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West Highland Line - Corrour and Gorton

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Carron

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I am in the process of doing some research on the two most isolated outposts on the West Highland Line - Corrour Station and the passing loop at Gorton - and would be keen to hear any stories or recollections from anyone who lived, worked or grew up at either location in the years when the signal boxes were staffed.
Corrour began life as a private halt for the local estate but, in 1934, appeared for the first time on the public timetable while, up the line, the only passengers ever allowed to alight at Gorton were the family of the signalman and the children who attended a school housed in a railway carriage on the island platform.
 
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Midnight Sun

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The hostel on the edge of Loch Ossian has been open since 1930's, which is only a mile from Corrour Station. It had no electricity supply until 2016. so cold showers under a bucket and lighting by oil lamps.
 

xc170

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I've got off at Corrour twice, both times I've been shocked my how remote it is.
 

181

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The hostel on the edge of Loch Ossian has been open since 1930's, which is only a mile from Corrour Station. It had no electricity supply until 2016. so cold showers under a bucket and lighting by oil lamps.

A tangent, but the hostel had had a limited electricity supply for some years before 2016 -- the oil lamps had gone by the time I first stayed there in 2004. I think the supply came from a wind turbine (and presumably a battery), and the lights were about the only electric thing in the public areas, although I think the warden may have had a computer in the office. What happened in 2016 was the installation of a more substantial electricity supply when the estate put in a micro-hydro scheme.

On the OP's original request, you'll probably find quite a few people who've been to Corrour or maybe even Gorton, but there won't be many who've lived or worked there. The best I can offer is a conversation a few years ago with a taxi driver (between Killin and Crianlarich) who had been a relief signalman on the West Highland line, including Corrour I think. The main thing I remember him saying is that relief signalmen were expected to work much longer than normal shifts, which together with the sparse train service meant that he was sometimes asleep in the box until woken by the block bells.

This bit of film from the 1980s, and this one from the same era, may be of interest. The first is part of a programme of which a couple of other bits are also on YouTube, but not as far as I know the quote from the lady at Corrour which is cut off at the end of the clip that I've linked to. I believe Mr. Morgan did indeed stay on at Corrour for some years after the introduction of RETB, and ran a bunkhouse in the platform buildings.

I don't know whether the Friends of the West Highland Lines would be of any help to you.
 

Midnight Sun

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A tangent, but the hostel had had a limited electricity supply for some years before 2016 -- the oil lamps had gone by the time I first stayed there in 2004. I think the supply came from a wind turbine (and presumably a battery), and the lights were about the only electric thing in the public areas, although I think the warden may have had a computer in the office. What happened in 2016 was the installation of a more substantial electricity supply when the estate put in a micro-hydro scheme.

Oil lamps were still being used in 1996 when I last visited, The only water supply was by bucket from the loch. For hot water, two large pots were kept on the common room stove.
 
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