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The line runs through a former mining district. The area is now mostly given over to farming. In the area south of Westcraigs, including Benhar and Hartwoodhill there were a number of pits which the North British Railway (who later owned this line) and Caledonian Railway both tried to reach.
Initially built as a single track. The line from Armadale Toll to Bathgate made use of an mineral line built by the Slamannan Railway.
The line ran from Greenside Junction at Kipps to Bathgate via Caldercruix.
This was a junction between the Kipps branch of the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway and the Bathgate line. The junction faced west towards Glasgow. There was a signalbox here called "Greenside Junction".
This two platform station remains open.
This station has a bay platform for trains heading west towards Glasgow. After closure of the line in the 1950s between Airdrie, Bathgate and Edinburgh for passengers the station became a terminus for passenger services to Glasgow, although the Bathgate line remained open for freight until the 1980s. When the Moffat Mills branch to Bathgate section was closed and lifted the line from Airdrie to the Moffat Mills branch was singled and the track by the eastbound platform at Airdrie lifted. Later the line to Moffat Mills was lifted and the line cut back to Drumgelloch where a new station was opened, and regular passenger services were able to run east of Airdrie station for the first time in 30 years.
There was a scrapyard by the station. The line was crossed to the east of the station by the Caledonian Railway's Airdrie branch. There was a signalbox here called "Airdrie South". The former "Airdrie" signalbox still stands here although it was made redundant by the Yoker Re-signalling Scheme. As part of the scheme some of the sidings by the bay platform were lifted leaving today a track by the bay and another siding.
This is the terminus of the line at present. Trains run west to Glasgow from a single platform. Near here the line from the Malleable Ironworks at Calderbank crossed over the route of the line (the Calderbank line was older) and joined the Ballochney Railway branch to Moffat Mills at an east facing juncton at Calderbank Branch Junction.
This station is closed and the line lifted. At my last visit the trackbed remained intact. There was a signalbox here called "Clarkston".
Going west from Clarkston to Plains there were branches to Moffat Mills (a west facing junction) and to Calderbank Branch Junction (from Brownieside Junction which was an east facing junction), on the Ballochney Railway and a colliery at Plains. The line from Rawyards to Calderbank Branch Junction to Moffat Mills was originally a branch of the Ballochney Railway which served Forges and later the Moffat Mills Distillery. The alignment of the branch was changed on construction of the Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway to provide conenctions to the new line.
This station is closed and the line lifted. The staggered platforms remain (one on either side of a former level crossing) and the route is new a cycleway. There was a signalbox here called "Plains".
This signalbox was to the east of Plains.
Parts of the station remain here. The land was, on my last visited, still fenced off and marked as British Rail property. The station had a signalbox "Caldercruix West".
There was a paperworks here which the railway was keen to build a short branch to. Local coal mines were also served. These branches were controlled by "Caldercruix East" signalbox.
This station is closed and the line lifted. The route is now a cycleway. The station buildings and parts of the platforms remain. The photograph is courtesy of John Riley joint owner of the building with Alistair Stewart. The railway ran at the rear of the building. The station had a signalbox called "Caldercruix".
All lines are closed at lefted here and the trackbed is now a cycle-route. This east-facing junction was located to the west of Westcraigs station. A branch ran south from here to Shotts where it joined the Shotts Ironworks branch of the Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway. This line not only served the Shotts Iron Works but would also have been useful for coal trains running from the Woodend Colliery (to the east of Westcraigs) to the Coltness Ironworks at Newmains. The signalbox here was called "Westcraigs Junction".
Benhar Level Crossing Signalbox
This signalbox was to the south of Westcraigs Junction on the branch to Shotts.
This signalbox was to the south of Westcraigs Junction on the branch to Shotts. A line ran east from this north facing junction to pits to the west of Benhar. There was a signalbox here called "Benhar Pits Junction".
This signalbox was to the south of Westcraigs Junction on the branch to Shotts. A line ran west from this north facing junction here to a number of pits above Hartwood. There was a signalbox here called "Hartwoodhill Junction".
The line is closed. The platforms and high goods loading bank remain here although no buildings remain. The cycle route runs through here and has altered the trackbed height.
The line is closed. There were a number of freight branches to coal mines from the here. The last to close ran to Woodend Colliery where some kind of activity continues today. The junction to Woodend Colliery faced west and the line ran northeast from this point. There was also a coalmine to the south of the main line here which was also rail-served. The signalbox here was called "Woodend Junction".
The station and line are closed. The station was not well sited for the town. I think the platforms have been removed. There was a signalbox here called "Armadale Station". To the east of the station were a number of lines running to coal mines and into Armadale itself. These were controlled from a signalbox called "Armadale Junction". The line from Armadale Toll to Polkemmet Junction (Bathgate) and on to Blackston junction was a Slamannan Railway branch.
This was the junction between the Coatbridge line and the Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway branch to Bathgate (which was partly built to serve the Bathgate Chemical Works (just to the south) as Bathgate was a very small town when the line was built). Both lines are now closed. The photograph faces Bathgate.
The junction faced north towards Bathgate. To the north of the junction the lines to Bathgate Lower and Blackston divided from the lines to Bathgate Upper and Edinburgh at a south facing junction.
This was a north facing junction between the lines from Polkemmet Junction (and Airdrie and Morningside) and Bathgate Upper (and Edinburgh). The line continued north and west to Blackston. The signalbox here was called "Bathgate West" and later "Bathgate North".
There was an east facing junction between the lines from Polkemmet Junction (and Airdrie and Morningside) and Bathgate Lower (and Blackston). The line ran east to Bathgate Upper station and Edinburgh. There was a signalbox here called "Bathgate East" and later "Bathgate West".
The station and line here are now closed. The station had two platforms and a by-pass which ran to the south of the station.
The left hand photograph by Michael Gibb shows a railtour in the station in the late 1970s. The right hand photograph shows the remains of the station in 1988. Both photographs look east. To the east of the station was a junction with the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway which ran on to near Ratho on the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway. The junction was controlled by a signalbox called "Bathgate Upper", then "Bathgate East" and finally "Bathgate Central". When the Coatbridge line opened it the existing Bathgate station was replaced by Bathgate Upper. The old station was located nearby the present day Bathgate termnius station. A semaphore signal could be found lying in the bushes by the station on my last visit.