101 at Hairmyres on an East Kilbride train.
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East Kilbride Line (Caledonian Railway) This line is mostly open. This was a single track extension of Busby Railway the to Hamilton. The Hamilton to East Kilbride section is now closed. |
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The line served an area of fairly low population and farming until the development of East Kilbride and expansion of Hamilton and High Blantyre - the portion of the line in that area sadly being closed. East Kilbride is now a sizable new town and the line is used by commuters to Glasgow.
From Busby to Hamilton via East Kilbride. Initially
the line ran east to East Kilbride and was extended east to High Blantyre to
meet the Hamilton
and Strathaven Railway.
Busby
Busby was the terminus of the Busby Railway. From an end on junction the line was extended east to East Kilbride and High Blantyre. A freight line ran off to the south west.
Thorntonhall station used to be in the countryside and served a low population. Today it is a commuter station.
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This is a single platform station. Sidings here served a print works which printed The Radio Times for many years.
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East Kilbide station once served the small town of East Kilbride. East Kilbride became a new town and is now quite sizable. The station has a single platform and an extensive carpark. Bus services connect with trains to serve outlying parts of the town. In recent years the goods yard has been demolished and flats built on its site. The line continued east from here and can be traced by road bridges over the former cutting now largely infilled. To the east there were sidings serving Mavor And Coulson's works.
There was a halt here which was popular in summer for visiting the glen and Calderwoodglen house. The trackbed is largely landscaped here but can still be followed.
The line crossed a viaduct and then met the Hamilton and Strathaven Railway at an east facing junction. This junction was just to the north of High Blantyre station but the East Kilbride line did not serve the station.
