Bridge Street station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the Glasgow subway station of the same name, see: Bridge Street subway station.

Bridge Street station was the original Glasgow terminus of the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway; jointly owned by the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway (GP&G), which later merged with the Caledonian Railway, and the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway (GPK&A), which became part of the Glasgow and South Western Railway.

The station opened for traffic on the GPK&A in August 1840; and for traffic on the GP&G in March 1841. It was sited on the south side of the River Clyde, but was close to the centre of Glasgow.

Contents 1 South-side terminus station 2 Diversion of G&SWR services 3 Refurbishment by the Caledonian Railway 4 Closure as a terminus 5 Notes 6 References

[edit] South-side terminus station

The opening of the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock railway took away a lot of the river traffic from Glasgow; instead the steam boats terminated at Greenock and the railway was used between Greenock and Glasgow. The railway journey was 1 hour against 2.5 to 3.5 hours for river traffic. Similarly the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway provided a quicker journey to the coast than the river journey.

Some 21,890 people used the service during Glasgow Fair week in July 1841.

It remained the south-side terminus of both the Caledonian Railway and the Glasgow and South Western Railway for nearly thirty years. Both railway companies wanted to cross the Clyde but were precluded from doing so by Glasgow Corporation, the Clyde Navigation Trustees, the Bridge Trustees; and finally by the Admiralty, who insisted on bridges with at least one lifting section.

The Caledonian Railway's main line from London, via Carstairs, which opened to Edinburgh on 15 February 1848 and to Glasgow on 1 November 1849 remained on the north-side of the Clyde, at Buchanan Street, eventually moving to Glasgow Central Station (see below).

[edit] Diversion of G&SWR services

The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) achieved the first river crossing, by means of the City of Glasgow Union Railway. The line left the Joint Railway near Shields Road (now Shields Junction) and continued through the Gorbals. It crossed the River Clyde at Hutchesontown to their new St Enoch railway station. The line and station opened on 1 May 1876; construction of the line having taken 11 years.

[edit] Refurbishment by the Caledonian Railway

The Caledonian Railway eventually built their new terminal station, Glasgow Central station, which opened in 1879 on the north-side of the River Clyde. Access to the station was gained via a four-track railway bridge, built by Sir William Arrol parallel to Glasgow Bridge. Central station initially had eight platforms.

Bridge Street station was also refurbished in 1879. Two new through platforms provided access to Glasgow Central station. Bridge Street however remained the terminus, for the time being, for the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock railway; and had two dedicated bay platforms. Another two bay platforms were for G&SWR use.

[edit] Closure as a terminus

Between 1901 and 1905 Central Station was refurbished and extended over the top of Argyle Street; and thirteen platforms were built. An additional eight-track bridge was built over the Clyde with the power operated signal box sitting suspended between the two river bridges.

Bridge Street station was then closed as a terminal station; and the platforms removed. The former bay platforms were used as carriage sidings for Central Station; and the former through platforms used as running lines to Central Station.

The remaining Caledonian Clyde Coast services were extended to Central Station and the remaining G&SWR services diverted to St Enoch station.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Thomas, John, (1971). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Volume 6 Scotland: The Lowlands and the Borders. Newton Abbot: David and Charles (Publishers). ISBN 0-7153-5408-6.
• Robertson, C.J.A, (1983). The Origins of the Scottish Railway System: 1722 - 1844. Edinburgh: John Donald Pulishers. ISBN 0-85976-088-X.