Woodmuir Junction

Location type

Junction

Name and dates

Woodmuir Junction

Opened on the Cleland and Midcalder Line (Caledonian Railway).
Opened on the Woodmuir Colliery Branch (Caledonian Railway).
Opened on the Addiewell Loop (Caledonian Railway).

Description

This was a double junction. Two mineral lines began here:
- Woodmuir Colliery Branch (Caledonian Railway) - Addiewell Loop (Caledonian Railway) Neither was approached directly but via exchange sidings, headshunts with loops.

The Woodmuir Colliery was reached by reversing off the westbound line into sidings on the south side of the railway. By reversal the branch which ran off to the south west could be reached. This ran as far as Woodmuir Siding where the line continued as a private line (Woodmuir and Rushiehill Collieries Railway) to reach first Rashiehill Quarry and then, by two reversals, Woodmuir Colliery.

The junction for the Addiewell Loop was the same layout but in reverse. By reversing off the eastbound line into sidings on the north side of the line and then changing direction the loop could be reached.

The signal box was on the north side of the double junction.

The Addiewell line closed in the 1950s. The Woodmuir branch closed around 1962. The signal box remained until 1964.

The main line remains open and has been electrified (2019).


Chronology Dates

  /  /1950Addiewell Loop (Caldonian Railway)
Western portion closed from Woodmuir Junction to the Westwood Oil Works branch.

Books


Vanished Railways of West Lothian