How the Railways Reached the Highlands of Scotland. EDS 30.

In todays Video we look at #EveryDisusedStation on the Callander to Oban Line.
If you are enjoying our videos please take a look at the following links and consider supporting our productions of you can:
(We also have a join button).
/ everydisusedstation
www.paulwhitewick.co.uk
ko-fi.com/everydisusedstation
The forgotten infrastructure along this route is stunning for obvious reasons, we barely scratched the surface in todays trip, but hope you like the stations, bridges, cuttings and viaducts that we captured on film.
Credits:
Intro Music: Andrew Applepie (Patreon member). www.andrewapplepie.com
Killion Picture: Flying Stage. CC2.0
Music: All via epidemicsound.com
Maps: All @railmaponline.

[@SMILEVIDEOTRAINS]

absolutely brilliant. I have walked and cycled on a lot of those trackbeds, one before it was ever tarmaced. From Callender a locomotive was sent uptowards Killin, over the viaduct you visited to check for rockfalls befor passenger trains were sent to, like Crianlarich and Killin. Keep em' coming you youngsters.....

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Man Scotland is so beautiful, really making me wish I was there right now

[@pwhitewick]

We miss it already. We made five videos in seven days and oukd have made four times that

[@AlanWhitewick1]

It's about time some TV channel signed you up. I may be a little biased but it is so entertaining, and I love the drone footage as well. Great support from Rebecca. Best wishes, Dad xx

[@pwhitewick]

Ahhh very kind one Father. TV isn't for me I don't think, but never say never.

[@kirsteneasdale5707]

I love travelling through Glen Ogle but it can be very fierce in the winter. Was caught in a sudden blizzard a couple of years ago and we had to stop the van as it was a total whiteout and wait until we could see more than 3 feet in front of us. The Glen does look beautiful in the snow and in its Autumn colours.

[@keithfalconer2441]

Had to laugh at some of the pronunciations, but fascinating as ever, You should do the old Connel to Ballachulish line one day. Well done. Keep it up.

[@roydavidson9546]

Love it up there , walked a lot of that track bed , killin junction , down Glenn ogle , excellent 👍

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Roy

[@bishwatntl]

What a coincidence - I was just watching Geoff's request stop video on the Mallaig line out of Fort William and here you are at Tyndrum...

[@MarkS-vo5vu]

Great as always and another part of the UK rail history I will never ever get to go to. Thank you. Hope with the COVID taking off again in the UK you guys will still be free to explore and entertain your loyal followers. Stay Safe. Mark

[@EandEFC]

Beautiful and stunning

[@pwhitewick]

Tis a wonderful place!

[@MartinFarrell1972]

Loved this been wanting to do this line. I've visited Killin once by accident. Only spent a couple of hours. As I was leaving I spotted an old railway bridge. I went on a railway group on Facebook to ask about it. That's when I discovered it was a branch of the Callander to Oban line. I found Julia Bradbury's walk on here where she went to Loch Tay. It's definately a walk I want to do.

[@pwhitewick]

We sadly didn't have time for the branch either, would have loved to have walked that.

[@richardjellis9186]

7:00... The tune you play here, reminded me of the song 'Kyrie/Kiri/Kirey?' by Mr Mr. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿A ged ol' Scoettiesh neeme iffiye effer'eerd er'yan.!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿!. (or similar😂). Keep'em coming🥰. Glen 'sporran' Mc'Kiltloch.🥰🥰🥰.

[@duncanwatson9054]

I love Scotland. I spent a lot of my childhood summers up there. Beautiful part of the country.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Duncan. Most definitely

[@shauntodd7123]

Fantastic and amazing scenery. The viaducts in Scotland are real gems.

[@Mika_Storm]

Scotland is very beautiful, thanks for sharing this lovely line there!

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Michael, more to come.

[@paintedpilgrim]

Being a resident of the UK, if you dont visit a place or dont even think about it, you forget how beautiful it can be . Another great video P&R

[@3kimcarter]

What a fantastic and interesting walk, really beautiful scenery, another brill film guys👏👏

[@bellyruffian]

Excellent to see this and your enthusiasm shines through again, pure joy!

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Chris.

[@oldmanriver1955]

I love Rebecca's pithie replies. I am waiting for 'Jolly good' and 'Talley ho' and/or 'Right to'.

