Potterhill
Location type
StationName and dates
Potterhill (1886-1916)Opened on the Barrhead Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway).
Description
This was a two platform station which opened as the terminus of a short branch serving Potterhill to the south of Paisley. The main station building, similar to that at Crookston, was on the eastern platform.
There was a goods yard on the east side with loading bank, goods shed and a long headshunt. There was a signal box (1885) on the east side alongside the goods yard turn-out.
The line opened from a double track triangular junction with the Paisley Canal line. This had forks from Potterhill Junction to the west and Corsebar Junction to the east which met at Meikleriggs Junction.
The line was extended south to Gleniffer Depot in 1899 and, as a double track passenger line, to Barrhead Central in 1902. This also connected to the Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway at Barrhead North Junction, only for eastbound traffic leaving the new line. This would provide a third route for the Glasgow and South Western Railway for traffic from Ayrshire and Greenock to Glasgow and could be used as a circular route from Glasgow to Paisley and Barrhead and back.
The line competed with the Caledonian Railway's Paisley and Barrhead District Railway serving the same area. The competing line never opened to passengers and the Potterhill line was closed to passengers in 1916, indeed Potterhill had become a terminus for passengers from 1913. The line had been considerably cut back in 1909 being singled (the Paisley bound line lifted north of the station and Barrhead bound line south of the station which retained its loop) and having the westbound fork at Meikleriggs lifted. The competing route of the Paisley District Tramways Company having taken much of the traffic from both the G&SWR and CR lines.
Potterhill closed to passengers in 1916. The line south of Thornly Park Junction closed in 1917. Potterhill signal box closed in 1927.
The Gleniffer Depot closed in 1959. Potterhill remained open as a goods yard until 1970 - a rail served Cadbury's distribution depot opened at Potterhill.
The station building remains intact and in use as a house. Neilston Road still crosses the former trackbed on a girder bridge.
Tags
Terminus station through stationExternal links
Canmore site recordNLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map
| Nearby stations Glenfield Paisley Canal [1st] Paisley Canal Dykebar Paisley West Stanely Hawkhead Hawkhead [1st] Paisley Gilmour Street Paisley East Paisley Hamilton Street Paisley Abercorn Barrhead Ferguslie Paisley St James | Cadbury^s Warehouse Thornly Park Junction Gleniffer Depot Nethercraigs Siding Nethercraigs Factory Meikleriggs Junction Saucel Goods Paisley Canal Basin Saucel Iron Works Anchor Mills Blackhall Viaduct Tourist/other Dykebar Hospital Saucel Signal Box Saucel Distillery Stanely Reservoir |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Chronology Dates
| / /1882 | Barrhead Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway) Potterhill Branch authorised. |
