In the late 1880’s, the mansion and estate of Barnton Park, then the property of Sir John Maitland, Bart., were very much in the countryside, the city of Edinburgh being about three miles away.
Sir James thought, however, that Barnton Park would make a wonderful country residential estate and the Caledonian Railway co-operated by agreeing to build a branch line specially to connect the estate with the city.
A Glasgow firm of Chartered Civil Engineers were appointed to examine the project and soon a remarkable integrated scheme was produced for an estate of 400 villas occupying 600 acres of land together with a branch line to connect with the CR’s existing Leith branch at Craigleith.
The plan also included provision for space for a tennis court, a curling pond and a local gas works.
The CR’s application to build a branch line from Craigleith on their Leith branch to Barnton was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 25 July, 1890.
The line would be just under three miles in length and would cost £35,000.00.
The contractors were Messrs. G. & R. Cousin of Alloa.
The original contract was for a single line and six stone and three steel bridges but in 1893 the promoters decided upon laying a double line which delayed the opening of the branch.
The line was to run from Craigleith Signal Box, built 1879, re-named Craigleith Junction, through Davidson’s Mains, known locally as the ‘Muttonhole’, where there was to be a goods yard, before finally terminating at Barnton.
On Thursday, 29 October, 1891 the first sod was cut by Lady Maitland of Barnton using an engraved silver spade presented to her to mark the occasion by the contractor, Mr. G. Cousin. The sod was then carried off by Sir James in a special wheelbarrow, again provided by Mr. Cousin, to great cheers from the assembled crowd especially from the local school children who had been given a day’s holiday to attend the proceedings.
A lunch was held following the opening ceremony within Barnton House (demolished 1927) hosted by Sir James with many loyal toasts having been given from the chair and duly honoured.
The ladies of the party had their luncheon with Lady Maitland in another room.
Meanwhile, the feuing of ground for the ambitious residential scheme had begun and at the time of the opening of the line in 1894 it was announced that fourteen houses were being built.
Thereafter expansion continued slowly but steadily with more houses being built and by the First World War the Barnton branch was busy with a ‘shuttlecocked’ service of 16 trains in each direction daily. This was increased to 22 on Saturdays. There was also a Sunday service.
On leaving Craigleith Junction the Barnton branch turned north west towards Davidson’s Mains where a goods yard was established.
The line continued west on an embankment adjacent to the goods yard before crossing Cramond Road South (Station Road) on a stone bridge to reach Barnton Gate station which opened to passenger traffic on 1 March, 1894.
The name of the station was changed to Davidson’s Mains on 1 April, 1903.
On leaving Davidson’s Mains station the line entered a deep cutting passing under East Barnton Avenue and continued westwards past Barnton Gate Nursery and open fields terminating at Cramond Brig station.
Cramond Brig station was officially opened on Wednesday 28 February, 1894 by Sir James who gave an opening speech to the many invited guests some of which had come through from Glasgow on a special train. Amongst the guests were several Caledonian Railway officials.
As 300 gentlemen were present at the lunch, all could not be accommodated at one time. At the end of the first service Sir James in a few words proposed ‘Success to the Barnton Railway’, a toast which was heartily pledged in a bumper of champagne.
On 1 March, 1894 the station opened for passenger traffic. The name of this station was also changed on 1 April, 1903 to Barnton for Cramond Brig.
In 1895 the Barnton, Gogar and Corstorphine Railway was promoted to extend the branch south but this scheme was rejected by Parliament and so Barnton remained the terminus.
The CR’s rival, the North British Railway, eventually built a branch line to Corstorphine which opened on 1 February, 1902 and closed 1 January, 1968.
Two of Edinburgh’s oldest golf clubs, the Edinburgh Burgess Golfing Society (the club’s connection with royalty saw the name of the club changed to The Royal Burgess Golfing Society in 1929) and The Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, both of whom originally played at Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh, were soon to become established in Barnton Park in the 1890s.
As golf became more popular in the 1800s it was not long before the course at Bruntsfield Links became overcrowded resulting in both clubs moving to Musselburgh Links in 1874.
However, the same problem of overcrowding persisted at Musselburgh.
In 1894 the Burgess set its sights on the private estate at Barnton Park with a view to purchasing land for a new golf course.
The purchase of the land was completed and the new golf course was formally opened on 3 May, 1895.
The clubhouse, which opened in May, 1897, was situated next to Cramond Brig (Barnton) station with the actual golf course running parallel to the railway line.
The station was a great boon to the popularity of the Burgess golf club. The club experienced such a large increase in membership that a cap of 720 members was put in place.
A bell was rung in the clubhouse to warn would be travellers that the train was about to leave in five minutes.
The Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society also purchased land at Barnton Park and their new golf course, which was situated further north, opened in 1898.
As a result of a large part of Barnton Park being purchased for the building of new golf courses, the large housing development and resulting passenger traffic the Caledonian Railway had anticipated never quite happened, although more houses were built on the remaining land.
On 1 February, 1937 the LMS opened a halt at House o’ Hill east of Davidson’s Mains to serve the expanding housing development being built in the area.
The spread of private cars and local bus services took its toll on many suburban railway services around Edinburgh and as a consequence of this, the stations on the Barnton branch closed on 7 May, 1951.
There is very little trace today of the railway between Davidson’s Mains and Barnton as a large housing development and school have been built on the old line.
Ironically, the residential development which the railway was built to serve has now swallowed up the railway itself.
Like the CR’s Balerno branch, the Barnton branch was very popular with commuters and day trippers, the park at Davidson’s Mains being particularly popular for Sunday School picnics.
In, addition, the village of Cramond with its famous Kirk and the shore were not too far from Barnton station.
A hotel was built at Barnton in 1895 which has since been converted into residential apartments.
The former railway cutting at East Barnton Avenue has been filled in and now forms the driveway to the Royal High School built on the old line.
Goods traffic was handled at Davidson’s Mains until 31 May, 1960.
The goods yard at Davidson’s Mains is now a supermarket car park.
The line from Craigleith Junction to Davidson’s Mains has been converted into a cycle path/walkway.
The bridge that once carried the road over the railway at the entrance to Barnton station, although no longer in use except as a garage, still exists and sits in a private housing estate.
The railway’s chief, almost entire, goods traffic came from Barnton Park Quarry situated in the well-wooded heart of Barnton Park.
Messrs Cousin, the contractors for the railway, took on the lease of the quarry which gave employment to a number of men who came to Davidson’s Mains from Balerno and other parts of the country.
The stone from the quarry was in great demand and was despatched to places as far away as England and America.
Stone was extracted from the quarry until 1914.
As the line from Davidson’s Mains to Barnton ran through agricultural land, farm produce also accounted for some of the rail traffic.
Livestock in the form of chickens and geese was also delivered by rail for the local butcher in Davidson’s Mains at Christmas time.
However, much like the Caledonian Railway’s 1903 Leith New Lines it is doubtful that the Barnton Branch generated the traffic and revenue the railway company had hoped for.
In 1929 a new thoroughfare was opened joining the village of Blackhall and Ferry Road at the point known as Crewe Toll, the object being to divert direct traffic to and from Leith from the busy centres of Edinburgh. The new road was called Telford Road after the famous Scottish bridge and road constructor.
Two new brick bridges were constructed at this time to carry Telford Road over the line to Granton and Leith as well as the Barnton Branch which are still in use today.
To see pictures of the Barnton Branch visit my website, www.trainbuff.net under the album, Edinburgh, Granton and Leith Railways.