Airdrie - Page 1   
1) Airdrie (South)
Airdrie (South) was opened by the Monkland Railway Company on 11th August 1862 as part of the "New Line" to Bathgate and soon became the North British Railway's main station in the town, with services to Hyndland and Clydebank via Glasgow Queen Street to the west and Edinburgh via Bathgate to the east.  The station was never an elaborate affair, with just the two through tracks and a bay to the south.  Limited goods facilities were provided, with much of the Airdrie's North British general goods traffic being handled at Airdrie North Goods Station in Hallcraig Street.

I acquired this photograph from the archives of North Lanarkshire District Council and what a find it is!  It was taken around 1900 and shows a Hyndland train in the bay platform, formed of eight NBR 4 and 6 wheeled coaches hauled by a tank locomotive. The locomotive number looks like 95 and the type is either a Drummond 0-6-0T, (similar but larger than the "Terrier") or a Drummond 4-4-0T.  These classes of tank locomotive were almost identical from the rear, but I am going to plump for the 0-4-4 as they had a larger dome, and this looks like the larger one . The original signal box can clearly be seen with it's tall home and starter signals piercing the skyline in the background, and the station buildings and footbridge are the originals with posters advertising "Melrose's Teas" and "Paisley's department store".  In the background is the bridge carrying the Caledonian Railway into it's terminal station.  Mail bags are lying amid the clutter of trolleys on the Edinburgh bound platform

Moving forward into the 1950s and we see Parkhead shed's V1 2-6-2T 67655 sitting in the bay platform with a typical train of former LNER non-corridor stock.  The photograph was dated July 1954 but I think that this is incorrect.  The superstructure of the new signalbox is complete but as yet not fitted out, since the 'box opened on the 28th of February 1960 I find it unlikely that the 'box would have been built so early,  With the lack of any signs of progress on the electrification I would date the view as being nearer 1958.  Note in the background a V3 (with hopper bunker and straight steam pipes) in the down main and the lattice footbridge that replaced the NBR wooden bridge.  The platform has grown a couple of additional structures.


Airdrie Station (©1968 Jim Watson Collection) shows the station as it was following completion of electrification until the  station buildings were reconstructed in the 1970's.  The changes from the top photograph (apart from the wires themselves) are as follows

1) The removal of the footbridge.
2) The new signal box now in use with the old box demolished
3) The Edinburgh bound platform has also been brought up to standard height (it can be seen to dip to a lower level beyond the footbridge in the top photograph) and increased in length towards Coatdyke..
4) The Platform awnings have had some minor surgery and a further outbuilding has sprouted
5) Carriage sidings have been provided (originally 4, later reduced to 2 and currently 1)

Other points of interest, now sadly disappeared are the Cinema, just visible behind the signalbox & the late lamented Airdrieonians Football Club's Broomfield Park above that.  The abutments of the bridge that once carried the Caledonian Railway into it's terminus station can just be discerned through the clutter of the overhead wires.  The grey roofs in the right background once belonged to various notable engineering companies, accessed by the short Bellsdyke branch which left the main line just to the east of the station. The N.B List shows (amongst others) The Empire Iron Works, Gartlea Foundry, The Scottish Steel Grit Works, Beardmore's Victoria Works and Paterson's & Sons all being served.  To the extreme left are the former goods sidings, which since the 1920s became Hendersons Scrap Yard.

The present day picture (above) was harder to take, as the footbridge which gave access to the West end of the platforms from Craig Street (from which the previous two photographs were taken ) was removed around 1970.  The site has been radically altered, with new station buildings on the surviving platform and the track layout substantially reduced (see below).  Remarkably, the bench seats have survived - although the cast iron "Airdrie" signs have been removed, (one was until recently in the authors possession!)  The Town Centre by-pass road was built on the site of Henderson's Scrapyard on the left hand side of the view.
 

Figure 1: Track plan of Airdrie Station before and after rationalization.

