Dumfries Goods Junction

Location type

Junction

Name and dates

Dumfries Goods Junction (1863-1966)

Opened on the Dumfries, Lochmaben and Lockerbie Railway.

Description

This junction was north of Dumfries station on the now closed line to Lockerbie, the Caledonian Railway owned Dumfries, Lochmaben and Lockerbie Railway. It provided access to either Dumfries, Lockerbie Junction, (shared with the Glasgow and South Western Railway) or Dumfries Goods [CR] (St Mary's Goods and Dumfries St Mary's Shed [CR]) for trains approaching from Lockerbie. The junction, and box, were also known as St Marys.

The line ran out east from Dumfries as a double track before reducing to a single line on its way east to Lockerbie.

The connection to Lockerbie Junction was to prove particularly advantageous to the Caledonian when it took lease of the Portpatrick Railway between 1864 and 1885, making that line an extension of the Caledonian rather than the geographically more appropriate G&SWR.

In the 1895 OS map the point where the goods yard approach started was from the location where the line changed from single to double. The goods yard line came off this as a single track running south parallel, and to the east of, the main line through Dumfries. A small cabin appears at the junction.

By 1900 the double track section had been extended east a little further. The goods yard was now double with two headshunts on the east side of the goods approach.

The 1931 map shows a new signal box on the south side of the double section east of the goods junction.

The box closed in 1957, replaced by a new power box at Dumfries station. Now the Lockerbie line came from the station as a single track with a loop at the goods junction, the goods line now being a single track.

The line to Lockerbie closed in 1966.

The trackbed remains today.

Tags

Junction

Aliases

Dumfries Goods Yard Junction

External links

NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map
NLS Map


Books


Branches & Byways: Southwest Scotland and the Border Counties

Carlisle To Beattock: including the Dumfries Branch (Scottish Main Lines)