General Terminus Quay

[Sir Roger DeLodgerley]

The line from General Terminus went underneath the Paisley and Glasgow joint and the GSW canal line before splitting in two and heading towards the WCML line and the GB&K joint line. There was also, years ago, a tunnel conection onto the G&P joint line. Most of these lines are still in situ. This OS map from 1928 gives a good idea of the connections.

[peter]

This taken when still in use.

[InkMan]

I have tried through various sources to obtain certain information regarding the railway leading from the General Terminus Quay but so far without success. Hopefully someone here can either help or point me in the right direction.

Having always been interested in the railway line running south under Paisley Road West and then under the M8 I thought, incorrectly, that the General Terminus Quay would have closed by the time of the motorway's construction. When did this Quay close and would there have been rail traffic running underneath the M8 for long?

The construction of Britain's motorway network had to take account of such matters none more so than when the plans for the 'Spaghetti Junction' Gravelly Hill Interchange were changed in order to accommodate space for horses to pull boats through the canal running beneath.

Thanks in advance

Shuggy

[Sir Roger DeLodgerley]

The last iron ore trains ran in 1979 when the deep water facility at Hunterston was opened, so they did run beneath the opened M8 for some years. More dates are here:

http://www.railbrit.co.uk/chronology/dates.php?coname=General%20Terminus

The lines were still in situ in 1987 but I think were cleared sonn afterwards, possibly in connection with etGarden festival site development.

[the researcher]

my grandparents(mums mum and dad) lived at number 17 shields road and if a diesel shunter stopped in line with the big room windows they used to vibrate because of the shunter
always remember there was a strange smell came off the iron ore when it rained, sometimes they did shunting of wagons at night as i suppose it depended on the time of the tide for the ship to be able to dock i think they just worked until all the waggons had been filled and moved to the shunting yard and any remaining ore would have been stored i would think
they never seemed to work on a sunday though just through the week including nights and sometimes a saturday
would have loved to have sat at a window one stair up watching the waggons being shunted especially on a wet day when there was nothing else to do(no computers or 24 hr tv in those days)

[the researcher]

The last iron ore trains ran in 1979 when the deep water facility at Hunterston was opened, so they did run beneath the opened M8 for some years. More dates are here:

http://www.railbrit.co.uk/chronology/dates.php?coname=General%20Terminus

The lines were still in situ in 1987 but I think were cleared sonn afterwards, possibly in connection with etGarden festival site development.

was that around the same time that the tenement buildings on shields road/wallace grove place/watt street/paisley road were demolished? or were they demolished before the general terminus closed?