The track plans show Airdrie Station as it was after the inauguration of electric services and then after rationalization following the transfer of signalling control to Yoker signalling centre in July 1989.  Under the old system, operation of the station during off peak hours saw all services terminating in the bay platform, whereas peak hour additional services terminated in the old Edinburgh bound platform before working forward beyond the crossover east of the station, then reversing back through that crossover to reach the Glasgow bound platform to take up the next duty or to shunt to the carriage sidings.  When the Argyle line opened in 1979 a curious decision was made to modify the system to allow electric trains to be depart Westbound using the trailing crossover shown in red in the diagram, and a new signal was provided for this purpose.  It was never used for passenger services as it would have been too inconvenient for the public to reach this platform from the booking office - this involved a long walk down the ramp to Broomknoll Street, under the bridge and back up another long ramp.
Following the transfer of control to Yoker and the extension of services to Drumgelloch, services now alternate between the bay and the through platform. The better utilization of stock is reflected in the reduction of the sidings from four to one.

 

This view (©1968 Jim Watson Collection) shows the crossover east of the station that was used by terminating trains not using the bay platform. 

Future Plans

As part of the Airdrie -Bathgate Rail Link Project it is planned to refurbish the station as shown above.  Main features are

  • Reinstatement of the double track through the station and the former up platform, which will be lengthened 

  • New Station building with lift, stairs and footbridge directly connecting to the new 2 Storey car park.  (This proposal may now be modified following public consultation)

  • Down platform to be extended eastwards over Broomknoll Street bridge

Off the Rails
 
Derailments and accidents in the Monklands area have been rare occurrences, particularly in recent years.  However on Saturday October 12th 2002 the leading coach of the 11:46 Airdrie to Balloch, formed by unit 320307 left the track at the end of the bay platform.  Thankfully nobody was hurt, but the unit sustained damage to it's leading bogie and services were severely disrupted.  A partial service was restored on the Monday morning using platform 2 only, but was suspended later that evening to allow for safe removal of the derailed unit. All work was completed by the early hours of Tuesday morning and normal working resumed that day.  (My thanks to the members of the Scotrail group for supplying details of the incident and to Calum McMahon for the photograph)

A report on the incident can be found on the Health and Safety Executive Website
An earlier accident occurred in 1958 but unfortunately I do not have any details surrounding the circumstances.  LNER full brake SC87179E has telescoped into the adjacent coach with devastating results, but given the lack of information it would seem to have been without loss of life or injury.  The photograph is interesting as it shows the unrebuilt Craig Street bridge and the original lattice access footbridge from Craig Street to the west end of the station.  The photograph itself has been taken from the old footbridge between the two platforms.

Photograph reproduced with the kind permission of The Herald.  © Newsquest (Herald & Times).

Airdrie Gallery
 
General View of the frame of Airdrie Signal box before closure, showing the mixture of Mechanically operated points and electric switches for the signals. Airdrie station looking east before the carriage sidings were reduced from 4 to 2.  Note the B.R. symbol pattern in the monobloc platform surface. 303077 sits in platform 1 with 311098 in the siding
First of the Class 320s, No. 320301 was almost brand new, and operating driver training runs when photographed in the sidings at Airdrie. 37410 "Aluminium 100" positions a mobile crane during remodelling work in preparation for the transfer of signalling control to Yoker Power Box. The crane is removing track from the two redundant sidings,
The 1959 Airdrie box.  The original signalbox was immediately to the right of the present structure A class 26 heads an engineers' train during a Sunday possession.  Viewed looking West from the overbridge at the station throat.
One of the former Swindon built Glasgow-Edinburgh InterCity DMU's at Airdrie on a Sunday diverted service in 1969 (Jim Watson) The original station building at Airdrie. The footbridge giving access to Craig street can be seen to the left of the photograph (Jim Watson)
The new order at Airdrie Station: On 30th December 2002, 334032 sits in the bay platform having arrived from Helensburgh, where the unit had taken over the diagram from the last 303 run which took place that day.  In the background a pair of class 318s, also recent newcomers to this route,  occupy the sole remaining siding

Go on to Page 2: Airdrie (Caledonian), Drumgelloch and others