Trinity Station 1986 - as the railway lines were being lifted

Removing the rails from the line between Trinity Station and Granton Harbour, 1986

Acknowledgement

Steven Wakefield

Wigan, Greater Manchester, England

Removal of the Railway Track

1986

Location

Thank you to Steven Wakefield for sending the two photos above that he took of loco 47301 on the embankment as the track was being remove from the embankment that ran alongside Lower Granton Road for about half a mile from the foot of East Trinity Road to Granton Harbour.

The embankment ran along the Firth of Forth for about 1/2 mile between:

- the southern edge of Granton Harbour (low point) and

- Trinity Bridge, that crossed over the double-bend linking Lower Granton Road and Trinity Crescent at the foot of East Trinity Road (high point).

Removal of Track and Bridge

This is the order in which all evidence of the railway is being removed

1) The railway track was removed in 1986 (as is seen happening in these photos)

2) Trinity Bridge was taken down and

3) the embankment levelled and the land seeded as a grass strip. There is now an open view across the Firth of Forth from Lower Granton Road.

4) The double bend in the road where the bridge used to cross it has still to be straightened-out. Following public consultation over the lay-out of the new road and materials to be used, this work is due to be carried out during 2013, with the help of a financial contribution from the developer, Forth Ports.

This will be 27 years after the photos above were taken!

Acknowledgement: Steven Wakefield, Wigan, Greater Manchester: December 24, 2012

Update

There appeared to be no progress with step 4) above for most of 2013, until December when I saw pipes being laid along the approximate line of the new road. I believe this may be the start of the work mentioned in 4) above.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: December 31, 2013

Acknowledgement 2

Steven Wakefield

Wigan, Greater Manchester, England

More Photos

Thank you to Steven Wakefield for writing again, about a year after providing Photo 1 and Photo 2 above, having found a few more old photos on one of his return visits to Edinburgh

Steven has now provided these photos (below)

- Photo 3: The 'rail lifting' train, hauled by loco 47301, crossing Trinity Bridge:

- Photos 4 and Photo 5: More photos of the railway line being lifted from the embankment beside Lower Granton Road, close to Trinity Bridge.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: December 31, 2013

This view looks to the north towards the Firth of Forth, beyond the wall under the bridge

Looking NE from Lower Granton Road towards the 'track lifting' train on the embankment, near Trinity Bridge

Looking west along the embankment towards Granton Harbour.
The wall on the right is the top of the'sea wall' The Firth of Forth lies beyond it.