Old Milngavie railway station

[jimmy1959]

I remember around 1970/71 when i was 11 or 12 i used to go to milngavie for the day sometimes in the summer. my friend and i one day climed over a fence that was not much more than a quartrer of a mile from Milngavie railway station. On the other side of the fence we found a disused track bed and an old island platform station that looked like it was disused for a few years. I can't remember exactly what direction from the railway station that was in use. I think the trackbed ran in the direction of the station but i do know that it was in a quite deep cutting. We followed the trackbed for a short distance but turned back because of the deep muddy puddles. i am just wondering if anyone knows of this station and line and can give me any information on it as i have tried to find out about it but no one seems to know of it's existence but i have a feeling that it might have run into the Trosachs.Thanks

[Dexter St. Clair]

http://www.railbrit.co.uk/Glasgow_and_Milngavie_Junction_Railway/frame.htm displays a history of the Milngavie line and would suggest it was a goods yard.

[jimmy1959]

Thanks for the info Dexter St. Clair, it makes some sense regarding the only info i remember regarding this which i recieved about 25 years ago. the guy who gave it to me was quite unsure and was 3 or 4 years older than myself. He came from Milngavie and told me he had very obscure memories of a station and freight yard just like i saw. His father told him something about it being used during WW2 and that much of the activity was secret but he also said his father was not in a good state of mind when he told him this. i have a feeling that the line carried on into the milngavie line at the station that still exists and there was a bridge at the old line that took the track under the road although the trackbed was sealed of at the bridge at the time i'm talking of. I believe that the bridge is still there. I will try and find out more about this subject as it has been on my mind for a number of years.

[allyharp]

Interesting, I never knew there used to be an extension beyond Milngavie.

I guess it makes sense now, given that the West Highland Way path is very flat and railway-like.

[jimmy1959]

I have been looking further into the mythical station and line just north of Milngavie station and i believe it was a branch line or spur that served the Ellangowan Paper Mills. The first 2 or 3 hundred yards of the West Highland Way start from the trackbed of this station/goods yard. This seems to be a logical explanation and would be glad to hear any feed back regarding this. As i was once told this railway during WW2 was involved in some secret work (i don't know if that's true) but it seems the railways existence even after closure has been more or less kept secret since it's demise 40 odd years ago

[Dexter St. Clair]

Asthe owner of the Ellangowan Paper Mills was a founder member of the Milngavie Lodge Perhaps I should not be telling you this but [ur=http://www.railbrit.co.uk/Glasgow_and_Milngavie_Junction_Railway/body.htm]The secrets to the Milngavie line[/url]