Sighthill Branch (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway)
Introduction
This railway is partly open to passengers and freight. The parallel City of Glasgow Union Railway has been retained between Cowlairs and Sighthill.
The planned connections to the Caledonian Railway were ordered removed from their land in 1854. The later Sighthill East Junction curve followed a slightly different course to the original partly prepared route. The stub of the west route remained for many years as a siding.
The Scottish Central Railway had running powers over the branch.
Dates
| 28/05/1858 | Glasgow Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway Opened as single track from Cowlairs Junction to Bowling and Dalreoch Junction to Helensburgh. Due to a disagreement over station access charges between the company and the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway the first trains ran to Buchanan Street using the Sighthill Branch (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway) and a connection at St Rollox with the Buchanan Street Extension (Glasgow, Garnkirk and Coatbridge Railway) line. The disagreement was resolved a month later. |
| 05/10/1981 | Sighthill Branch (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway) Sighthill Goods closed. |
Portions of line and locations
This line is divided into a number of portions.
Cowlairs to Sighthill
This is a four way junction. The 1842 Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway is met by the 1855 Sighthill Branch (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway) and the 1858 Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway. The City of Glasgow Union Railway's north end reached here in 1875.
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A class N2 0-6-2T passing Cowlairs West Junction with empty stock in September 1955. ...G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 06/09/1955
Gresley V3 2-6-2T no 67600 with a Glasgow Queen Street - Kirkintilloch train passing Cowlairs West Junction on 6 September 1955. ...G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 06/09/1955
Haymarket A3 Pacific no 60035 Windsor Lad brings the 6pm Queen Street - Waverley through Cowlairs West Junction in the summer of 1956. [South ...G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 26/06/1956
Thornton based D49 4-4-0 no 62749 Rutlandshire photographed at Cowlairs West on 26 June 1956 with a train from Fife. ...G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 26/06/1956
View south over the City of Glasgow Union Railway and the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway's Sighthill Branch to Cowlairs carriage sidings in 1989. ...Ewan Crawford //1989
Work in progress at the former Cowlairs Carriage Sidings. The site is being prepared for a new centralised maintenance depot. Work nearby begins for a ...Thomas McPake (Network Rail) /10/2006
An 08 shunts the Cowlairs Carriage sidings. CGU and Sighthill Branch in foreground. ...Ewan Crawford //1987
Steam heating the carriages at Cowlairs on a very dull afternoon on 24 February 1968 is Standard 2-6-4T no.80002. The loco survives and can be found ...John McIntyre Collection 24/02/1968
This yard was on the west side of the Sighthill Branch (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway immediately south of Cowlairs West Junction. The yard was immediately east of the Cowlairs Carriage Sidings alongside the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway. The yard was a series of parallel dead end sidings accessed from the north.
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Turkey Yard looking north-west. The yard is now lifted as the Cowlairs chord was opened over its site. ...Ewan Crawford //1987
Turkey Yard looking west. Top to bottom; E&G (out of sight), Cowlairs Carriage Depot, Turkey Yard, Sighthill Branch, CGU. ...Ewan Crawford //1987
This works dated from 1861, being built alongside the still new 1855 Sighthill Branch of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway at a green field site. It was opened by Neilson and Company. That company's previous works, Hyde Park Works [1st], was on Hyde Park Street, Finnieston, the same name being used for the new works.
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The director's entrance to the North British Locomotive Company ('The Combine') offices in Springburn. The offices were opened in 1909, just after the ...Ewan Crawford //2000
My father, James Crawford, began his long career at North British Locomotives in Springburn, Glasgow. This is one of the photographs he took of a ...James Crawford //
The 1875 City of Glasgow Union Railway ran from Cowlairs West Junction parallel to, and on the east side of, the 1855 Sighthill Branch (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway) and a junction existed here between these lines and the exchange line to Sighthill East Junction [1st] on the Buchanan Street Extension (Caledonian Railway).
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This box controlled the approach to Sighthill Goods. Sighthill Goods Junction Signal Box was on the west side of the line south of Sighthill Junction. It controlled the approach to Sighthill Yard Junction, Sighthill Yard and Sighthill East Junction [1st] to the south. To the north the line bypassed the west side of Springburn station and continued on to [[Cowlairs West ...
More details
At this junction the goods lines within Sighthill Goods split into west sidings (the good sheds) and various stabling sidings to the east. To the north was Sighthill Goods Junction.
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This was the terminus of the Sighthill Branch (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway) from Cowlairs West Junction.
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Sighthill Goods Yard looking south. Left to right; chord from Sighthill Jnct to Germiston, Sighthill Yard arrival/departure sidings (only one track ...Ewan Crawford //1987
Sighthill East Curve
This box controlled the approach to Sighthill Goods. Sighthill Goods Junction Signal Box was on the west side of the line south of Sighthill Junction. It controlled the approach to Sighthill Yard Junction, Sighthill Yard and Sighthill East Junction [1st] to the south. To the north the line bypassed the west side of Springburn station and continued on to [[Cowlairs West ...
More detailsOriginally the Caledonian Railway's Sighthill Junction.
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The long single carriageway tunnel which takes Darnick Street under the railway from Spingburn to Cumbernauld is quite intimidating for pedestrians ...Colin McDonald 07/03/2019
The long single carriageway tunnel which currently takes Darnick Street under the railway from Spingburn to Cumbernauld, but in the past burrowed ...Colin McDonald 07/03/2019