[@neilbain8736]

These touring videos make me envious, all this getting out an about. Our family been up that way a lot too. The whole area suffers from geology. It’s slap bang on the Highland Boundary Fault, and earthquakes still happen- only about 1’s or 2’s usually. You wouldn’t notice. If you came by Crieff and Comrie, you’d pass Earthquake House, where a Victorian earthquake measuring and direction finding device was tested. It was a take on the Chinese Dragon device, except that that actually worked and this one was too insensitive. Earthquakes were quite popular back then and there was a spate of them in that area, ripe for study. I can vouch for strange magnetic anomalies. I think I magnetised myself. Once at Lochearnhead I was playing with a compass and discovered the needle could follow my finger. This persisted all week and died off a few days after I got home. 2 years later I was back again and tried it as soon as I got there. The effect gradually grew over a couple of days. It was still effective in every place we visited around there. but died off when I got home. The mill by the Falls of Dochart has The Healing Stones of St. Fillan. There were a couple of St. Fillans and this is the 7th or 8th C dude. He was quite an important bloke in Scottish History and his 7 relics were given to 7 Guardians. Basically anyone with the name Dewer or Sinclair are their descendants, and it’s no coincidence they were linked to the Knights Templar. Somehow the Stone of Scone is involved with him- It’s also known as the Stone of Destiny/Scone/Coronation Stone, which Edward I never got because he said he was coming for it at Arbroath. The Bishop of Arbroath,wasn’t daft so almost certainly fobbed him off with a fake. We could be on fake no. 2 now if some sources are to be believed. You can sit on a copy (fake no. 3?) at Scone Palace, and of course eat a scone of stone on the Stone of Scone if your scones are a bit crusty or just out the freezer. St Fillan also had these magical stones, passed down and kept in straw according to rite. They’re really quite important in history being over 1200 years old but the weird thing is that they are not only on display in the mill nesting in an unassuming glass box but we were allowed to handle them. Each has a specific property. One is really cute, cos it looks like a wee smiley face with two scoured holes for eyes and a ridge like a wee smiley mouth, quite a cheery stoner. I don’t know what it cures but my finger has nerve damage that makes it go numb occasionally and it disappeared for a year or so, so who knows. Killin Junction Station never had a road as far as I can tell. It was only ever a junction, like Riccarton. The access was by train, now the old track bed by the main road near Lix Toll where the bridge over once was. When I was first there the two old railway houses were being converted into one and there was a bunch of plans on a table visible through a window. The whole area has been recently denuded and for years I couldn’t find the access to the old railway as it was hidden by mature trees. Before the cycle track was upgraded along Glen Ogle, you got onto it at Glen Oglehead and I remember the cutting had been blasted by the navvies into a perfectly square rock trough and could be quite a river when it was really wet. It exited just at the approach to the viaduct and ran down the embankment. Judging by the scouring, it could be quite a torrent and was best viewed from the road opposite. Now all evidence is gone since the cycle track has been improved. The other thing about the viaduct is that only the capping stones on the road side were left. All the other side, not seen from the road, had been nicked- repurposed. Down from Strathyre at Loch Lubnaig there was a landslip that closed the railway one month before it was to close anyway. They weren’t unusual and there was a set of signal cables that could trigger Danger signals if hit. The landslip and all that’s under it is still there. The cycle track changes to a set of evil steep rocky switchbacks to skirt over it. Much of the old railway is taken up by road now, when the only one through road was widened on top of it. This displaced the route for the cycle track, which can suddenly become quite variable. It’s really not the best as the main road can get hairy and a family with bikes will get a shock if they were expecting nice gentle rail bed for a cycle track. Balquidder and the road around via Rob Roy’s Grave ( possibly not really his ) is really worth a detour. You get a great view of Ben Ledi, which is also the name of the best chippy in Callander. Then you got the Duke’s Pass, Loch Katrine, the Trossachs National Park, none of which has much to do with railways, but is worth the detour if you’ve time.

[@tonymaries1652]

Love the story about the Stone of Scone being a fake. I wonder if the four students who stole the stone from Westminster Abbey in 1950 had any idea it might be a fake. Perhaps Fate dealt them a hand by breaking it.

[@0909mw]

The Old Drovers Routes will give some History

[@pwhitewick]

We do love that aspect of history, always happy to make a drove route video!

[@billyruss]

Stayed in a little lodge up a mile and a half of unmetalled track about two miles out of Dalmally with parents, as a teenager. Overlooking the single-track viaduct (still in use) - the drive to the lodge passed beneath it. Not far from where you were, and visited some of the places you went to. Amazing scenery, and my love of maps (like yours, I think, Paul!) extended to buying most of the OS 1:50 000 of the entire area - about three main roads on each, with the rest of the paper taken up with the brown of densely-packed contour lines.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Bill, yes we have a silly collection at the moment, could do with a trim!

