Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway

Introduction

This original route of this line is closed. The line renamed the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway upon its extension to Granton and North Leith (it was opened as the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway). A connecting line was later built from the Granton and Leith branches to Abbeyhill and Piershill (Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway)).






Dates

  /  /1844Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
An Act is passed renaming the company the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway and giving assent to building branches from Trinity [1st] to Granton and from Warriston Junction to Leith [ELGR].
  /  /1846Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Scotland Street Tunnel completed.
19/02/1846Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Trinity [2nd] and the line to Granton opened, Trinity [1st] turned into a goods station.
10/05/1846Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Leith [ELGR] branch opened. Bonnington and Leith [ELGR] opened, with a goods only line continuing over Commercial Street to West Old Dock [Leith] and East Old Dock [Leith].
17/05/1847Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Scotland Street to Canal Street [Edinburgh] opened (Canal Street [Edinburgh] called Princes Street [1st] briefly).
27/07/1847Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway absorbed by Edinburgh and Northern Railway.
  /  /1850Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
World's first train ferry, designed by Thomas Bouch, operates from Granton Pier (by Granton station) to Burntisland Pier [1st] (near Burntisland [1st]).
02/03/1868Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
A new diversion opened to goods (Abbeyhill and Piershill to Trinity Junction with a spur onto the [North] Leith branch at Bonnington East Junction). This by-passed the cable operated incline between Canal Street [Edinburgh] and Scotland Street.
22/03/1868Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Passenger trains diverted from the Canal Street [Edinburgh] route to via Abbeyhill. A passenger station is opened at Leith Walk.
22/03/1868Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Scotland Street to Canal Street [Edinburgh] closed to passengers. Canal Street [Edinburgh] closed. The tunnel between Canal Street [Edinburgh] and Scotland Street is used to store wagons until 1887.
01/05/1869Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Junction Road station opened on the [North] Leith branch.
  /  /1876Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Burntisland [1st] to Granton train ferry withdrawn.
22/07/1885Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
An act for a line between London Road Junction [Edinburgh] (by Abbeyhill) and Lochend South Junction (then called Lochend Junction) is passed.
  /  /1887Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
In the Scotland Street Tunnel the down track was removed and the trackbed planted with mushrooms, and the up truck used for manure wagons.
  /  /1890Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
During Edinburgh Waverley station expansion the tunnel mouth and station at Canal Street are demolished.
01/05/1891Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Piershill passenger station opened.
03/07/1891Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
The Leith New Lines (Caledonian Railway) are given an Act which allows a link from the Leith New Lines to Easter Road on the North British Railway. This connection was not built.
01/12/1891Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Easter Road passenger station opened.
01/07/1903Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Leith Central Branch (North British Railway) to London Road Junction [Edinburgh] and Lochend South Junction opened.
  /  /1913Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
North British Railway authorised to construct additional sidings at Granton.
  /  /1916Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
North British Railway authorised to construct further additional sidings at Granton.
  /  /1916Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Lothian Lines (North British Railway)
Additional sidings at Granton Harbour authorised. Caledonian Railway's access to sidings authorised in 1913 (as part of the Lothian Lines) repealed.
01/02/1919Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Leith Walk station re-opened.
  /  /1920Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Edinburgh tramways are electrified. A number of routes run between Edinburgh, Leith and Granton.
02/11/1925Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway)
Edinburgh Waverley to Granton passenger service withdrawn. Trinity [2nd] and Granton closed.
  /  /1929Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Mushroom growing in Scotland Street Tunnel ends.
31/03/1930Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Leith Walk closed to passengers.
  /03/1940Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Ferry service from Granton Pier suspended.
16/06/1947Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Passenger services to North Leith withdrawn. Easter Road, Bonnington, Junction Road and North Leith stations closed on withdrawal of Leith to Edinburgh via Abbeyhill service.
  /  /1951Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Vehicle ferry service from Granton started.
  /  /1952Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
North Leith Goods renamed Leith Citadel.
  /04/1952Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Leith Walk Goods renamed Leith Walk East Goods.
07/04/1952Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Leith Central Branch (North British Railway) closed to passengers. The route is retained for carriage sidings and later used as a DMU depot.
01/06/1960Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
The goods yard at Granton is closed.
01/08/1961Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Junction Bridge goods depot (by Bonnington) is closed.
07/09/1964Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Edinburgh; Abbeyhill Junction to Piershill Junction loop closed to regular passenger trains. Piershill and Abbeyhill stations closed. (Coinciding with the closure of Musselburgh [1st].)
17/07/1967Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway)
Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Trinity Junction signal box closed.
06/11/1967Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Scotland Street goods and Heriothill Goods to Trinity Junction (excluded) closed. Scotland Street goods depot is closed. (The Warriston Junction to Bonnington East Junction approach had closed in 1960.)
05/02/1968Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Leith Citadel to Junction Mills Siding closed to freight. The daily North Leith fish train is withdrawn.
22/07/1968Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Bonnington Goods depot is closed. Line to Bonnington South Junction falls out of use.
02/12/1968Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Bonnington Goods Junction to Bonnington South Junction closed to freight.
25/02/1969Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway)
Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Easter Road Junction to Granton begins to be worked as a single line on closure of signal boxes. Trinity Junction box closed 17/07/1968 and Bonnington South Junction box on 25/02/1969.
29/04/1972Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Leith Central Branch (North British Railway) to London Road Junction [Edinburgh] and Lochend South Junction is closed.
  /  /1981Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Very little traffic to Granton from this date. Granton Shell Siding closed in 1980 and the Texaco Siding in 1981 due to the deteriorating condition of the oil quay on the Western Breakwater. The remaining traffic was infrequent trains of naphtha to Granton Gasworks.
  /  /1983Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
The south end of the tunnel at Canal Street station is found and then destroyed during building of the Waverley Centre to the north of Edinburgh Waverley.
20/01/1986Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
The Granton Gasworks branch closes to freight. The line from Granton to London Road Junction [Edinburgh] and Lochend South Junction becomes disused but remains in place for a while.
  /07/1986Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Meadowbank Stadium station opened on the westbound track of the Abbeyhill to Piershill loop (for the Commonwealth games).
  /  /1987Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Line lifted from Powderhall (excluded) to Granton Harbour.
  /  /1989Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Track singled from Piershill Junction to Powderhall, and the Abbeyhill route is disconnected at Lochend South Junction.
  /  /1994Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway
Solum of Abbeyhill loop retained by British Railways on transfer of operational infrastructure to Railtrack.

Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.


Edinburgh Extension

This was the terminus of the line from Granton and North Leith. It was at the south end of the Scotland Street Tunnel. The station was immediately north of Edinburgh Waverley with terminal platforms and, just to the west, a connecting curve allowed trains from the tunnel to run west towards Haymarket.
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August 2017 and this gridlocked tram took 40 minutes to get to York Place. Still, the alternative was to go shopping with my wife. ...
Ken Strachan 04/08/2017
1 of 1 images.


This is a disused railway tunnel running opened between Scotland Street (to the north) and Edinburgh Canal Street (to the south).
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A 'Red Whee'l has been unveiled at Scotland Street. The text reads: 'Scotland Street Railway Tunnel 1847-1868 Built to link Waverley with the Fife ...
John Yellowlees 26/01/2022
Sign above a hole in the north wall at Waverley (formerly Canal Street) in 2004. The tunnel once took the EL&N through to Scotland Street see ...
John Furnevel 02/06/2004
2 of 2 images.


This station was the Edinburgh terminus of the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway until its extension south to Edinburgh Canal Street in 1847. The station was built in an extremely cramped site. It was on the northern edge of the New Town and extending the line on south through the Scotland Street Tunnel took it to mid way between the New Town and the Old Town at Edinburgh [[Canal ...

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See also
Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Scotland Street Tunnel : Richard Love, chair of the Broughton History Society and John Cameron.
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John Yellowlees 07/08/2023
The southern portal of the Rodney Street Tunnel seen in a view looking north in 1999. ...
Ewan Crawford //1999
A December 2018 view of what would be my local station if it hadn't closed a mere 150 years previously. It stayed in use as a goods yard for a further ...
David Panton 12/12/2018
Scotland Street Tunnel and its distinctive backcloth seen on 23rd September 2012 - an interesting contrast with the photographer's shot from Spring ...
David Spaven 23/09/2012
4 of 16 images. more





Granton Branch

This was a two platform station with the main station building on the southbound (Edinburgh bound) platform, now a house.
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40030 with an oil train at Trinity in 1982. This was probably from Grangemouth, which served the oil depot at Granton. ...
Roger Geach Collection //1982
Trinity station, seen in July 2018, is still looking good 90 or so years after closure. The 'authentic' white woodwork though has only recently been ...
David Panton 12/07/2018
The former station at Trinity, on the northern edge of Edinburgh. Closed to passengers in 1925 and since converted to a private residence. Seen here ...
John Furnevel 22/04/2002
The closed Trinity station viewed from the west. ...
Ewan Crawford //1997
4 of 12 images. more


