Glasgow Crossrail

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Postby nodrog » Thu Jun 10, 2004 12:04 pm

With the exception of needing to build one bridge over the Johnstone bypass, i do know the railway line out to Bridge of Weir & Kilmacolm is still entirely passable (currently cycle track).

This used to connect to the Paisley Canal line and be its extension I believe - which wouldnt now be possible but it could certainly be joined onto the main Johnstone main line easily enough.

Its not passable in the other direction beyond Kilmacolm (used to continue & rejoin the Port Glasgow line further down) because of house building. An application to build lots of houses along the line in the BoW area was recently defeated.
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Postby ianmcmillan » Thu Jun 10, 2004 12:04 pm

Indeed, but it was closed for 7 years or so, where the track was lifted between Paisley Canal and Elderslie, killing off what would be a most useful diversionary route towards Kilwinning. The trackbed has now been built on, the chances of this line re-opening as it was are nil. :-(
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Postby james73 » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:10 pm

nodrog wrote:With the exception of needing to build one bridge over the Johnstone bypass, i do know the railway line out to Bridge of Weir & Kilmacolm is still entirely passable (currently cycle track).

This used to connect to the Paisley Canal line and be its extension I believe - which wouldnt now be possible but it could certainly be joined onto the main Johnstone main line easily enough.

Its not passable in the other direction beyond Kilmacolm (used to continue & rejoin the Port Glasgow line further down) because of house building. An application to build lots of houses along the line in the BoW area was recently defeated.


And a very picturesque cycle track it makes. The section north of
Kilmacolm was closed in, I think, 1959 or so. The line to Kilmacolm
was singled in 1973, and closed and lifted in 1983. :(

Re: the Johnstone bypass - if you examine the area closely you'll see that
the road has in fact been ignorantly built across the path of the railway
line at practically rail level. :evil: Putting the line back would mean either
raising the line up and over, lowering the road, or building a level crossing,
unlikely on a dual carriageway methinks. The rail line cant be lowered, as it
crosses the Black Cart Water River immediately to the east of the
Johnstone bypass.

You're right about the line joining to the mainline. It joined at Elderslie No2.
Elderslie No1 was slighlty to the north, where the Paisley Canal line came
in. Interestingly, the branch off the main line to Kilmacolm at Elderslie No2
was a flying junction.




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Postby james73 » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:15 pm

crusty_bint wrote:The Paisley Canal Line is in operation, my mate lives in the the converted station house at Crookston.


Aye. But it's a dull, single line affair, apart from the inclusion of a strange
passing loop, built around 1993, between Mosspark and Crookston. Why
this was built, as the current services render it pointless, is a mystery. Maybe
they had tentative plans to restore the line all the way to Elderslie, then onto
Bridge of Weir. Or maybe they're thinking of a Springburn - Paisley Canal
service once Crossrail is up and running... :roll:




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Postby ianmcmillan » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:21 pm

Either way, it is bizarre that the SPTE allowed this at the time, when they are now so pro-rail.

Its just as well some other mid-80s proposals didn't happen:

1. Closure of the Neilston line south of Williamwood (?) to allow the electrified services to be diverted to East Kilbride, with the closure of Thornliebank and Giffnock too.

2. Electrification to Cumbernauld, services running from Queen Street low level - Coatbridge (reverse) - Cumbernauld, which would have killed off the Bellgrove - Springburn electric services.
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Postby james73 » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:22 pm

ianmcmillan wrote:Indeed, but it was closed for 7 years or so, where the track was lifted between Paisley Canal and Elderslie, killing off what would be a most useful diversionary route towards Kilwinning. The trackbed has now been built on, the chances of this line re-opening as it was are nil. :-(


Well, there's always compulsory purchase orders... :roll:

Actually, it could even be possible to squeeze a single line past the houses
at the west side of the old Paisley Canal station. After that, there's no real
signifcant blockages towards Elderslie.

You're right about this route being a useful diversion. They should have
kept it, at least as a single line for freight diversions.



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Postby ianmcmillan » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:24 pm

They should have kept it open and electrified it rather than closing it!
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Postby james73 » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:38 pm

ianmcmillan wrote:Either way, it is bizarre that the SPTE allowed this at the time, when they are now so pro-rail.


Yep, that's a good point. It was (thankfully) probably the last major
rail closures in the Glasgow area.




ianmcmillan wrote:Its just as well some other mid-80s proposals didn't happen:

1. Closure of the Neilston line south of Williamwood (?) to allow the electrified services to be diverted to East Kilbride, with the closure of Thornliebank and Giffnock too.

2. Electrification to Cumbernauld, services running from Queen Street low level - Coatbridge (reverse) - Cumbernauld, which would have killed off the Bellgrove - Springburn electric services.


