Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway

Introduction

This railway is open. The line runs from Polmont to Carmuirs. The line was also known as the Polmont Junction Railway.






Dates

  /  /1800Blackadder Engineering Works
Founded, (beside the later Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway at Falkirk Grahamston).
  /  /1846Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Act receives Royal assent.
  /  /1846Stirlingshire Midland Junction RailwayEdinburgh and Glasgow Railway
Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway absorbed by Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway.
  /  /1850Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Opened.
  /  /1851Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Under construction, also known as the Polmont Junction Railway or Stirlingshire and Midland Junction Railway. Roman remains found at Carmuirs.
  /  /1857Grangemouth Railway (Forth and Clyde Canal Company) Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Grangemouth to Falkirk Grahamston line bill. Not authorised.
  /  /1858Carron Iron Works
Railway connection opened from Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway.
  /  /1860Carron Iron Works
Tramway to Bainsford Basin on the Forth and Clyde Canal abandoned after railway opened from Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway.
  /  /1867Forth and Clyde Canal Monkland Canal Forth and Cart Canal Grangemouth Railway (Forth and Clyde Canal Company) Drumpeller Railway Caledonian Railway
Forth and Clyde Canal (Forth and Clyde Navigation) including the Port Dundas Basin branch, Monkland Canal, Forth and Cart Canal and various assets such as the Grangemouth Railway (Forth and Clyde Canal Company) and Drumpeller Railway, bought by the Caledonian Railway to compete with the North British Railway in the Forth - Clyde Valley. The North British Railway is given running powers over the Grangemouth Railway (Forth and Clyde Canal Company). Caledonian Railway given running powers over the Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway to Larbert Junction
  /  /1870Vulcan Iron Works
Founded, beside the Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway at Grahamston Falkirk.
  /  /1874Caledonian Railway
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Wester Dalry Branch and Dalry Road Lines (Caledonian Railway)
Restrictions lifted. Caledonian Railway granted running power over the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway.
For westbound passenger traffic for the north, the Caledonian Railway must pause at Damhead Junction to pick up any North British Railway coaches.
For goods and minerals the company may run from north of Larbert Junction and from Grangemouth Junction over the proposed Wester Dalry branch via Damhead Junction (later Haymarket West Junction) for Edinburgh, Leith and Granton traffic.
  /  /1877Callander Iron Company
Founded, beside the Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway at Falkirk Grahamston.
  /  /1881Grangemouth Railway (Forth and Clyde Canal Company)
Connecting line from Grangemouth to Larbert authorised (both locations being Caledonian Railway owned). The line may have been a ploy to gain favourable terms for use of the Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway.
  /  /1881Grangemouth Railway (Forth and Clyde Canal Company) Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Grangemouth Branch Junction rebuilt with branch doubling. Forth and Clyde Canal sidings at junction modified.
01/08/1883Grangemouth Railway (Forth and Clyde Canal Company) Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Caledonian Railway granted access to the various industrial sidings by Falkirk Grahamston.
  /  /1896Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Caledonian Railway applies to an arbiter to have the Grahamston Swing Bridge replaced with a double track bridge. The single track bridge was a bottleneck on a double track line requiring two signal boxes.
  /  /1896Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Caledonian Railway granted access to the Falkirk Gasworks over the Dalderse and Springfield Iron Works Branch (North British Railway).
  /  /1899Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Single track Grahamston Swing Bridge over the canal in Falkirk replaced with a double bridge. Swing Bridge East Signal Box and Swing Bridge West Signal Box replaced.
  /  /1900Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Line widening authorised - extra goods lines and improved junctions. Carmuirs to Burnhouse and Grangemouth Branch Junction improvements.
15/06/1903Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Falkirk Camelon [1st] opened.
  /  /1905Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Doubling of the Caledonian Railway's Carmuirs West Junction to Carmuirs East Junction curve authorised.
  /09/1994Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Camelon station opened.
  /09/1997Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Grangemouth Junction and Swing Bridge East Junction signal boxes closed.
03/07/2011Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
Twin bridges at Camelon replaced to improve linespeed.

Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.


Polmont to Larbert

A ScotRail 158 about to complete the climb up from Falkirk Grahamston to join the E&G at Polmont junction on 7 August 2007. The train is a Dunblane - ...
John Furnevel 07/08/2007
An Edinburgh - Dunblane service westbound at Polmont Junction on 23 April 2010. The 158 is about to cross over before dropping down the bank towards ...
John Furnevel 23/04/2010
A Waverley bound 158 joins the E&G main line at Polmont Junction on 7 August 2007. ...
John Furnevel 07/08/2007
An Edinburgh - Dunblane 158 service, having just left the Edinburgh and Glasgow main line at Polmont Junction (at the bridge in the left background) ...
John Furnevel 07/08/2007
4 of 13 images. more


This panel box is on the north side of Polmont Junction. It replaced Polmont Junction and Bo'ness Junction [1st] signal boxes in 1979.
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See also
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway




This box was west of Polmont Junction on the Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway. Meadowbank Colliery was located nearby.
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This mineral depot was between Grangemouth Junction and Polmont. It was to the south west of Laurieston itself. The depot consisted of a single short siding on the east side of the line, approached from the south. There was a temporary signal box here in 1899. ...

