Cathcart West Junction

Location type

Junction

Name and dates

Cathcart West Junction (1903-)

Station code: National Rail
Opened on the Cathcart District Railway.
Opened on the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway.

Description

This is a four way junction. Two lines of the Cathcart Circle from Glasgow Central, one via Crosshill and via Maxwell Park, meet a line from Neilston and a line from Newton. The junction allows a train via Crosshill to run to Neilston and a train via Maxwell Park to run to Newton. Unfortunately the latter passes close to Cathcart but does not serve it.

The route via Maxwell Park to Newton is a useful diversionary one, should the main line via Rutherglen be unavailable.

The original line here was the Cathcart District Railway, now known as the Cathcart Circle. The Newton and Neilston lines were part of the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway which had stretched from Ardrossan Montgomerie Pier to Newton before being cut back to Neilston. The junction layout was different - a train from Newton could not join the Maxwell Park route until this was altered by removal of a bridge over Clarkston Road and the slewing of the lines over to Cathcart West Junction.

The signal box (1903) was in the 'V' of the junction. It closed in 1961, replaced by Cathcart Power Box. At the same time the junction was remodelled with the route east lifted and the junction converted into a four way junction. This was in the run up to electrification, completed in 1962.

Tags

Junction
01/08/2020




Chronology Dates

  /  /1897Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway
Giffen Junction to Newton, Lugton L and A Junction, Clarkston West Junction to Clarkston East Junction, Muirend to Clarkston East Junction, Kirkhill Junction to Newton, Kirkhill Junction to Westburn Junction, Cathcart West Junction to Cathcart, two single track Cathcart East Junction to Cathcart North Junction links. Railways 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 authorised to be made by the Caledonian Railway.

Books


An Illustrated History of Glasgow's Railways

Forgotten Railways: Scotland