St Enoch Viaduct, Glasgow

[03_179]

Evening all,

Last year, I was in Glasgow with the wife and one evening we were walk and came across St Enoch Viaduct.
This an unelectrified line between High St. Jn and Shields Jn and is known as the up and down City Line.

I have looked on PSUL and Real time trains but can't see anything using the line unless I am missing something.

Anyone know if the line is used for passenger services at all ?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[hexagon789]

Evening all,

Last year, I was in Glasgow with the wife and one evening we were walk and came across St Enoch Viaduct.
This an unelectrified line between High St. Jn and Shields Jn and is known as the up and down City Line.

I have looked on PSUL and Real time trains but can't see anything using the line unless I am missing something.

Anyone know if the line is used for passenger services at all ?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Just empty stock workings to the best of my knowledge, certainly no service passenger workings, I don't think any freight traffic uses it either.

 

[03_179]

Thanks.
I was sort of hoping that there might be the odd one a week or that they had diverts on it sometimes

 

[glasgowniteowl]

There's around 6 movements per day booked all empty stock, best way to see them is search for corkerhill C.S.M.D on real time trains then look for services from Queen Street also ones going to Eastfield

 

[03_179]

Thanks.
Maybe one day I'll managed a trip over the line

 

[matchmaker]

Thanks.
Maybe one day I'll managed a trip over the line

The only passenger station on that section of the City Union line was Gallowgate; opened 19 December 1870; closed except for special purposes 1 October 1902; finally closed 1934. As stated above, it's only used for empty stock workings.

 

[Wandering Pom]

I've never known it to be used for passenger train diversions - I think your only hope is a railtour.

 

[Bill57p9]

The Branch Line Society BWC2 tour used it (twice) on Sunday 10 March.
Belmond Royal Scotsman uses it when running from the West Highland Line to Weymss Bay - which is relatively often during summer months. Not very affordable for the track but you might get to see a train on it.

 

[D6130]

It's actually called the City Union Line. IIRC it was used by the daily Grangemouth to Prestwick aviation fuel trains until the Ayr hotel fire prevented them from running round there and they were diverted via Mauchline. The viaduct was very busy prior to the closure of St Enoch station in 1966. Thereafter it was used by sporadic freight and ECS workings.....including - prior to the reopening of the Argyle Line in 1979 - EMU maintenance transfers between Hyndland and Shields depots, hauled by air brake-fitted D8085 (20 085) or D8086 (20 086). The line was also used for a while in the early/mid-eighties by the Ardrossan Harbour-Culloden Moor bitumen tank tanks....hauled initially by pairs of Eastfield 20s, but latterly by pairs of Inverness 26s.

 

[alxndr]

Occasionally you might get trains diverted due to failure over the last 700 meters of the City Union by taking the Smithy Lye (single line branching off the Ayr lines to the south near West Street subway). Aside from that it's just ECS stuff.

 

[1Q18]

One night every four weeks it gets an out and back Network Rail infrastructure monitoring train, powered by Colas class 43s.

 

[The Puddock]

It's actually called the City Union Line. IIRC it was used by the daily Grangemouth to Prestwick aviation fuel trains until the Ayr hotel fire prevented them from running round there and they were diverted via Mauchline.

No, the Prestwick tanks is booked via the R&C and the Clydesdales. There were some freight diversions in 2014 when the R&C was being electrified but there is no booked freight traffic over it these days. You might get the odd machine move from time to time.

I’ve been lucky enough to do the City Union several times on empties and once on a tour.

 

[cadder toad]

The City Union is still fairly regularly used for freight diversions. Maybe a few days each year. I've seen tanker trains and container trains in the past year or two. In the late 70's there was a regular Merry-go-round with 2 Class 20s on a Saturday morning. I think the Killoch - Longannet Merry-go-rounds took that route. As well as the Gallowgate station, there was a station just east of the bridge over Eglinton St. It was four-track at that point.

 

[D6130]

As well as the Gallowgate station, there was a station just east of the bridge over Eglinton St. It was four-track at that point.

Yes, you're right. IIRC, it was called Cumberland Street.

 

[03_179]

Thanks for all the info

 

[Cletus]

Here's a recent Scotrail video of the line.