The Case of the Disappearing Signalbox

In May 1999, Gartsherrie South Junction Signal Box was switched out, and went into the history book as the last signal box in the Monklands.  The number of signal boxes in the area, as in the rest of the country, had been diminishing rapidly over the last forty years, initially due to the contraction of the network, then as multiple aspect signalling systems controlled from "control centres"  took over control of the remaining lines. Boxes like Gunnie North and South, Carnbroe North and South and Whifflet South Junction had all gone by the late 1960's The "Register of Scottish Signalboxes" by Forbes Alexander and E.S. Nichol, on which this page is largely based records in excess of  70 signal boxes having existed in the area at its height.  The first recorded closure was Summerlee East box, between Sunnyside Junction and Blairhill which closed as early as September 1897.  The Caledonian railway embarked on a renewal programme between 1891 and 1916 during which it rebuilt or replaced twelve signalboxes, including the box at Cairnhill Junction which had only been in existance since 1887 As the graph below shows, the number of boxes open started to decline steadily from the 1920's, with a sharp drop between 1944 and 1946.  The real rot however began in 1959 and in the following 10 years 20 signalboxes would close. Title Photograph: Garnqueen South Junction Signalbox in the process of being dismantled following closure in 1983.  This box has been reconstructed and is back controllong trains at the Bo'ness Station of the SRPS. (J.Watson collection)

The first power box scheme was in 1973, when Motherwell box took over control of the lines from Mossend and Rutherglen to Coatbridge, causing the closure of the boxes at Whifflet North, Whifflet East, Langloan, Coatbridge Junction and Coatbridge Central. Gartsherrie South and Sunnyside Junction were established as fringe boxes. The next development was in 1989, when the Yoker signalling centre was opened (after considerable teething trouble), leading to the closure of the boxes at Heatheryknowe, Sunnyside Junction and Airdrie. Gartsherrie South, Gartcosh Junction and Garnqueen North Junction, soldiered on until 1999 until the new box was built at Cowlairs under the ROSS1* signalling programme, leading to the extinction of  the signal boxes and also the last semaphore signals.  See the page on Glenboig to Cumbernauld for further details, trackplan and photographs of this section. *ROSS1 - Rationalisation of Scottish Signalling

Signalbox  Name	Coy.	Date  Opened	Date Closed	Design	Photographs	Grid Reference
Airdrie Station	N.B	??/??/????	28/02/1960	Original fully mechanical box replaced as part of Electrification Scheme.	Book
	B.R.	28/02/1960	28/07/1991	BRScR Type 16c design, 30 lever Stevens/Caledonian frame + individual function switches
AirdrieStation /Junction	Cal.	19/04/1886	13/06/1948	Re-named Airdrie Junction on 07/07/1887. The Register Of Scottish Signal Boxes lists the line to Calderbank singled 12/08/1939, and closed 29/12/1954
Arbuckle	N.B	1888	19/06/1931
Baillieston	Cal.	??/??/????	16/12/1973	Controlled from Motherwell Power Box
Bedlay	N.B	06/07/1909	05/11/1967	Line to Chryston out of use from 26/02/1967	yes
Blairhill & Gartsherrie	N.B	??/??/????	18/07/1960	Originally Named Drumpellier & Gartsherrie renamed ??
