Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway

Introduction

This original route of this line is closed. The line was later renamed the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway upon its extension to Granton and North Leith. A connecting line was later built from the Granton and Leith branches to Abbeyhill and Piershill (Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway)).




Dates

13/08/1836Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Act receives Royal Assent for a line from Canal Street [Edinburgh] to Trinity [1st].
  /10/1837Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Walter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, the Duke of Buccleuch, begins work on Granton Harbour.
28/05/1838Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Victoria Jetty, Granton opened for traffic to Burntisland.
01/07/1839Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Planned route deviated further east.
31/08/1842Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Scotland Street to Trinity [1st] opened.
  /  /1844Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
An Act is passed renaming the company the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway and giving assent to building branches from Trinity [1st] to Granton and from Warriston Junction to Leith [ELGR].
01/05/1869Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Abbeyhill opened on the diversion.
05/02/1968Granton Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Granton High Goods closed. (Latterly accessed via the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway).
28/02/1968Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Junction Mills Siding to Bonnington Goods Junction closed to freight.
05/08/1968Leith New Lines (Caledonian Railway)
Leith High Depot to Leith North Goods (excluded) closed. (Latterly accessed via the Leith Harbour and Dock Commissioners Railway dock lines from the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway).
  /  /1980Granton Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Granton Shell Siding closed. (Latterly accessed via the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway which is cut back to Powderhall). Line remains open for irregular Naphtha traffic to Granton Gas Works.

Locations along the line

These locations are along the line.

This station was the Edinburgh terminus of the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway until its extension south to Edinburgh Canal Street in 1847. The station was built in an extremely cramped site. It was on the northern edge of the New Town and extending the line on south through the Scotland Street Tunnel took it to mid way between the New Town and the Old Town at Edinburgh [[Canal ...

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See also
Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Scotland Street Tunnel : Richard Love, chair of the Broughton History Society and John Cameron.
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John Yellowlees 07/08/2023
The southern portal of the Rodney Street Tunnel seen in a view looking north in 1999. ...
Ewan Crawford //1999
A December 2018 view of what would be my local station if it hadn't closed a mere 150 years previously. It stayed in use as a goods yard for a further ...
David Panton 12/12/2018
Scotland Street Tunnel and its distinctive backcloth seen on 23rd September 2012 - an interesting contrast with the photographer's shot from Spring ...
David Spaven 23/09/2012
4 of 16 images. more


This is a disused former double track single bore tunnel between the former Scotland Street station (south) and Heriothill Goods (north). Also known as the Heriothill Tunnel.
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A nicely intact quartet of telegraph insulators above the south portal of Rodney Street tunnel. The next box (or cabin, really) on the way north was ...
David Panton 06/08/2021
The approach to Rodney Street tunnel from the north on a rainy December afternoon in 2012. The path running off to the left climbs up to meet ...
John Furnevel 12/12/2012
The north end of Rodney Street Tunnel was infilled with rubble in 1997, long before Sustrans opened it out again. ...
Ewan Crawford /09/1997
This photo shows a (unfortunately disfigured) plaque at the north portal of the tunnel that once carried the Scotland Street branch in north Edinburgh ...
John Yellowlees 14/11/2019
4 of 14 images. more


This goods yard was between Warriston Viaduct and Warriston Junction, to the north, and Rodney Street Tunnel, to the south. The yard was on the west side of the line and approached from the north. Across the railway from the yard was the Logie Green Works. Heriothill House was just to the south.
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See also
Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway


Part of the former workshops of the Edinburgh Leith and Newhaven Railway at Logie Green Road, Edinburgh, in 1977. The site is now occupied by a Tesco ...
Bill Roberton //1977
1 of 1 images.


This is a disused substantial three arch double track viaduct crossing the Water of Leith and Warriston Road. The arches are skewed, each is 34 ft long.
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Looking north across Warriston Viaduct along the route of the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway where it crossed the Water of Leith. Up ahead is ...
Andy Furnevel 01/12/2016
The original EL&N viaduct over the Water of Leith at Warriston, looking west along Warriston Road on 6 December 2016. The photograph shows a small ...
Andy Furnevel 06/12/2016
Looking north across the bridge carrying the former Granton branch across the Water of Leith on the approach to Warriston Junction in March 2003. ...
John Furnevel /03/2003
Viaduct on the original Canal Street - Granton Harbour line crossing the Water of Leith. View west along Warriston Road in 2010, with Warriston ...
John Furnevel 10/03/2003
4 of 4 images.


This junction was between the lines from Edinburgh Canal Street to Granton and to North Leith. It was to the immediate north of the Warriston Viaduct.
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Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
The site of Warriston Junction, where the Leith line left the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton 'main' line to Granton (ahead) at the end of Warriston ...
David Panton 12/12/2018
Looking north east along the curving course of the NBR line from Warriston Junction to North Leith on 15th January 2019. The ornate stonework is part ...
Bill Roberton 15/01/2019
Leith North's original connection with Waverley (or Canal Street) was via the line through Scotland Street tunnel. The 'main' line continued to ...
David Panton //2010
The site of Warriston Junction on a very wet 25 November, looking south see image 23914. Ahead is Scotland Street goods, and, originally, Canal ...
David Panton 25/11/2009
4 of 4 images.


This junction was to the south of Trinity [2nd] station. The signal box was located on the west side.
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See also
Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway)
The site of Trinity Junction is a hub of the north Edinburgh path network and my, what a choice you've got. The east/west and north/south lines were ...
David Panton 16/07/2021
Trinity Junction signal box in April 1968. The pair of tracks in front of the `box served Scotland Street goods but this line had been closed some six ...
John Clark 09/04/1968
This is the very telegraph pole seen sticking out of the top of the Clayton in Bill Jamieson's photo of 1970 (see image 28095) when it had already ...
David Panton 18/01/2019
Hard to believe that this leafy location once had railways left, right and above. For a view looking then other way in 1967, see:
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David Panton 12/07/2018
4 of 8 images. more


This is a disused double track 390 ft long tunnel, also known as East Trinity Road Tunnel under which it passes in addition to several houses and their gardens. It is just north of Trinity Junction and south of the site of Trinity [2nd].
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The southern portal of Trinity Tunnel on the former branch to Granton Harbour on Edinburgh's north side, closed to passengers in November 1925 and ...
David Bosher 25/02/2018
1 of 1 images.


Trinity was temporarily the terminus of the line between 1842 and 1846. With the commencement of the Granton Harbour Company's Granton Pier to Burntisland Pier steamer service coaches began between the temporary terminus and Granton Pier (see entry for ferry details).
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Looking south from Trinity Station through Lennox Row bridge, Trinity Tunnel and in the far distance the former Caledonian Leith North branch, in ...
Bill Roberton //1978
1 of 1 images.