Merchiston railway station

Merchiston railway station was a railway station which served the area of Merchiston in Edinburgh, Scotland, for around eighty years. The station was built by the Caledonian Railway between 1879 and 1883, with the last passenger service in September 1965. The station was demolished shortly afterwards and the track bed has become a footpath.

Merchiston
Site of Merchiston Station (disused)
LocationEdinburgh, Edinburgh
Scotland
Coordinates55.934636°N 3.228749°W / 55.934636; -3.228749
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyCaledonian Railway
Post-groupingLMS
Key dates
1 July 1882[1]Station opened
6 September 1965[1]Station closed

The station was located in the neighbourhood sometimes known as "North Merchiston" but more commonly as Shandon, and typically taken to be part of the area of Polwarth, rather than Merchiston. Merchiston was also served by Craiglockhart railway station to the south-west of the area, on the North British Railway's Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway.

A 1905 Railway Clearing House diagram of Edinburgh railways, with the SSJR (in blue along the bottom)

Construction of the station

The station was constructed between 1879 and 1883[2] with two platforms and a small overhead footbridge. The station was located around 1 km east of Slateford Station and approximately 2.25 km west of Princes Street Station, at the bottom of Bonaly Place (since renamed Harrison Place).

Closure

The station closed on 6 September 1965 with services to/from Edinburgh Princes Street diverted to Edinburgh Waverley. After closure the first part of the old line from Princes Street Station became the West Approach Road, built in the 1970s . The part of the track occupying the former station at Merchiston is now a footpath, extending to a service road leading west to Slateford Yards.

References
  1. Butt 1995, p. 158.
  2. "APPENDIX 1 SHANDON CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER APPRAISAL" (PDF). City of Edinburgh Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2004. Retrieved 23 May 2009.

Sources
  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  • Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
  • Nock, O.S. (1961). The Caledonian Railway (1st ed.). London: Ian Allan. OCLC 366646513.
  • Nock, O.S. (1964). The Caledonian Railway (2nd ed.). London: Ian Allan. OCLC 21002535.
  • Nock, O.S. (1973). The Caledonian Railway (3rd ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0408-0. OCLC 16232981.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Slateford   Caledonian Railway
CR Main Line
   Princes Street
Line and station closed
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