Heard about the closure of the Neilston line before. The idea was to trim
the line back to Whitecraigs (not Williamwood), recover the OHLE and
us it to electrify the East Kilbride branch, by this time re-connected to the
Williamwood to Muirend line via the restored Williamwood Curve. Whether
or not the residents of Neilston would've been compensated by the re-opening
of the former Neilston station (Neilston High?) on the GSW line I dont
know. Thornliebank, Giffnock and Patterton would've lost their stations.

Never heard about that Cumbernauld scheme, though. :? Doesn't really
sound as daft as an EMU to Springburn, then get off, and get on a waiting
DMU on the adjacent platform though, does it?... :wink:



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Postby james73 » Thu Jun 10, 2004 6:11 pm

crusty_bint wrote:The Paisley Canal Line is in operation, my mate lives in the the converted station house at Crookston.


This 'un?

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Postby james73 » Thu Jun 10, 2004 6:22 pm

scotia47 wrote:Other examples I can think of are Kirklee, Paisley Canal and the Clydeside Expressway. I'm sure someone else (james73) can give a better estimate of the number of areas of former railway lines which have been developed on, and how easy/hard/impossible it would be to deal with them in case of any transport restoration.


Some formations, like the Possil to Rutherglen via Balornock line are
practically impossible to recover. The Stepps Bypass has been built on it
at Blackhill; the viaducts through Barrowfield are gone; the downhill
embankment at Stobhill Road has been landfilled and built on. The list
for things like this goes on and on - a bit like me. I always thought that line,
although only a freight line in it's heyday, could've made a good Northern
Circular route. :roll:




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Postby scotia47 » Thu Jun 10, 2004 6:35 pm

james73 wrote:
ianmcmillan wrote:Indeed, but it was closed for 7 years or so, where the track was lifted between Paisley Canal and Elderslie, killing off what would be a most useful diversionary route towards Kilwinning. The trackbed has now been built on, the chances of this line re-opening as it was are nil. :-(


Well, there's always compulsory purchase orders... :roll:

Actually, it could even be possible to squeeze a single line past the houses
at the west side of the old Paisley Canal station. After that, there's no real
signifcant blockages towards Elderslie.


I like the sound of that, let's just hope that none of the occupants in said houses are mentally deficient enough to be a NIMBY if it's ever given serious consideration. I don't really follow legal practices very much, so what exactly does a compulsory purchase order actually involve? :?

james73 wrote:Yep, that's a good point. It was (thankfully) probably the last major
rail closures in the Glasgow area.


The only other one I can think of during that time is the closure of the line between Maryhill and Anniesland, which will be partially restored in the near(ish) future. I say partially because the old line was double track and connected with the rest of the network at Anniesland. This completed a circle of track around the city. Its replacement, however, will only be single track and won't connect with the rest of the network at Anniesland, at least not initially. It'll basically be an elongated siding starting at the junction in Maryhill and ending at its own platform in Anniesland station.

:roll:

BTW James, love the new avatar! :D
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Postby germistonguy » Fri Jun 11, 2004 12:42 am

See they're serious about the Gargad Chord though.
That's a LOT of earth moving, folks...

........Garngad station's an old one too -
it was on the Royston Road bridge next to the car showroom.





James H


Yet another mention of this mysterious Garngad station. Can anyone tell me anything about it - post any pictures - any info at all?? I have attached a map and marked it A. B. C. and D. Can anyone say if Garngad station would have been on anyone of these points. If the station was in any of these four points, there must have been some sort of long staircase to the track. I am going from childhood memory here.
I remember years ago a little abandoned cottage (now long gone) approximately where point B is on the map. Would that have been anything to do with a Garngad station??

Thanks for any info in advance

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Postby james73 » Fri Jun 11, 2004 1:24 am

According to Glasgows Railways A Chronology:

"01.03.1910 Garngad NB station closed because of competition with trams"


So, which side of the bridge was it? I've never seen a picture of it, but I
think I may have read it was an island platform. Either A or B I'd say.

http://www.cat-flap.demon.co.uk/glasgow.htm





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Postby crusty_bint » Fri Jun 11, 2004 1:46 pm

james73 wrote:This 'un?
Image


Thats the one indeed! He's in the masonry section on the right of the cast-iron arcade.

I see today on BBCScotland news that Firts travel's bid to take over train services looks as though it might be successful. It also mentioned Firsts plans to integrate services and initiate the Rail Crosslink plan.

Does anyone know if First have published any of thier plans or intentions?

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Postby james73 » Fri Jun 11, 2004 3:19 pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3796123.stm

Haven't had the chance to read it in depth yet, but that story has links on
the right hand side to stories of First's initial bid(s) for the franchise, including
this one:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3394479.stm





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