Brownieside  Junction	N.B	??/??/????	12/05/1963	Replaced by ground frame (The Register Of Scottish Signal Boxes lists the ground frame as being released by Caldercruix)
Cairnhill Junction	Cal.	07/07/1887	05/04/1899
	Cal.	05/04/1899	13/06/1948	The Register Of Scottish Signal Boxes lists the line to Gartness Junction closed 27/12/1935
Calderbank  Branch Junction	N.B	??/??/????	09/06/1924
Calderbank Station	Cal.	31/08/1887	11/08/1939	line to Chapelhall singled on 18/06/1939
Calderbank  Ironworks Junction	Cal.	31/08/1887	11/08/1939
Caldercruix East	N.B	14/10/1904	17/12/1967
Caldercruix West	N.B	??/??/????	26/08/1921
Calder Iron Wks	N.B	??/??/????	10/03/1911	Box was destroyed by fire
Calder Iron Wks	Cal.	??/??/????	13/12/1914	Replaced by Carnbroe North
Carnbroe Iron Works	Cal.	??/??/????	13/12/1914	Replaced by Carnbroe North
Carnbroe North	Cal.	13/12/1914	27/10/1963
Carnbroe South	Cal.	12/04/1900	11/09/1966	Re-named Carnbroe on 27/10/1963, on closure control area controlled from Burnhouse Weighs
Carnbroe (NB)	N.B.	19/04/1900	02/09/1945
Chapelhall	Cal.	31/08/1887	18/06/1934	Closure date is possibly 18/06/1939
Coatbridge Central	Cal.	??/??/????	04/02/1973	Controlled from Motherwell Power Box
Coatbridge Junction	Cal.	??/??/????	16/12/1973	Controlled from Motherwell Power Box
Commonhead	N.B.	1888	12/08/1959
Clarkston	N.B	??/??/????	07/11/1965
Cuilhill	N.B	??/??/????	26/03/1944	Re-named Bargeddie on 01/04/1904
Drumpellier Junction	Cal.	??/??/????	17/11/1899
	Cal.	17/11/1899	16/10/1934		Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser 2002
Dundyvan	Cal.	1885	13/03/1966
Dykehead  Junction	N.B	1888	19/06/1931
Forrestfield	N.B	08/12/1895	23/09/1904
	N.B	23/09/1904	10/06/1959
Garnqueen  North	Cal.	??/??/????	01/05/1999	CR Type S4 design, 40 lever Railway Executive Committee frame. Controlled from Cowlairs Power Box		On North side of Line just beyond junction of Coatbridge & Glasgow Routes
Garnqueen South	Cal.	??/??/????	1899
	Cal.	1899	Jun-83	CR Type S4 design, 24 lever Stevens/Caledonian frame, Signalbox dismantled and rebuilt at Bo'ness for SRPS
Gartcosh Junction	Cal.	??/??/????	12/05/1899
	Cal.	12/05/1899	01/05/1999	CR Type S4 design, 32 lever Stevens/Caledonian frame. Controlled from Cowlairs Power Box. Two 3 Lever Ground Frames control access to former BSC Siding and J.G. Russels Siding
Gartness Junction	Cal.	07/07/1887	12/08/1939
Gartsherrie East Junction	Cal.	??/??/????	28/05/1916	Originally named Gartsherrie N.B. Junction
	Cal.	28/05/1916	07/11/1967	Re-named Gartsherrie LNER Junction 1923, and renamed again after Nationalisation. Was destroyed by fire on 30/01/1967.
Gartsherrie Iron Works	Cal.	??/??/????	20/12/1903	Probably closed to make way for line quadrupling between Coatbridge Central Station and Gartsherrie South Junction
	Cal.	20/12/1903	20/09/1959
Gartsherrie North Junction	Cal.	??/??/????	20/02/1907		Yes
	Cal.	20/02/1907	31/08/1964	Spur to Gunnie via Gartsherrie East closed 1962. (CHECK SOURCE)
Gartsherrie South Junction	Cal.	??/??/????	20/12/1903	Probably closed to make way for line quadrupling from here to Coatbridge Central.
	Cal.	20/12/1903	01/05/1999	CR Type N3 design. Control transferred to Motherwell Power Box	Yes
Greenfoot	Cal.	??/??/????	18/04/1999	CR Type S4 design, 20 lever Stevens/Caledonian frame. Controlled from Cowlairs Power Box		On SO
Greenside Junction	N.B.	1876	??/??/????
	N.B.	??/??/????	18/07/1960	Junction simplified and controlled from Sunnyside Junction After Closure
Gunnie North	N.B.	??/??/????	30/06/1968	Re-named Gunnie on closure of Gunnie South on 12/02/1967
Gunnie South	N.B.	??/??/????	12/02/1967
Hayhill Brick Works	Cal.	20/02/1894	15/04/1934	Replaced by a ground frame
Heatherbell Level Crossing	Cal.	17/03/1898	21/04/1963	Non block post, NBR Non Standard design. Replaced by Automatic Barriers remotely operated from Gartsherrie South
Heatheryknowe	N.B.	??/??/????	??/??/????	Destroyed by fire in 1941, closed ?
