Hamilton Palace Junction

Location type

Junction

Name and dates

Hamilton Palace Junction (1884-1959)

Opened on the Clydesdale Junction Railway.

Description

This was the junction for the Hamilton Palace Colliery. There was a single track trailing connection running a short distance south east (parallel to the main line) to meet the a connection from the Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway. Close to the junction was a short loop on the Caledonian's approach. The line continuing south to the colliery was a joint Caledonian Railway and North British Railway (as were the connections to the main lines) - the Hamilton Palace Colliery Railway (Caledonian Railway and North British Railway Joint).

Access from the Caledonian Railway (the former Clydesdale Junction Railway) was controlled by Hamilton Palace Colliery Signal Box. The was located on the north/east side of the line not directly at the junction but to the north west (beyond the overbridge of the Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway). Beyond this was a mineral siding to the north serving the Bothwell Park Quarry. Between the two mineral branches was a trailing crossover.

Later exchange sidings were added for both companies at the their respective junctions.

The Bothwell Park Quarry gained a brick works and the sidings modified to be served from the west, from Bothwell Junction.

The signal box closed in 1935, replaced with a ground frame. Bothwell Palace Colliery closed in 1959.

This is now an area of wasteland and farmland, the closed trackbeds now treelined and with much landscaping. To the south the course of the Hamilton Palace line can be traced but is very overgrown.

Tags

Junction colliery