Stirling North Junction
Location type
JunctionName and dates
Stirling North Junction (1900-)Opened on the Scottish Central Railway.
Opened on the Forth and Clyde Junction Railway.
Description
This junction is to the north of Stirling station. The junction is between lines north to Perth and east to Alloa.
There is an 'A' listed signal box on the west side of the junction with a 48 lever frame.
It allows trains from platforms 2, 4, 5, 6 and 9 to travel north to Perth and trains from platforms 6 and 9 to go east to Alloa.
Southbound trains from Perth may enter 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9. Those from the east may enter 6 and 9.
Before 1900
This junction was created in 1900, previously the connection between the former Scottish Central Railway and former Stirling and Dunfermline Railway was south of the station at Stirling Middle Junction.
Additionally trains from the Forth and Clyde Junction Railway entered the west side of the station, rather than the east. The F&C was aligned with, although not owned by, the North British Railway. That company's goods yard, Cowpark Goods was just off to the north west alongside Stirling's auction market.
Junction
The junction was created in 1900, the culmination of improvements which included removal of the level crossings at Shore Road. The new junction allowed trains from the Forth and Clyde Junction Railway to enter the east (North British Railway) side of Stirling station.
A number of signal boxes were dispensed with
on the Caledonian side
- Shore Road (at Shore Road Level Crossing [CR])
- Forth and Clyde Junction [Stirling]
on the North British side
- Shore Road (at Shore Road Level Crossing [NB])
(Additionally Shore Road Goods Signal Box on the NB was replaced with Shore Road Signal Box [NB].)
Alloa
The large Shore Road Goods [NB] closed around 1964 allowing Shore Road Signal Box [NB] to close.
The Alloa route closed to passengers in 1968. It was singled from Manor Powis to Stirling North in 1972.
It ceased to be a through route in the 1980s and was cut back to Cambus in 1987.
Glenochil Yeast ceased receiving deliveries by rail about 1994 and the line largely closed. The portion over the Stirling Forth Viaduct [SandD] remained in use, permanent way trains sometimes seen near Causewayhead. There was some tracklifting in the 2000s.
The line was reinstated in 2008 to carry a passenger service to Alloa and coal trains for Longannet Power Station the route taking heavy trains away from the Forth Bridge reducing maintenance costs and freeing slots on the busy Fife Circle.
Longannet Power Station closed in 2016.
Semaphore
Stirling remained an outpost of semaphore signalling until preparations for electrification of the Dunblane and Alloa routes. The Alloa route is controlled by Stirling Middle Junction box.
Tags
Junction
