Location type

Name and dates

Note: text in square brackets is added for clarity and was not part of the location's name.

Description

These sidings served an oil tank farm above Granton Harbour and was located just east of Granton Gasworks.

The original siding here was in the 'V' of Breakwater Junction. It made a trailing connection to the southbound line from the Western Breakwater.

Sidings were laid in for Asiatic Petroleum on the north side of the original siding, with which they were connected at their west end. The sidings were laid on a curve. These were looped and served the depot with a shed on the north side. Asiatic Petroleum was jointly formed in 1903 by Shell and Royal Dutch oil companies. The depot was served by ships from Rotterdam to Granton operated by Anglo-Saxon Petroleum, another part of Royal Dutch Shell (the company was formed by a merger in 1907). There were short tramways within the works at various dates. About 1915 the sidings were known as 'Asiatic Petroleum Siding'.

In the Second World War a tank farm and supply pipes up from the harbour were laid out on the west side of the sidings, between the sidings and the Western Breakwater line. Oil imported through the depot was to supply much of Scotland. The operating companies were involved in providing oil for development of jet engines.

Asiatic Petroleum ceased to operate in 1951 and in 1955 Anglo-Saxon Petroleum became part of Shell Petroleum. The depot became joint Scottish Oils (part of BP) and Shell-Mex Ltd. By 1956 the sidings were known to British Railways as 'Scottish Oils & Shell-Mex Ltd Siding'.

The sidings were relaid on a different alignment running parallel to the now lifted Breakwater line and the tank farm was rebuilt. See Shell Siding [Granton].