[@anthonyholroyd5359]

BAL-QUID-HER Balquhidder :P Where ancestors of mine, the MacGregors, called home.

[@poetlorryit]

CrEEanlarich not Cryanlarich :😄

[@petertrevena804]

Love you both and I enjoy learning about new things.

[@andrewholloway231]

That platform is in reasonably good nick. Superb.

[@pwhitewick]

Absolutely. Sounds like a potential heritage project.

[@alistairstanyon6976]

Walked this line in deep snow several years ago it was hard work but worth it

[@Andy-From-England]

Thanks for sharing guys

[@davie941]

hey paul and rebecca , thank you for another great video , loved this one , scotland is so nice , hope you had a great time up there :)

[@michaelpilling9659]

Absolutely brilliant video! I really enjoyed that. Spectacular viaducts and bridges. What a fabulous railway line. Thanks so much for taking me along with you

[@steveg4iwr]

A lovely route and area. I have had many holidays in the area great video.

[@Panpan1568]

Superb video and great music as usual. Thanks

[@julianlane8313]

Great video as always, loved the scenery and viaducts. Another route taken from us many years ago.

[@trek520rider2]

In 1959 I went with a school party for a week's walking holiday based at the YHA in Balquidder (now a country club I believe) and trains were still running on that line. We used to sneak down to the pub at Kingshouse for a naughty pint.

[@pwhitewick]

Ah wonderful memories. Would love to have seen the line working.

[@drdoolittle5724]

Exhausting - thanks very much! Cannot wait to go on the Mallaig line again, all the way from Heysham, yet again exhausting!

[@andrewmarch7891]

The blast hole you pointed out at 9:24 was exactly that; a hole drilled probably by hand with a five foot cold chisel which would then be primed with black powder (not TNT which shatters rock rather than splitting it) this would allow a more controlled blast. Very interesting walk you had. Thank you for trying to control your language. Much appreciated.

[@mileshigh1321]

Beautiful scenic rail line! The viaduct was incredible!

[@alanalzee4849]

what a beautiful place you visited in this video love it, more of this content please you two 💚

[@lukehawkins7591]

Thanks for taking me along....absolutely stunning and great backing music😁👍

[@SteveMikre44]

Great exercise and fun! Thanks for taking us with you...🙂

[@niceviewoverthere4463]

Thanks for taking me to such a beautiful place. Again!

[@stephenpegum9776]

Many years ago we had a family holiday in Kyle of Lochalsh & I remember driving up through Tyndrum on our route from Glasgow. It seemed a very remote place back then - and probably still is nowadays !! A great video BTW guys !

[@rinusvandenberg3041]

Great video. Beautiful scenery. Stunning drone-views. Thanks for sharing.🚂

[@ArthurEmbleton]

Your production quality has really come on. Impressive stuff

[@calxtra5361]

Loved the cute little multiarch viaduct another very informative video .. Thanks Rebecca and Paul!

[@jamesballantyne8349]

Such a good video, thank you!

[@annstewart4731]

The line was listed for closure but closed early because of a landslide. In the 1960s timber was loaded in Crianlarich Lower. At Crianlarich there was a buffet and the trains stopped there long enough for everyone to get their refreshments en route to Fort William, Oban and Glasgow.

[@viking1236]

Your semi circular holes in the rock around 0938 are blasting holes. Drilled then filled with explosive (probably blackpowder) stemmed then blasted, as the rock spalls away leaves a half barrel' shape. If you travel by Loch Lomond you can see the modern equivalent of pre split blasting half barrels in the rock cuttings.

[@alantorrance6153]

Thanks for this trip. Brings back memories of my parents talking of places they went to (generally cycling) when they were courting back around early to mid 1930's

[@colinbarrett5120]

Amazing scenery

[@lindamccaughey6669]

Wow enjoyed that so much, countryside was gorgeous. Thos culvert were a delight. Love the stonework there. Just love your videos. Thanks for taking me along and please stay safe

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Linda, always a pleasure.

[@saltleywsc]

Another great adventure thanks both !

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Merv

[@alistairshaw3206]

Great video as usual, Paul and Rebecca. I keep meaning to take my old mountain bike up there to cycle over the viaducts. It was a badly thought out closure, yes it was duplicated, but it was so scenic and would be a popular scenic railway journey now. I hope you both enjoyed Scotland and look forward to more videos of my beautiful homeland.

[@HobbiesAndSunshine]

Fantastic. You do get to some lovely places and the history you dig up is amazing.

