Bowling: Having just called at Bowling on 27 April, an eastbound service pulls away on the short leg to Kilpatrick.
John McIntyre 27/04/2013

Bowling

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Bowling (1850-)

Station code: BWG National Rail ScotRail
Where: West Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Opened on the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway.
Opened on the Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway.
Open on the Glasgow to Helensburgh.

Description

This is a two platform station in the south of Bowling at at the north west end of Bowling Harbour. Today it is a minimal station with platforms, shelters, parking and a footbridge. It has a interesting history. Between 1850 and 1858 it was a terminus for trains from Balloch and Dumbarton, passengers for Glasgow having to complete their journey by water. It was initially known as Frisky station and described as being on Bowling Bay (today's harbour).

Before electrification of the line the station had two North British Railway style station buildings part brick and part timber. It was crossed by two footbridges - one between the platforms at the same location as at present - and another on a diagonal over the west end. The original signal box was on the westbound platform, just to the west of the station building. This was replaced, for the electrification, in 1959 with a new box at the west end of the eastbound platform. This also controlled the approach to Bowling Swing Bridge, Bowling Oil Depot (Dunglass) and Dunglass Junction (Dunglass Junction [West] and Dunglass Junction [East]). After 1960 Dunglass was altered to make the approach to Dumbarton Central via Dumbarton East. This box closed with the Yoker resignalling. The station building on the eastbound platform survived electrification but was demolished in the 1990s.

Bowling was the eastern terminus of the Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway with rails running to Frisky Wharf at the west end of Bowling Harbour. The station was built on the garden of Frisky Hall, separating its orchard (to the north) from the house itself. The house became an inn and was a useful interchange between the trains and steamers calling at Frisky Wharf until the line was extended east. When initially opened passengers had to complete their journey to Glasgow by the River Clyde or the Forth and Clyde Canal. The present station, altered in 1858 for the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway, replaces the original terminus.

The original terminus was described, in the Act which cut the line back to Bowling, as being in the environs of Frisky Hall. This hall, which no longer exists, was to the south of the present station. It was noted for the tall windows overlooking the River Clyde.

Running east from the station, along the north side of Bowling Harbour, was the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway which ran on to Cowlairs.

OS depicts the station following the line's extension. A two platform station is shown, to the west of today's footbridge, with a shed to the north served by sidings from the east. As described in the Ordnance Survey Name Book

A Station on the Dumbartonshire Junction Railway a little distance from where the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway joins or changes its name. The Station is about the point where the villages of Bowling & Littlemill join. There are Engine sheds here on the north side of the line.


The inspection before opening of the original line refers to Frisky Hall and the inspection of the GD&H refers to a double track junction, Bowling Junction and does not mention Bowling in the list of stations.

Local

The Forth and Clyde Canal starts from the east end of Bowling Harbour.

Dunglass Castle

Old Kilpatrick, Bowling and Milton Heritage Trail

Tags

Station

Aliases

Frisky

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map




Nearby stations
Bowling [CR]
Old Kilpatrick
Kilpatrick
Bishopton
Dumbarton East
Dalmuir
Northbrae
Rockbank
Dumbarton Central
Dalmuir [1st]
Dalmuir Riverside
South Crook
Georgetown [NFF]
Dalreoch
Langbank
Bowling Shipyard
Frisky Wharf
Littlemill Distillery Sidings
Auchentorlie Tunnel
Bowling Harbour
Bowling Harbour Sidings
Dunglass Junction [East]
Lock 40 [FCC]
Tourist/other
Frisky Hall
Bowling Level Crossing
Littlemill Distillery
Bowling Basin Signal Box
Bell^s Monument
Dunglass Castle
Auchentorlie House
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.


Cuneo Painting


A famous Terrence Cuneo painting depicts a 'Blue Train' entering Bowling station from the east with Bowling Harbour on the right.

Blue Train at Bowling


Chronology Dates

15/07/1850Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway
Opened from Balloch [1st] via Dumbarton to Bowling on the River Clyde, and beside the Forth and Clyde Canal. Steamers ran in connection with the line on Loch Lomond and the River Clyde. A turntable is installed to the north west of the Balloch [1st] station.
  /  /1851Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway
The Plover, which connected from Bowling (terminus of the railway) to Broomielaw Quay suffers a violent boiler explosion at Broomielaw.
  /  /1857Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway
Bowling station burnt down, Frisky Wharf saved.
28/05/1858Glasgow, 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 (Sighthill West Junction) with the Buchanan Street Extension (Caledonian Railway) line. The disagreement was resolved a month later. (Alternative date 31st.) Stations opened at (eastern portion) Maryhill, Dalmuir [1st] and Kilpatrick, and (western portion) Cardross and Helensburgh.

News items

19/10/2023Santa Trains 2023 [Doon Valley Railway]
30/12/2022Scotrail chaos as trains cancelled after tracks flooded by heavy rain [Daily Record]
21/10/2022Clydebank: Five-day railway closure for work on new underpass at Exxon site [Clydebank Post]
20/10/2022The Spooky Ship - Halloween 2022 [Maid of the Loch]
18/03/2022Trains from Glasgow delayed after 'vehicle strikes bridge' between Bowling and Dumbarton East [Glasgow Times]
24/11/2021Old Kilpatrick A814 bridge works will finish late [Clydebank Post]
25/09/2021Scotland's £10m answer to New York Highline opens to public outside Glasgow at Bowling Harbour [Glasgow Live]
18/06/2021Bowling station: Man arrested for 'trespassing and obstructing railway' [Clydebank Post]
12/03/2021Major strides in Bowling Harbour overhaul [Daily Record]
15/01/2021£34m transformation of former ExxonMobil site given green light [Scottish Construction Now]

Books


A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Scotland - The Lowlands and the Borders v. 6 (Regional railway history series)

An Illustrated History of Glasgow's Railways

Around Helensburgh (Archive Photographs: Images of Scotland)

Battrum's Guide to Helensburgh and Neighbourhood

Craigendoran and Helensburgh (East) 1897: Dumbartonshire Sheet 17.06 (Old Ordnance Survey Maps of Dumbartonshire)

Glasgow Railway Memories

Glasgow Stations

Glasgow's Last Days of Steam

Helensburgh & Rhu Through Time

Helensburgh & the Rosneath Peninsula: The Guide Book: (Including Cardross, Garelochhead & Loch Long)

Helensburgh in Old Picture Postcards

Old Helensburgh, Rhu and Shandon

Rails Around Glasgow

The Railways of Glasgow: Post-Beeching

The Vanished Railways of Old Western Dunbartonshire (Britains Railways/Old Photos)

The Vanished Railways of Old Western Dunbartonshire (Britains Railways/Old Photos)