Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)

Introduction

This railway is closed.




Dates

11/06/1855Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Line opened.
01/03/1856Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Bathgate Lower opened without Board of Trade approval.
13/03/1856Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Closed.
07/07/1856Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Re-opened with approval.
11/08/1862New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways) Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Opened to passenger trains. Stations at Airdrie South, Clarkston [NBR], Caldercruix, Forrestfield and Westcraigs on the new line. New station further east on the Torbanehill line at Armadale.
  /06/1864Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Westfield station opened.
01/05/1930Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Blackston Junction to Bathgate Upper closed to passengers. Westfield and Bathgate Lower stations closed.
08/01/1956Glasgow City and District Railway Coatbridge Branch (North British Railway) Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways) Boghead to Cowdenhead Branch (Monkland Railways) Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways) Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
Last regular Glasgow Queen Street Low Level to Edinburgh Waverley via Shettleston, Coatbridge Sunnyside and Bathgate Upper service runs.
09/01/1956New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways) Boghead to Cowdenhead Branch (Monkland Railways) Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Airdrie to Bathgate Upper to Edinburgh (Bathgate Junction) closed to passengers.
28/12/1964Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Blackston Junction to Westfield Paper Mill (excluded) closed to freight
01/05/1967Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Westfield Paper Mill to Bathgate Lower (excluded) closed to freight.
03/09/1973Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Easton Colliery to Bathgate Lower to Bathgate Upper (excluded) closed to freight.
  /02/1982New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways) Boghead to Cowdenhead Branch (Monkland Railways) Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Last freight runs between Airdrie and Bathgate Upper. Line lifted between Moffat Mills Junction (excluded) and Bathgate Upper (excluded). Between Moffat Mills Junction and Airdrie the line is singled (eastbound line lifted and eastbound platform at Airdrie closed).
18/10/2010New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways) Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Opened for driver training between Airdrie and Bathgate.
12/12/2010New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways) Boghead to Cowdenhead Branch (Monkland Railways) Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways)
Opened between Airdrie and Bathgate. Stations at Drumgelloch, Caldercruix (delayed opening until 13 February), Blackridge, Armadale.

Locations along the line

These locations are along the line.

This was a station, junction and yard. The station consisted of a single platform on the south side of the line. The alternative spelling Blackstone was used in some timetables at varying dates.
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Slamannan Railway
Remains of a platform at Blackston Junction in 1997. This was the junction for the lines north to Bo'ness and south to Bathgate. View is west towards ...
Ewan Crawford 03/05/1997
1 of 1 images.


This was a single platform station with the passenger station to the west of a level crossing and goods yard to the east. It was east of Avon Viaduct [Westfield].
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Looking south from the site of the level crossing at the former Westfield Station towards Bathgate Lower on 25 March. The old trackbed still cuts a ...
Craig Seath 25/03/2008
Site of the old station at Westfield (closed to passengers in 1930), seen on 25 March looking towards Blackston from the former level crossing. ...
Craig Seath 25/03/2008
2 of 2 images.


This was the junction for Eastrigg Colliery Pit No 1. The siding ran south west from the main line. It closed by the 1890s. In 1898 a loop opened here for Westfield Paper Mill on east side of line. The branch was on east side running north for the mill. The Eastrigg siding was laid in again for Craigrigg Colliery Pit No 1,
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J36 0-6-0 65345 with the Scottish Rambler No 5 railtour after running round at Westfield loop. I think I may have been about to receive official ...
Robin McGregor 11/04/1966
NBR J36 0-6-0 65345, on the Scottish Rambler No 5 railtour, seen here running round the train at Westfield before returning to Bathgate. 11th April ...
Robin McGregor 11/04/1966
J36 0-6-0 65345 prepares to leave Westfield loop with the Scottish Rambler No 5 railtour on 11th April 1966. ...
Robin McGregor 11/04/1966
J36 0-6-0 65345 was in charge of the final stage of the Scottish Rambler No 5 railtour and is seen here in the loop at Westfield, running round the ...
Robin McGregor 11/04/1966
4 of 9 images. more




This was the second station to be opened in Bathgate. The station appeared in working timetables as Bathgate Monkland until renamed by the North British Railway. It was located to the north west of Bathgate.
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Site of the former Bathgate Lower station looking north west in March 2008 The surrounding area has been completely redeveloped around what is now a ...
John Furnevel 11/03/2008
A Railway Society of Scotland railtour at Bathgate Lower in 1970. The view is from the footbridge and looks towards the Upper station. The line closed ...
Roger Geach Collection 17/10/1970
The site of Bathgate Lower station in March 2008 looking south east towards the town centre. The 1856 station closed to passengers in 1930 but the ...
John Furnevel 11/03/2008
The level crossing and signal box at Lower Bathgate, complete with close-up of nameboard, photographed in February 1970, a short time after closure. ...
Bill Jamieson /02/1970
4 of 8 images. more


This was the junction formed between the 1855 Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways) and later 1897 Bathgate Loop (North British Railway) which allowed trains from Avonbridge to approach Bathgate Upper. The 'loop' created a triangle of lines west of the upper station.
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See also
Bathgate Loop (North British Railway)


This was a four way junction in the west of Bathgate. Today the location is a double track electrified railway with no junction.
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Longridge to Bathgate (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway)
One of the tasks given to Bathgate's J36 65267 on 15th February 1965 was to bank a westbound coal train up the hill to Armadale. I was quietly ...
Robin McGregor 15/02/1965
Rumours of a treasure wagon buried somewhere in Bathgate during the A to B ground investigation had spurred this gold digger to take up his iron pinch ...
Charlie Niven 01/04/2008
A train from Milngavie has just passed the site of Polkemmet Junction on the western approach to Bathgate station on 19 December 2019. The former ...
John Furnevel 19/12/2019
View east over Whitburn Road, Bathgate, in July 2008, showing Boghead Bridge carrying the trackbed of the closed Airdrie - Bathgate route, with the ...
John Furnevel 31/07/2008
4 of 22 images. more


This was the first junction west of Bathgate Polkemmet Junction.
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Boghead to Cowdenhead Branch (Monkland Railways)
Looking west towards Armadale on 11 June 2010 with the down line now installed. ...
James Young 11/06/2010
66143 heads toward Armadale with ballast on the evening of 21 June 2010 ...
James Young 21/06/2010
Looking East towards Bathgate on 11 June 2010 with the down line now in place. ...
James Young 11/06/2010
Tracklaying underway between Bathgate and Armadale on 9 June 2010. ...
James Young 09/06/2010
4 of 13 images. more