Location type

Sidings

Names and dates

Steel Company of Scotland Works Junction (1871-1901)
Newton Steelworks Junction (1901-1960)
Newton West Junction (1960-)

Station code: National Rail
Opened on the Clydesdale Junction Railway.
Opened on the Hamilton Branch (Caledonian Railway).
Opened on the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway.

Description

Newton West Junction is to the west of Newton station. It is where lines divide into the bypass lines, to the north, and platform lines, to the south. The platform lines are joined by the line from Kirkhill, to the south west, as they approach the station. This location is called Newton Kirkhill Junction although it used to come under Newton West Junction.

Development of the junction

The lines through Newton were originally simply double track, with Hamilton Junction at the east end.

This junction to the west of Newton station first opened in 1871, thus the name Steel Company of Scotland Works Junction, to serve the Hallside Steel Works. This works was on the south side of the railway and served from the west. A signal box opened with the junction.

This was also the junction between the former Clydesdale Junction Railway and the Glasgow Central Railway to the immediate west of Newton station.

The original Newton [1st] station was further east at Newton village, it was closed and replaced with the present Newton station in 1873 to serve the expanding steel works. The present two platforms of Newton station are the original platforms.

The steel works sidings were approached from the west but were built on the south side of a goods loop on the south side of the station which joined the 1849 Hamilton Branch (Caledonian Railway) east of the station.

Just to the west a mineral loop, on the north side, ran west to serve Westburn Colliery, the far end of the loop being at Gateside Signal Box.

Also just to the west, but on the south side, were two mineral lines. The further west ran south to the Clyde Nail Works and Gilbertfield Colliery and Brick Works. This joined at a loop, the east end of which was at Newton and west end at Gateside Signal Box. It was a trailing connection. The second mineral line, also with a trailing connection, ran south to Dechmont Colliery.

The signal box was replaced in 1893 in advance of the opening of the opening of the Glasgow Central Railway. This new line was approached from the east and ran north to join the Rutherglen and Coatbridge Branch (Caledonian Railway) and Carmyle station. It continued west to pass under Glasgow and Glasgow Central station. The Newton to Carmyle length provided an approach to the Clyde Iron Works from the east. The Glasgow Central Railway opened in 1896. The box was in the 'V' of the junction.

With its opening an additional two platforms and a goods bypass were added to the north of the existing platforms in 1901. The signal box was again replaced for this, on a similar site. At some point, perhaps 1901, the box was renamed Newton Steelworks Junction. The additional platforms were opened in anticipation of the 1904 opening of the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway of which this was the eastern end. (The point where the new line met the existing lines is today termed Newton Kirkhill Junction.)

The signal box closed in 1960 when it was replaced by the new power box at Newton.

Remodelling

The two northern platforms were removed and these are now the fast lines for bypassing the station.

The junction has been extensively remodelled, not just with closure of lines but also to change the function of the lines.

Whereas in the past the overall design of the junction was to combine the approaches from Rutherglen, Carmyle and Kirkhill and pass these through the platforms the design now is to pass the line from Rutherglen through the bypass line to the north and to also give Rutherglen access to the platforms to the south for local services and, via Newton Kirkhill Junction bring the line from Kirkhill to the platforms.

Nearby stations Newton Newton [1st] Kirkhill Cambuslang Carmyle Mount Vernon Broomhouse Calderpark Halt Mount Vernon North Maryville Tollcross Baillieston Uddingston Uddingston [1st] Uddingston West	Clyde Nail Works Newton Kirkhill Junction Westburn Colliery Westburn Steel Works Hallside Steel Works Gateside Colliery Newton PW Depot Newton Hamilton Junction Gilbertfield Colliery and Brick Works Newton East Junction Gateside Junction Newton Colliery Pit No 2 Westburn Junction Kirkhill Junction Tourist/other Westburn Souh Signal Box
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.