This was a temporary signal box between Granton and Trinity [2nd], in operation in late 1898. Boswell Road is to the south of Lower Granton Road.
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This was the terminus of the line from Edinburgh Canal Street after its extension from Trinity [1st]. It was located on the middle pier at Granton Harbour. From this pier operated, after 1849, the world's first train ferry (for the ferry services see Granton Pier).
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The Royal Forth Yacht Club's premises occupy the site of Granton (Harbour) station. The platform of this rather unassuming station was more or less ...
David Panton 12/06/2020
Granton harbour from Above. ...
Ewan Crawford //1997
Approaching Granton Harbour with the Branch Line Society's 'Lothian & Fife Wanderer' DMU railtour on 23 August 1980.
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Bill Roberton 23/08/1980
Looking east along former course of line towards Trinity. ...
Ewan Crawford //1997
4 of 10 images. more


This pier opened in 1838, the 28th of June which was the coronation of Queen Victoria (see Queen's Bridge). It was fully opened in 1844 by which time it was 1700 ft long with berths for 10 steamers.
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Telescoped view of the middle pier at Granton, once rail served with a station right of centre. The western harbour was to the left of the roadway but ...
David Panton 12/06/2020
It doesn't seem to have been thought worthwhile to remove this remnant of the railways of Granton and tar the area over. Either that or it has been ...
David Panton 19/06/2020
A look 'ashore' along Granton Middle Pier where the wooden station was situated to the right of the newer brick building. Nowadays this is more of a ...
David Panton 26/12/2020
Although all traces of Granton Harbour station are long gone some track remains here on the middle pier. The station platform was where the distant ...
David Panton 31/10/2017
4 of 6 images. more





Leith Branch

This junction was between the lines from Edinburgh Canal Street to Granton and to North Leith. It was to the immediate north of the Warriston Viaduct.
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See also
Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
The site of Warriston Junction, where the Leith line left the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton 'main' line to Granton (ahead) at the end of Warriston ...
David Panton 12/12/2018
Looking north east along the curving course of the NBR line from Warriston Junction to North Leith on 15th January 2019. The ornate stonework is part ...
Bill Roberton 15/01/2019
Leith North's original connection with Waverley (or Canal Street) was via the line through Scotland Street tunnel. The 'main' line continued to ...
David Panton //2010
The site of Warriston Junction on a very wet 25 November, looking south see image 23914. Ahead is Scotland Street goods, and, originally, Canal ...
David Panton 25/11/2009
4 of 4 images.


Site of the flat crossing of the lines from Granton and North Leith at Bonnington in March 2003. View is southeast towards Powderhall where the line ...
John Furnevel 10/03/2003
Remains of the former flat crossing at Bonnington in May 1985. View looks southwest along the old trackbed towards Warriston Junction and Scotland ...
David Panton /05/1985
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Looking south to the Powderhall refuse incinerator in 1978. In the foreground is the Warriston Jn - Bonnington East Jn trackbed with the former ...
Bill Roberton //1978
Seen from the BLS Lothians & Fife Wanderer on 23 August 1980. Looking over the allotments north of Powderhall with the former NBR North Leith branch ...
Bill Roberton 23/08/1980
2 of 2 images.


This was a two platform station in a deep cutting. The road level building still stands, looked won on by the surrounding tenements built after the station.
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A bright and sunny spring morning at Bonnington on the old North Leith branch (now the Water of Leith Walkway) in April 2002. The station lost its ...
John Furnevel 20/04/2002
This 1997 view from Newhaven Road looks east over the site of Bonnington station towards North Leith. The former station building is on the right. ...
Ewan Crawford /09/1997
The trackbed through the former Bonnington station, now a walkway/cycle path, seen here on a March morning in 2009. The view is east towards North ...
John Furnevel 15/03/2009
On the east side of Newhaven Road stands the former entrance to Bonnington station on the North Leith branch, seen here in March 2009. The station ...
John Furnevel 15/03/2009
4 of 8 images. more




