Category: History of Birkhill

Now that the North end points had been replaced, the next phase of the development was to extend the platform to allow for longer trains and as part of the future passenger operations to Manuel programme,  this required the removal of the old track, lower the formation and relaying the track through the cutting between Birkhill & the Avon Viaduct.

All this required negotiating and purchasing additional land on the loop side opposite the station, creating an access route down to the loop, overcoming the usual floods, enabling the running seasons to continue and not one but two Badger Sets just to add to the fun.

The following video gallery provides a pictorial account of the work done by the ‘Monday Squad / Civils team over the course of Mid 2007 to Spring 2009 when the copes for the extension were finally laid.

Thanks again goes to James Robertson for the photographs…. for more information of the work done, take a look at the following blastpipe articles in additions:- Autumn 2007 pages 2 to 5, Winter 2007 pages 12 & 13, Spring 2008 page 29 & summer 2008 page 4.

 

Since the group was formed in 2014 we have tried to be on site as much as possible for visiting locomotives to capture pictures, videos or both, these have been uploaded to the Gallery page of this website, but we thought a quick summary video of just some of the pictures captured would be of interest during the lockdown.

 

 

As part of the society’s plan to develop Birkhill as a signalled passing station with two platforms, the North End Points needed to be replaced. The new point was one of two large ex-Loanhead turnouts which had been recovered from Kinneil.

The opportunity was taken to move the new turnout as far northwards as the bridge would allow, lengthening the loop and giving an almost straight run from the north to the east track.

The following video gallery provides a pictorial account of the work done by the ‘Monday Squad’, ‘SAD’ team & S&T department over the course of January to March 2007.

Thanks goes to James Robertson for the photographs….

Birkhill Station takes its name from a ‘crossing loop’ first constructed in 1899, situated just a ¼ mile north of the present location of the station. The name itself is probably a shortened version of a neighbouring farm known as Birchhill.

Due to the heavy traffic on the branch line, the then owners, the North British Railway felt the need to split the single line section between Bo’ness Low Junction and Kinneil into two. NBR constructed a simple crossing loop more or less on the site of Chapelton Lye where an earlier loop existed but ceased to be used back in 1866.

In 1914 Birkhill began to acquire commercial significance when the sidings to the Clay Mine, owned by Messrs P&M Hurll & Co., where laid. The sidings to the Clay Mine climbed away from the main line and immediately split into two parallel tracks up to the mine processing plant. The opportunity was taken to extend the loop at the south end. The new siding and additions to the signalling came operational July that same year.

Over the following years the signalbox on the loop became less significant due to signalling advances and would only open to allow access to the Hurll’s sidings and by the end of the 1950’s ceased operating altogether.

The following images have been copied from past Blastpipes: