Craigendoran Pier
Location type
StationName and dates
Craigendoran Pier (1882-1972)Opened on the Craigendoran Pier Deviation.
Opened on the North British Steam Packet Company.
Description
Craigendoran Pier was a pair of piers of unequal length served by a single platform terminus station directly alongside the main Craigendoran station. The northern pier was the longer and the southern was rail served with a single goods siding. The station had a long curving single platform on the north side of a run round loop.
The pier was in competition with the Caledonian Railway's Greenock (opened 1841 and not convenient for the steamers) and the Glasgow and South Western Railway's Greenock Princes Pier [1st] (opened 1869 and located on a steamer pier), both of which were on the south bank. The south bank companies improved their positions. The Caledonian Railway opened a new extension to Gourock in 1889 which hugely improved their position. To counter this the Glasgow and South Western Railway rebuilt their station as Greenock Princes Pier [2nd]. It was difficult for Craigendoran to compete with these new facilities.
With the establishment of the steamer pier and station at Craigendoran the North British Railway needed to arrange a source of water for locomotives and paddle steamers at the station. Railway Glen was one of the sources of water, another being the Woodhead Dam above Woodhead Cottage. Both sites were on the Camis Eskan Estate.
The pier platform was the starting point for the push-pull local service to Arrochar (reversal at Craigendoran Junction). These ran around four to five times a day and served the intermediate stations which were not always served by all the longer distance trains; Rhu, Shandon, Garelochhead, Whistlefield. The local service was withdrawn in 1964. Using the pier platform kept the main Helensburgh line and West Highland clear.
With electrification of the Helensburgh line the pier line was electrified, reduced to one track only and the line was lifted from the southern pier.
The piers and platform were closed in 1972. After several years of private use for small craft and fishing boats the piers became dangerous and were partly demolished making them inaccessible for safety.
Tags
TerminusExternal links
Canmore site recordNLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map
| Nearby stations Craigendoran Craigendoran Upper Helensburgh Ticket Platform Helensburgh Central Helensburgh Upper Rhu Greenock Princes Pier [2nd] Greenock Princes Pier [1st] Cardross Greenock Cathcart Street [1st] Cartsdyke Greenock Central Greenock West Bogston Fort Matilda | Craigendoran Carriage Sidings Craigendoran West Yard Craigendoran Branch Junction Craigendoran Junction Craigendoran East Yard Helensburgh Construction Camp Helensburgh Gas Works Helensburgh Shed Tourist/other Craigendoran West Signal Box Craigendoran Old Ferry Pier Baths Inn [Helensburgh] Camis Eskan House Woodhead Dam Colgrain Fish Yair Helensburgh Pier |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Craigendoran to Arrochar Push-Pull ServiceThe West Highland Railway hoped to encourage villa building beyond Helensburgh Upper extending the reach of Glasgow stretching north along the line to Garelochhead and beyond. This wasn't entirely unsuccessful. A service, described by Jack Kernahan in 'Branch Line Steam' as 'almost a branch line within a main line' was introduced between Craigendoran and Garelochhead (where there was a turntable). It was extended beyond to Arrochar and Tarbet. At Craigendoran, trains were timed to connect with services to Helensburgh Central. The train was known as the 'Wee Arrochar'. Reid's 1911 Class L 4-4-2T (LNER C15) and 1915 superheated equivalent Class M (LNER C16) were used for around 50 years along with V1s. The locomotives were assigned to Eastfield Shed. (The C15s also saw use on the Fort Augustus branch, augmenting old Drummond R 4-4-0Ts.) In 1940 no 9135 (later 67460) was fitted for push-pull operation. In the 1950s 67474 and 67475 were also converted. The locomotive was marshalled at the south end of the train, which usually consisted of two carriages. Express headlamps were carried, as was standard for West Highland trains. The journey took 50 minutes. At Craigendoran the Craigendoran Pier platform was used, leaving the Helensburgh Central and West Highland Railway platforms clear. The service reversed at Craigendoran Junction before running on to Helensburgh Upper, Rhu, Shandon, Garelochhead, Whistlefield and Arrochar and Tarbet. At Arrochar the train would enter the goods yard between uses and reverse out onto the southbound platform. There were around 3 or 4 services per day between the long distance trains. A Park Royal diesel railbus replaced the steam train around 1961 and for this the station at Rhu re-opened. The service was withdrawn on 14 June 1964 and Rhu, Shandon and Whistlefield stations closed. Since withdrawal some early morning services have been introduced from Garelochhead, or further north. |
Chronology Dates
| / /1879 | Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway Combined Craigendoran Pier and Craigendoran authorised on a new loop, Craigendoran Pier Deviation, on the south side of the line, east of Helensburgh station. Original alignment abandoned. |
| / /1882 | PS Sheila Bought by the North British Steam Packet Company to be used from the new Craigendoran Pier when it opened in 1882. Operated the Craigendoran Pier to Rothesay Pier service. |
| 15/05/1882 | Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway Craigendoran Pier and station opened. There was a double track station on the Helensburgh line, and a long curved single platform which ran onto the pier. PS Gareloch transferred to the new pier. PS Sheila bought. |
| / /1939 | Craigendoran Pier Deviation Ferry services cut back (just prior to the outbreak of the World War II). With the war, PS Lucy Ashton became the only vessel operating out of Craigendoran Pier to Helensburgh Pier, Kilcreggan Pier, Gourock Pier, Kirn Pier and Dunoon Pier. |
| 16/06/1947 | London and North Eastern Railway PS Waverley [IV]'s maiden voyage. Based at Craigendoran Pier she operated to Lochgoilhead Pier on Loch Goil and Arrochar Pier on Loch Long. |
| / /1970 | Blairmore Pier Ceases to be a call on the Craigendoran Pier - Arrochar Pier route. |
| 25/09/1972 | Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway Craigendoran Pier closed to vessels (Use of the pier was then given over to small craft for a number of years). |
News items
| 17/07/2019 | Craigendoran pier site is put up for sale [Helensburgh Advertiser] |
