Location type

Station

Name and dates

Paisley Canal [1st] (1885-1983)

Note: text in square brackets is added for clarity and was not part of the location's name.

Opened on the Paisley Canal Line (Glasgow and South Western Railway).

Description

This was a fine two platform station. Unfortunately when the Elderslie to Paisley Canal line was lifted and cut back to the new Paisley Canal station this earlier version of the station was not re-opened.

The platforms were heavily canopied. This was a generously laid out station with a large two storey station building, flanked with single storeys on either side, on the eastbound platform and large waiting room on the westbound platform (both stone built). In addition there was a ticket office facing Causeyside Street, to the east, which crossed over the line.

There was a substantial goods yard to the west and on the north side of the line. This had a large goods shed, loading banks, cattle pens and a coal yard. It was approached from the west and was on a goods loop to the west of the station. There was a headshunt to the west. The signal box, which opened with the station, was on the south side of the line west of the passenger station with a good view over the goods yard turn out.

Despite being a very meandering line this was the route used by the Hunterston Ore Terminal to Ravenscraig Steel Works trains, keeping them off the busy Paisley Gilmour Street to Glasgow Central route.

The station closed to passengers in 1983. The signal box closed and was replaced with a ground frame. The canopies and footbridge were removed quickly afterwards. The line was singled.

The railway continued for freight only until 1984. Final use of the coal yard at the station was around 1985 and the yard survived, with the very large goods shed, for a few years before being cleared for housing. Track was lifted in 1986. The line east to Corkerhill Depot was singled and remained in use for oil trains from the east as far as Hawkhead.

A new Paisley Canal street opened on the east side to Causeyside Street in 1990, unfortunately only with one platform on a single track.

The fine up platform building is in use as a restaurant.
Paisley Canal Station

The platform area is now a car park for the restaurant. Beyond the trackbed is occupied with housing as far as Camphill with housing, beyond this it remains relatively intact as a footpath to Elderslie.

Canal era

The goods yard, west of the station and on the north side of the line, occupied the site of a former basin, storehouse, stable and coal yard on the former Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal. The storehouse was built over the northern part of the basin. This was the site of a disaster in 1810 when a canal boat, the 'Countess of Eglinton', overturned drowning 85. The canal excursion was to celebrate the opening of the canal. The location became the goods shed after conversion to a railway. Its site is now houses.

Tags

Station footpath

External links

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

Nearby stations Paisley Canal Paisley Gilmour Street Paisley West Paisley Hamilton Street Paisley East Paisley Abercorn Potterhill Hawkhead Paisley St James Hawkhead [1st] Dykebar Ferguslie Glenfield Stanely Elderslie	Paisley Canal Basin Saucel Goods Saucel Iron Works Soho Engine Works [Paisley] Anchor Mills Abbey Works Paisley Junction Paisley Mineral Depot [GSW] Abercorn Shipbuilding Yard Abercorn Foundry Tourist/other Saucel Distillery Saucel Signal Box Paisley Abbey Stoneybrae Twin Signal Box Stoneybrae Signal Box
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.