Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway

Introduction

This railway runs between Milngavie Junction (now Westerton Junction) at Westerton and Milngavie and has stations at Bearsden, Hillfoot and Milngavie.

The line is also known as The Milngavie Line and The Milngavie Junction Railway.

Why built

This line was promoted to service the mills of Milngavie and serve the houses which were expected to be built in the area.



It was initially single track, was doubled as traffic increased and has been partly singled - it reduces to a single track at Westerton Junction, redoubles west of Bearsden, singles again north east of Hillfoot and doubles again at Milngavie.

Service

The Service consists of electric passenger trains running half-hourly through Glasgow to Springburn. Services are operated by ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Passenger Transport. A Sunday service has started recently. There is no freight service.




Dates

  /  /1861Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Act receives Royal assent.
  /  /1863Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Villas start being built near Bearsden station.
  /  /1863Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway Forth and Clyde Junction Railway
Local coach operators start a service between Milngavie and Balfron stations.
28/08/1863Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Line opened as a single track. Stations at; Bearsden, Milngavie. The line ran from Milngavie to Milngavie Junction (later renamed Westerton Junction) with trains continuing to Glasgow Queen Street High Level until the Glasgow City and District Railway opened after which trains started to serve Glasgow Queen Street Low Level.
01/08/1874Glasgow and Milngavie Junction RailwayNorth British Railway
Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway absorbed by North British Railway. (Or 31/07/1874.)
  /  /1880Burnbrae Dye Works
Dye works opened beside the Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway by Thomas Reid. Served by a siding, Burnbrae Goods, from the line which originally joined facing south.
  /  /1899Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Milngavie station was re-built and a canopy was added to the original station building.
24/04/1900Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
The line was doubled from Milngavie Junction to Milngavie.
01/05/1900Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Hillfoot station opened.
01/09/1913Glasgow and Milngavie Junction RailwayGlasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway
Westerton station opened at the junction of the Milngavie line with the Singer line. Westerton Garden Suburb was being established in what was previously farmland to the north of the line.
08/07/1930Bennie Railplane Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Test track opened above the Burnbrae Goods branch of the Milngavie line.
  /  /1956Bennie Railplane
Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Test track scrapped.
  /  /1959Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Line electrified as part of the Clyde north bank electrification.
  /07/1959Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Failed Class 303, in use for driver training, replaced temporarily by British Railways Eastern Region Tilbury sets. Driver training was carried out on the Milngavie line, reversing at Westerton.
  /  /1960Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Ellangowan Paper Mill goods branch closed.
  /01/1960Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Class 303 Blue Trains re-introduced for driver training.
  /01/1960Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Tilbury sets returned.
  /  /1983Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Track of platform 3 at Milngavie lifted.
  /  /1983Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Northbound platform at Bearsden loses its building.
  /  /1986Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Hillfoot goods yard site cleared (loading bank and small shed removed) to make way for housing.
  /  /1988Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Bearsden station building rebuilt and enlarged to become a 'Beefeater' restaurant.
  /  /1990Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
New station building at Hillfoot demolished after a period of time as a taxi company office.
  /  /1992Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Line singled from Milngavie Junction to just west of Bearsden and from just east of Hillfoot station to just south of Milngavie station.
  /  /1995RAILSCOT Website
Website construction begins with the Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway page
  /06/1997Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
Bearsden station is refurbished at a cost of £500K, with a new shelter, raised platforms and repairs to the footbridge.

Route described

This line is in the north west of Glasgow. It runs from Westerton northwards on a meandering route through Bearsden to Milngavie.



The line was originally single track, then doubled and now partly singled again.


Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.


Westerton to Milngavie

The main portion of this line runs from Westerton Junction to Milngavie.

This junction is immediately west of Westerton station. Here trains leaving Glasgow divide between the line west and the Milngavie branch.
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More details

See also
Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway
The back of the Westerton signalbox viewed from a train coming off the Milngavie line. The junction is now called Westerton Junction and the line ...
Ewan Crawford //1987
Westerton Jn with 1333hrs Larkhall to Milngavie train on its way onto the single line section of the Milngavie branch on 13th June 2018.
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David Prescott 13/06/2018
The junction for Milngavie at the west end of Westerton station seen in 1989 before the branch was reduced to one track. The photograph was taken ...
Ewan Crawford 06/06/1989
View looking north at Westerton signalbox. This box was immediately west of Milngavie Junction, now known as Westerton Junction. ...
Ewan Crawford //
4 of 9 images. more


