The Caledonian Railway's Balerno Branch

The Caledonian Railway entered Edinburgh from Carstairs on 15 February, 1848, its terminus was a one-platform station named Lothian Road.

This was the first railway line to offer direct travel without the need to change trains between Edinburgh and England.

Passengers on the Caledonian’s great rival, the North British Railway had to cross the River Tweed on foot to continue their rail journey through England.

The potential of the docks at Granton and Leith led to branch line extensions.

Residential development encouraged further branch lines into what became the suburbs of Edinburgh. 

In 1869 a line was opened from Carfin through Shotts giving the Caledonian Railway a shorter route between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

A locomotive depot was established at Dalry Road a short distance from the Caledonian Station in Lothian Road

The first Edinburgh terminal may have been satisfactory when first designed at Lothian Road but in practical use it was clearly inadequate. The Caledonian Railway considered making arrangements with the North British Railway to use Waverley Station but the NBR were hostile to the idea.

Between 1893 and 1894 a new spacious station was brought into use costing £250,000.00.

Powers were obtained for the building of an adjacent hotel but the Caledonian Railway Princes Street Station Hotel, as it was called, was not opened until December, 1903.

The approach to the Caledonian’s terminal in Edinburgh was not far from the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway (E&GR) line at Haymarket.

The Caledonian built a line from Slateford to Haymarket (Duff Street siding) hoping to connect with the E&GR who were not keen on the idea. The line was some distance short of the E&GR station at Haymarket so the connection the CR hoped for didn’t happen and the line was used to serve factory premises instead.

The North British Railway absorbed the E&GR on 1 August, 1865.

In 1964 the line was finally connected at Haymarket allowing trains to run directly to Edinburgh Waverley paving the way for the eventual closure of Princes Street Station in 1965. 

A branch line to Balerno, a village seven miles south-west of Edinburgh was opened in 1874 and was initially operated by the Caledonian Railway.

The line was six miles in length and on this picturesque and unusual line, mostly along the winding valley of the Water of Leith, were found some of the most demanding operating conditions of any railway in the country.

The line was intended to mainly convey goods traffic to the many paper and snuff mills along the line but passenger train services were provided from the very onset.

The branch line was in fact a loop line, since a spur ran west from Balerno to re-join the CR’s main line at Ravelrig Junction.

In the beginning there was a through service between Edinburgh and Midcalder station.  However, by the 1880s most trains terminated at Balerno.

The Balerno branch was the first of the CR’s local lines to carry passengers.

Although it was a short line and a very small part of the CR’s network two special classes of engines were built to operate over the branch’s demanding gradients and curves, first in the 1870s and then in 1899.  A set of special four wheeled carriages with electric lighting were also built for the branch.

The Balerno branch left the main line a quarter of a mile west of Slateford station at Balerno Junction and just 2 1/2 miles from Princes Street station. There were four stations on the line, Colinton (1 ¼ miles), Juniper Green (2 ¼ miles), Currie (3 1/2miles) and Balerno (4 ¾ miles).

Passenger service lasted 69 years until 1943 when local bus services were deemed to have made the line redundant, goods traffic lasted for a further 24 years before the line finally closed in 1967, a decision probably regretted now in view of the number of new houses that have been and continue to be built in the area and the increase in road traffic as a result.

Most of the old right of way which in its day saw thousands upon thousands of wagons full of paper, coal, esparto grass (imported through Granton Harbour) and lime as well as carriages well-laden with commuters and day trippers is still in situ and has been converted into a cycle path/walkway. However, new houses have been built on parts of the line. 

Gone are the mills that made paper, grain, snuff and cloth, the reason why the branch line was built in the 1870s.

Leaving Princes Street, the first station the line passed heading west was Dalry Road on the branch line to Granton and Leith which opened in 1861 and Barnton which opened in 1894 before reaching Merchiston station. 

From here the line proceeded through Shandon and on to Slateford station before reaching Balerno Junction where the line left the mainline heading to Balerno.

The junction was originally controlled by a Signal Box but this was replaced with coloured signals.

The mainline to the former Caley Princes Street Station is now the West Approach Road.

To see pictures of the line please visit my Flickr site under the album headed 'The Caledonian Railway'.