Stirling Middle Junction
Location type
JunctionName and dates
Stirling Middle Junction (1852-)Opened on the Scottish Central Railway.
Opened on the Stirling and Dunfermline Railway.
Description
This junction is south of Stirling station it is the location where the main line from Glasgow Queen Street, Edinburgh Waverley and the south meets the branch east to Alloa.
Trains from the south may enter platforms 2, 7, 8, 6 and 10. Those from the north may leave platforms 3, 6 and 9 and those from the east may use 6 and 9. 10 is a bay on the east side of the station for southbound departures.
Stirling Junction
This was originally Stirling Junction, the junction between the 1848 Scottish Central Railway and 1852 Stirling and Dunfermline Railway, the western end of the latter. The latter was allied with the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, but this company required the S&D to provide a separate Stirling East station (directly east of the SCR's existing Stirling station) and approach over the the Stirling Forth Viaduct [SandD] to the north. (This was part of a wider disagreement between the E&G and Caledonian Railway which led to Sighthill West Junction in Glasgow not being laid in (see entry) and the Edinburgh Station and Branches (Caledonian Railway) not being allowed to connection at Haymarket.)
The connection allowed interchange of traffic and the North British Railway had running powers over the length of the Scottish Central Railway (the E&G bought the S&D in 1858 and the NB bought the E&G in 1865). The signal box was replaced in 1886. The box was on the east side of the line.
Later layout changes to the north led to a connection between the lines north of the station and reconstruction of the station resulted in a single station.
Signal box
The signal box was replaced again in 1901 with the present building. This box is on the east side of the junction.
This is a large box with a 96 lever frame. The box is 'A' listed.
Layout
To the north the lines were, from west to east:
- goods station with goods shed (Central Goods - the SCR's original goods yard)
- main line north to Perth through Stirling station
- main line east to Dunfermline Upper through Stirling station (the only NBR entry on the list)
- goods yard with loading bank (Central Goods - a later addition) Stirling Goods - weighs siding
- connection into Forthbank Barracks
To the south the lines were, from west to east:
- goods station with warehouses (a later addition)
- sidings (Craigs Siding)
- main line south to Larbert Junction for Glasgow and Edinburgh
- Stirling Shed [CR] - Forthbank Carpet Works
- newer connection into Forthside Barracks
The last goods yard, Stirling Goods closed in the 1990s. The sidings south of the station, at the former Stirling Shed [CR] have been reduced to a loop approached from the north, usually used for permanent way.
When Alloa reopened in 2008 Stirling Middle box was fitted with the panel for the line including Cambus Loop, Alloa and Alloa Loop with CCTV coverage of the level crossings.
Semaphore signalling
Stirling survived as a major outpost of semaphore signalling until preparation for electrification in 2013.
There was a signal bridge over the main running lines just to the west of the box, removed in the mid 1980s.
Notably until 2000 the last Caledonian Railway lower quadrant signal stood on the east side of the station (it is now at Bo'ness).
Colour lights now prevail. The box is presently the largest signal box in Scotland.
Tags
Junction A listedExternal links
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map
NLS Map
NLS Map
Chronology Dates
| / /1878 | Scottish Central Railway Craigs Crossing, south of Stirling station (and Stirling Middle Junction), is authorised to be stopped up with the road lifted onto a road bridge. |
