Corrour railway station

Corrour railway station Scottish Gaelic: Coire Odhar, dun-coloured corrie, is on the Crianlarich-Fort William/Mallaig branch of the West Highland Line. It is situated near Loch Ossian on the Corrour Estate, Highland Region (formerly Inverness-shire), Scotland.[3] It is the highest mainline railway station in the United Kingdom.[4]

Corrour

Scottish Gaelic: An Coire Odhar[1]
Corrour station
LocationLoch Ossian, Highland
Scotland
Coordinates56.7602°N 4.6907°W / 56.7602; -4.6907
Grid referenceNN356663
Managed byAbellio ScotRail
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeCRR
History
Original companyWest Highland Railway
Pre-groupingNorth British Railway
Post-groupingLNER
Key dates
7 August 1894Opened[2]
Passengers
2015/16 11,156
2016/17 11,092
2017/18 13,302
2018/19 14,344
2019/20 12,630
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Location

The station is one of the most remote in the United Kingdom, at an isolated location on the northern edge of Rannoch Moor.[5] It is not accessible by any public roads. The nearest road, the B846 road from Loch Rannoch to Rannoch station, is a ten-mile (16 km) walk away by hill track,[6] although Rannoch station itself is only 7¼ route-miles (11.5 km) away by rail.[7] Vehicular access is by a 15-mile (24 km) private road from a little west of Moy Lodge on the A86. Until the late 1980s, the only electrical power at the station was provided by batteries. The only telephone was the railway's system which linked Corrour only to the adjacent signalboxes at Rannoch and Tulloch, which were on the public telephone system.[8]

At 1,340 ft (408 m) above sea level[4] the station provides a starting point for hill-walkers and Munro-baggers. There is accommodation and a bar/restaurant available at the station[9] and an SYHA youth hostel just over a mile (2 km) away at the head of Loch Ossian.[10]

History

Corrour station was built by the West Highland Railway between 1893 and 1894 on its line linking Glasgow with Fort William and was operated from its opening on 7 August 1894 by the North British Railway.[11][12] It has a passing loop around an island platform with a siding on the east side. In common with the line’s two other remote passing places, Gorton and Glen Douglas, it was built with a tall signalbox and an adjacent low building in which the signalman lived.[13][14] The adjacent low building (in Corrour's case) was also used as a sub post office from 15 December 1896 and a Post Office telegraph office from 16 August 1898; Corrour even qualified as a post town.[15] Later the railway constructed a station house for the signalman on the east side of the tracks and the original building became purely office accommodation for the railway and the post office.[16]

Corrour was originally intended[17] to be merely a passing place on the long section between Rannoch and Tulloch, called Luibruaridh (sic)[18] after the nearest habitation, Luibruairidh, on the old drove road between Rannoch and Spean Bridge, about 1½ miles (2 km) northwest of the passing place.[19] However, from its opening its small island platform was used as a station and the name Corrour was also used[20] although Corrour Lodge at that time was where the drove road crossed Coire Odhar, some 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the station.[19] However, when the station opened estate traffic was facilitated by the building of a mile-long (1.5 km) track connecting the station to the old drove road as it passed near the head of Loch Ossian.[21]

In the early days there was so much estate business that the railway employed an extra clerkess during the grouse season. It was theoretically a private station for the use of the estate but it was also used by the public from the start despite its not appearing in the public timetables until September 1934.[22][23]

Map showing location of Corrour railway station with reference to other geographical features mentioned in the article

In 1897, the estate built a new lodge at the foot of Loch Ossian, 4½ miles (7 km) northeast of the station. There was however no vehicular access to the lodge from the public road system so all goods (including vehicles) had to come and go by rail via Corrour station. Until the track along the south shore of Loch Ossian was built, the estate ran a small steamer from the lodge to the head of Loch Ossian (where Loch Ossian youth hostel is now) from which the station was only a little over a mile (2 km) away.[24] In 1972 the Forestry Commission built a private macadamized road from the A86 at near Moy Lodge to Corrour Lodge, so for the first time there was vehicular access to the station, via Corrour Lodge and Moy Lodge, a total distance of 15 miles (24 km).[25]

Corrour sub post and telegraph office closed on 5 March 1977.[15]

During the construction of the Lochaber hydroelectric scheme in the 1930s a small halt was located at Fersit, between Corrour and Tulloch, about 2 miles (3 km) short of the latter.

