Ballochney Railway

Introduction

This railway is closed. The line ran east from Kipps, connecting many mine workings to the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, allowing minerals to be forwarded by the Forth and Clyde Canal to Glasgow or Edinburgh, or to be used in the local iron industry around Coatbridge. Going east from Kipps the line climbed the Ballochney Incline (fortunately loaded coal trains were going downhill, pulling the empties uphill). The line provided the first passenger station for Airdrie. No part remains open today. Today's Airdrie station is located on a newer line which bypassed the inclline. It survives as a network of paths and abandoned trackbeds to the north of Airdrie. Opencast mining has robbed us of its remains in at the eastern, Ballochney, end.

Why built

The line connected a myriad of mines north of Airdrie to the growing railway network, iron works and Forth and Clyde Canal. Many of the shareholders and directors had a vested interest in the line being industrialists or mine owners.

Thomas Grainger was the engineer. In its early years it was a highly profitable line, with an impressive 20% dividend.

Branches were added to the main stem of the line as suited the needs of industry.





Dates

  /  /1826Ballochney Railway
Act receives Royal assent. Line gauge was 4ft 6in.
08/07/1828Ballochney Railway
Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway
A passenger service from Airdrie to Glasgow advertised (before opening, or when partly opened?). A horse drawn spring-less coach ran over the Ballochney Railway from Airdrie Leaend to Kipps, the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway from Kipps to Kirkintilloch Basin and, after connecting with track boats on the Forth and Clyde Canal, passengers reached Glasgow.
08/08/1828Ballochney Railway
Opened.
  /  /1830Ballochney Railway
Garden Square village built at Leaend for Railway workers.
  /06/1831Ballochney Railway
Passenger station laid out at Leaend.
01/06/1831Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway
Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway
Ballochney Railway
Commencement of a service to Airdrie. Coaches for Airdrie Leaend are disconnected from the trains on arrival at Gartgill/Gartsherrie and taken on by horse to Leaend.
  /  /1832Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway
Weekly services from Carinhill Bridge (Calder Iron Works) and Clarkston [Wester Moffat] (Ballochney Railway) to Gartsherrie introduced. These ran from the summer to late in the year.
  /  /1837Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway
A locomotive erecting works in a workshop by the Ballochney Railway is abandoned, and Mosside Works is opened, on the other side of the railway from the old shed.
04/08/1840Ballochney Railway
Commonhead station opened, in connection with a passenger service on the Slamannan Railway.
31/08/1840Slamannan Railway Ballochney Railway Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway
Passenger service from Edinburgh to Glasgow introduced by the Slamannan Railway. A trackboat along the Union Canal from Edinburgh to Causewayend Basin was followed by a train from Causewayend [SR] to Arbuckle along the Slamannan Railway. Running powers were then used from Arbuckle to Kipps via the Ballochney Railway, from Kipps to Gartsherrie [GGR] via the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway and Gartsherrie to Glasgow Townhead over the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway. (Alternative date 05 August.)
  /05/1841Ballochney Railway
Dykehead Colliery Pit No 1 to Darngarvil Colliery Sidings opened
  /05/1843Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway
Coatbridge [CR] opened to passengers. Connecting service to Leaend on the Ballochney Railway abandoned. An omnibus continued the journey from Coatbridge to Airdrie.
  /05/1843Slamannan Railway
With the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway opening to Coatbridge [CR] and withdrawing from Leaend the Slamannan passenger service is cut back, running from Rawyards (Ballochney Railway) to Causewayend [SR].
  /06/1843Ballochney Railway
Dykehead Junction to Darngarvil Colliery Sidings branch sanctioned by government.
26/12/1844Ballochney Railway
Airdrie Hallcraig Street station opened (later known as Airdrie North Goods). This replaced Leaend station which closed.
  /  /1845Ballochney Railway
Rawyards station opened.
01/03/1845Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
Passenger service from Glasgow Queen Street to Coatbridge [NB] and Airdrie (Commonhead?) begins around this date. This used the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, Garngaber Curve (Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway), Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway and Ballochney Railway. The Monkland line was upgraded for this service and began to use steam hauled passenger trains. This new service ran in competition with that from Glasgow Townhead over the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway to Coatbridge [CR] with a road coach connection to Airdrie.
29/03/1845Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway Ballochney Railway Slamannan Railway
At the instigation of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, Ballochney Railway and Slamannan Railway pool their receipts. The Wishaw and Coltness Railway did not get involved.
31/12/1845Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway Ballochney Railway Slamannan Railway
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway begins to work the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, Ballochney Railway and Slamannan Railway.
  /  /1846Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway Ballochney Railway Slamannan Railway
Bill prepared to merge into the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, Ballochney Railway andSlamannan Railway. The Bill is rejected.
  /  /1846Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway Ballochney Railway Slamannan Railway
On failure of merger Bill the E&G ceases to work the older railways.
28/10/1846Ballochney Railway
The rope of a self-acting incline breaks and a coal train and passenger train run downhill and collide at the single track at the foot of an incline.
27/07/1847Ballochney Railway
Converted to standard gauge.
14/08/1848Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway Ballochney Railway Slamannan Railway Monkland Railways
Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway merges with Ballochney Railway and Slamannan Railway to become Monkland Railways.
  /  /1862Ballochney Railway
Whiterigg opened.
  /  /1923Ballochney Railway
Closed between Rawyards (excluded) and Calderbank Branch Junction (excluded). Alternative date 1936.
01/05/1930Monkland and Kirkintilloch RailwayBallochney Railway Slamannan Railway Slamannan and Borrowstounness Railway
Coatbridge (Greenside Junction) (excluded) to Manuel Low Level (excluded) closed to passengers. Commonhead, Rawyards, Airdrie Hallcraig Street, Whiterigg stations on the Ballochney Railway closed. Longriggend, Slamannan, Avonbridge, Blackston Junction, Bowhouse, Causewayend [MR] [2nd] closed.
01/09/1949North Monkland Railway Dykehead Branch Extension (Monkland Railways) Dykehead Branch (Ballochney Railway) Ballochney Railway
Dykehead branch closed. Closed from Greengairs Siding to Dykehead Junction.
01/09/1949Ballochney Railway Slamannan Railway
Slamannan to Ballochney Junction to Dykehead Junction to Rawyards (excluded) closed to freight and completely. Additionally Ballochney Colliery to Ballochney Junction closed.
01/05/1956Ballochney Railway
Closed from Rawyards to Commonhead (excluded). Alternative date 1959.
  /  /1960New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways)
Ballochney Railway
Moffat Paper Mills to Wester Moffat Exchange Sidings (excluded) closed. (Later re-opened to serve Inver House Distillery.)
  /  /1963New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways) Ballochney Railway
Springbank Quarry to Wester Moffat Exchange Sidings to Moffat Mills Junction (excluded) closed.
06/07/1964Ballochney Railway
Closed from Airdrie Hallcraig Street (then named Airdrie North Goods) to Commonhead to Kipps Junction Incline Foot to Kipps Junction (excluded).
18/08/1971Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway Ballochney Railway
Kipps Junction to Greenside Junction (excluded) closed.
  /  /1981New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways)
Ballochney Railway
Moffat Mills Junction to Inver House Distillery re-opened. (This is inaccurate as a photograph from 1974 shows a train leaving the branch from Inver House Distillery, unless there was a further closure and re-opening.)
  /  /1984Monkland and Kirkintilloch RailwayBallochney Railway
Area around the former Kipps Junction landscaped and remains of the railways and Northburn Steel Works removed.
01/01/1986Ballochney Railway
New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways)
Inver House Distillery to Moffat Mills Junction to Airdrie (excluded) closed. The track is left disused from Airdrie to Moffat Mills Junction with a buffer placed at the east end of Airdrie station. South of Moffat Mills Junction is lifted and girders removed from viaduct.

Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.


Kipps to Ballochney

From Kipps Junction to Ballochney Colliery.

This was the wagon works of the Ballochney Railway, on the west side of the Kipps Level Crossing. It was a timber building of one road, approached from east. It was located to the east of later Kipps Shed, which first apears on 1858/60 Ordnance Survey map.
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This was a marshalling yard of around 17 single ended sidings east of Kipps Junction. It was located on the south side of the Ballochney Railway and was approached from the west.
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See also
Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway


This was a junction which grew to serve numerous lines and yards.
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See also
North Monkland Railway
Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway




A series of sidings were on the north side of the Ballochney Railway, east of Kipps junction and west of Kipps Junction Incline Foot.
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This open hearth steel works was located at Kipps, Airdrie. The works was fitted with three 40 ton open hearth furnaces. It produced steel billets.
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This was the incline foot for the lower Ballochney Incline (Commonhead Incline) which ran east to Commonhead and Rawyards. To the west was Kipps Junction.
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See also
Rochsoles Branch (Ballochney Railway)


This location is considered to be the first station in, or rather near, Airdrie.
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This station was located between the upper and lower Ballochney Inclines on a short level section. It was at the junction between the Ballochney Railway and the Hallcraig Street Branch (Ballochney Railway) which ran to Airdrie Hallcraig Street.
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See also
Hallcraig Street Branch (Ballochney Railway)




This was a single platform station located to the immediate east of a junction, level crossing and the Ballochney Incline. It was on the Ballochney Railway at the point of division between the lines to Clarkston (Wester Moffat) and Ballochney Colliery.
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This view looks north east from Baird Street along the route to Whiterigg and on to Dykehead Junction and the Ballochney Colliery lines, for which the ...
Ewan Crawford 03/05/1997
This view to the south west is over Baird Street to housing on Northburn Avenue, once the site of the Rawyards wagon works which was on the north side ...
Ewan Crawford 03/05/1997
2 of 2 images.


This was the junction between the Ballochney Railway of 1828 and the Dykehead Junction of 1835. The original line was double track and branch single.
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Clarkston Branch

From Rawyards to Clarkston (West Moffat).

This was a single platform station located to the immediate east of a junction, level crossing and the Ballochney Incline. It was on the Ballochney Railway at the point of division between the lines to Clarkston (Wester Moffat) and Ballochney Colliery.
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This factory was opened on the north east edge of Airdrie at Rawyards in 1949 by Boots of Nottingham.
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The overgrown cutting to the left was the site of Calderbank Junction, the junction between the Clarkston branch of the Ballochney Railway and its ...
Ewan Crawford 03/05/1997
1 of 1 images.


Clarkston (Wester Moffat) or (Wester Monkland) was a terminus. As a passenger terminus it was probably only open briefly in the summer of 1832, closing in October.
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