For journeys
mediately as it would likely by the Hydro- Electric the construction of their adalbane Scheme. of the line made it much for the HEB to bring in the terials they required and the Mail of December 6,1953, orted that the rusty rails on between St Fillans and hearnhead were “acquiring that shiny look again through the Electric Board’s pug engine”. line was eventually lifted Comrie to three miles west Fillans in August 1957, and there to Balquhidder in 1959. apathy of public feeling the closures can be seen newspaper reports of the asion. Strathearn Herald of October reported that a group children from Newstead hildren’s Hotel) went on a timental trip on the last train Saturday evening, leaving the 6pm and returning on the from Balquhidder pulled by No.54447.
Few people paid much attention to the closing of the line and the 30 children and one or two travellers were the only people able to look back and say: “I travelled on the last train to run on the CrieffBalquhidder line”.
The Perthshire Advertiser reported “nearly 80 passengers were aboard when the train left Perth to make the last journey to Balquhidder, but only a few were going all the way, most were for Crieff”.
Of course it would be their last trip to Crieff too by this route.
John Young highlighted: “These closures had a significant impact on Crieff, and they also had other implications. The popular Circular Tours, for many years a feature of the summer season, were no longer possible, and with the closure of St Fillans, the scope for excursions was drastically reduced.
“Other through traffic such as the bi-annual sheep specials now had to travel by way of Dunblane and the main line to Perth.”
At the Crieff Town Council meeting in November 1953 the question of closing the ComrieGleneagles railway line was discussed.
British Railways had not denied officials were inspecting the route and making surveys with regard to the number of people using the line, but they would not give information as to whether the line was to be closed or not.
It was not long before the British Transport Commission came clean and recommended the closure of the line to save £14,000 per annum due to too few passengers.
The matter was quickly taken up locally and there seemed little doubt at the outset that everyone was behind the then Provost D O MacLean and the members of Crieff Town Council, and that a protest should be made in the strongest terms.
The council sponsored a meeting in the Masonic Hall and public support was quickly given.
Bodies in the county and surrounding area came in to form the protest which was put to the Transport Users Consultative Committee sitting in Edinburgh.
Backing the protest were the National Farmers Union, Forestry Commission, Perthshire County Council, Crieff Town Council, Crieff Merchants and Hotel- Keepers Association, Central District Council and Crieff Ratepayers Association.
The case for the county and Strathearn groups was won with the announcement in July, 1955: “after a very full discussion, the committee decided they could not support the proposals made by the British Transport Commission”
Vigorous opposition by the protestors was led by Sir George McGlashan, the County Convener, and Provost DO MacLean of Crieff, who persuaded the railway chiefs to postpone their decision and by modernising the services in accordance with British Railways Modernisation Plan of 1955, using diesel trains, to see if passenger numbers would improve.