RAILSCOT | Pass of Brander Stone Signals

Pass of Brander Stone Signals

Location type

Name and dates

Pass of Brander Stone Signals (1882-)

Opened on the Callander and Oban Railway.

Description

A series of 17 stone signals over a length of 3.2 miles are controlled by a rock screen uphill from the railway. The hillside above, the lower slope of Ben Cruachan, is sheer and rockfalls are not uncommon. The hillside drops to Loch Awe to the south. The portion of protected railway is on the north bank of loch and includes Falls of Cruachan station and the site of the former Awe Crossing.

The signals are known as 'Anderson's Piano' after John Anderson, the former manager of the Callander and Oban Railway, due to the sound made by the rock screen's wires in high wind.

The signals were first installed in 1882 (a mere two years after opening) and extended several times. Further modification was required when the halt and crossing loop opened. Recent years has seen an overhaul of the signals and they remain in use today.

Should a boulder fall onto the railway it may break the wires of the bounder screen which results in the signals changing to danger to alert train drivers. Several large boulders are wired directly to the system.

Another set of such signals existed elsewhere on the same line - a pair of signals were installed at Craig-na-Cailleach Platform on the now closed Crianlarich Lower to Callander (Dreadnought) section of the line.

For a modern equivalent see Monkton.

Aliases

Anderson^s Piano,Rock Screen

Nearby stations Falls of Cruachan Loch Awe Taynuilt Dalmally Ach-na-Cloich Connel Ferry North Connel Barcaldine Halt Benderloch Creagan Oban Oban Ticket Platform Appin Glen Falloch Platform Bridge of Orchy	Awe Crossing Falls of Cruachan Viaduct Cruachan Dam Crunachy Siding Awe Viaduct Tourist/other Cruachan Power Station Visitor Centre Meall Cuanail Ben Cruachan Stob Dearg Drochaid Ghlas Stob Garbh Stob Diamh Sron an Isean Loch Awe [Loch] Cladich Pier
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.

Mass concrete

Much use of mass concrete was made in the extension from Dalmally to Oban. In addition to viaducts (such as the [[Falls of Cruachan Viaduct) the line runs on a embankment with a concrete retaining wall for much of its length in the Pass of Brander.

Chronology Dates

27/06/1882	Callander and Oban Railway Large fence built to detect boulders which roll onto the trackbed in the Pass of Brander authorised. Pass of Brander Stone Signals.