Wilsontown railway station

55°46′33″N 3°40′40″W / 55.775930°N 3.6777994°W / 55.775930; -3.6777994Grid referenceNS948548Platforms1Other informationStatusDisusedHistoryOriginal companyCaledonian RailwayPost-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish RailwayKey dates1870^[1]Opened10 September 1951^[1]Closed to passengers4 May 1964Closed to freight traffic

Wilsontown railway station^[1] was the passenger terminus of the three and three quarter mile long Wilsontown Branch that ran from a bay platform at Auchengray railway station and served the nearby village of Wilsontown in Lanarkshire and several collieries. The only other station on the line was at Haywood, standing two miles from Auchengray on a double track section of the line. Apart from the collieries this was a mainly farming district at the times of the railway's construction.

History

The station opened as the terminus of the passenger line at Wilsontown in 1870 and was then closed to passengers in 1951^[1] but freight traffic continued until closure in 1964.

The nearby Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway may have suggested a physical connection with Wilsontown but it never reached this destination.

Wilsontown was first established as the site of the famous Wilsontown Ironworks however these closed in 1842 and the 1870 line was built across part of the site on an embankment.

Services

In May 1948 the passenger services consisted of around seven return trains a day on weekdays and altered timings on Saturdays for many services such as 11.25pm departure. No trains ran on a Sunday. One train did not run on school holidays. Connections to Carnwath, Carstairs, Edinburgh and Glasgow.^[2]

In 1869 the line was extended to the Climpy Colliery as a freight line. Wilsontown Colliery Pit No.3 with its coke ovens was also served by the railway as was Wilsontown Colliery No.9.^[3]

Station infrastructure

The station had only a single curved wooden platform with lighting and a small wooden shelter on the south side of the passing loop, with its ubiquitous station clock, that served as a ticket office and waiting room with a coal fire. The signalbox lay to the east of the platform and was opened in 1893 and closed in 1963. A large goods shed with two sidings, a crane and a loading dock lay to the south of the station platform with a goods yard.^[3] The platform and goods yard were accessed off the nearby road to Carnwath. A weighing machine was located on the mineral line. A bridge crossed the road on its way to the Climpy Colliery.

Remains of the station

The track was lifted and the bridge towards Climpy removed. The station site was used as a storage depot and nothing remains of the station buildings. The embankment towards Haywood is extant as are the bridge abutments. Part of the trackbed is in use as footpaths related to the old Wilsontown Ironworks site and its visitor interpretation as a tourist attraction.

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Terminus		Caledonian Railway Wilsontown Ironworks Branch		Haywood

See also

• Wilsontown Ironworks

References

Notes

Sources

• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
• Cobb, M.H. (2003). The Railways of Great Britain -- A Historical Atlas. Shepperton : Ian Allan Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7110-3003-0.
• Thomas, John (1984) revised J S Paterson, A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 6, Scotland, the Lowlands and the Borders, Newton Abbott : David and Charles. ISBN 0-946537-12-7.

External links

• Forestry Commission Wilsontown Ironworks website
• Wilsontown Ironworks Heritage Project
• British history online

Primary companiesCaledonian
RailwayGlasgow and South
Western RailwayGreat North of
Scotland RailwayHighland RailwayNorth British
RailwayJoint linesOther lines