Location type

Junction

Names and dates

West Calder Branch Junction (1875-1920)
Bathgate East Junction [2nd] (1920-1955)
Bathgate STVA Aborted Siding (-)

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

Opened on the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway.
Opened on the West Calder Branch (North British Railway).

Description

This junction opened in 1875 to serve the Seafield Oil Works near West Calder. The branch, North British Railway owned, was single track. The junction made a trailing connection with a trailing crossover to the west. The signal box was to the north of the junction.

The junction was moved further west in 1920, this brought it closer to Bathgate Shed and Bathgate Yard which now had looped sidings rather than sidings only approached from the west. The new box controlled their eastern approach. The new connection was also trailing but with a facing crossover. The box was replaced with a new box 'Bathgate East' at the new junction formed to the west. This was the second Bathgate East Junction, the original being renamed Bathgate Central Junction.

After closure of Seafield Oil Works the stub of the branch remained to serve the Moss Litter Works,for peat extraction which had its own narrow gauge line laid out on a grid pattern. Near the end of the shortened branch was a loop.

The branch closed in 1955. The signal box closed in 1964.

The line remains open. It is now a modern electrified railway providing a secondary Edinburgh and Glasgow route via Bathgate and Airdrie.

This was the site of an aborted siding for the STVA car terminal. There was a proposal to relocate as the existing STVA site was to become Bathgate LMD. This was abandoned but not until after a turnout and short siding had been laid in. It has since been taken out.

Tags

Junction

Aliases

Bathgate STVA aborted siding

Nearby stations Bathgate Bathgate [4th] Bathgate Upper Bathgate [1st] Bathgate Lower Livingston [1st] Almondhaugh Whitburn Livingston Mill Livingston North Foulshiels Bangour [Hospital] Armadale Armadale [1st] West Calder	Brickworks Bathgate Truck Plant Moss Litter Works Bathgate LMD Bathgate Shed Bathgate Central Junction Balbardie Steel Works Polkemmet Junction Bathgate West Junction Balbardie Colliery Pit No 1 Mine Seafield Oil Works Bathgate Brass Foundry Riddochhill Colliery Balbardie Colliery Pit No 2
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.