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Also known as Grangemouth Branch Junction. Here the former Grangemouth Railway (Forth and Clyde Canal) meets the 1850 former Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway. Approach is from the west.
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See also
Grangemouth Railway (Forth and Clyde Canal)
66433 powers uphill to Grangemouth Junction, looking west, in August 2018. This was a grabshot I almost missed as the train came on far more quickly ...
Mark Poustie 04/08/2018
Hold up. Scene at Grangemouth Junction, looking east on 25 July 2011, with 66147 brought to a halt at signals awaiting entry to the Grangemouth ...
John Furnevel 25/07/2011
Looking east to Grangemouth Junction signalbox on 20 March 1992. The structure which replaced it was decommissioned in December 2017.
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Bill Roberton 20/03/1992
The 14.04 Edinburgh Waverley - Dunblane DMU approaches Falkirk Grahamston on 25 July 2011. The train is about to pass DBS 66147, held at signals as it ...
John Furnevel 25/07/2011
4 of 7 images. more


This station is served by local trains unlike Falkirk High, to the south, on the Edinburgh and Glasgow main line. Grahamston station is to the north of the town centre.
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Autumn 1976 at Falkirk Grahamston. Headed by a 3-car Metro Cammell DMU in a trial livery the 09.12 Edinburgh - Perth is about to pass the site of the ...
John Clark //1976
Loco uncoupled, running round? A barrel train at Falkirk Grahamston. ...
John Yellowlees 11/07/2023
Metro-Cammell and Cravens multiple units at Falkirk Grahamston in 1966. ...
Brian Haslehust 19/08/1966
Trains passing just west of Falkirk Grahamston on a summer afternoon in 2011. Accelerating away from the camera on the left is a service for Dunblane, ...
John Furnevel 25/07/2011
4 of 52 images. more




This signal box was at the east end of the Grahamston Swing Bridge over the Forth and Clyde Canal in Camelon/Falkirk. It was subsidiary to Swing Bridge West Signal Box just across the canal. Both boxes opened in 1899 (the west box replacing an earlier box) when the swing bridge was replaced with a double track bridge, before this it was single track. The west box was the principal as ...

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60047 nears Swing Bridge East signal box, with fuel tanks for Riccarton (Kilmarnock) or Prestwick, in 1996. ...
Bill Roberton //1996
Swing Bridge East signal box in 1996, with rationalisation in hand. The building to the rear held hydraulic equipment for the bridge. ...
Bill Roberton //1996
A 158 crossing the Forth & Clyde Canal at Swing Bridge East (lock no 9) in 1995. ...
James C Wilson Collection //1995
DRS 66432 crosses the Forth and Clyde Canal between Falkirk Grahamston and Camelon with the 4A13 Grangemouth - Aberdeen intermodal on 30 May. Swing ...
Bill Roberton 30/05/2014
4 of 9 images. more


This is a double track swing bridge carrying the Edinburgh-Stirling railway over the Forth and Clyde Canal, fixed in the closed position. The bridge is permanently fixed, the railway being electrified (as part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme).
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Half a mile west of Falkirk Grahamston the line crosses the Forth and Clyde Canal on Grahamston Swing Bridge (a fixed bridge since the early 1960s). ...
John Furnevel 02/01/2013
A Dunblane - Edinburgh - DMU about to cross the Forth and Clyde Canal on Grahamston Swing Bridge on 2 January 2013. Apart from the fact the bridge no ...
John Furnevel 02/01/2013
Tesco containers photographed shortly after leaving WHM Grangemouth on a grey 2 January 2013. The train is crossing the Forth and Clyde Canal ...
John Furnevel 02/01/2013
3 of 3 images.


This signal box controlled the swing bridge over the Forth and Clyde Canal at Camelon and the approaches. At first the swing bridge carried a single line on an otherwise double track railway. The box was on the west side of the canal and the south side of the railway.
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This was a double track junction. It was formed between the Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway (1850)
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See also
Carron Company
170478 was the last Turbostar in SPT livery. It has been transformed into Saltire colours and is here working the 11.58 from Dunblane to Edinburgh on ...
Bill Roberton 30/05/2014
1 of 1 images.