	LNER	06/10/1943	28/07/1991	LNER Type 14 design, 20 lever Stevens Glasgow Old pattern frame + individual function switches. Controlled form Yoker Power Box.
Kilgarth	Cal.	??/??/????	08/11/1923
Kipps Incline  Foot	N.B.	1888	29/11/1959
Kipps Junction	N.B.	1888	06/12/1959
Kirkwood	Cal.	??/??/????	22/04/1906
	Cal.	22/04/1906	25/09/1928	Replaced by ground frame
Langloan East Junction	N.B.	??/??/????	12/07/1906
	N.B.	12/07/1906	09/12/1973	Line to Langloan Level Crossing worked as a siding from 10/10/1944, fully closed ??/??/????. All remaining points etc removed on closure. Sheepford branch then accessed via headshunt from basin sidings
Langloan Level Crossing	N.B.	??/??/????	10/10/1944	Line worked as siding from that date
Langloan Weighs	Cal.	??/??/????	12/01/1969
Langloan West Junction	Cal.	1865	??/??/????	1st box opened 1865, closed ?
	Cal.	??/??/????	16/12/1973	Controlled from Motherwell Power Box
Limerigg	N.B.	??/??/????	05/12/1926	Replaced by ground frame released by token
Mosslye	N.B.	??/??/????	03/10/1930		Yes. Stenlake Book
Nackerty	Cal.	??/??/????	1936	line worked by one engine in steam from Tannochside Junction
Newhouse	Cal.	02/07/1888	22/06/1922
North Monkland Branch Junction	N.B.	1878	20/10/1921
Plains	N.B.	??/??/????	15/02/1982	Reduced to non block post on 16/12/1979. Level Crossing
Rawyards East	N.B.	1888	23/12/1945
RawyardsWest	N.B.	1888	04/08/1958	Level Crossing	Yes
Rosehall North	N.B.	??/??/????	01/03/1943
Rosehall Sidings	Cal.	??/??/????	25/07/1954
Rosehall South	N.B.	??/??/????	30/08/1945
Rosehall West Junction	Cal.	??/??/????	16/12/1973	Became Rosehall Junction after Nationalisation. Controlled from Motherwell Power Box. Ground frame on site until closure of branch to Imperial Works
Stepends	N.B.	??/??/????	16/04/1961	Temporarily closed between 05/05/1905 & 11/10/1910
Summerlee East	N.B.	??/??/????	28/06/1964
Summerlee West	N.B.	??/??/????	09/09/1897
Sunnyside Junction	N.B.	??/??/????	08/08/1920	Original Location at throat of Junction
	N.B.	08/08/1920	28/07/1991	NBR Type 8 design, 45 lever Stevens unknown frame + individual function switches. Controlled from Yoker Power Box
Tannochside  Junction	Cal.	??/??/????	05/04/1964	Junction for Tannochside branch line
Westcraigs  Junction	N.B.	??/??/????	23/09/1904
	N.B.	23/09/1904	16/12/1979	line to Benhar out of use from 21/09/1963
Whifflet Central Junction	N.B.	??/??/????	02/09/1945	Line from Whifflet East to Bothwell out of use from 13/07/1954, closed 06/06/1961
Whifflet East Junction	N.B.	11/12/1904	16/12/1973	Originally named Whifflet North, re-named Whifflet East Junction on ?. Controlled from Motherwell via two ground frames "R.B.Tennants G.F." and "Souterhouse G.F." (both now removed.)
Whifflet High Level	Cal.	??/??/????	28/03/1965	The Register Of Scottish Signal Boxes lists the line to Airdrie singled 13/06/1948
Whifflet North Junction	Cal.	1865	22/11/1891
	Cal.	22/11/1891	16/12/1973	Controlled from Motherwell Power Box	Yes
Whifflet South Junction	Cal.	1865	??/??/????
	Cal.	??/??/????	22/09/1968	Removed to make way for road widening work on Calder Street. Trackwork simplified and control transferred to Whifflet North Junction.