Diagram 2 – 1930 – 2001 Decline and Rebirth
 

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Frame 1 – 1930

The opening frame on this diagram shows little change to the track layout from the 1912 diagram, but the first signs of decline are the closure of the NB, now LNER passenger station.

The old platform remained in situ until the changes of 1972.

Frame 2 – 1962

By now the rot had set in, in this year the Caledonian (LMS) low level station closed, and both the NB route to Hamilton (ex Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge) and the ex M&K Palacecraig branch had been closed since the mid 1950’s. The remaining track running under Calder Street became a private line connecting the two foundries belonging to R.B. Tennant and Sons (now Sheffield Rollmakers). Two signalboxes had also been abolished, that at Whifflet Central Junction (controlling the junction of the G.B.H&C and the former M&K at Calder Street), on the 2nd of September 1945, and on the 25th of July 1954 Rosehall Sidings signalbox closed along with the LMS goods yard.
 

An absolutely priceless shot taken by Jim Watson in the late 1960's showing one of R.B. Tennants internal user locomotives shunting plate waggons between the Meadowpark Works and Whifflet Foundry, just about where Whifflet Central Junction was once sited.  The yard in the background is the Speedwell Iron Works, and the grass grown siding into the works can be seen above the second waggon.  The condition of thetrack under the locomotive would put someof todays "main" lines to shame.

The same view in April 2002.  Only the building which formed part of the Speedwell Iron Works has survived in a refurbished form.  The rubble in the background is all that is left of Whifflet Foundry.  The brick walls in the centre of the photograph also give a point of reference.  Speedwell Iron Works was once owned by Beardmore's, and for a while had a small production line of motor cars!

Note: Further photographs of the R.B. Tennants locomotives can be found on the Summerlee page and on J. Christies site "Jerrys Sidelines"

Frame 3 – 1964

This year Whifflet lost it’s last remaining passenger station of the "old era" when the Whifflet Upper (High Level) Station closed on October 3rd.  From the beginning of the Summer 1964 Timetable, this station had only a nominal service of one train each was per day.  On weekdays the service ran to Possil, departing Whifflet Upper at 7:19am, returning from Maryhill Central at 6:24pm.  On Saturdays the morning service departed at 8:13am and ran only as far as Maryhill Central.
 

Saturday, October 3rd 1964, and a Gloucester RCWC DMU stands in the platform ready to work the last train, the 08:13 (SO) service to Maryhill.  Photo: Hamish Stevenson

Another view of the closed Whifflet Upper, taken in 1967 from street level, the little shop was a regular haunt of mine while spotting on Whifflet Bridge. (from the J. White Collection)

During the extensive remodelling in the vicinity of  Newton Station it was necessary to divert WCML services via the Rutherglen and Coatbridge line to Whifflet, then South via Mossend to Motherwell.These two photographs show a London bound service being dragged by 37128 between Rosehall Junction and Whifflet North Junction	To the right of the above photograph can be seen the remains of the Caledonian Railway Airdrie branch while the remains of Whifflet High Level Station can be seen just above and to the left of the class 86 on the Left hand Photograph.

A 1960s view from approximately the same point as the above right shot, showing a Clayton type 1 hauling a freight consisting of small diameter tubes and scrap metal which would have originated from the Calder Works. (© Edward Kitchen

In 1967 the road bridge, known as Whifflet Viaduct, was reconstructed to accommodate a dual carriageway, the extension being to the south of the old bridge.  This plaque inserted into the southern parapet  marks the event.

 

The newspaper article in the Glasgow Herald around 1969 mentioned on page1 used this view to show the improvement in air quality.  The reporter must have guessed the location that the old photograph was taken and took this one from the road bridge instead of the High Level rail bridge.  This view does however show an 08 shunter stabled in the manner common at the time.	The equivalent view today, with the middle sidings removed.

Frame 5 – 1972

The track layout shown on this frame is that which resulted from the major rationalisation work prior to introduction MAS, controlled from Motherwell signalling centre on the 16th of December 1973, during which the last of the sidings between the main line and the Sunnyside branch were lifted.  Stabling of what few shunting locomotives that were still required was now carried out on the spur to R.B. Tennants. The "basin sidings", shown in the top left hand corner of the diagram were used for PW trains and survived for a few years later.

Frame 6 – 1980’s

The Sheepford branch, which since 1973 had been accessed via a headshunt off an  extended siding from the Basin yard closed  on the 31st of January 1984.  The last line to be closed was also the last to be built, that being the remainder of the ex Caledonian route to Airdrie, part of which was retained to serve the Calder and Imperial Tube Works of British Steel.  Seamless steel tubes were manufactured at the Clydesdale Tubeworks at Mossend and were transported by rail to the Imperial Works for finishing.  The route required two reversals, at Rosehall Junction and the headshunt beyond the Imperial branch.  Traffic on the branch officially ceased in May 1990, following the closure of the Clydesdale plant , and the branch was mothballed for three years pending further use, as road access to the Imperial works, (which was sold off and is still open), is not good.  Any plans to re-use the line were halted when first there was major subsidence in the embankment east of Whifflet, then the Road Bridge over the A725 was struck by a mobile crane with such force as to render it unsafe and the line was formally taken out of use in June 1993.  This was fortunate for the local planners, for as soon as the bridge was removed the road was widened to dual carriageway and a roundabout built on the site.

This view of a class 20 on a Northbound oil train shows the ex Caledonian Railway Viaduct in the background

On a more positive note, both the ex Monkland and Kirkintilloch and Glasgow Garnkirk and Coatbridge lines have been electrified, the latter in 1983 to avoid time consuming locomotive changes at Mossend for the short run to the Freightliner Terminal, the former in September 1989 to provide a diversionary route for SPTE services.

The new Whifflet station, remarkably close to the site of the original 1860’s station, was opened on the 4th October1993 when the service from Glasgow Central via Rutherglen and Carmyle was re-introduced. Trains working the then existing electric service between Coatbridge Central and Motherwell and the new diesel service from Motherwell to Cumbernauld (introduced on the 26th May 1996) also call here, but there is no co-ordination between the services.
 

	ABOVE: A grubby class 90/1 no. 90148 returns light engine from the Freightliner terminal to Mossend on the 19th of July 1995.
	ABOVE LEFT: 314216  pauses at Whifflet on a Dalmuir - Coatbridge working (same date as above).
	LEFT: Metropolitan Cammel DMU No.101693 carries a headboard proclaming the new service between Whifflet and Glasgow Central on the 4th of October1993, the first day of operation.   The need to use units which were around when the original service was discontinued took the gloss off the new service.  Thankfully these units have now  been replaced by class 156's. Photograph used by permission of James Craig (Anoraxia Locotus)