Carstairs railway station

• William Irvine c. 1851 ca. 1852
• John Samuel 1865 - 1871 ^[16] (afterwards station master at Stirling)
• William Dickson 1875 - 1883
• Robert Murray 1884 - 1900 ^[17] (formerly station master at Coatbridge)
• Thomas Allison 1900 ^[18] - 1902 (afterwards station master at Glasgow Central)
• Montague Blackett Yule 1902 ^[19] - 1914
• George Airth 1914 - 1928
• Andrew S. Twaddell 1928 - 1937 ^[20]
• Thomas Coyle 1937 - 1947 ^[21]
• John Johnstone 1950 - 1953 ^[22] (formerly station master at Gorgie, afterwards station master at Galashiels)

Locale

Just south of the station, there is an important triangular junction (Carstairs Junction) where the West Coast Main Line (WCML) divides. The north-westerly route goes via Motherwell to Glasgow and the north-easterly route goes towards Edinburgh, where the East Coast Main Line begins. The southbound route goes towards Carlisle and London Euston. The line between Edinburgh and Glasgow is the only part of the West Coast Main Line used by London North Eastern Railway services. Carstairs is also a marshalling point and the final boarding point (both sleeping car and overnight coach) in Scotland for the Lowland Caledonian Sleeper trains from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London Euston.

Before the 2023 remodelling, the layout of the station saw Platform 1 sit on the Down Platform loop with Platform 2 served by the Up Main. Trains from Carlisle and further south that did not need to call at Carstairs could bypass the station on the Down Main. While both platforms were signalled bi-directionally, trains from the Edinburgh direction could only be signalled into Platform 1. Additionally, the junction south of the station for trains heading towards or from Edinburgh was limited to 15mph and presented a bottleneck for operations.

The 2023 remodelling altered this considerably. The main lines now pass to the west of the station enabling the line speed to be raised, and the station now sits on a loop with both platforms remaining signalled for bi-directional operation. These can now both be accessed from any direction - removing another restriction - and new loops for passing freight and slower passenger trains have been constructed north of the station. Finally, the junction south of the station has been rebuilt and the speed raised to 40mph.

Services

Historical

Carstairs was an important junction station where northbound West Coast Main Line trains were split into separate portions for Glasgow, Edinburgh and (to a lesser extent) Stirling and Perth, and for the corresponding combining of southbound trains. However, the introduction of push-pull operation on the WCML and the availability of surplus HST sets for Cross Country traffic (as a result of the ECML electrification) largely eliminated this practice in the early 1990s. Apart from the sleeping car trains, express traffic through Carstairs now consists of fixed-formation trains which do not require to be remarshalled en route. As a result, few express trains now call at Carstairs. There were some local stopping services to Edinburgh and Glasgow, but they were relatively infrequent. Before December 2012, only two trains per day to North Berwick called, and only five trains to Glasgow (three trains went to Dalmuir and two to Central and one terminated at Motherwell). There were very large gaps in between trains with the two Edinburgh-bound trains calling at 07:49 and then again at 15:40; similarly, for the Glasgow trains there was a gap from 07:55 to 18:41.

2019

Prior to March 2020 on Monday to Saturdays, there was a roughly two-hourly service to both Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley (with a few longer gaps) for most of the day, with a few services extended to Ayr and North Berwick; the last northbound service from Edinburgh terminates at Motherwell. There were also a few extra trains operated by ScotRail to/from Glasgow Central Low Level which call at peak times. These operate to Motherwell, Garscadden and Dalmuir. These services do not run on Saturdays, so a slightly reduced service operates from the station on Saturday mornings, In addition, TransPennine Express also provide one train per day to Glasgow Central and one train per day to Liverpool Lime Street via Preston.

2023

On Monday to Fridays, there is a regular 2 hourly service to both Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley. Peak time extras also operate to Glasgow in the mornings which go to Glasgow Central and Garscadden and the last train at night terminates at Motherwell, these services are operated by ScotRail. TransPennine Express provide 1 train per day to Glasgow Central and the Caledonian Sleeper from Glasgow and Edinburgh also calls here.

