Macbie Hill

Location type

Station

Names and dates

Coalyburn (1864-1874)
Macbie Hill (1874-1933)

Opened on the Leadburn, Linton and Dolphinton Railway.

Description

This was a single platform station at a rural location. There had been many lime quarries here, to the north and south. The tiny hamlet of Coalyburn, (two cottage rows), was to the north. The actual Coalyburn mines were further north again.

In 1874 the house was renamed for Macbiehill House, a large house to the south.

The line was crossed by a bridge at the east end of the station. The platform was on the north side of the single line, with a station building. Opposite this was a goods siding, approached from the west. By reversal a loading bank siding could be reached.

The line closed in 1933 but re-opened as far as Macbie Hill in 1939 for wartime traffic. An explosives store was established to the south of the line, which continued in use until 1960. This was RNAD Coalyburn, at the far west end of RNAD Leadburn which stretched from Macbie Hill to Leadburn with portions on either side of the line. The siding was converted into a loop for this traffic.

The platform, loading bank and base of the station building remain. A railway cottage, extended, remains to the south. (The house to the north is the last building of the mining village.)

Remains of the explosives store can be found on the south side of the line between the station site and the first overbridge to the west. About a mile to the east huts can be found on either side of the line.

To the east, and north of the trackbed, is the peatland with the Auchencorth Peat Moss Railway.

Tags

Station

External links

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


Chronology Dates

  /  /1939Leadburn, Linton and Dolphinton Railway
Leadburn to Macbie Hill re-opened to freight.
  /12/1960Leadburn, Linton and Dolphinton Railway
Leadburn to Macbie Hill re-closed to freight.

Books


Border Country Branch Line Album

Old Carnwath: Including Braehead, Dolphinton, Dunsyre, Elsrickle, Kaimend, Libberton, Newbigging and Walston

Peebles Railways

The Railways of Peebles (Through Time)