Elderslie railway station explained

Elderslie
Status:Disused
Borough:Elderslie, Renfrewshire
Country:Scotland
Coordinates:55.8387°N -4.4751°W
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:4
Original:Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Pregroup:Glasgow and South Western Railway
Postgroup:LMS
Years:21 July 1840
Events:Opened
Years1:14 February 1966
Events1:Closed

Elderslie railway station was a railway station serving the west of Elderslie, Scotland, originally as part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway (now the Ayrshire Coast Line).

History

The station opened on 21 July 1840.[1] The station was grand in design, and had four platforms, with the station building extended out over the two central platforms. It had a covered walkway out into Elderslie Main Road. It was a busy railway intersection, as all mainline traffic from Glasgow - Ayr/Stranraer passed through it, as well as the Paisley Canal Line, the Dalry and North Johnstone Line, and the Bridge of Weir Railway.[2] To the east of the station was Canal Junction, with the line dividing between the line to Glasgow via Paisley Gilmour Street and the line via Paisley Canal; whilst to the west a dive-under junction provided connections to the North Johnstone line and the line to Greenock Princes Pier, via Kilmacolm.

Elderslie station closed on 14 February 1966 and was demolished shortly after,[1] however it remained a junction until the closure of the Paisley Canal Line through to Kilmacolm in 1983. Following the Ayrshire Coast Line electrification in 1986, an Up Passenger Loop remains, and the line to the south west is signalled for bi-directional working. All that remains of the station now is the bricked off entrance on the main road, which once led to the covered walkway, and a large brick abutment adjacent to the current Glasgow to Ayr line.[3]

References

Notes

  1. Butt, page 90
  2. 'Lost railway lines south of Glasgow' - A. Wham, 2000
  3. 'A History of Elderslie'