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Longridge railway station was the original terminus of the Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway (WM&CR) that served the nearby village of 
The first station opened as the then terminus of the line at Longridge in 1845 and was then closed in 1848. The railway was extended to
/ref>
A Government inspector recorded that at opening that at the eastern end, ''"the line terminates in a large field, about a mile from a small village called Whitburn"'' and that no passenger shelters of waiting rooms were provided.Report dated 11 June 1845 in 'Parliamentary Papers Railway Department', Session: 22 January – 28 August 1846
The OS map indicates that the original station had a single platform with a goods yard that had at least one siding and a well. Two buildings were located in the goods yard.Linlithgowshire, Sheet 12 (includes: Livingston; West Calder; Whitburn). Survey date: 1854-5. Publication date: 1856.
/ref> The 1905 OS map shows a large and a smaller building at the site of the junction of the later line to Bathgate with a short stub with a set of buffers running towards the old station site. The over bridge here was reached by two long embankments to achieve enough height for a road bridge over the line.Edinburghshire Sheet X.NE (includes: West Calder; Whitburn). Publication date: 1909. Date revised: 1905.
/ref> The two buildings mentioned were not present in although the short stub of line into the station was present. The later station had a single short platform that was accessed off the A706 on the Longridge side and appears to only have had a pedestrian access with no goods yard or sidings. In 1905 the platform and access are still marked. In 2015 the site of the terminus station remains undeveloped and is mainly occupied by small forestry plantations. The overbridge on the line towards Morningside has been removed as has the railway bridge at the later station. No buildings remain on the original site although the earthworks for the platform etc. are still apparent.
Bathgate Historic Conservation SocietyCommentary and video on Breich and Longridge railway stations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Longridge railway station (West Lothian) Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1845 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1845 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1850 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1852 Disused railway stations in West Lothian 1845 establishments in Scotland Transport in West Lothian
Longridge
Longridge is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated north-east of the city of Preston, at the western end of Longridge Fell, a long ridge above the River Ribble. Its nearest neigh ...
in West Lothian
West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...
and it was also referred to as Eastern station and was from Morningside station.
The first station opened as the then terminus of the line at Longridge in 1845 and was then closed in 1848. The railway was extended to Bathgate
Bathgate ( sco, Bathket or , gd, Both Chèit) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Armadale, Blackburn, Linlithgow, Livingston, West Calder and Whitburn. Situated sout ...
on a different alignment that diverted the route to the north where a new station (55.833977, -3.673023), a simple platform, was opened in May 1850 but closed in December 1852.
The W,M&CR at first adopted the standard track gauge
In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many d ...
for mineral lines of , often referred to as Scotch gauge
Scotch most commonly refers to:
* Scotch (adjective), a largely obsolescent adjective meaning "of or from Scotland"
**Scotch, old-fashioned name for the indigenous languages of the Scottish people:
***Scots language ("Broad Scotch")
*** Scottish G ...
. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was authorised by Act of Parliament on 4 July 1838. It was opened to passenger traffic on 21 February 1842, between its Glasgow Queen Street railway station (sometimes referred to at first as Dundas Street) and ...
took over the W,M&CR in 1849, the track gauge already having been changed in August 1847, from the now almost obsolete Scotch gauge to the generally accepted standard gauge of .Knox, Harry (2010). ''The Story of Bathgate's Railways - 1849 to 2010'', Bathgate Historic Conservation Society]
This made Longridge one of the few purely Scotch gauge
Scotch most commonly refers to:
* Scotch (adjective), a largely obsolescent adjective meaning "of or from Scotland"
**Scotch, old-fashioned name for the indigenous languages of the Scottish people:
***Scots language ("Broad Scotch")
*** Scottish G ...
stations to have existed as it closed before the gauge was converted.
The later Longridge station of 1850 had a single short platform that was accessed off the A706 Longridge
Longridge is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated north-east of the city of Preston, at the western end of Longridge Fell, a long ridge above the River Ribble. Its nearest neigh ...
to Breich
Breich is a small village lying in the western part of West Lothian, Scotland. It lies on the A71, the Edinburgh to Ayrshire road, which also goes to the large town of Livingston 7 miles to the east. It is situated at the junction of the A706, ...
road and stood just to the west of the railway overbridge.Linlithgow Sheet XII.9 (Whitburn). Survey date: 1854. Publication date: 1856./ref>
Services
The line was worked by steam although the early intention may have been to work the line as a horse drawn waggonway with independent hauliers. Passenger services had started from 1845 and a road coach ran between Edinburgh to Longridge from 16 May 1846, passengers disembarking travelling on by train to Townhead. In 1847 two hours was the railway section of the journey, calling at all the stations on the Wilsontown line.Thomas, John (1984) revised J S Paterson, ''A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 6, Scotland, the Lowlands and the Borders'', Newton Abbott : David and Charles. . TheCaledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway (CR) was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively extended its network and reached Edinburgh an ...
opened its line from Carlisle to Garriongill Junction in 1848 and its trains then ran through to Glasgow over the WM&CR. The demands on the line's capacity may led to the WM&CR passenger service being terminated at this time before being reinstated for a short time a few years later.Cobb, M.H. (2003). ''The Railways of Great Britain -- A Historical Atlas''. Shepperton : Ian Allan Publishing Limited. .
Station infrastructure
A Government inspector recorded that at opening that at the eastern end, ''"the line terminates in a large field, about a mile from a small village called Whitburn"'' and that no passenger shelters of waiting rooms were provided.Report dated 11 June 1845 in 'Parliamentary Papers Railway Department', Session: 22 January – 28 August 1846
The OS map indicates that the original station had a single platform with a goods yard that had at least one siding and a well. Two buildings were located in the goods yard.Linlithgowshire, Sheet 12 (includes: Livingston; West Calder; Whitburn). Survey date: 1854-5. Publication date: 1856./ref> The 1905 OS map shows a large and a smaller building at the site of the junction of the later line to Bathgate with a short stub with a set of buffers running towards the old station site. The over bridge here was reached by two long embankments to achieve enough height for a road bridge over the line.Edinburghshire Sheet X.NE (includes: West Calder; Whitburn). Publication date: 1909. Date revised: 1905.
/ref> The two buildings mentioned were not present in although the short stub of line into the station was present. The later station had a single short platform that was accessed off the A706 on the Longridge side and appears to only have had a pedestrian access with no goods yard or sidings. In 1905 the platform and access are still marked. In 2015 the site of the terminus station remains undeveloped and is mainly occupied by small forestry plantations. The overbridge on the line towards Morningside has been removed as has the railway bridge at the later station. No buildings remain on the original site although the earthworks for the platform etc. are still apparent.
See also
*Breich railway station
, symbol_location = gb
, symbol = rail
, image = File:Breich railway station. View west towards Addiewell. West Lothian. Shotts Line.jpg
, borough = Breich, West Lothian
, country = Scot ...
* Crofthead railway station
* Headless Cross railway station
References
;Notes ;Sources * *Cobb, M.H. (2003). ''The Railways of Great Britain -- A Historical Atlas''. Shepperton : Ian Allan Publishing Limited. . *Thomas, John (1984) revised J S Paterson, ''A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 6, Scotland, the Lowlands and the Borders'', Newton Abbott : David and Charles. .External links
Bathgate Historic Conservation Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Longridge railway station (West Lothian) Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1845 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1845 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1850 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1852 Disused railway stations in West Lothian 1845 establishments in Scotland Transport in West Lothian