Location type

Name and dates

Description

This junction was west of Greenock (Lynedoch) and provided access from the Greenock Princes Pier to Elderslie main line to the Lynedoch Goods yard, the Glasgow and South Western Railway's main goods yard within the town, south of the competing Caledonian Railway's Greenock Goods.

The main line from Lynedoch approached the junction on a falling gradient, passing through Lynedoch Street Tunnel South to the junction and continuing through the Trafalgar Street Tunnel (or Ann Street) on a falling gradient to Princes Pier. The goods yard was approached by clmbing from the pier. After passing the junction the single track line passed through Lynedoch Street Tunnel North dropping down to Lyndeoch Goods.

The signal box, a slim building in the very deep cutting where the junction was located, was on the south side of the junction. The goods yard line had a short headshunt.

To protect Princes Pier station - there were several series runaways which crashed into the station - catch points were added to the eastbound line (Wellington Street Catch Points) to the west of the junction in a short open air section of line between Orangefield Tunnel (to the west) and Trafalgar Street Tunnel (east).

Princes Pier closed to regular passenger trains in 1959 but remained open for boat trains and goods. The line was singled between Greenock and Kilmacolm.

The signal box closed in 1963 and the goods yard closed.

The line closed completely in 1966, but the line was retained for reopening in 1971 as the approach to Greenock Containerbase Sidings.

The container base remained open officially until 1991 although trains ceased in the 1980s. Track was removed i the 2000s by which time it was very overgrown.

The trackbed remains, out of use.

Before the railway was built this was the location of one of the Shaws Water Works reservoirs.

Tags