Wanlockhead railway station

Wanlockhead railway station was opened on 1 October 1902[2] as the terminus on the Leadhills and Wanlockhead Light Railway and served the lead mining area, farms and the village of Wanlockhead. Elvanfoot railway station in South Lanarkshire was the junction for the branch and was located on the west coast main line. It remained open until 2 January 1939 for passengers and freight.[2] When Wanlockhead station opened in 1902, a year after Leadhills station, it became the highest standard gauge adhesion station in the United Kingdom at 1413 feet, seven miles and 24 chains from Elvanfoot.[6][7]

Leadhills and Wanlockhead Branch
Caledonian Railway Main Line Elvanfoot Caledonian Railway Main Line  Leadhills Wanlockhead

Wanlockhead
Location
Place	Scotland
Area	South Lanarkshire
Grid reference	NS 87419 12607
Operations
Pre-grouping	Caledonian Railway
Post-grouping	London Midland and Scottish Railway
History
19 September 1902	Open to freight[1]
1 October 1902	Station opens to passengers[2]
31 December 1938[3]	Last passenger train
2 January 1939	Line officially closed to passengers and goods[4][5]
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

History

Operated by the Caledonian Railway, it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The line had been closed and lifted before the Scottish Region of British Railways came into existence upon nationalisation in 1948.[5] The line suffered greatly from the closure of the lead mines and passenger traffic was slight, although the station was located near to the small village of Wanlockhead.

Infrastructure

Glengonnar Halt, terminus of the narrow gauge line.

To save on costs the passenger stations at Wanlockhead had only slightly raised platforms and therefore passenger carriages had three levels of step board fitted which folded down to enable passengers to board and depart.

The platform at Wanlockhead was demarcated by a wooden fence and a passing loop of 100 yards length was provided.[8] A siding served a loading bank and another the goods shed.[8] The waiting room, stationmaster's office, ticket office and men's toilet were located in a wooden lean-to building built along the long side of the goods shed.[9] No signals were present, however a telephone was provided.[9] The points were worked by ground frames in the absence of a signal box. In 1916 a new siding was installed at the north side of the line.[10]

The site today

The track had already been lifted by April 1939 and the buildings demolished.[3] The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway narrow gauge line and station are to be extended from Glengonnar Halt towards the site of the old station and its trackbed in the near future (datum 2019).[6]

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Leadhills		Caledonian Railway Leadhills and Wanlockhead Branch		Terminus

References

Notes

1. Thomas, Page 50
2. Butt 1995, p. 242.
3. Ireland, Page 54
4. Butt 1995, p. 140.
5. Wignal (1983), Page 67
6. Wham, Page 180
7. Ireland, Page 17
8. Ireland, Page 31
9. Ireland, Page 32
10. Ireland, Page 38

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.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
• Ireland, Alastair (2011). The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway. Kelso : Alastair Ireland ISBN 0-9516271-1-2.
• Thomas, J. (1971). Scotland: the lowlands and borders. A regional history of the railways V.6. Newton Abbot.
• Wham, Alasdair (2017). Exploring Dumfries & Galloway's Lost Railway Heritage. A Walker's Guide. Catrine : Oakwood Press ISBN 9780853610830.
• Wignall, C.J. (1983). Complete British Railways Maps and Gazetteer From 1830-1981. Oxford : Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 0-86093-162-5.

External links

• Leadhills station on the Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway.