Balquhidder Junction Turntable

[Jim49]

I believe  that Balquhidder Junction had a working turntable right up until the Callander & Oban was closed in 1965.

Can anyone tell me what size the table was please? I have found references to it being used to turn "Glen Douglas"

on a railtour in the early sixties so it would be at least 50' diameter to accept the 4-4-0 but would it have been as 

large as 60' ?

 

Many thanks,

 

Jim

[60021 Pen-y-Ghent]

Hi Jim,

 

According to http://www.railbrit.co.uk/chronology/dates.php?coname=Lochearnhead%20St%20Fillans%20and%20Comrie%20Railway there was a 60' turntable built 1905

 

Regards

David

[Argos]

Jim,

 

There was indeed a turntable at Balquhidder, In the Oakwood Press book "The Railways of Upper Strathearn" there is photo on page 120 of a Pickersgill 113 class being turned in 1951.

There doen't look to be a huge amount of space either side but as I don't know the length of a 113 this probably doesn't help.

 

Presumably most of the engines using the line from Crieff would have been turned there.

The same book refers to the Turntable at Crief as not able to accommodate anything larger than ex Midland 4-4-0 compound.

 

I'll have a noisey at my C&O books tonight and see if they shed any more light on the turntable.

[Jim49]

Thanks for the quick replies David & Argos.

 

I was a bit surprised that the table  was as large as 60' for what was really a secondary line but after a quick run through John Thomas's "Callander & Oban Railway" I see that the Caley's "55" class of 4-6-0s had been introduced in 1902, followed shortly after by the very similar but bigger boilered "918" class so perhaps the table was installed in 1905 for their benefit.

 

The Railbrit article suggests that the turntable sidings & pit were out of use by 1945 but the photo Argos mentions shows that the table was still in situ and capable of being turned in 1951. In light of this and that "Glen Douglas" was still able to use the table 10 years later, does this mean that the table was still being maintained even when there was no apparent reason for this work to be carried out?

 

Jim

[Argos]

Jim,

 

Passenger service through to Balquhidder from Creif was stopped in late 1951. Upto that point the turntable would be in regular use turning the branch engine (Usually an ex CR 4-4-0 in the 50's from the photo evidence).

 

The branch remained open until 1959 when the rail was lifted and occasional excursion traffic still used the line upto that point, it would be reasonable to suppose that the turntable would still be in use then.

 

The Callander and Oban signalling web-site shows the date for the signalling changes associated with the lifting of the Crief branch.

 

http://www.oban-line.info/bqw1/bqw1.html

 

No mention is made of the turntable, but then this was accessed off the goods yard and didn't have any specific signalling.

 

I've checked John Thomas' and C.E. J Fryer's tombs on the line and neither reference the Balquhidder turntable.

 

Hope the above helps, although doesn't answer the question.

 

Regards

 

Argos.

[Jim49]

Thanks for the information Argos. From what you and David (Pen-Y-Ghent) have given me, it was a 60' turntable and still operational into the 60s.

Just what I wanted to be told.

 

BTW, if the 113 class in the photo you mentioned earlier was 54476, it also appears in "Discovering Scotland's Lost Railways" by Julian Holland.

It's amazing what information you find you already have when someone gives you a prompt and you start looking properly!

 

Thanks again,

 

Jim

[Jim49]

My pal Keith has just emailed to tell me that MRJ No.48 had a 13 page article on Balquhidder. There are no photos of the table but but there is one track plan drawing which shows the position of the table, albeit without any mention of size.

 

I have been promised a loan of the magazine so there may be another update to follow.

 

Jim

[scotcent]

The  CR  Appendix  of  1915  describes  the  Balquidder  turntable  as  60'

 

I'm  sorry,  I  thought  I  had  posted  this  earlier;  but  it  appears  to  have  disappeared  into  the  ether.

 

Allan  F

[Jim49]

Thanks Allan, you probably used the "invisible ink" option. Happens all the t.............

 

 

Jim