On Saturdays, the service is broadly the same except the peak time extra trains to Glasgow do not operate. On Sundays, there is 1 train per day southbound to Manchester Airport and the Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston, there is no ScotRail or northbound service on Sundays.

Carstairs Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Tarrais [1]
North end (Glasgow end) of the station in May 2006
General information
Location	Carstairs, South Lanarkshire Scotland
Coordinates	55°41′29″N3°40′09″W / 55.6913°N 3.6692°W / 55.6913; -3.6692
Grid reference	NS952454
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	ScotRail
Transit authority	SPT
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	CRS
History
Original company	Caledonian Railway
Pre-grouping	Caledonian Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
15 February 1848	Station opened
Passengers
2019/20	60,948
Interchange	6,107

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Kirknewton or Haymarket		ScotRail Argyle Line		Carluke
Carlisle		Caledonian Sleeper West Coast Main Line		Motherwell
				Edinburgh Waverley
Lockerbie		TransPennine Express Anglo-Scottish Route		Motherwell
	Historical railways
Thankerton Line open; Station closed		Caledonian Railway Main Line to Greenhill Junction		Cleghorn Line open; Station closed
		Caledonian Railway Main Line from Edinburgh		Carnwath Line open; Station closed
Terminus		Dolphinton Branch Caledonian Railway		Bankhead Line and Station closed

References

Notes

1. Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
2. "Train travel between London and Glasgow | Caledonian Sleeper". Caledonian Sleeper. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
3. "The formation of the Caledonian Railway Company" . Carluke and Lanark Gazette. Scotland. 3 May 1913. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
4. "Opening of the Caledonian Railway" . Caledonian Mercury. Scotland. 17 February 1848. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
5. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth . Retrieved 7 May 2024.
6. "Caledonian Railway" . Liverpool Mail. England. 29 September 1955. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "Station Platform, Carstairs Junction" . Glasgow Herald. Scotland. 10 August 1885. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "Reconstruction of Carstairs Station" . The Scotsman. Scotland. 4 February 1914. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
9. "Carstairs Station" . Carluke and Lanark Gazette. Scotland. 14 March 1914. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
10. "Railway Meetings in Glasgow. Caledonian Company" . The Scotsman. Scotland. 23 February 1916. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
11. "Mishap on Giant new L.M.S. Engine" . Derby Daily Telegraph. England. 10 February 1930. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
12. Nock 1974.
13. Semmens, Peter (1991). Electrifying the East Coast Route. Patrick Stephens. ISBN   0-85059-929-6.
14. "CARSTAIRS JUNCTION REMODELLING". Scotland's Railway. 14 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
15. "Carstairs Junction fully reopened". Network Rail. 5 June 2023.
16. "Death or Stirling Stationmaster" . Dundee Evening Telegraph. Scotland. 19 October 1899. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
17. "Death of Carstairs Junction Superintendent" . North British Daily Mail. Scotland. 25 June 1900. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
18. "Railway Notes" . Aberdeen People's Journal. Scotland. 25 August 1900. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
19. "Carstairs. Appointment of Stationmaster" . Hamilton Herald and Lanarkshire Weekly News. Scotland. 12 December 1902. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
20. "Stationmaster Retires" . Carluke and Lanark Gazette. Scotland. 16 April 1937. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
21. "Carnwath. A Stationmaster's Retiral" . Midlothian Advertiser. Scotland. 16 May 1947. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
22. "Railway Appointment" . Jedburgh Gazette. Scotland. 26 June 1953. Retrieved 28 October 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources

• Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN   978-0-9549866-9-8.
• Butt, R. V. J. (October 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. OL   11956311M.
• 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, Oswald (1974). Electric Euston to Glasgow (1st ed.). London: Ian Allan Limited. ISBN   0-7110-0530-3. OCLC   2283378.

External links

• YouTube video and narrated history of the station