Torrance railway station was opened in 1879 on the

Kelvin Valley Railway The Kelvin Valley Railway was an independent railway designed to connect Kilsyth, an important mining town in central Scotland, with the railway network. It connected Kilsyth to Kirkintilloch and thence over other railways to the ironworks of Co ...

and served the area of the village of Torrance in

East Dunbartonshire East Dunbartonshire ( sco, Aest Dunbartanshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north of Glasgow and contains many of the affluent areas to the north of the city, including Bear ...

until 1951 for passengers and 1959 for freight.

History

Opened by the

North British Railway The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...

, it became part of the

London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...

during the

Grouping Grouping may refer to: * Muenchian grouping * Principles of grouping * Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system * Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm See also ...

of 1923. The line passed to the

Scottish Region of British Railways The Scottish Region (ScR) was one of the six regions created on British Railways (BR) and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and ex-London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) lines in Scotland. It existed from the creation o ...

upon

nationalisation Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...

in 1948 who then officially closed Torrance in 1951. The line suffered greatly from competition by bus services. The station was however located conveniently in the centre of the village. In 1956 the Torrance to Kelvin Valley East Junction closed and the surviving section of the west part of the line was utilised for drivers being trained to use DMU's. In 1959 the Torrance to Balmore section was closed. In 1960 an SLS enthusiasts' railtour ran on the line, hauled by the preserved locomotive 'Glen Douglas'.

Infrastructure

The station had a single platform with a small brick built station building that was located on the northern side of the line. In 1896 a passing loop was present together with two sidings, one ending at a loading dock and a signal box. In 1914 the signalbox is shown on the western end of the platform and a weighing machine is indicated in the goods yard and a crane in the goods yard.Stirlingshire nXXXII.4 (Cadder; Campsie; Kirkintilloch) Publication date:1918 Revised:1914 Levelled: 1897
/ref> A road overbridge stood to the east of the station.

The site today

In 1981 the site was redeveloped for private housing and the platform was demolished.

References

Notes

Sources

* * Wignall, C.J. (1983). ''Complete British Railways Maps and Gazetteer From 1830-1981.'' Oxford : Oxford Publishing Co. . {{Transport in Glasgow Railway stations opened in 1879 Railway stations closed in 1951 Former North British Railway stations 1878 establishments in Scotland 1951 disestablishments in Scotland Torrance, East Dunbartonshire