This unusual station had a single platform on a double track line. The platform was west of Great Junction Street on the south side of the line with the Water of Leith directly to the south. At the west end (and south side of the line) was Junction Road Bridge signal box where a line ran south to Junction Mills, approach being from the east.
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View east from the bridge carrying Great Junction Street in March 2009, with the Water of Leith Walkway continuing its journey alongside the river. ...
John Furnevel 15/03/2009
The site of Junction Bridge station (closed to passengers in 1947) looking west towards Bonnington in February 2015. On 7 April 1941 a German bomb ...
David Panton 13/02/2015
Only a few hundred yards separated Junction Bridge station from North Leith terminus and most of it was in tunnel. The eastern end of the platforms ...
David Panton 15/02/2015
The site of Junction Bridge station on the North Leith branch, seen looking west from Great Junction Street on 15 March 2009, with the Water of Leith ...
John Furnevel 15/03/2009
4 of 8 images. more


This was the Leith passenger terminus for trains from Edinburgh Canal Street until 1868 when these were re-routed to the new more easily graded route via Leith Walk to reach Edinburgh Waverley.
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Standing on the site of the approach lines to North Leith station in 2009, looking into the terminus from what is now Citadel Place. Much of the old ...
John Furnevel 15/03/2009
Leith Citadel was the alternative name for this terminus, and Citadel Youth Club occupies the building today. The frontage on Commercial Street ...
David Panton 12/07/2018
One of the NB's 3 termini in Leith this one on Commercial Street closed in 1947. A writer of 1884 regarded this is a shabby building though it may ...
David Panton 08/02/2015
Just yards from the end of the platform at North Leith (or Leith Citadel) terminus the line went into a short tunnel. Short though the tunnel was ...
David Panton 04/11/2017
4 of 14 images. more


Goods station located immediately west of North Leith passenger station and line to the docks. Added after line opening around the time of the opening of the Caledonian Railway's branch to Leith North.
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Bonnington Goods Branch



This level crossing was protected by Bowling Green Street Signal Box. The box was located on the east side of the Bonnington Goods branch between the goods yard and Bonnington Goods Junction, just north of the Water of Leith Viaduct and West Bowling Green Street.
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Looking north over the site of Bowling Green Street level crossing in 1987, with the former Bonnington Goods station behind the camera. The lane to ...
Bill Roberton //1987
Tarmac marks the spot where the rails crossed the otherwise cobbled West Bowling Green Street and into Bonnington Goods Station, just behind the ...
David Panton 20/05/2020
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This was the goods yard at the end of the branch from Bonnington Goods Junction, just east of Bonnington station. The goods yard was on the south bank of the Water of Leith and served a considerable number of small works.
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Looking across Anderson Place, Bonnington to a closed bonded warehouse since converted to flats, with a spur from Bonnington Goods Yard running across ...
Bill Roberton //1987
Looking north along the path of the goods spur which left the North Leith branch east of Bonnington Station to cross West Bowling Green Street, where ...
John Furnevel 28/04/2004
The goods line which left the NBR North Leith branch just to the east of Bonnington station was many branched, but it crossed the Water of Leith only ...
David Panton 13/11/2010
Bridge remains on the south side of the Water of Leith at Bonnington in April 2004. The bridge once carried the goods link that left the North Leith ...
John Furnevel 28/04/2004
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Heriothill Goods

This junction was between the lines from Edinburgh Canal Street to Granton and to North Leith. It was to the immediate north of the Warriston Viaduct.
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See also
Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
The site of Warriston Junction, where the Leith line left the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton 'main' line to Granton (ahead) at the end of Warriston ...
David Panton 12/12/2018
Looking north east along the curving course of the NBR line from Warriston Junction to North Leith on 15th January 2019. The ornate stonework is part ...
Bill Roberton 15/01/2019
Leith North's original connection with Waverley (or Canal Street) was via the line through Scotland Street tunnel. The 'main' line continued to ...
David Panton //2010
The site of Warriston Junction on a very wet 25 November, looking south see image 23914. Ahead is Scotland Street goods, and, originally, Canal ...
David Panton 25/11/2009
4 of 4 images.


Part of the former workshops of the Edinburgh Leith and Newhaven Railway at Logie Green Road, Edinburgh, in 1977. The site is now occupied by a Tesco ...
Bill Roberton //1977
1 of 1 images.


This goods yard was between Warriston Viaduct and Warriston Junction, to the north, and Rodney Street Tunnel, to the south. The yard was on the west side of the line and approached from the north. Across the railway from the yard was the Logie Green Works. Heriothill House was just to the south.
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See also
Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway