Spean Bridge railway station
Encyclopedia
Spean Bridge railway station is a railway station serving the village of Spean Bridge
in the Highland region of Scotland
. This station is on the West Highland Line
.
on the north side of the station.
On 18 January 1987, the crossing loop was altered to right-hand running. The original Down platform has thus become the Up platform, and vice versa. The change was made in order to simplify shunting at this station, by removing the need to hand-pump the train-operated loop points to access the sidings.
Between 1903 and 1933, there was a branch line from this station which offered service north up the Great Glen
to Fort Augustus
.
Signalling
From the time of its opening in 1894, the West Highland Railway was worked throughout by the electric token system
.
Alterations in connection with the construction of the line to Fort Augustus
saw the original Spean Bridge signal box
replaced by two new boxes in 1901. Spean Bridge Junction box was subsidiary to Spean Bridge Station box. The Junction box closed on 20 September 1921.
The most recent signal box at Spean Bridge, which opened on 28 August 1949, was located on the Up platform (which is now the Down platform). It contained 30 levers.
Spean Bridge lost all its semaphore signals
on 2 March 1986, in preparation for Radio Electronic Token Block
(RETB) signalling. The RETB system was commissioned between and Fort William Junction
on 29 May 1988. This resulted in the closure of Spean Bridge signal box and others on that part of the line. The RETB is controlled from a Signalling Centre at Banavie railway station
.
The Train Protection & Warning System was installed in 2003.
Spean Bridge
Spean Bridge is a village, in the Highland region of Scotland.The village takes its name from the Highbridge over the River Spean on General Wade's military road between Fort William and Fort Augustus, and not from Telford's bridge of 1819 which carries the A82 over the river at the heart of the...
in the Highland region of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. This station is on the West Highland Line
West Highland Line
The West Highland Line is considered the most scenic railway line in Britain, linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban on the west coast of Scotland to Glasgow. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the iconic...
.
History
The station was laid out with two platforms, one on either side of a crossing loop. There are sidingsRail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
on the north side of the station.
On 18 January 1987, the crossing loop was altered to right-hand running. The original Down platform has thus become the Up platform, and vice versa. The change was made in order to simplify shunting at this station, by removing the need to hand-pump the train-operated loop points to access the sidings.
Between 1903 and 1933, there was a branch line from this station which offered service north up the Great Glen
Great Glen
The Great Glen , also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More is a series of glens in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth, to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The Great Glen follows a large geological fault known as the Great Glen Fault...
to Fort Augustus
Fort Augustus
Fort Augustus is a settlement in the Scottish Highlands, at the south west end of Loch Ness. The village has a population of around 646 ; its economy is heavily reliant on tourism....
.
SignallingRailway signallingRailway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...
From the time of its opening in 1894, the West Highland Railway was worked throughout by the electric token systemToken (railway signalling)
In railway signalling, a token is a physical object which a locomotive driver is required to have or see before entering onto a particular section of single track. The token is clearly endorsed with the name of the section it belongs to...
.
Alterations in connection with the construction of the line to Fort Augustus
Fort Augustus
Fort Augustus is a settlement in the Scottish Highlands, at the south west end of Loch Ness. The village has a population of around 646 ; its economy is heavily reliant on tourism....
saw the original Spean Bridge signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
replaced by two new boxes in 1901. Spean Bridge Junction box was subsidiary to Spean Bridge Station box. The Junction box closed on 20 September 1921.
The most recent signal box at Spean Bridge, which opened on 28 August 1949, was located on the Up platform (which is now the Down platform). It contained 30 levers.
Spean Bridge lost all its semaphore signals
Railway semaphore signal
One of the earliest forms of fixed railway signal is the semaphore. These signals display their different indications to train drivers by changing the angle of inclination of a pivoted 'arm'. Semaphore signals were patented in the early 1840s by Joseph James Stevens, and soon became the most...
on 2 March 1986, in preparation for Radio Electronic Token Block
Radio Electronic Token Block
Radio Electronic Token Block is a system of railway signalling used in the United Kingdom. It is a development of the physical token system for controlling traffic on single lines.- How it works :...
(RETB) signalling. The RETB system was commissioned between and Fort William Junction
Fort William Junction
Fort William Junction is a railway junction on the West Highland Line in Scotland, located to the east of Fort William railway station. It is where the railway to Mallaig connects with the Glasgow to Fort William railway....
on 29 May 1988. This resulted in the closure of Spean Bridge signal box and others on that part of the line. The RETB is controlled from a Signalling Centre at Banavie railway station
Banavie railway station
Banavie railway station is a railway station on the West Highland Line serving the village of Banavie, although it is much closer to Caol. To continue on to the next station at , trains must pass over the Caledonian Canal at Neptune's Staircase, a popular tourist attraction.- History :Banavie...
.
The Train Protection & Warning System was installed in 2003.