This is a two platform station with the modified former main station building and a modern waiting room both on the Glasgow bound platform.
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334007 is the rear unit on a 6 car service heading away from the city as it departs from Bearsden on 23 November 2018. ...
John McIntyre 23/11/2018
A Milngavie to Motherwell service calls at Bearsden on 17/06/2017. ...
David Panton 17/06/2017
The delayed 12.59 to Milngavie at Bearsden on 26th April 2018. ...
Colin Miller 26/04/2018
A Motherwell service calls at Bearsden on 26 February 2020. ...
David Panton 26/02/2020
4 of 31 images. more


Hillfoot station was opened after the railway was doubled between Milngavie Junction and Milngavie in 1900. The down platform building at Bearsden and the up and down platform buildings at Hillfoot were all of the same style. The southbound station building was the larger.
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More details
A Motherwell service calls at Hillfoot on 4 May 2019. ...
David Panton 04/05/2019
A Milngavie to Edinburgh service makes its first stop, Hillfoot, on
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David Panton 17/06/2017
Ordnance Survey map of Hillfoot. ...
Ewan Crawford //
Scene at Hillfoot on 8 August 2009, with 320 310 on a High Street service. ...
David Panton 08/08/2009
4 of 16 images. more




This small one road shed was on the east side of the passenger platforms of Milngavie station, approached (like the station) from the south. It was sandwiched, the goods yard was to the east.
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This is a two platform station with original sandstone single storey station building fitted with a newer canopy.
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More details
320308 at Milngavie in 2015. ...
Roger Geach 18/06/2015
Barrel train and real train at Milngavie. [John noted there should be a plaque - an overly detailed page on the Milngavie line was the first page on ...
John Yellowlees 18/05/2017
314214 at the Milngavie terminus in 1987.
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Bill Roberton //1987
303068 takes on passengers at Milngavie in 1987.
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Bill Roberton //1987
4 of 68 images. more





Burnbrae Goods Branch

This branch ran originally from a south facing junction (which was modified to face north, joining the line just south of Milngavie station) to the [Burnbrae Dye Works]]. The Bennie Railplane ran overhead the west portion.

This is a two platform station with original sandstone single storey station building fitted with a newer canopy.
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More details
320308 at Milngavie in 2015. ...
Roger Geach 18/06/2015
Barrel train and real train at Milngavie. [John noted there should be a plaque - an overly detailed page on the Milngavie line was the first page on ...
John Yellowlees 18/05/2017
314214 at the Milngavie terminus in 1987.
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Bill Roberton //1987
303068 takes on passengers at Milngavie in 1987.
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Bill Roberton //1987
4 of 68 images. more


Near Milngavie the formation of tracks leading to the Burnbrae Dye Works lie under the Allander Sports Centre. Little remains of the works branch save a railway bridge over a stream which may be found to the north east of the Sports Centre. A single goods shed (now a "Kelvin Timber" outlet) remains at the dye works (site now occupied by the demolished bus garage).
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Burnbrae goods shed, now in use by a timber company, on the former Burnbrae Dyeworks branch. ...
Ewan Crawford //
A 311 heads south past the original junction for the Burnbrae goods branch in 1988. ...
Ewan Crawford //
2 of 2 images.


This dye works was opened beside the Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway by Thomas Reid. It was served by a siding, Burnbrae Goods, from the line which originally joined facing south.
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Ordnance Survey map of Burnbrae branch before doubling of the Milngavie line. ...
Ewan Crawford //
Ordnance Survey map of Burnbrae branch after doubling of the Milngavie line. ...
Ewan Crawford //
2 of 2 images.





Ellangowan Goods Branch

This branch ran from just south of Milngavie station to Ellangowan Paper Mill.

This is a two platform station with original sandstone single storey station building fitted with a newer canopy.
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More details
320308 at Milngavie in 2015. ...
Roger Geach 18/06/2015
Barrel train and real train at Milngavie. [John noted there should be a plaque - an overly detailed page on the Milngavie line was the first page on ...
John Yellowlees 18/05/2017
314214 at the Milngavie terminus in 1987.
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Bill Roberton //1987
303068 takes on passengers at Milngavie in 1987.
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Bill Roberton //1987
4 of 68 images. more


The Ellangowan Paper Mill branch passed under the former main road in Milngavie to the site of the mills where a number of sidings were available. The branch was really a long siding.
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More details