Corrour station from the south in March 1982, showing the original station house and the footbridge before its removal to Rannoch

Since November 1985, all passenger trains have used the original “down” platform. The "up" loop remains and is serviceable but it is no longer used by passenger trains.[14] There was originally a footbridge at Corrour station providing an exit to the east side, but it was moved to Rannoch station following the downgrading of the "up" loop at Corrour.[26] Passengers now cross the line by a barrow crossing.[3]

In 1998/1999 Corrour Estate replaced the former signalman’s house with a new station house. This included business premises and lodging for their managers and had electric power from a diesel generator.[16][27] The station house subsequently had a number of tenants over the years becoming an independent hostel, an SYHA hostel (in addition to the SYHA’s nearby hostel at Loch Ossian), and a restaurant. In 2015, the estate took over the running of the building and after closure for refurbishment reopened it as a bar and restaurant.[28]

In 2012, the red stone chippings on the platform, which Network Rail acknowledged would be hazardous to wheelchair passengers, were replaced by a hard surface.[29]

In 2013, Historic Scotland listed the disused signalbox (called the "old watchtower" by Network Rail) and the adjacent building as Category C (the tall boxes at Gorton and Glen Douglas had been demolished).[30] Subsequently, Network Rail, in conjunction with the Corrour Estate and the Railway Heritage Trust, refurbished the signalbox and in 2016 the estate opened three guest rooms in it.[14]

Facilities

The 3-character code for Corrour is CRR.[3]

Corrour is unstaffed and there are no ticket-issuing facilities, but there is a validator for a "smartcard" paperless card-based ticketing system. There are no departure announcements but there is WiFi, a telephone help point, an electronic departure display and a Caledonian Sleeper digital information point. There is a waiting room with bench seats and a cycle rack. The station is lit by electric lights.[3]

Services
A train to Mallaig

Corrour station is now passenger-only and is served by regular Abellio ScotRail passenger trains between Glasgow Queen Street and Fort William/Mallaig. These local services run generally three times a day in each direction, but less frequently on Sundays (twice each way in summer, but just once in winter). In addition, Corrour is served by the Caledonian Sleeper service between Fort William and London Euston via Glasgow Queen Street (Low Level) and Edinburgh (daily except Saturday nights in each direction). The journey from London to Corrour takes just under twelve hours. The sleeper also conveys seated coaches and can therefore also be used by regular West Highland passengers travelling to or from Glasgow or Edinburgh.[31] Although National Rail state that Corrour is a request stop,[3] Scotrail's 2019-20 timetable shows it as a compulsory stop.[32]

Its estimated usage of 14,344 (2018–19) made it the busiest station on the line north of Crianlarich, apart from Fort William and Mallaig.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Rannoch   Abellio ScotRail
West Highland Line		   Tulloch
Rannoch   Caledonian Sleeper
Highland Caledonian Sleeper		   Tulloch
  Historical railways  
Rannoch   North British Railway
West Highland Railway
   Tulloch

Signalling
Corrour station from the north, in April 2004

The signal box, which had 13 levers, was situated to the south of the island platform. From the time of its opening in 1894, the West Highland Railway was worked throughout by the electric token system. The semaphore signals were removed in November 1985 in preparation for the introduction of Radio Electronic Token Block (RETB). At the same time, the loop points came under the control of ground frames. The RETB system was commissioned by British Rail between Upper Tyndrum and Fort William Junction on 29 May 1988. This resulted in the closure of Corrour signal box and others on that part of the route. The RETB is controlled from a Signalling Centre at Banavie railway station.[33]

Cultural references

The station, and the nearby mountain Leum Uilleim, gained fame when they were featured in a scene from the film Trainspotting. It also appeared in the fourth episode of the 2010 BBC series Secret Britain. The station also featured in the Young Guns video for the single "Weight of the World". The station is the primary location in Jos Stelling's film De Wisselwachter. It was also visited by Paul Merton in Episode 3 of his Channel 4 documentary series Paul Merton's Secret Stations.[34]

The route south from Corrour across the Moor of Rannoch to Rannoch Station itself was used as a filming location in the Harry Potter films where a Death Eater was seen to stand between the rails with an outstretched arm, to bring the approaching Hogwarts Express to a stand for the train to be inspected. Warner Brothers spent a couple of days with equipment based at Rannoch to facilitate the filming sequences.