An island platform station east of the present Camelon station. The lines still part here for the removed platform, which is why there are two bridges over Stirling Road. A bricked up archway can be found below the bridges to the west of the former station. The station building was more Caledonian Railway than North British Railway in style with a timber building with canopies on the ...

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The former entrance to Falkirk Camelon station. Note the handrail running into the brick wall. ...
John Yellowlees 18/08/2023
1 of 1 images.


This is a minimal modern two platform station. It is on the west side of the Stirling Road. On the east side the two lines part, having formerly passed round either side of an island platform (the former Falkirk Camelon [1st] station).
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An Edinburgh to Dunblane train calls at Camelon in the last months (surely) of diesel services in the area. 25th October 2018. ...
David Panton 25/10/2018
Looking east at Falkirk Camelon station. ...
Ewan Crawford //
A Dunblane to Edinburgh service calls at Camelon on 16 November 2017. The OHLE
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David Panton 16/11/2017
New Strathclyde livery 170 Calls at Camelon eastbound. ...
Brian Forbes /09/2006
4 of 25 images. more


This is a double track junction. It is the eastern apex of a triangular of lines formed with Larbert Junction to the north and Carmuirs West Junction to the west.
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66249, with loaded coal train, passing east at Carmuirs East Junction in 2000. ...
Ewan Crawford //2000
The refurbished signal box at Carmuirs East Junction in January 2016. ...
Ross Wilson 13/01/2016
The lever frame in Carmuirs East signal box in 1990. Makes an interesting comparison with the configuration today see image 53931. Access by kind ...
Ewan Crawford //1990
A 150 service approaching Carmuirs East Junction en route to Waverley in July 1996. ...
David Panton /07/1996
4 of 10 images. more


At this junction the lines from Greenhill Lower Junction (for Glasgow Queen Street High Level and the south) and Falkirk Grahamston (for Edinburgh Waverley and the south) meet to run north to Larbert, Stirling and Perth. All lines are double track.
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See also
Scottish Central Railway
Denny Branch (Scottish Central Railway)
A southbound DMU from Dunblane passing through Larbert Junction in the spring of 2015. The train is a Glasgow Queen Street service and is on the route ...
John Furnevel 20/05/2015
ScotRail 170393 about to pass south through Larbert Junction in May 2015.The DMU is operating a Dunblane - Glasgow Queen Street service seen shortly ...
John Furnevel 30/05/2015
ScotRail 158782 forming a mid-morning service from Dunblane takes thr Falkirk Grahamston route at Larbert Junction on 20 May 2015. ...
John Furnevel 20/05/2015
A late afternoon ScotRail service from Edinburgh Waverley photographed on 26 April 2006 having just completed the climb up from Carmuirs East ...
John Furnevel 26/04/2006
4 of 48 images. more





Carmuirs West Junction to Carmuirs East Junction

This curve was a Caledonian Railway later addition which provided a new route through Falkirk for Edinburgh-Glasgow and local services.

In 1882 the Caledonian Railway built a curve to link together the 1848 former Scottish Central Railway and the 1850 former Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway such that a train from the Glasgow direction could run to Falkirk Grahamston (and on to Grangemouth or even Edinburgh Princes Street) without reversal at Larbert Junction. The signal box was on the east side of ...

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See also
Scottish Central Railway
Denny Branch (Scottish Central Railway)
Carmuirs West Junction box viewed from the east. ...
Ewan Crawford //
A Glasgow - Aberdeen train about to pass under the Forth and Clyde Canal on the approach to Carmuirs West Junction in 1990. ...
Ewan Crawford //1990
EWS 66107 about to pass Carmuirs West box with a Hunterston - Longannet coal train in June 2004. The train is on the steep climb north after passing ...
John Furnevel 15/06/2004
66201 heads west past Carmuirs West box on 25 May with coal empties. ...
Bill Roberton 25/05/2007
4 of 23 images. more


This is a double track junction. It is the eastern apex of a triangular of lines formed with Larbert Junction to the north and Carmuirs West Junction to the west.
...

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66249, with loaded coal train, passing east at Carmuirs East Junction in 2000. ...
Ewan Crawford //2000
The refurbished signal box at Carmuirs East Junction in January 2016. ...
Ross Wilson 13/01/2016
The lever frame in Carmuirs East signal box in 1990. Makes an interesting comparison with the configuration today see image 53931. Access by kind ...
Ewan Crawford //1990
A 150 service approaching Carmuirs East Junction en route to Waverley in July 1996. ...
David Panton /07/1996
4 of 10 images. more