Location type

Station

Name and dates

Earlyvale Gate (1856-1857)

Opened on the Peebles Railway.

Description

This was, very briefly a year after line opening, the site of a halt. It was located at a level crossing called 'Earlyvale Crossing'.

The Ordnance Survey Name Book described it thus

A one storey house, slated and in good repair with garden attached the property of the Peebles Railway Company. Trains stop here on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for the accommodation of passengers. No tickets issued here.

The crossing cottage was on the east side of the line.

The best secondary source for Earlyvale is the book 'Peebles Railways' by Peter Marshall. His passage on this halt in detailed: (text is square brackets is added)

Mr James Hay Mackenzie of Edinburgh wrote to the company in July 1856 with a request, on behalf of a friend who was arranging residence for himself and family near Earlyvale Gate. Mr Mackenzie was the son of William Forbes Mackenzie, the Peebles Railway Director and former local MP, whose family home was at nearby Portmore [ Portmore House, a large house and estate to the east of the line about half way between Earlyvale and Eddleston ]. He requested that the Peebles Railway stop its trains at the crossing for the benefit of his family. George Dundas and family later confirmed their intention to move to a summer residence at Cowie's Lynn nearby. He requested that either the Directors make a station there or that the trains be stopped morning and evening. The length of line from Leadburn to Eddleston was the longest stretch of the route without a station. Dundas promised traffic for the line from suppliers, members of the family and friends. The Board declined to build a station for one passenger, but agreed that trains could be stopped by signal, morning and evening, if Dundas bought a season ticket (priced from Eddleston to Edinburgh). William Knox [General Manager of the Peebles Railway ] was instructed to arrange for trains to be stopped at Earlyvale on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Regulations for the stopping of trains was set out in August 1857, prospective travellers being required to notify the gatekeeper at Earlyvale, who would 'hoist the red or stop signal'. If passengers required to be set down at Earlyvale the guard should be notified in advance at Leadburn. The station appeared in Bradshaw's Railway Guide for only a few months, from June 1856 to 28 February, 1857.

George Dundas is shown as living at Earlyvale in the Scottish Post Office Directory of 1862. Earlyvale was owned by Forbes McKenzie.

The OS map of 1857 appears to show a platform on the east side of the line, south of the level crossing.

The trackbed to the south of the former level crossing has been a roadway for many years. Any hint of the halt in that area has been obliterated. The trackbed to the north remains unused. The crossing keeper's house has been demolished.

Just to the north was the Cowieslinn Viaduct (demolished).

Local

To the west of the line is the large Cowieslinn Quarry.

Tags

Station halt short lived

External links

NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map
02/04/2020

Nearby stations Eddleston Lamancha Leadburn Macbie Hill Pomathorn Halt Broomlee Penicuik [2nd] Eskbridge Peebles Old Peebles [2nd] Peebles [CR] Rosslynlee Hospital Halt Auchendinny Lyne Glencorse	Cowieslinn Viaduct Harcus Crossing Leadburn Summit Siding Coalyburn Mines Auchencorth Peat Moss Railway Pomathorn Mill Tourist/other Earlyvale [House] Portmore House RNAD Leadburn Easterdeans Crossing Lamancha House Leadburn Inn Macbiehill House Venture Fair Crossing RNAD Coalyburn
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.