The Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Comrie Railway company was formed to build a line along the valley of Strathearn, closing the gap between the Callander and Oban line of the Caledonian Railway and Crieff. Tourism was on the increase in the area, and there were ambitious ideas that imported goods traffic at Oban would be routed to the eastern Scotland towns and cities over the line.
The route was opened in stages between 1901 and 1905; raising finance was a serious difficulty, but in the end the Caledonian Railway took over.
The through goods traffic never materialised and the tourist trade never provided enough income for the line to be profitable. It closed in 1951.
History
Before the railway
The large tract of country in the Western Highlands of Scotland was penetrated by the Callander and Oban Railway which intended to open up the area and regenerate the port of Oban. They found the cost of construction stretched their financial resources much further than they imagined, but the line was opened in stages, reaching a Killin station at Glenoglehead in 1871, and finally reaching Oban in 1880. As well as the ordinary commercial traffic of the districts served, tourism became a significant seasonal source of income, and the attractive scenery became the focus of great interest.
To the east of Strathearn, Crieff had been reached much earlier by the Crieff Junction Railway, in 1856, connecting the town, which was the second most populous in Perthshire, in 1856. A second rail connection from Perth via Methven, the Crieff and Methven Junction Railway, opened in 1867. The line was extended a few miles west to Comrie when the Crieff and Comrie Railway opened in 1893. This improved the commercial activity of Comrie, and encouraged tourist exploration of Strathearn by road, using Comrie as a railhead. However the remaining gap of 15 miles (22 km) between Comrie and Lochearnhead proved an attraction to those who proposed railways, and a number of ideas that foresaw extraordinary business potential if the Callander and Oban line were connected to Crieff: transatlantic goods traffic would, it was claimed, be landed at Oban and conveyed to the eastern side of Scotland over such a line.
Authorisation
The proposals came to fruition when the Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Comrie Railway was authorised by Act of Parliament on 6 August 1897. The share capital was £165,000. the Caledonian Railway subscribed half the money on the basis that it would later have the option of absorbing the company. The Caledonian was concerned by the possibility of the rival North British Railway building a penetrating line into the area, or even taking over the unbuilt St Fillans line, and this motivated their provision of funding. The new company was slow to take action on its new powers, and it was not until February 1899 that a prospectus, inviting investment, was issued. The prospectus emphasised the potential of through traffic from the West Highlands to Perth and other central and eastern destinations; cattle was a particularly dominant traffic to be expected.
Considerable attention was given to the environmental impact of the line through high amenity landscape: a Parliamentary committee considered the matter.
Construction
The work proceeded to construct the railway from Comrie to St Fillans. By 8 June 1901 it was ready for Colonel von Donop of the Board of Trade to examine the line for approval of opening. This was satisfactory and on 12 September 1901 there was a ceremonial opening of the line. However all the money the company had for construction had been exhausted. There still remained the major part of the line to be built. The Caledonian Railway had advanced a large part of the capital of the company, and independent subscriptions were minimal. The company appealed to the Caledonian to take over the construction, and while this was an unwelcome situation, the Caledonian Railway agreed to do so. Meanwhile, the ordinary public train service commenced on 1 October 1901, over two weeks after the opening ceremony. There were three trains daily.
Absorbed by the Caledonian
The deed of agreement to sell the Company to the Caledonian Railway was executed on 7 May 1901, and it took effect (after Parliamentary approval) on 1 August 1902. During the period awaiting the final approval, a contract was let for the extension to Lochearnhead, with Caledonian money. Unfortunately the contractor died suddenly during the construction, throwing the progress of the work into confusion. At length a new contractor was found to resume the works.