Wanlockhead railway station was opened on 1 October 1902 as the terminus on the Leadhills and Wanlockhead Light Railway and served the lead mining area, farms and the village of

Wanlockhead Wanlockhead is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, nestling in the Lowther Hills and south of Leadhills at the head of the Mennock Pass, which forms part of the Southern Uplands. It is Scotland's highest village, at an elevation of ar ...

. Elvanfoot railway station in

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

was the junction for the branch and was located on the west coast main line. It remained open until 2 January 1939 for passengers and freight. When Wanlockhead station opened in 1902, a year after Leadhills station, it became the highest standard gauge adhesion station in the United Kingdom at , from

Elvanfoot __NOTOC__ Elvanfoot is a small village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Elvanfoot is located at the confluence of the River Clyde and Elvan Water. The Clyde is crossed by a pedestrian suspension bridge that has been closed since 2007 for want of ...

History

Operated by the

Caledonian 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 ...

, it became part of the

London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally u ...

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 had been closed and lifted before 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 ...

came into existence 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. The line suffered greatly from the closure of the lead mines and passenger traffic was slight, although the station was located near to the small village of

. To save money, the platform was only slightly raised at Wanlockhead. It was demarcated by a wooden fence. Carriages were fitted with three levels step board which folded down to enable passengers to alight and board at the station. The station had a passing loop,Ireland, Page 31 a single siding served a loading bank and a goods shed. The waiting room, stationmaster's office, ticket office and men's toilet were located in a wooden lean-to building built along the long side of the goods shed.Ireland, Page 32 No signals were present, however a telephone was provided. The points were worked manually by the train crews as there wasn't a signal box. In 1916 a new siding was installed at the north side of the line.Ireland, Page 38 The line officially closed to all traffic on 2 January 1939. By April 1939, the track had been lifted and all buildings at the station demolished.Ireland, Page 54

Reuse

The

Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway is a narrow gauge railway in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is laid on the trackbed of the former Leadhills and Wanlockhead Branch of the Caledonian Railway which led off the main line between and Glasgo ...

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

line and station are to be extended from Glengonnar Halt towards the site of the old station and its trackbed in the near future (datum 2019).Wham, Page 180

References

Notes

Sources

* * Ireland, Alastair (2011). ''The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway.'' Kelso : Alastair Ireland . * Thomas, J. (1971). ''Scotland: the lowlands and borders. A regional history of the railways V.6.'' Newton Abbot. * Wham, Alasdair (2017). ''Exploring Dumfries & Galloway's Lost Railway Heritage. A Walker's Guide.'' Catrine : Oakwood Press . * Wignall, C.J. (1983). ''Complete British Railways Maps and Gazetteer From 1830-1981.'' Oxford : Oxford Publishing Co. .

External links

Leadhills station on the Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway. {{Portal, Scotland Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1902 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1939 Former Caledonian Railway stations