Maryhill Central railway station

Maryhill Central was a railway station to the north west of Glasgow.

Maryhill Central
This is all that is visible of the southern portal of the former Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway line heading north from Maryhill Central station. Hidden behind the Gala Bingo club, the tunnel entrance has been backfilled with earth, and the arch keystone is visible behind the shrubbery. Crossing above is the Glasgow Branch of the Forth & Clyde Canal.
General information
LocationMaryhill, Glasgow
Scotland
Coordinates55°53′15″N 4°17′16″W / 55.88752°N 4.28782°W / 55.88752; -4.28782
Grid referenceNS570683
Platforms4
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyGlasgow Central Railway
Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway
Pre-groupingCaledonian Railway
Post-groupingLMS
Key dates
26 November 1894Opened as Maryhill Barracks
1 October 1895Renamed as Maryhill[1]
15 September 1952Renamed as Maryhill Central[1]
2 November 1959GCR services ceased
5 October 1964Closed to passengers[1]

Location

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To the west of the station was a triangular set of junctions. Immediately to the west was Maryhill Central junction where the line to Kirklee diverged to the south and the Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway headed east to Bellshaugh Junction where the western side of the triangle (from Kirklee Junction at the southern point of the junctions) and the Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway met before the line to Dawsholm diverged to the north. There was another Maryhill station to the north.

Closure

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It was closed to passengers on 2 November 1959 on the Glasgow Central Railway route and on 5 October 1964 on the Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway between Possil and Partick, with the lines in the area being closed on 5 October 1964.

Current site usage

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The site of the station is now occupied by Maryhill Shopping Centre which was built in the early 1980s. This was rebuilt in around 2010 to consist of a large supermarket, with 4 retail units and car parking below. However, a space was left in the basement of the shopping centre to allow the line to be re-opened in the future; this was still considered an option in the mid-1990s, with the building of a large bingo hall on the cutting (east of the site) left a channel for the original line to be re-opened below ground.

In 1999, however, this prospect was put to rest with the sale of land for housing along many parts of the track in the Kirklee and Cleveden sections of the track along with the demolition of many of the bridges around the same area for safety reasons. Maryhill Shopping Centre was demolished in early 2010 and replaced by a new Tesco supermarket. The void beneath the supermarket for the railway station has again been retained to allow the future possibility of reopening the railway line.

Railway routes

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Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Kirklee
Line and station closed
  Caledonian Railway
Glasgow Central Railway
  Terminus
Dawsholm
Line and station closed
  Caledonian Railway
Glasgow Central Railway
 
Kelvinside
Line and station closed
  Caledonian Railway
Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway
  Possil
Line and station closed

1900s map of Maryhill

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Map of railways in the locality in the early 1900s. Both Maryhill stations are shown, Maryhill Central (also confusingly called 'Maryhill') is adjacent to the barracks

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Butt (1995), page 156

Sources

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  • Butt, R. V. J. (October 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. OL 11956311M.
  • Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
  • Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.