Oban Upper / Lochavullin Goods Yard

[MatP]

Dear All,

 

Could any of you kindly please point me towards some photographs of the above location? I found a few on that very interesting website, railscot.co.uk, but would like to know more.

 

It's the yard at the end of the line from Oban Goods Jn, completely separate from the main station. It's still marked on the track diagrams on the Railcam website but I was under the impression that it has now been built over? My apologies if there's already a discussion on this topic, I couldn't find one.

 

I am very interested in small oil terminals, such as this yard towards the end of the last century. I am currently building an N gauge layout set in c.1987, based around a highly fictional location on the never-built Tulloch-Kingussie line. I'm currently converting a siding into an oil depot, using some parts from the Kibri oil tanks kit and a lot of 1mm rod...

 

Best Wishes,

Mat

[Argos]

Some pictures here:-

 

 

You need to go to page 2 & 3 for the pictures around Oban.

[MatP]

Brilliant, thanks! Every one of those photos deserves to have a model made of it.

 

Mat

[03060]

Does anybody know if trains could exit this yard / shed area and procede towards Connel Ferry or did they have to reverse back down into Oban station to collect a token ? I seem to recall that I've read this somewhere recently but it may just be my imagination playing tricks.

 

Regards,

Ian.

[Petesquire]

15 hours ago, 03060 said:

Does anybody know if trains could exit this yard / shed area and procede towards Connel Ferry or did they have to reverse back down into Oban station to collect a token ? I seem to recall that I've read this somewhere recently but it may just be my imagination playing tricks.

 

Regards,

Ian.

Interesting question. This was a fairly busy goods yard and MPD. Access / exit was only from the line from Connel Ferry.  Growing up here I certainly can't recall seeing goods trains having to reverse back into Oban station. That said it was single line working and the next " signal box " was at Glencruitten Summit where there was a loop.

[60021 Pen-y-Ghent]

There appears to have been a signal box near the entrance to the goods yard marked on this map:

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=56.40768&lon=-5.47322&layers=6&b=1

 and referenced in this article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oban_railway_station

so it seems unlikely that there was any need to reverse to the station.

[Strathyre]

Oban Goods Junction

[Kylestrome]

This map shows the 'Goods' signal box much better and in the right position:

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.77&lat=56.40696&lon=-5.47550&layers=170&b=1

 

David

Edited May 30, 2020 by Kylestrome

[Caley Jim]

Seen in this photo.

 

It is also illustrated on pp155 and 243 of Jim Summers' 'Signalling the Caledonian Railway' .  This was a replacement box built be the LMS in 1929.

 

Jim

[Argos]

Signalling plan for Oban goods junction here:

 

http://www.oban-line.info/obj1/obj1.html

 

 

[03060]

Thanks for the replies everybody, I've been looking through my box of WHL books recently and rewatching several videos of the line so I can't remember where I'd thought that I'd read or heard this ....I probably just misunderstood something (as usual), anyway all cleared up now.

 

Having looked through the link to 'Irishswissernie's' photos (see Argos's post above) of Oban it makes me realise just how much potential for an interesting 'operational' terminus L shaped layout this offers, if modelled in an era up to the 80's. Food for thought.

 

Kind regards,

Ian.

Edited May 30, 2020 by 03060
Correction to terminology.

[60021 Pen-y-Ghent]

On 30/05/2020 at 17:35, Kylestrome said:

This map shows the 'Goods' signal box much better and in the right position:

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.77&lat=56.40696&lon=-5.47550&layers=170&b=1

 

David

Presumably this is where the rebuilt box was situated and the original box was sited as in the older map. (I assuming 100% accuracy in map making of course!)

[Kylestrome]

47 minutes ago, 60021 Pen-y-Ghent said:

Presumably this is where the rebuilt box was situated and the original box was sited as in the older map. (I assuming 100% accuracy in map making of course!)

 

Who knows? They appear to have left off the main station signal box, assuming that it was always there where it was more recently.

 

David

[Caley Jim]

Details of the signal boxes at Oban can be found here.  Scroll down to 'Signalling'.

 

Jim

[MatP]

Thanks once again for all your replies to my initial request. I've started a thread on my N gauge Scottish layout (1980's large logo era) in the layouts area of the Forum. It's called "Jardine Junction." This features my little oil depot, which combines elements of the ones at Fort William and (thanks to your replies above) Lochavullin.

 

Best Wishes,

Mat

Edited June 21, 2020 by MatP