[@pwhitewick]

Glad you enjoyed, we had a really good time up there!

[@christinaburton9297]

Thank you so much for this

[@hubertvancalenbergh9022]

Aha, Oban - now THAT name rings a bell! Scotland is sensationally beautiful. Hope to see more videos along this line.

[@davekirwin]

Another fascinating video, some great exploring and interesting things you found. Stunning scenery, great use of the drone.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Mr K.

[@davidcann4329]

Great footage of this railway you two, it mainly closed because of a landslip, but also because it was largely duplicated by the West Highland Railway. The aerial footage is stunning. I've driven alongside the route before, but never had the time to walk any of it. Glen Ogle Viaduct is spectacular.

[@andymiller4971]

Another super video, your aerial work really is amazing.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Andy

[@GManPT]

Just wanted to say here that I just subscribed to this channel and I'm loving this video. Cheers from Portugal o/

[@pwhitewick]

Welcome aboard!

[@aliendon73]

I am so envious, would love to visit there some point in the future. Amazing and beautiful place, excellent video as always.

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you very much!

[@nilo70]

I love these wonderful videos guys !

[@carlwilson1772]

A fantastic, entertaining and informative video as always. Brilliant to see you two in my part of the UK.

[@pwhitewick]

Our pleasure!

[@carlwilson1772]

@@pwhitewick I seem to get a lot of my subscribed to videos on the same day, so I have to prioritise which ones I watch. Yours are always on the top of my list.

[@andyhill242]

I love Scotland, must go back there someday! Very interesting well-researched video as always :-)

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Andy, very kind.

[@andrewlong6438]

Great informative video, fantastic that despite being closed, these old lines are still accessible.

[@pwhitewick]

Certainly in Scotland they are!

[@JDLeonard74]

Wow! Utterly beautiful! Great video this week Paul and Becka.

[@pwhitewick]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@angusjamesprain]

Biked this with our 1 yo in a bike trailer a few years ago, very doable and very recommended!

[@jamessmith6402]

Lovely video very entertaining 👍 thanks

[@pwhitewick]

Glad you enjoyed it James

[@richardjellis9186]

I hope you sometime get the chance to do the Penrith, thro Keswick line, Penrith, thro Appleby to Newcastle line, and Tebay, (North) to join the above line, and (South) thro Ingleton to West Yorkshire onwards. They, all three, either cross or join onto everyone's favourite Northern, tertiary rail corridor, the Settle/Carlisle line. Amongst other things, there are 3 GREAT viaducts between Ingleton and Tebay alone, so there's plenty to see, and that's without showing the fantastic items that are still in use on the S&C line to this day. Another great video peeps🥰. Keep'em coming🥰. Rich 🥰🥰🥰.

[@timhancock6626]

I was in Callander last week ! I've biked over the top of that railway way including the Glenogle viaduct, back in 2005 with the family.

[@collinblack8474]

Thank you for sharing this with us. I saw this viaduct in 1985 when on holidays with my father and family. This was my only time I went overseas as I live in Newcastle Australia. As usual both of you do a great doco and heaps of information.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Colin.

[@HenrysAdventures]

Brilliant video as always!

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@petersheil641]

Another interesting video, thanks. I remember Lochearnhead station as an activity centre for Hertfordshire Scouts and Guides with a viaduct next to it we practised abseiling off...but that was probably 40 years ago and I have no idea what it is now.

[@juleshathaway3894]

Still the same.

[@alangrahamcouk]

Holy SH*&T I was on the Calander-Oban line (at Strathyre Forest Hols Cabins) at the weekend and was thinking "I hope Paul and Rebecca do this soon!" Sweet.

[@joshbostock4371]

I was recently in Killin and had a look at the railway line nearby on RailMapOnline and discovered Killin Junction station. I thought that it would be right up you guy’s street and here we are!

[@pwhitewick]

Haha,.... it was indeed right up our street.

[@stephenquinn6485]

Great skid and brilliant vid you should both have your on shown on tv. Thanks for cheering up yoir fans

[@DaveFord]

Love the benches. They did a similar thing on the "Sprat & Winkle" line just North of Horsebridge Station (Hampshire).

[@MRJWP1]

Mountain bikes around Killin junction as on kid on holiday - about 30 years ago. Lovely place

[@01cthompson]

That looked like an excellent cycle path.

[@pwhitewick]

I imagine cycling south would be blissful.

