Abbeyhill Junction

Location type

Junction

Name and dates

Abbeyhill Junction (1868-1988)

Station code: National Rail
Opened on the North British Railway.
Opened on the Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway).

Description

This junction was formed between the 1868 Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway) and the 1846 North British Railway. It was east of Edinburgh Waverley and the Calton Tunnels.

To improve line capacity the line between Waverley and Abbeyhill Junction was quadrupled in 1897 and an additional tunnel opened at the Calton Tunnels. The signal box at Abbeyhill Junction was replaced in 1896 in advance of this.

The box lasted until Waverley was resignalled in 1938, being taken over the Edinburgh Waverley east box.

The junction was converted into a single lead junction in 1977.

The loop to Piershill junction closed in 1988 and the junction was taken out (although the loop lines were left in place right up to the point of junction, without making connection).

Today this is where the lines coming through the Calton Tunnels meet. Both tunnels are ingle rather than double track to accommodate the catenary.

Tags

Junction


Chronology Dates

01/10/1886Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway)
London Road Junction [Edinburgh] to Lochend Junction opened to passengers and freight. This line effectively quadrupled the main line of the North British Railway from Abbeyhill Junction to Piershill Junction and provided a useful diversionary route.
25/04/1897North British Railway
Edinburgh Waverley to Abbeyhill Junction quadrupled.
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].)
01/05/1972Leith Central Branch (North British Railway)
Leith Central (DMU servicing) to Abbeyhill Junction and Piershill Junction closed.
20/03/1988Easter Road Deviation (North British Railway)
Loop from Abbeyhill Junction to Lochend South Junction to Piershill Junction falls into disuse after the remodelling of Abbeyhill Junction in connection with the electrification of the East Coast Main Line.

Books


A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Scotland - The Lowlands and the Borders v. 6 (Regional railway history series)

Drem to Edinburgh: Including Gullane, Haddington, Tranent, Musselburgh and Fisherrow Branches (Scottish Main Lines)

Edinburgh St. Margaret's: The Story of the 'Other' Edinburgh Depot of the North British Railway 1845-1967

Exploring Disused Railways in East Scotland

Last Trains: Edinburgh and South East Scotland v. 1
LNER Wagons: Volume 3: Scottish Area: Ex North British and Ex-Great North of Scotland Railway Wagons
North British Railway in Northumberland, The

North British Railway, Vol. 1 (Standard Railway History)

North British Railway, Vol. 2 (Standard Railway History)

Signalling and Signal Boxes along the North British Railway, Great North of Scotland Railway and the CLC Routes

South East Scotland (British Railways Past & Present)

The Castle and the Bear: A Brief History of the North British Railway

The North British Railway a History
The North British Railway, Volume 1, One,
The Vanished Railways of Old Western Dunbartonshire (Britains Railways/Old Photos)

Vanished Railways of West Lothian