References
  1. Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
  2. Butt (1995)
  3. Network Rail, http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/CRR/details.html
  4. "Corrour Station - Canmore". Canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  5. Mountain Moor and Loch, p114.
  6. Somerville, Christopher (15 June 2001). "Scotland: Walk of the month". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  7. British Rail Passenger Timetable, summer 1992, p1322
  8. Thomas, p 65
  9. Corrour Station House, West Word, August 2015 issue, https://www.westword.org.uk/august2015.html
  10. "Loch Ossian - SYHA Hostelling Scotland". Syha.org.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  11. Thomas, chapters 3 and 4; dates from pp 64 and 170
  12. "Heritage Locations". Transporttrust.com. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  13. McGregor, p 39
  14. "Railway Heritage Trust, Annual Report and Accounts, 2015/2016" (PDF). Railwayheritagetrust.co.uk. p. 17. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  15. "Scotland - UK Post Offices by County". Sites.google.com. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  16. "Recording Your Heritage Online - Canmore". Canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  17. Thomas p 135
  18. Mountain Moor & Loch p114
  19. "Ordnance Survey six-inch 1st edition (1843-1882)". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  20. Mountain Moor & Loch, distance table in frontispiece
  21. Robertson, Jennifer G. (December 2009). "An Archaeological Survey of Parts of Corrour Estate [etc]" (PDF).
  22. Thomas pp 72,73
  23. Thomas p 171 gives the date of its being open to the public as 15 September, a Saturday; Canmore 105961 gives 11 September 1934, a Tuesday, possibly following Butt
  24. Historic Environment Scotland. "Corrour Lodge (GDL00107)". Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  25. "Architecture & History - Corrour Estate - Highlands Scotland". Corrour.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  26. "Archaeology Notes - Canmore". Canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  27. "Magic of the Moor : Scotland Magazine Issue 49". Scotlandmag.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  28. "Corrour Station House: now closed". Jimsloire.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  29. Covanburn.net. "Recent Projects At Covanburn Contracts". Covanburn.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  30. Historic Environment Scotland. "Corrour Station, Waiting Room and Signal Box  (Category C Listed Building) (LB52057)". Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  31. "Scotrail Train Times - Plan your Journey". Scotrail.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  32. Abellio ScotRail Ltd (15 December 2019). "West Highlands Train Times" (PDF). ScotRail.co.uk. Abellio ScotRail Ltd. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  33. "RETB Banavie North". www.scot-rail.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  34. Archived 30 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine Channel 4 Programme Information website; Retrieved 16 May 2016

Sources
  • Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  • Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
  • Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
  • McGregor, John A., All Stations to Mallaig, D. Bradford Barton Ltd, 1st edition, 1982. ISBN 0-85153-426-0
  • Mountain Moor and Loch: on the Route of the West Highland Railway, Sir Joseph Causton & Sons, 1st edition, 1894
  • Thomas, John, The West Highland Railway, David St John Thomas, 3rd edition, 1992, ISBN 0-946537-22-4
  • Yonge, John (May 1987). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). British Rail Track Diagams - Book 1: ScotRail (1st ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 0-9006-0948-6.
  • Yonge, John (February 1993). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagams - Book 1: Scotland and the Isle of Man (2nd ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 0-9006-0995-8.
  • Yonge, John (April 1996). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagams - Book 1: Scotland and the Isle of Man (3rd ed.). Exeter: Quail Map Company. ISBN 1-8983-1919-7.
  • Yonge, John (2007). Gerald Jacobs (ed.). Railway Track Diagams - Book 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (Quail Track Plans) (fifth ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps (formerly Quail Map Co). ISBN 978-0-9549866-3-6. OCLC 79435248.
  • Scotland: the Movie Location Guide – Trainspotting, Rannoch Moor Information on the station as it appears in "Trainspotting".
  • Further details on the station.
  • Hidden Europe magazine – an article about Corrour from Hidden Europe magazine
  • Article on the station by Ian Futers, four pages including track plan, photos, and description in Railway Modeller magazine for April 2008
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