Leith Walk railway station

Coordinates: 55°57′44″N 3°10′49″W / 55.9621°N 3.1802°W / 55.9621; -3.1802
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Leith Walk
Site of Leith Walk Station which closed in 1930.
General information
LocationLeith, City of Edinburgh
Scotland
Coordinates55°57′44″N 3°10′49″W / 55.9621°N 3.1802°W / 55.9621; -3.1802
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyNorth British Railway
Pre-groupingNorth British Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
22 March 1868Opened
1 January 1917Closed
1 February 1919Reopened
31 March 1930Closed
Location
Leith Walk is located in the City of Edinburgh council area
Leith Walk
Leith Walk
Location within the City of Edinburgh council area

Leith Walk railway station was a railway station located on Leith Walk in Edinburgh. In order to build the station, the Gallow Lee, which was once the site of public executions, was excavated.[1] The station opened on 22 March 1868 and was served by trains on Edinburgh local rail services. During World War I the station was closed as an economy measure between 1 January 1917 and 31 January 1919. The station closed to passengers on 31 March 1930. It is likely that this was due to competition from Edinburgh Corporation Tramways as the tram journey from the city centre to Leith Walk was quicker than travelling by train.[2] Passenger trains continued to serve other stations on the line until 1947.

Parts of the station platforms still exist although they are overgrown with weeds. The station buildings on Leith Walk were demolished in the 1970s. The railway line through the station was used to carry waste from Powderhall Waste Transfer Station to a landfill site in East Lothian until 2016, when the plant closed.[3]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "The Story of Leith - XXVI. Cromwell's Ironsides in Leith". Electricscotland.com. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  2. ^ "The Times : Journal of the Australian Association of Time Table Collectors" (PDF). Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Proposal to redevelop at the former Powderhall Waste Transfer Station - City of Edinburgh Council - Citizen Space".

External links[edit]

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Easter Road
Line disused, station closed
  North British Railway
Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Line
  Powderhall
Line disused, station closed