Kelvin Valley West Junction
Location type
JunctionName and dates
Kelvin Valley West Junction (1878-1966)Opened on the Campsie Branch (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway).
Opened on the Kelvin Valley Railway.
Description
This was the junction between the Campsie Branch (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway) of 1848 and a spur from the Kelvin Valley Railway of 1878.
The curve allowed passenger trains to run from Glasgow Queen Street High Level to Kilsyth [1st]. It allowed coal trains from the Kilsyth area to run Coatbridge via the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway or west to Glasgow (and the docks - the Stobcross Railway had opened in 1874) via the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway.
This latter route led to the North British Railway, who operated the lines, delaying the opening of the rest of the Kelvin Valley Railway from Kelvin Valley East Junction to Maryhill East Junction and running trains by their parallel route (Kelvin Valley East Junction - Maryhill East Junction via Lenzie) leading to an argument between the companies. John Thomas described the NB refusing to put in the junction at Kelvin Valley Junction (also known as Maryhill East Junction) and running a wholly internal service from a temporary station in Maryhill to Torrance only. The line fully opened in late 1879. When opened there were few traffic sources on the Kelvin Valley East Junction - Maryhill East Junction via Torrance route and the junction inconveniently faced away from Glasgow (it had been intended as a route to the docks supplemented by passenger stations).
Kelvin Valley West Junction was a double track junction with the two routes access from the south, from Kirkintilloch [2nd]. The Kilsyth [1st] route immediately crossed the Glazert Water and ran east to Kelvin Valley East Junction where it dropped to a single track and the two routes of the Kelvin Valley Railway joined.
The signal box was on the east side of the junction, on the west bank of the Glazert. A road bridge once crossed the Glazert here, just to the north of the box.
The Campsie Branch (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway) and Kelvin Valley Railway both closed to passengers in 1951.
Kelvin Valley East Junction signal box closed in 1956 and the curve to it singled, the southbound line being lifted.
Following this the line northwards to Blane Valley Junction, Lennoxtown, was singled (1958), the southbound line being lifted. The southbound line of the Kilsyth route was also lifted. Immediately south of the box the line doubled. The box closed in 1958, replaced by a ground frame.
Both lines closed completely in 1966.
The route of the line is now a footpath. The bridge over the Glazert has been removed. (The bridge of the Maryhill route still stands, just to the north).
Tags
Junction footpathAliases
Birdston JunctionExternal links
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map
NLS Map
| Nearby stations Kirkintilloch [2nd] Milton of Campsie Kirkintilloch Basin Back O Loch Halt Woodley Kirkintilloch [1st] Lenzie Lennoxtown Old Lennoxtown [2nd] Twechar Torrance Bridgend [M and K] Campsie Glen Balmore Kilsyth (Old) | Kelvin Valley East Junction Inchbelly Sand Siding Kincaid Print Works Kirkintilloch Gas Works [1st] Luggie Aqueduct Lion Foundry Balquharrage Sand Siding Kirkintilloch Foundry Meiklehill Colliery Pit No 5 Townhead Shipyard Meikelhill Coke Ovens South Bank Iron Works Lillyburn Print Works Townhead Shipyard [Repair Yard] Tourist/other Meiklehill Colliery Quay |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Chronology Dates
Books
 An Illustrated History of Glasgow's Railways |  Forgotten Railways: Scotland |
