Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)

Introduction

This railway is closed. The line ran from Slateford in Edinburgh to Balerno. The route is now a cycle-way.






Dates

  /  /1841Woodhall Paper Mill
Converted from white paper to brown paper, served by the Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway) on the railway's opening in 1874
  /  /1865Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Act for the line authorised.
  /  /1869Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Proposed line abandoned.
  /  /1870Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)
New version of the Balerno branch authorised.
  /  /1870Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)
A connection at the west end of the Balerno branch is authorised from Ravelrig Junction, making the branch into a loop off the Edinburgh branch of the Caledonian Railway. Balerno Goods would now be left on a short branch.
01/08/1874Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Loop opened along with Balerno Goods. Stations opened at Colinton, Juniper Green, Currie [2nd] and Balerno.
  /  /1890Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Villa building starts around Colinton.
11/09/1939Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Balerno (excluded) - Ravelrig Junction (excluded) closed to passengers.
01/11/1943Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Balerno to Edinburgh (Balerno Junction) closed to passengers (official date 13 June 1949).
13/06/1949Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Balerno to Edinburgh (Balerno Junction) officially closed to passengers, although actually suspended in 1943.
11/08/1958Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Juniper Green closed to goods.
04/12/1967Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Balerno Goods to Balerno Junction and Balerno Goods Junction to Ravelrig Junction closed.

Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.


Slateford to Ravelrig via Balerno

This junction was at the east end of the Balerno Branch and connected the 1874 single track branch to the 1848 main line railway.
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See also
Caledonian Railway
April 1993 view of the bridge that carried the Balerno branch over the Union Canal, near to Balerno Junction where the branch diverged from the main ...
Bill Roberton 10/04/1993
A post card view of the signal-box at Balerno Junction taken from across the Union Canal, with a very quiet road alongside. The view looks west. The ...
Don Shaw //
Balerno Junction looking south west in 1999. The open main line is to the right and the trackbed of the Balerno route is to the left, the walker being ...
Ewan Crawford //1999
Class 20 no 20103 (still with tablet catcher recess) and sister locomotive head west light engine at the site of Balerno Junction in July 1978. ...
Bill Roberton /07/1978
4 of 5 images. more


This siding was between Hailes Halt (to the south) and Balerno Junction (to the north). The siding was on the south side of the line, above the Water of Leith, and accessed from the Balerno Junction direction. The siding had a loop and goods shed. A bridge connected the yard to Kate's Mill itself, on the south side of the Water of Leith.
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Opened 1908, first advertised 1927.
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The former trackbed in Colinton Dell seen in 1985 in a view looking north in the direction of Hailes Halt. Note the large retaining wall. ...
Don Shaw //1985
A 1999 view looking to Balerno from the site of Hailes Halt. The Water of Leith is on the left. ...
Ewan Crawford //1999
2 of 2 images.


This is a single track, single bore, 150 yd tunnel between Colinton and Hailes Halt. The tunnel features a mural, running the length of the tunnel, inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's poem 'From a Railway Carriage'.
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A lone walker about to enter the east portal of Colinton Tunnel in April 2018. The single bore 150 yard long gently curved tunnel on the former ...
John Furnevel 26/04/2018
Artwork covers the entire 153 yards of Colinton Tunnel's brickwork, as seen here in August 2020. ...
John Yellowlees 15/08/2020
Mural of Robert Louis Stevenson, one of many artworks on the walls of the now fully restored Colinton Tunnel. ...
John Yellowlees 03/04/2021
Not just murals inside Colinton Tunnel but also outside too. This is the approach to the north portal in August 2020. ...
John Yellowlees 15/08/2020
4 of 12 images. more


This was a single platform station with a typical Caledonian Railway small station timber building. The station was immediately west of Colinton Tunnel.
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Colinton station buildings seen in the early 1960s. ...
Don Shaw //
Colinton station seen from the bridge in a view looking east towards the tunnel in the 1960s. At the time the line was still open to goods only ...
Don Shaw //
Colinton seen in the 1960s from the road overbridge showing the goods yard and interesting shed. The view looks east to the tunnel. ...
Don Shaw //
Colinton road bridge dominates the view in this photograph looking east towards the passenger station (note the cut back platform) with the goods yard ...
Don Shaw //
4 of 11 images. more


