Back in November 2000, Michael S. Elton wrote about the Killin Branch in BackTrack magazine. The featured image for this article is the front cover of the November 2000 (Volume 14 No. 11) issue of the magazine. It depicts ex-Caledonian Railway Class 439 0-4-4T No. 55222 shunting at Killin on 4th September 1958, © Derek Penny. [1]
“At first glance appearing to be no more than an offshoot of the picturesque and spectacular Callander & Oban Railway, the Killin Railway was a wholly independent company in its own right for the first 37 years of its working life. The Killin Railway Company endured for almost all of its independent years under the patronage of one of Scotland’s wealthiest men. The local people promoted the village railway company in 1881 and the line was run under their management from its official opening on 13th March 1886 until its independence was reluctantly conceded to the LMS from 1st June 1923. In absorbing the Killin Railway Company the LMS accepted some £12,000 of debt accumulated over the years of its independence and paid the remaining shareholders just 8% of the face value of their original investment, in full settlement of the enforced transaction. During the years of independence and before they were absorbed into the LMS, the train services of both the Killin and the adjacent Callander & Oban Companies were worked by the Caledonian Railway Company as integral parts of its system.” [1: p624-625]
The linked article looks at this short branch line. ...
http://rogerfarnworth.com/2025/04/12/the-killin-branch/
Yesterday, 18:36
