Eglinton Street railway station was a railway station

Train station

A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...

 approximately one mile south of , in the Laurieston

Laurieston, Glasgow

Laurieston is a district in the Gorbals area of the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde.It derives its name from James Laurie who, along with his brother, developed a large part of the district in the early 19th century....

 area of Gorbals

Gorbals

The Gorbals is an area on the south bank of the River Clyde in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. By the late 19th century, it had become over-populated and adversely affected by local industrialisation. Many people lived here because their jobs provided this home and they could not afford their own...

, Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

.

History

Sources published in the late 20th century claim that this station opened on Sunday 28 February 1909, which would have been highly unlikely given Scotland's sabbatarian culture at the time. Contemporary sources, such as railway notices, timetables, maps and Post Office Directories, show that the station existed nearly 30 years before that date.

When the station opened, on 1 July 1879, it allowed Caledonian Railway trains from Edinburgh and Lanarkshire, which had previously terminated at to reach Bridge Street to connect with trains for Greenock and Wemyss Bay, with through carriages being provided from Edinburgh to stations on the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway

Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway

The Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway was an early railway, which merged with the Caledonian Railway. It was created to provide train services between Greenock and Glasgow.-History:...

 and Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway

Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway

The Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway was a railway owned by the Caledonian Railway, providing services between Greenock and Wemyss Bay.- History :...

. These continued to terminate at Bridge Street even after Central Station had opened on 1 August 1879.

On 19 March 1883, there was a collision between two trains at Eglinton Street station in which four people died and many more were injured. The crash involved the 6:15pm train from Central Station to East Kilbride and the 5pm train from Edinburgh to Glasgow Central, which had stopped at Eglinton Street Station. The driver of the Edinburgh train failed to heed the signal against the train leaving the station. The East Kilbride train had left Central on time and had a clear signal to proceed. It was slowing down when it collided with the Edinburgh train which was getting up steam. The drivers and firemen of both trains survived the crash, having been violently thrown from their engines.

Opened by the Caledonian Railway

Caledonian Railway

The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...

 on the former routes of the Cathcart District Railway

Cathcart District Railway

The Cathcart District Railway was authorised on 7 September 1880. The eastern section to Cathcart opened to Mount Florida station on 1 March 1886. The line was completed through to the first Cathcart station on 25 May 1886...

 and Polloc and Govan Railway

Polloc and Govan Railway

The Polloc and Govan Railway started off as a private railway owned and built by William Dixon, a Coal master; it ran along part of the route of his Govan tramway...

 on the southern approached to Glasgow Central, Eglinton Street station became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The station was located in the routes to the:

• Two platforms - Cathcart Circle
  Cathcart Circle Lines
  The Cathcart Circle Lines form a suburban railway route linking Glasgow to Cathcart via a circular line, with branches to Newton and Neilston. All of the routes serve Glasgow's southern suburbs, i.e. on the south bank of the River Clyde...
  
  , the Barrhead, East Kilbride and Kilmarnock lines
  Glasgow South Western Line
  The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride.- History :...
  
  
• Four platforms - West Coast Main Line
  West Coast Main Line
  The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
  
  

The station was closed in 1965.

The site today

Some parts of Eglinton Street station remain intact today, including sections of the platforms and access towers from the station platforms.

Route

Sources

• Eglinton Street Station on navigable O.S. map

External links

• Photographs and historical maps of Eglinton Street Railway Station from its origins in 1879