Georgetown railway station
Encyclopedia
- For the station on the former Glasgow and South Western RailwayGlasgow and South Western RailwayThe Glasgow and South Western Railway , one of the pre-grouping railway companies, served a triangular area of south-west Scotland, between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle...
see Houston railway stationHouston railway stationHouston railway station was a railway station serving the villages of Brookfield and Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland, originally as part of the Bridge of Weir Railway and later part of the Glasgow and South Western Railway.- History :...
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Georgetown 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...
serving the village of Houston, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, originally as part of 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 later owned 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...
.
History
The station opened by the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock RailwayGlasgow, 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:...
on 29 March 1841, as Houston station. It was located just over 3 miles, (5 kilometres) from Houston
Houston, Scotland
Houston is a village in the council area of Renfrewshire and the larger historic county of the same name in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, on the Houston Road.
On 1 May 1926 it was renamed Georgetown by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
who, as a result of the 1923 Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
, took over ownership of the line from 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...
.
The private NFF station
There appears to have been another station of the same name located some 0.75 miles apart from the main station. The northern-most station existed for the duration of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, only. It was a private station built in 1915 to serve the Government-owned explosive Filling Factory
Filling Factories
A Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
, the Scottish Filling Factory (National Filling Factory No. 4), NFF Georgetown
ROF Bishopton
The Royal Ordnance Factory Bishopton was a UK Ministry of Supply, World War II, Explosive ROF. It is sited adjacent to the town of Bishopton, Renfrewshire, in Scotland....
. The factory employed over 4,600 employees in July 1916; and some 12,000 employees between December 1916 and August 1917, most of them being women. This station was linked by a covered walkway directly into the factory; which was also linked to 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...
with interchange sidings, just north of the station. The factory was renamed the National Filling Factory, Georgetown to mark the visit on Christmas Eve 1915 of David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
, the first Minister of Munitions
Minister of Munitions
The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort...
; he become Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
a year later.
The factory had a township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
of wooden houses adjacent to both it and the public railway station. The factory closed on 11 November 1918, after the end of World War I. The private station, along with the contents of the factory, was sold in 1920.
Georgetown station
The township of Georgetown survived the closure of the National Filling Factory, although the sub-post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was closed and much of the population removed in November 1939. The last of the wooden houses became uninhabitable in the 1970s and were later demolished.
Georgetown station was closed permanently by the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
on 2 February 1959.
The site today
Nothing remains of the wooden township of Georgetown, or the public railway station.A fragment of the concrete western platform and adjoining steps survive from the private World War I station; with a matching platform in, what was to become, ROF Bishopton
ROF Bishopton
The Royal Ordnance Factory Bishopton was a UK Ministry of Supply, World War II, Explosive ROF. It is sited adjacent to the town of Bishopton, Renfrewshire, in Scotland....
. A number of earthworks are also visible from the train, representing the embankments of the World War I interchange sidings. They appear to have been later used by the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, ROF Bishopton. The track and the connection to the main line appears to have been lifted during the 1967 electrification
Railway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
of the Inverclyde Line
Inverclyde Line
The Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow Central station through Paisley and a series of stations to the south of the River Clyde and the Firth of Clyde, terminating at Gourock and Wemyss Bay, where it connects to Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services...
.
Sources
- Holland, Wilson (1987). Kilmacolm, Bridge of Weir and Houston in old picture postcards. European Library - Zaltbommel, Netherlands. ISBN 9-0288-4559-3