Railway stations in Portobello / Joppa

lodgehead · Post by **lodgehead** » 02 Jun 2004, 09:28

Hello All

I am interested to hear from people who are, or who know, those who worked or can even remember train stations in the area. I have developed an unexplained fascination with this, simply by observing unused lines and street names (eg. Joppa Station). Even better, photographs of days gone or maps?

I am building up a small collection of archives via the library but some first hand accounts would be even better.

Regards
Steven.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 02 Jun 2004, 09:43

This sounds like a very interesting project. I believe that in its heyday Portobello had the longest platform in Britain. Can you confirm this? Lawrence Marshall should be able to offer some help, as should Archie Foley, the local historian.

Anyway, hope you will be able to share your archive with us. Do you plan to publish your findings?

lodgehead · Post by **lodgehead** » 02 Jun 2004, 09:51

I really have no idea what I'll do with it. However I cant help delve into it. Maybe it will come to something. Im just getting old and rediscovering the boy in me I suppose!

Post by **wangi** » 02 Jun 2004, 14:37

Well the current Brunstane station is on the same site as the last Joppa station...

Some maps...

http://www.old-maps.co.uk/oldmaps/servl ... 787550.png
http://www.old-maps.co.uk/oldmaps/servl ... 727572.png
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/cj.tolley/rjd ... 7-1920.jpg
http://www.railscot.co.uk/Edinburgh_and ... /frame.htm
http://www.railscot.co.uk/North_British ... /frame.htm
http://www.sbe.hw.ac.uk/edmetro/history.html

Did have more, but that's the ones I can remember...

Lawrence Marshall · Post by **Lawrence Marshall** » 02 Jun 2004, 18:22

There are quite a view old photos of Portobello station around - some published, some not. A PAS AGM which I helped to organise a few years' back was shown a good number of photos of the actual demolition of the station - and I saw an original "Portobello" totem station name sign on display at the National Railway Museum Railfest 2004 last weekend (I asked the price as it was with others for sale but I was told it was part of a private collection - it would probably have set me back around Ã‚Â£500).
Old large-scale Ordnance Survey maps are also worth looking at - in Portobello Library, for instance.
Another good place to start would be the Edinburgh Room of Central Library in George IV Bridge - and an internet search (text and images) might be worth trying.
The station at Portobello consisted of an island platform with the main lines either side and Portobello goods yard to the north. Access was via an underpass from Christian Path to the north (you can still see the entrance) and via a pedestrian bridge from Station Brae (at the foot of which is still the station master's house). It was one of the busiest suburban stations in Edinburgh (along with Morningside and Gorgie).
The old Joppa station was off Joppa Terrace - it's still there - so isn't where Brunstane station now is (where there was never a station before).

Lawrence

Post by **wangi** » 02 Jun 2004, 23:24

Lawrence Marshall wrote:The old Joppa station was off Joppa Terrace - it's still there - so isn't where Brunstane station now is (where there was never a station before).

There are plenty maps and references around which contradict that... See the "old-maps.co.uk" maps I posted above for a start (I've also see ones the the G IV Edinburgh Room)... Plus:

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/towns/townfirst293.html wrote:Nearby is Joppa which was created in the early 19th century from a plan by Robert Brown. The village had two railway stations, one at Milton Road (1847-59), the other at Brunstane Road (1859-1964).

The one at Bunstane Rd being roughtly the same location as the current Brunstane station...

Yeah?

lodgehead · Post by **lodgehead** » 03 Jun 2004, 14:21

Thanks everyone. I did go to the library the other day and found exactly where they were. The Joppa Station was where I thought, the bridge on Brunstane Road, but was surprised to find where Portobello station was. I may take a wander up there to see if I can imagine where and how it was laid out, although it seems like private property there now.

I also have some elderly neighbours and will ask if any remember using the station.

Will report back in a while!

Cheers.

Post by **wangi** » 16 May 2005, 23:18

Joppa Station (the one on the East Coast Mainline, not the one where the current Brunstane station is) in 1955:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 6532550436