glen ogle viaduct lochearnhead Scotland

Set high on the side of a dramatic Scottish mountain, Glen Ogle Viaduct comprised part of an ambitious cross-country line connecting Callander with the coastal port of Oban, some 72 miles distant. The western half of the route is still operational. The viaduct's remote setting ensures it remains an iconic structure, with the classic view of it looking down towards Lochearnhead, the nearest community two miles to the south-east. The committee of the Callander & Oban Railway held its inaugural meeting in June 1864, although the route had been surveyed two years earlier. Parliamentary authority for construction of the line was granted on 5th July 1865. By the time the last section was opened in June 1880, the aggregate cost of construction amounted to £670,000.