RAILSCOT | Whistlefield

Whistlefield

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Whistlefield (1896-1964)

Where: Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Opened on the West Highland Railway.

Description

This was a single platform station with a station building different to others on the line designed by James Miller, more akin to those on the Callander and Oban Railway. It was an unsuitable location for a station with a cramped location and the line on a gradient.

Despite being included in the Act for the West Highland Railway the station did not open with the line. With local pressure (including from the powerful local landowners the Colquhouns) it opened in 1896 to serve Portincaple and the surrounding district, a small station with a short coal and goods siding and no signalling. The siding was on the east side of the station, approached from the south. There were hopes to carry fish traffic. Whistlefield Hotel was a little to the south of the station. The Whistefield Store and Tea Room (now the Green Kettle) was opened afterwards, closer to the station.

Portincaple is at a much lower level on the east bank of Loch Long (the west side of the line). A road formerly ran downhill directly from the railway bridge to the village (the road has since been realigned). Plans to develop a connecting service to a pier at Portincaple, the loch already being served by steamers, and run ferries to Loch Goil failed to come to fruition. These were quite extravagant, there was consideration of a funicular.

Traces of the steps up to the station from the road below can be found, but nothing remains of the station itself. The platform (rebuilt 1925) was timber. Railwayman's cottages remain in use as houses.

The station was to the south of the road bridge with a platform on the west side of the line.

Local

Visit Scotland - Green Kettle

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67

Nearby stations Garelochhead Faslane Port Shandon Faslane Platform Glen Douglas Halt Rhu Helensburgh Upper Helensburgh Central Helensburgh Ticket Platform Craigendoran Pier Arrochar and Tarbet Craigendoran Upper Craigendoran Gourock Fort Matilda	Garelochhead Viaduct Finnart Oil Terminal Finnart Viaduct Tourist/other Loch Long Garelochhead Pier Bull Hole St Michael^s Chapel HMNB Clyde Glen Mallan Jetty RNAD Coulport Carrick Castle High Balernock Level Crossing Loch Goil Laigh Balernock Level Crossing Shandon Castle
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.

Shunting instructions

A sign survived at Whistlefield until recent years. It read (the underscores represent missing letters):

Owing to the steepness of the gradient at Whistlefield station no shunting is to be done on the main line unless the engine is at the Garelochhead end of the wagon and further _ trains arriving pas_ must stop at the platform unless the continuous brake _.

Intriguingly the station was located just south of a very short section of counter gradient. The line generally climbs from Garelochhead to Glen Douglas Halt but here there is a short section of falling gradient.

Dates

01/05/1896	West Highland Railway Whistlefield opened.
14/06/1964	West Highland Railway Craigendoran (West Highland, high level), Rhu, Shandon, Whistlefield and Glen Douglas closed as the local service from Craigendoran to Arrochar and Tarbet is withdrawn.