[@bryan3550]

Wow. Great drone footage to put things in perspective, so to speak! 😉

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks! 🙂

[@streetrambler134]

Greatly enjoyed the walk and the drone footage was brilliant.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks 👍

[@ChrisWhiteAroundTheGround]

Both my wife and I at the same time commented on how well chosen the backing music was.

[@okiwatashi2349]

I live in Callander, though I’m from Glasgow. I so wish the train was still there, we currently get one bus an hour to Stirling and that’s it for public transport! Great video.

[@ALWResearchTeam]

Scotland is really picturesque in the right places :)

[@imranzazai7404]

Very nice.

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you

[@SteveAndAlexBuild]

Very beautiful up there 😍 I’m going to miss all the greenery ..... roll on spring 😳🧱👍🏼

[@GordieRoss]

You guys will probably enjoy that whenever you see a place name start with Bal it usually means Town. From 'Bailie' in Gaelic which you will remember from history class.. Motte and Bailie (often Bailey in English spelling)

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Ross, interesting stuff

[@Nastyswimmer]

Baile originally meant a township in the sense of a farm, rather than a town

[@grantcanyon8085]

Really enjoyed this . Must get up there next year???!!!

[@bullettube9863]

Amazing journey! I just watched last week a video about Scottish railways and how Queen Victoria traveled to their castle. Did you know that though she liked traveling by train, she was afraid of falling while the train was moving. So when ever she had to move about, she would signal the crew to strop the train while she was up!

[@pwhitewick]

Well thats different! Thanks for sharing.

[@MrVxrman]

Nice video guys 😃🍻🥂👍🏻

[@adrianhall5358]

Enjoyed that one

[@racheltaylor6578]

I walked this from Callander to Killin when I did the Rob Roy Way.

[@pwhitewick]

Gorgeous walk!

[@bobparsons77]

Looks like a lot of research here.

[@georgerutherford24]

Crianlarich Lower closed with the rest of the line east in 1965.Thereafter the line to Crianlarich Lower was used for a while into the 1970s as a siding from the junction with the current Glasgow to Oban line. Good video!

[@carolinegray3150]

Good video

[@robinjones6999]

Tyndrum - Lovely - all a beautiful area

[@martinhew981]

love that walk

[@Sim0nTrains]

I will put my hand up to this and say that I was one of the many people who did say the Callandar and Oban Railway when Paul asked the question over Twitter on where to go in Scotland. This has been a enjoyable and interesting video, some of the views are impressive, those benches defiantly look like socially distanced benches. The Killin Branch could be for a future video?

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Simon, not so much the line, but more so the Viaduct as a suggestion I think. Ah yes the Killin Branch will be another one indeed.

[@MrRadioactive159]

If you like Viaducts & Tunnels, you should visit the disused Glenfarg Line Tunnels, Glenfarg Viaduct & the hidden Kilnockie viaduct plus disused stations at Glenfarg (now M90 motorway) and Bridge of Earn (fragments still remain can be seen from the Perth - Edinburgh via Ladybank line or the bridge closest to the former station entrance steps).

[@richardjellis9186]

Hi there peeps.. I know that it's not an old structure, but, it's nevertheless water orientated... There's a hydro-electric plant just above the shores of loch Lomond. It has a large (not Lomond sized.!.) reservoir at the top, and empties into loch Lomond down a rather impressive set of (x3 I think) pipes that are probably around 8' wide. It goes under the shoreline road and railway at one point, and would have made a great little piece. Oh well. Never mind. Love the vid anyways 😍. Keep'em coming 🥰. Rich 🥰🥰🥰.

[@kitkatv3]

The viaduct has been waiting for your drone footage to expose it triumphantly. Great work.

[@pwhitewick]

Thankfully we had a dry and windless (ish) day

[@richardczaja8860]

Always wanted to walk the line, especially the bit through the Trossachs!

[@rjkeable]

Great video of some long lost railways in the highlands. Only point id make having lived there and that you mention the name so many times....Its Tyndrum pronounced Tighndrum from the old Gaelic for "House on the ridge". Nothing to do with the old lead, tin, gold, mine which although centuries old, post dates the locality and name. In July? 1994 I was driving back from Calendar to Tyndrum when an RAF Jaguar lost engine power down at Loch Earn, Navigator ejected over the town but Pilot stayed with aircraft to avoid the town and tried to crash land on the old rail way line just up from the viaduct at the top of the pass. Unfortunately he didn't make it out. I think there is a memorial to him up there both on the highway and the now walk way on the railway.

[@pwhitewick]

Ah thank you

[@owenrichardson1419]

Back to quality disused stations. Great choice in music guys.