Oban railway station
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Location | Oban, Argyll and Bute Scotland |
Coordinates | 56°24′44″N 5°28′30″W / 56.4121°N 5.4749°WCoordinates: 56°24′44″N 5°28′30″W / 56.4121°N 5.4749°W |
Grid reference | NM857298 |
Managed by | Abellio ScotRail |
Platforms | 2 (numbered 3 & 4) |
Other information | |
Station code | OBN |
History | |
Original company | Callander and Oban Railway |
Pre-grouping | Callander and Oban Railway operated by Caledonian Railway |
Key dates | |
1 July 1880 | Opened |
Passengers | |
2016/17 | ![]() |
2017/18 | ![]() |
2018/19 | ![]() |
2019/20 | ![]() |
2020/21 | ![]() |
Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Oban railway station is a railway station serving Oban in Scotland. It is the terminus of one branch of the highly scenic West Highland Line 101.3 miles (163 km) north of Glasgow Queen Street. It was originally the terminus of the Callander and Oban Railway. Services are operated by Abellio ScotRail.
Oban station provides interchange with the adjacent ferry terminal, offering connections to a number of destinations in the Inner and Outer Hebrides via ferry services operated by Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac). Known as the "Gateway to the Isles", Oban is CalMac's busiest ferry terminal.
History[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Oban_railway_station_2039098_30212de8.jpg/220px-Oban_railway_station_2039098_30212de8.jpg)
Oban station opened on 1 July 1880. A ticket platform (long since disused but still in situ) was located on the west side of the single line, about 1⁄2 mile (800 m) to the south. Just south of there, a short branch line diverged to the east, towards a goods yard and engine shed.
Two additional platforms were constructed on the west side of the station in 1904, following the opening of the branch from Connel Ferry to Ballachulish.
Following closure of the goods yard and engine shed, a rail-connected oil storage depot occupied part of the site for a number of years, although this has itself since closed.
Since 1982, only the 1904-built platforms remain in use (still numbered as Platforms 3 and 4). The present small station building was officially opened on 3 January 1986, the occasion being marked by the naming of two Class 37 locomotives. Despite it being a listed building, the original station building was subsequently demolished.
Stationmasters[]
- Francis Grant 1880 - 1897[2]
- James Macphail 1897 - 1924[3]
- James Donaldson 1924[4] - 1934 (afterwards station master at Stirling)
- William Macrae 1934[5] - 1941 (formerly station master at Rutherglen)
- Thomas Burden 1941 - 1944 (formerly station master at Callender)
- Joseph McDonald 1944 - 1951[6] (afterwards station master at Forfar)
- Alexander Morrison from 1951[7] (formerly station master at Wemyss Bay)
Signalling[]
Since its opening on 1 July 1880, the single line between Dalmally and Oban was worked by the electric token system, this being the first ever application of that system in everyday service.
Oban originally had two signal boxes, namely Oban Station signal box (the larger of the two), and Oban Goods Junction signal box. The latter was situated about 1⁄4 mile (400 m) further south, where the line to the goods yard and engine shed diverged from the single line. The original signal boxes contained 21 and 5 levers, respectively. The single line between the two boxes was doubled in 1881.
In connection with the station's enlargement, Oban Station Signal Box was replaced (on the opposite side of the line and slightly nearer the station) in 1904. The new box contained a frame of 64 levers, subsequently shortened to 48. Oban Goods Junction S.B. was replaced in 1929.
Oban Goods Junction S.B. closed on 4 May 1969. Oban Station S.B. closed on 5 December 1982, when a 'no signalman' system of electric token working was introduced on the section from Taynuilt signal box. The last remaining semaphore signals were removed at that time, including the signal gantry.
The Radio Electronic Token Block system was introduced in 1988 and the Train Protection & Warning System was installed in 2003.
Services[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/156457_at_Oban.jpg/220px-156457_at_Oban.jpg)
On Monday to Fridays, there are six trains per day to Glasgow Queen Street plus an additional afternoon service that runs only as far as Dalmally. On Saturdays, the service is very similar to that on weekdays. On Sundays there are three trains per day to Glasgow Queen Street all year round.
The Railway[]
Oban railway station is a terminus of the West Highland Line which today runs from Glasgow Queen Street railway station. Originally, the station was the terminus of the Callander and Oban Railway, which joined the present railway at Crianlarich, and which was absorbed into the in 1922. The route from Dunblane and Callander to Crianlarich closed in 1965. Formerly, a branch to Ballachulish railway station diverged just east of Connel Ferry railway station. A triangular junction was planned at Connel, but never completed. However, connecting trains ran to Oban. The Ballachulish line closed in 1965.
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Locale | Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dates of operation | 5 July 1865–31 December 1922 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Successor | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ferries[]
Caledonian MacBrayne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Oban_Railway_Station.jpg/220px-Oban_Railway_Station.jpg)
Oban station is located next to Oban ferry terminal. Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail daily from here to the islands of Lismore, Colonsay, Islay, Coll, Tiree, to Craignure on Mull, to Castlebay on Barra and to Lochboisdale(winter only) on South Uist. The times of connecting trains to/from Glasgow Queen Street are included on CalMac timetables.
In 2005 a new ferry terminal was opened, and in 2007 a second linkspan opened, allowing two vessels to load/unload at the same time.
Preceding station | ![]() |
Following station | ||
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Connel Ferry | Abellio ScotRail West Highland Line |
Terminus | ||
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Scalasaig | Caledonian MacBrayne Oban – Colonsay |
Terminus | ||
Craignure | Caledonian MacBrayne Oban – Mull |
Terminus | ||
Achnacroish | Caledonian MacBrayne Oban – Lismore |
Terminus | ||
Scarinish | Caledonian MacBrayne Oban – Coll & Tiree |
Terminus | ||
Arinagour | ||||
Castlebay | Caledonian MacBrayne Oban – Barra |
Terminus | ||
Lochboisdale | Caledonian MacBrayne Oban – South Uist (winter only) |
Terminus | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Connel Ferry Line and station open |
Callander and Oban Railway Caledonian Railway |
Terminus |
References[]
- ^ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. "Gaelic/English Station Index". Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
- ^ "Oban. Death of Mr Grant, Stationmaster". Highland News. Scotland. 17 July 1897. Retrieved 6 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Oban's Stationmaster". Dundee Evening Telegraph. Scotland. 31 December 1924. Retrieved 6 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "New Stationmaster for Oban". Dundee Courier. Scotland. 20 June 1924. Retrieved 6 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Oban's new stationmaster". Dundee Courier. Scotland. 10 November 1933. Retrieved 6 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "The new stationmaster at Forfar". Forfar Dispatch. Scotland. 22 May 1951. Retrieved 6 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "New Stationmaster for Oban". Dundee Courier. Scotland. 19 May 1951. Retrieved 6 October 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
Sources[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oban railway station. |
- 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.
- Fryer, Charles (1989). The Callander and Oban Railway. Oxford: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-8536-1377-X. OCLC 21870958.
- 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.
- Railway stations in Argyll and Bute
- Former Caledonian Railway stations
- Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1880
- Railway stations served by Abellio ScotRail
- Railway stations serving harbours and ports in the United Kingdom