Location type

Name and dates

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

Description

This junction opened was between lines westwards to Stirling, Granton, North Leith and Barnton, and Glasgow Central, Carstairs and Carlisle. To the east lines to Morrison Street Goods, Edinburgh Princes Street and Lothian Road Goods divided.

This was the Caledonian Railway's main junction in Edinburgh through which most services passed (with the exception of goods traffic using the Granton Junction - Coltbridge Junction curve).

The earliest form of the junction was to serve the Dalry Road Shed, to the west and approached from the east. This was on the north side of the line. It was built by the Dalry Cemetery as this in the was countryside at the time.

In 1864 it became a junction with the opening of a curve to Coltbridge Junction on the Granton Branch (Caledonian Railway). This passed round the north side of the shed and was approached from the city. Opening of this curve coincided with the opening of the initially goods only Leith North Branch (Caledonian Railway).

The Lothian Road passenger terminus was replaced with the first version of Edinburgh Princes Street in 1870. This was the year after the opening of the Cleland and Midcalder Line (Caledonian Railway), providing a short route to Glasgow, comparable with the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway route.

Around 1870 the Morrison Street Goods depot opened, a mineral depot to the east of Dalry Junction and on the north side of the line. This allowed [[Lothian Road Goods] to be dedicated to goods traffic.

The Balerno Branch (Caledonian Railway) opened in 1874.

Further new traffic began from 1876 from Haymarket West Junction allowing trains to run west, via the North British, to Stirling and other destinations. With this passenger traffic now running over the Wester Dalry branch a signal box opened on the south side of Dalry Junction.

From 1879 it was also to carry passenger trains from Princes Street to the Leith North Passenger Branch (Caledonian Railway).

In 1894 the Barnton Branch (Caledonian Railway) opened.

In 1900 Dalry Road station opened and Dalry Shed was rebuilt.

Edinburgh Princes Street was rebuilt on a grand scale between 1890 and 1893. Dalry Junction box was replaced in 1893. During this work there was a temporary box at the Grove Street overbridge, being where the Lothian Road Goods lines begin their fan out going east and run west with the Edinburgh Princes Street lines to Dalry Junction [Edinburgh].

There were to be six lines in front of the box, on its north side. The northern pair were the Morrison Street Goods approach, with a ladder allowing access to all lines to the west. The centre pair were the Edinburgh Princes Street approach and the southern pair the Lothian Road Goods lines.

In addition there were sidings on the south side for, from west to east, West End Engine Works, Waverley Oil and Cake Mills and the Fountain Brewery.

The box took over Merchiston signal box in 1960.

The line to Dalry Middle Junction closed in 1964. Edinburgh Princes Street and Dalry Road Shed closed in 1965 (replaced by the Duff Street spur to Haymarket) and finally Morrison Street Goods closed in 1966 and the box closed and line was dismantled back to Slateford Junction [1st].

The site is now Edinburgh's Western Approach Road.

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