Niddrie North Junction

Location type

Junction

Name and dates

Niddrie North Junction (1884-)

Station code: National Rail
Opened on the Edinburgh and Hawick Railway (North British Railway).
Opened on the Edinburgh, Suburban and Southside Junction Railway.

Description

This was the junction between the North British Railway's line from Portobello East Junction to Niddrie South Junction and an isolated curve of the Edinburgh, Suburban and Southside Junction Railway from Niddrie West Junction which enabled trains from the southside line to approach Edinburgh Waverley from the east, thus completing a circle line and provide a route for goods and freight from west of the city to approach Leith Docks without requiring a reversal.

Around 1900 an additional line was laid on the west side, perhaps to ease congestion on the approach to Portobello East Junction. A new box opened in 1908, this was in the 'V' of the junction, the original box had been on the east side.

In 1915 the Lothian Lines (North British Railway) opened with Brunstane Park Junction being laid out above the existing formation. These new lines allowed trains to access South Leith without blocking the lines at Portobello.

The signal box here closed in 1926/7, with the Brunstane Park Junction signal box above taking over.

A curiosity was that after closure of the Lothian Lines in 1967 the box above remained in operation alongside disused lines.

The box closed in 1973 and the junction was taken out.

The route from Niddrie West Junction is now single track. The line to Niddrie South Junction has also been singled, after remaining double until the 1980s. Although the lines meet here they do not actually join until Portobello East Junction.

Brunstane station was opened on the east side of the single track Portobello East Junction to Niddrie South Junction line, just to the north of where the Lothian Lines formerly, the partial bridge remains of which can be seen.

Tags

Junction

External links

NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map




Chronology Dates

10/09/1962Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway Edinburgh, Suburban and Southside Junction Railway
Portobello (Niddrie North Junction) to Morningside Road to Edinburgh (Haymarket Central Junction) closed to passengers.
10/09/1962Edinburgh and Dalkeith RailwayEdinburgh, Suburban and Southside Junction Railway
Niddrie North Junction to Haymarket Central Junction via Duddingston Junction closed to passengers. Remains open for freight and diverted passenger trains.

Books


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

Forgotten Railways: Scotland

Galashiels 1897: Selkirkshire Sheet 08.02 (Old Ordnance Survey Maps of Selkirkshire)

Galashiels to Edinburgh: Including the Lauder and Dalkeith Branches - the Waverley Route (Scml)

Hawick 1897: Roxburghshire Sheet 25.07 (Old Ordnance Survey Maps of Roxburghshire)

Hawick to Galashiels: The Waverley Route Including the Selkirk Branch (Scottish Main Lines)

Last Years of the Waverley Route

North British Railway, Vol. 1 (Standard Railway History)

North British Railway, Vol. 2 (Standard Railway History)

On the Waverley Route

Railways Of Scotland 2: The Waverley Route DVD - Cinerail

The Waverley Route Through Time

The Waverley Route: Its Heritage and Revival

The Waverley Route: The Postwar Years

Waverley Route: The battle for the Borders Railway

Waverley Route: The Life, Death and Rebirth of the Borders Railway

Waverley: Portrait of a Famous Route