Headless Cross Railway Station

Headless Cross railway station or Headlesscross railway station was a station on the Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway (WM& CR) that served the rural area of Headless Cross near Fauldhouse in West Lothian. The station was located 4 miles 60 chains east of Morningside railway station. The company at first adopted the standard track gauge for mineral lines of 4 ft 6 in, often referred to as Scotch gauge. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway took over the WM& CR in 1849, the track gauge already having been changed in August 1847, from the now almost obsolete 4 ft 6 in to the generally accepted standard gauge of 4 ft 8½ in. Headless Cross station had a single short platform that was accessed off the B715 Headlesscross Road and stood just to the west of the old railway overbridge. ServicesThe line was worked by steam although the early intention may have been to work the line as a horse drawn waggonway with independent hauliers. Sporadic passenger services had started from 1845 and a road coach ran between Edinburgh to the original terminus at Longridge from 16 May 1846, passengers disembarking travelling on by train to Townhead. In 1847 two hours was the railway section of the journey, calling at all the stations on the Wilsontown line. The Caledonian Railway opened its line from Carlisle to Garriongill Junction in 1848 and its trains then ran through to Glasgow over the WM& CR. The demands on the line's capacity may led to the WM& CR passenger service being terminated at this time before being reinstated for a short time a few years later.

Headless Cross railway station or Headlesscross railway station was a station on the Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway (WM& CR) that served the rural area of Headless Cross near Fauldhouse in West Lothian. The station was located 4 miles 60 chains east of Morningside railway station. The company at first adopted the standard track gauge for mineral lines of 4 ft 6 in, often referred to as Scotch gauge. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway took over the WM& CR in 1849, the track gauge already having been changed in August 1847, from the now almost obsolete 4 ft 6 in to the generally accepted standard gauge of 4 ft 8½ in. Headless Cross station had a single short platform that was accessed off the B715 Headlesscross Road and stood just to the west of the old railway overbridge. ServicesThe line was worked by steam although the early intention may have been to work the line as a horse drawn waggonway with independent hauliers. Sporadic passenger services had started from 1845 and a road coach ran between Edinburgh to the original terminus at Longridge from 16 May 1846, passengers disembarking travelling on by train to Townhead. In 1847 two hours was the railway section of the journey, calling at all the stations on the Wilsontown line. The Caledonian Railway opened its line from Carlisle to Garriongill Junction in 1848 and its trains then ran through to Glasgow over the WM& CR. The demands on the line's capacity may led to the WM& CR passenger service being terminated at this time before being reinstated for a short time a few years later.