is a terminus on the West Highland Line, 41 miles (66 km) by rail from Fort William and 164 miles (264 km) from Glasgow Queen Street. The station building is Category C listed. ScotRail, who manage the station, operate most of the services.
Garelochhead railway station is a railway station serving the village of Garelochhead, on the Gare Loch, in Scotland. This station is on the West Highland Line and is a boundary station for SPT. It is sited 8 miles 76 chains (14.4 km) from Craigendoran Junction, near Helensburgh, between Arrochar and Tarbet and Helensburgh Upper. ScotRail manage the station and operate most services, with others provided by Caledonian Sleeper.
The West Highland Railway was a railway company that constructed a railway line from Craigendoran to Fort William and Mallaig. The line was built through remote and difficult terrain in two stages: the section from Craigendoran to Fort William opened in 1894, with a short extension to Banavie on the Caledonian Canal opening in 1895.
Rhu is a closed railway station located in the village of Rhu, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, on the east shore of Gare Loch. It is located towards the southern end of the West Highland Railway.
The Faslane Branch was a standard gauge military railway built during World War II to serve "Military Port No.1" at Faslane, west of Glasgow in Scotland.
The Sloy/Awe Hydro-Electric Scheme is a hydro-electric facility situated between Loch Sloy and Inveruglas on the west bank of Loch Lomond in Scotland.
Glen Falloch Halt railway station was a remote rural railway station in Glen Falloch, Stirlingshire, Scotland. Opened in 1946 by the LNER, it was located in Glen Falloch on the Ardlui side of the viaduct, but reported out of use by around 1948.
Lech-a-Vuie Platform railway station, Lechavuie or Lech-a-Vute was not constructed for public use. It stood close to the A830 road to the east of Loch Eilt near the Allt-a-Ghiughais burn and below Doire Dhamh on the West Highland Railway's extension to Mallaig. It stood in between the still extant Glenfinnan and Lochailort stations. At first it only served the needs of shooting parties on the Inverailort Estate owned by the Common-Head family, however it was later used by the army and navy during WWII and closed in the 1970s. Lech-a-vuie was 18.5 miles (30 km) from Mallaig Junction and stood at the summit of the line at a height of 379 feet.
Fersit Halt railway station named after the nearby hamlet of Fersit, was situated close to Tulloch railway station in Lochaber, Highland council area, Scotland. Fersit was a remote rural temporary private halt at the north end of Loch Treig where workers were housed who worked on the Lochaber hydroelectric scheme. The halt was opened in 1931 by the LNER, it was located near the site of a contractors railway ballast siding.
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.
Banavie Pier railway station was the terminus of a short branch and was at first known as Banvie, opened by the North British Railway in 1895. The station's location was just above the impressive flight of locks on the Caledonian Canal known as "Neptune's Staircase", Banavie, Highland council area, Scotland.
Whistlefield, later Whistlefield Halt, was a minor station on the West Highland Line 10.30 miles from Craigendoran Junction railway station near the hamlet of Portincaple on Loch Long, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Opened in 1896 by the West Highland Railway, it was built on a single track section without a passing loop in between Garelochhead and Glen Douglas and closed by the British Railways Board in 1964.
Faslane Platform railway station or Faslane Junction Platform railway station was a temporary private railway station located near the Stuckendoff PoW camp, Shandon, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Opened in 1945 by the LNER in connection with the construction of the Loch Sloy Hydro-Electric facility and was located on the Shandon side of the Chapel Burn and recorded to be out of use by around 1949 in the British Railways era.