This was a single platform station. The platform was on the north (village) side of the line. The Water of Leith was just to the south, alongside the line, with a footbridge crossing to the south bank.
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Juniper Green showing the ground frame at the east end of the station giving access to the goods yard from the branch. ...
Don Shaw //
The site of Juniper Green station, visited in April 1993.
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Bill Roberton 10/04/1993
Juniper Green station showing the former goods yard in the early 1960s. Byt this date there was just one siding, mainly serving Woodhall Paper Mill. ...
Don Shaw //
Juniper Green station building and cut back platform in a view looking east. ...
Don Shaw //
4 of 6 images. more


This was a two platform station with a passing loop on a single track line. This station was in the south of Currie, unlike Currie [1st] which it replaced, some way to the north. There was a goods yard to the south, served from the west. There was a water tank at the west end and signal box. Each platform had waiting rooms.
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A view east of Currie station looking towards Kinleith Mill. The station loop is behind the camera. ...
Don Shaw //
At Currie station the former goods shed was still intact in 1985. It has since been converted into a house. ...
Don Shaw //1985
The eastern end of Currie station's loop in a view looking east. Note the cars on right and the distant Kinleith Mill chimney. ...
Don Shaw //
Between Currie and Balerno. ...
Don Shaw //
4 of 15 images. more


This was the junction between the single track Balerno loop and the single track branch to Balerno Goods. Approach to the goods yard was from the east. Balerno station was just to the north of the junction, north of a road bridge.
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A view showing the tight reverse curves just east of Balerno Goods Junction (Newmills Mill is behind to the left) on the approach to waulk mill. The ...
Don Shaw //
East of Balerno, with Lanark Road just above. ...
Don Shaw //
One of three surviving telegraph poles on the old Balrno branch in April 2021, This and one other are between Balerno and Currie, with the third ...
John Yellowlees 03/04/2021
Balerno Goods Junction ground frame with Lanark Road just above to the left and the former Newmills Mill. The line met the Water of Leith here and ...
Don Shaw //
4 of 6 images. more


This was a single platform station. Although the Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway) was a loop, Balerno station operated as a terminus with trains running to Edinburgh Princes Street. The loop was referred to as the Balerno Branch. The line continued west past the station to Ravelrig Junction and east to Balerno Junction via Juniper Green and Colinton. The next station ...

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The former stationmaster and porters house of Balerno station still stands, in private ownership, as a reminder of the former station. This is a 1985 ...
Don Shaw //1985
A under bridge which carried Lanark Road over the Balerno branch railway in a 1985 view. Balerno passenger station was on this side. Balerno Goods ...
Don Shaw //1985
2 of 2 images.


This junction was formed in 1874 between the west end of the Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway) and the 1848 Caledonian Railway.
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See also
Caledonian Railway
DBC 66109 nears the former Ravelrig Junction, with the Tees Dock to Grangemouth service, on 21st January 2020 ...
Bill Roberton 21/01/2020
A wintry view taken during a walk along the closed trackbed between Ravelrig Junction and Balerno in 1985. ...
Don Shaw //1985
The 07.55 from Inverness to London KX, led by power car 43238 'National Railway Museum 40 Years 1975-2015', diverted via the WCML due to track ...
Bill Roberton 30/09/2017
Freightliner 66554 climbs towards Ravelrig with a Grantshouse - Carlisle train of recovered track panels on 30th September 2017.
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Bill Roberton 30/09/2017
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Balerno Goods

This was the junction between the single track Balerno loop and the single track branch to Balerno Goods. Approach to the goods yard was from the east. Balerno station was just to the north of the junction, north of a road bridge.
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A view showing the tight reverse curves just east of Balerno Goods Junction (Newmills Mill is behind to the left) on the approach to waulk mill. The ...
Don Shaw //
East of Balerno, with Lanark Road just above. ...
Don Shaw //
One of three surviving telegraph poles on the old Balrno branch in April 2021, This and one other are between Balerno and Currie, with the third ...
John Yellowlees 03/04/2021
Balerno Goods Junction ground frame with Lanark Road just above to the left and the former Newmills Mill. The line met the Water of Leith here and ...
Don Shaw //
4 of 6 images. more


This goods yard was in the north of Balerno, the terminus of a short goods only line from Balerno Goods Junction. It was located on the west side of the confluence of the Water of Leith and Bavelaw Burn. Approach to the yard was from the north east, approach along the Balerno branch being from the Edinburgh direction. The goods yard was equipped with a goods shed, loading banks and a crane. ...

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