Ravenscraig Steelworks (David Colville and Sons)

Introduction

This was an integrated iron and steel works located to the north east of Motherwell at Craigneuk. The works generated a considerable amount of rail traffic. The works closed in 1992. Much of the site remains cleared and unused. A new 'town' is planned for the site.






Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.


Approaches to Ravenscraig No 1

This left the reinstated course of the Motherwell New Lines (Caledonian Railway) near the former Jerviston Viaduct to run south by a new route down the west side of the new works before rejoining the New Lines route near Shields Colliery Junction.

This junction was south of Milnwood Junction. Most recently (1993) it provided access to the line to Ravenscraig No 3 Yard used for trips from Mossend Marshalling Yard to deliver limestone to the works and take strip coil away. It had also served the sizeable Clydesdale Steel Works yard, which closed slightly earlier.
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See also
Motherwell Deviation Line (Caledonian Railway)
Clydesdale Steel Works Railways
Motherwell New Lines (Caledonian Railway)


This yard of 9 sidings was located on the west side of the Ravenscraig Steelworks (David Colville and Sons). It was an exchange point between the steelworks and British Rail.
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08883 awaits instructions having arrived at the north end of Ravenscraig No 3 yard with the lunchtime delivery of limestone. The train will go forward ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
With today's (16/10/2015) announcement of essentially the end of the Scottish Steel Industry with the closure of Dalzell and Clydebridge Steelworks I ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
Industrial locomotive passing strip mill, west side of the works. ...
Ewan Crawford //
An 08 shunts Ravenscraig No. 3 in 1988 before heading north over the Merry Street bridge. The buffer stop at the bottom right is the reversing spur ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
4 of 4 images.


This was a boundary box on the west side of the Ravenscraig Steel Works. It was alongside the south end of the strip mill. This was a location where British Rail worked into the works yards to hand traffic over to the steel works, and vice versa.
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This was a large junction and west end of a yard which commenced at Shieldmuir Junction to the east.
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See also
Wishaw and Coltness Railway
Motherwell New Lines (Caledonian Railway)
The sign read 'Exit from Ravenscraig by this route is strictly forbidden', although judging by the footpath this wasn't much of a deterrent. ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
With the WCML out of sight off to the left and BSC Dalzell in the distance on the right this view looks west at the former six tracks wide bridge over ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
2 of 2 images.





Locations within the works

Strip coil loading at the Ravenscraig Steel Works in 1988. This shed was the westernmost of the buildings in the works and, to orientate you, the view ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
A slab from Concast is fed into the reversing rougher from the left. ...
Ewan Crawford //
2 of 2 images.


This yard of 16 sidings was in the south west of the Ravenscraig Steelworks (David Colville and Sons). It was largely used to store processed scrap wagons and was also the exchange point between British Rail and the works for limestone from Hardendale Quarry. BR dropped off the loaded wagons here and a works locomotive would take them forward.
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Class 37 hauled limestone train at the Ravenscraig Steelworks. ...
Ewan Crawford //
View looking east over one of the marshalling yards in the Ravenscraig Steel Works. A class 37 is delivering a train of scrap. Note the 'white ladies' ...
Ewan Crawford //
2 of 2 images.


Rail mounted crane delivering wheel sets to the locomotive shed at Ravenscraig in 1987. Behind and to the left is the larger of the two distinctive ...
Ewan Crawford //1987
Locomotives and locomotive shed at the Ravenscraig Steelworks. ...
Ewan Crawford //
Locomotives undergoing repair in the locomotive shed, located at the south end of the works. ...
Ewan Crawford //
Shunter in for repairs gives it welly. By kind permission of British Steel Corporation. ...
Ewan Crawford //1987
4 of 4 images.


After limestone trains were delivered to the works by British Rail, they were drawn to this reversing spur in the south east of the works before ...
Bill Roberton //1992
A wonderfully grim location. Round the back of the steelworks workshops and sandwiched between the building and the coal unloading sidings were some ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
2 of 2 images.




Molten iron discharges into a torpedo as a blast furnace is tapped at Ravenscraig. A bit warm for photographs. ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
Molten iron about to discharge into a torpedo as a blast furnace is tapped at Ravenscraig. A bit warm for photographs. ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
Torpedos and industrial locomotives at bottom of a blast furnace at the Ravenscraig Steelworks. ...
Ewan Crawford //
3 of 3 images.




Slag processing at the north end of the Ravenscraig Steel Works. The train had been drawn north from a blast furnace along the works' own bridge over ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
1 of 1 images.


Molten iron being poured into a BOS vessel at the Ravenscraig Steel Works. ...
Ewan Crawford //
Iron being poured into a BOS vessel at the Ravenscraig Steelworks. ...
Ewan Crawford //
2 of 2 images.





Coal and Iron Ore Arrivals

These were located on either side of the Wishaw Deviation.

This signal box was opened in 1957 to control access to the new Ravenscraig No 2 Yard, which handled coal and iron ore deliveries. Approach was from the north. The entry was from just south of Calder Viaduct [Carfin]. The box was on the east side of the line opposite the yard turnout.
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See also
Wishaw Deviation (Caledonian Railway)


Having being released at the south end of the sidings, these two 37s head back through Ravenscraig Number 2 after delivering a coal train. There were ...
Ewan Crawford //1988
1 of 1 images.


This yard, serving the new 1974 Ravenscraig Steel Works iron ore tippler, was on the east side of the Wishaw Deviation (Caledonian Railway). The yard was approached from the north, over the Calder Viaduct [Carfin]. It was to the east of Ravenscraig No 2 Yard which previously handled iron ore and was given over to coal with the opening of No 4.
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See also
Wishaw Deviation (Caledonian Railway)
Ravenscraig No 4 Yard and stockyards viewed from the south end after closure. The Wishaw Deviation is out of shot to the left with the steelworks ...
Bill Roberton //1993
Looking north over the east side of British Steel Ravenscraig post closure. This was the iron ore unloading yard with the stockyard to the right and ...
Bill Roberton 01/08/1992
2 of 2 images.