Beattock Summit
Sign marking the summit, as seen from the West Coast Main Line
General information
LocationSouth Lanarkshire
Scotland
Coordinates55°25′18″N 3°35′27″W / 55.4217°N 3.5907°W / 55.4217; -3.5907
Grid referenceNS994152
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyCaledonian Railway
Pre-groupingCaledonian Railway
Post-groupingLondon Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
3 January 1900Station opened[1]
After 1926Station closed[1]
Location
Map

Beattock Summit is the highest point of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) railway and of the A74(M) motorway as they cross between Dumfries and Galloway and South Lanarkshire in south west Scotland.

The height of the summit reached by the A74(M) motorway is 1,033 feet (315 m) above sea level. The adjacent railway reaches a slightly lower elevation of 1,016 feet (310 m).[2] The summit is the watershed between the River Clyde to the north and Evan Water, a tributary of the River Annan to the south.

Railway history

The summit was the highest point on the Caledonian Railway Main Line north of the border (built by the Caledonian Railway and opened on 15 February 1848), it is located 52 miles (83 km) south of Glasgow Central and 349 miles (558 km) north of London Euston stations.[3]

The northbound climb has a 15 mi (24 km) ascent, with gradients of up to 1 in 69 (1 foot of rising or falling gradient for every 69 feet of distance) which made it a notoriously severe climb in the days of steam locomotives, which frequently required banking assistance to get their trains up the incline. There was an engine shed at Beattock which had banking locomotives on standby twenty-four hours per day to minimise train delays.[3][4] The railway was electrified in 1974 by British Rail.[3]

The severity of the climb to the summit is referenced in W. H. Auden's poem Night Mail, written in 1936 for the G.P.O. Film Unit's celebrated production of the same name.[2]

Private station

The summit was the location of a private halt from 1900 to around 1926.[1] 1966[5]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Auchencastle
Line open; Station closed 		  Caledonian Railway
Main Line
   Elvanfoot
Line open; Station closed

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Butt (1995), page 30
  2. ^ a b "Beattock Summit". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Buck, Martin, Rawlinson, Mark (2000). Line By Line, The West Coast Main Line, London Euston to Glasgow Central. Freightmaster Publishing. pp. 99–102. ISBN 0-9537540-0-6.((cite book)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "The "Royal Scot" A Famous Train of the LMS". Railway Wonders of the World. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  5. ^ Railway passenger stations by M.Quick page 70

Sources

Categories