A History of Britain’s Railways
Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway
This page
Introduction
Local area
Chronology
Locations
Cowlairs
North Junction
Cowlairs South Junction
Cowlairs West Junction
Ashfield
Possilpark and Parkhouse
Possilpark
Gilshochill
Summerston (New)
Kelvin Valley Junction
Maryhill
Maryhill Park Junction
Knightswood Junction
Westerton
Milngavie Junction
Drumchapel
Drumry
Singer East Junction
Singer Worker's Platforms
Singer Works
Singer
Singer West Junction
Dalmuir
Dalmuir Park Junction
Kilpatrick
Bowling
Dalreoch Junction
Cardross
Dalmore Yard
Craigendoran Junction
Craigendoran
Helensburgh Central
This site
Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction
Railway
Edinburgh
and Glasgow Railway
North British Railway
Other sites
ScotRail
| The line
This railway runs between Helensburgh and Cowlairs, Glasgow. The section of line between Dumbarton (Dalreoch Junction) and Bowling was built by the Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway. |
The
Service
There are three passenger services;
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Also known
as
The line is also known as "The Helensburgh Railway". |
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Top
This line serves north western Glasgow and continues west along the north bank of the River Clyde to serve Dumbarton and Helensburgh. The line did not serve many shipyards, unlike the other lines closer to the River Clyde, but it did serve the very large Singer works which were in Clydebank.
From Cowlairs (north of Glasgow) westwards to Bowling and from Dumbarton westwards to Helensburgh. The section between Bowling and Dumbarton was the former Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway.
At this north facing junction the line met the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway.
At this south facing junction the line met the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway.
At this west facing junction the spurs from Cowlairs North Junction and Cowlairs South Junction met.
This station is served by trains running from Maryhill to Glasgow Queen Street High Level. It is a new station.
This station is served by trains running from Maryhill to Glasgow Queen Street High Level. It is a new station.
This station is closed. It was located to the west of the existing Possilpark and Parkhouse station.
(Was Lambhill.) This station is served by trains running from Maryhill to Glasgow Queen Street High Level. It is a new station.
This station is served by trains running from Maryhill to Glasgow Queen Street High Level. It is a new station.
The original Summerston station was located on the Kelvin Valley Railway.
The site of this junction has been dramatically altered. A shopping centre now exists where the railway embankment once was. The new Summerston station has been built near this site.
This junction faced west. The Kelvin Valley Railway ran north and east from here. The original name of the junction was "Kelvin Valley Junction" but it must have been renamed at an unknown date to avoid confusion. The signalbox here was called "Maryhill East Junction".
This station is served by trains running to Glasgow Queen Street High Level. It is a new station built on the site of an old one - Maryhill Park. Maryhill Park was one of the original stations on the line.
This junction faced east. The Stobcross Railway (which ran south from here) joined the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway here. The two lines passed over separate viaducts and met immediately west of Maryhill Park station. In the new Maryhill to Anniesland scheme the two lines meet at the west end of the northern viaduct and the southern (Stobcross Railway) viaduct is out of use.
This junction faces west. The Glasgow, City and District Railway (which ran south from here) joined the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway here.
| Westerton |
Open |
Car parking, Security cameras, Ticket office |
The Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Rrailway leaves the line to Helensburgh at Milngavie Junction to the west to Westerton station. Westerton was opened in 1913. The signal box at this junction, between the Helensburgh tracks and the Milngavie tracks, was demolished during the Yoker re-signalling scheme in 1992. The goods yard at Westerton station led into what is now the car park from the up track of the Milngavie branch. The line skirts between Drumchapel (south of tracks) and Westerton Garden Suburb (north of tracks) before passing an old parcel van on the right side and entering Bearsden. The track to Bearsden is now single.
The Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Rrailway leaves the line to Helensburgh at Milngavie Junction to the west to Westerton station. The signal box at this junction, between the Helensburgh tracks and the Milngavie tracks, was demolished during the Yoker re-signalling scheme in 1992. The track to Bearsden is now single. The main line is double track.
This station is located between old and new Drumchapel.
This is a relatively new station. To the east was the Dunlop factory.
At this east facing junction the original route parted company with a later diversion. The diversion was opened to skirt round the north of the Singer Sewing Factory. The old route was retained and the station at Kilbowie Road retained for the works. This expanded greatly over the years. The original route is now closed and lifted and the new route remains.
This station was opened as was Kilbowie Road (Old). The original station was used as a terminus for worker's trains when the line was diverted to the north of the Singer's works. This diversion can be seen in the picture below. The line runs from the bottom right to the top middle; in fact at the top middle it is joined, at Dalmuir, by the line from Clydebank. The Singer Workers station was extended over the years and was even electrified when the Glasgow North Suburban Electrification went ahead. Just a few years later Singers closed and the station was demolished. Part of the Clydebank shopping centr now occupies the site.
The line through the Singer Works was retained as the freight route to the works after the diversion north was opened.
This station is on a the diversion loop built round north of the Singer works, the original station and sidings becoming dedicated to the Singer factory.
Here the diversion route met the original route at a west facing junction.
This is a 5 platform station. There are two platforms on each of the routes from Singer and Yoker (Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway) and a terminal platform for trains coming from Yoker. The junction between these lines is further west at Dalmuir Park Junction.
This junction is just west of Dalmuir station. Here the Singer route and Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway join at a west facing junction. There is a turnback siding capable of holding at least two trains here to allow services to terminate at Dalmuir in platforms other than the terminal platform.
(Was Old Kilpatrick). This station is in the shadow of the Erskine Bridge.
Here the line met the Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway at its Bowling terminus.
Here the line left the Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway at an east facing junction.
The original station building still stands here. There are good views from the station across the Firth of Clyde to Greenock.
King Robert the Bruce died in Cardross.
This yard was established during the Second World War to alleviate the problems with transferring trains to Military Port Number 1 at Faslane. The trains could be re-marshalled before heading onto the single track of the West Highland Railway. The yard is closed and lifted.
This junction faces east. It is located just to the east of Craigendoran station. This is the starting point of the West Highland Railway.
The North British Railway operated the North British Railway Steam Packet Company steamers from here. The station consisted of two through platforms on the line to Helensburgh Central, two through platforms on the West Highland Railway, and a bay platform which extended onto the pier for the steamer connections. The berths consisted of two parallel piers with four berths and a building at the landward end of the piers. The pier station facilities consisted of a single platform with a canopy. However the sea would break over the sea wall on occasion and soak those waiting ...
The piers are now derelict. Recently the section of pier next to the land was removed leaving the now un-decked piers as forlorn islands.
This is the terminus of the line. The station is a fine ediface in the town, with poor access to the pier (now infrequently used by ferries), with glass canopies covering the platforms.
This independent tramway operated in conjunction with a series of coalmines. The tramway crossed over the road about half-way down.
