Welsh's Bridge Junction

Location type

Junction


Name and dates

Welsh^s Bridge Junction (1855-)

Opened on the Inverness and Nairn Railway.


Description

This signal cabin controlled the junction between the lines to Aberdeen and Perth (to the east) and the approach to Inverness Shed, Inverness Goods yard, Inverness station, Lochgorm Works, bypass to Rose Street Junction, carriage sidings and Millburn Yard.

The first form of this junction opened in 1855, the junction between the lines from Inverness station and Inverness Harbour whch continued east together to Nairn. The first signal box opened here in 1864.

Welsh's Bridge was a road bridge crossing the once double line here to approach Millburn House, owned by William Welsh, on the north side of the railway. The Inverness and Nairn Railway cut through the front lawn of the house and there were no roads to the north of the railway at the time. The bridge was aligned with the west approach road, the house being served by a crescent shaped driveway. The eastern approach was left severed.

The location was opened out, particularly with the arrival of the Direct Line from Aviemore. Some of the southern part of the garden became a gravel quarry for the railway. In the Second World War the southern portion became the east end of Millburn Yard.

The box was replaced in 1885 with a partcularly fine building. To the south of the box crossing over the lines was a signal bridge.

The layout was, to the east and from north to south:
- permanent way sidings
- direct line's approach to the station avoiding line
- signal box
- station approach from the east and via the direct line to the south

To the west:
- Needlefield Carriage Sidings and station avoiding line
- signal box
- station avoiding line, original approach
- approach to Lochgorm Works
- Inverness station approach
- Inverness Goods
- Inverness Shed

The box closed in 1987 during the Inverness resignalling. It was replaced by the Inverness Signalling Centre. The box and its signal bridges are much missed.

A gap still exists on the trackbed where the box was located.


Tags

Junction signal box

External links

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