Edinburgh Railways in the 1950s

NCB Loco  -  No 13

Question

Where was this photograph of  three railway workers with National Coal Board locomotive No 13 taken?

I believe that it was probably taken in the Edinburgh area in the 1950s, as were all the other photos from the same source that have been identified.

Answer

Thank you to Patrick for providing the following comments:

Woodburn Junction

"I'm fairly sure that NCB No 13 is at Woodmuir Junction box. The box in the background look like that in the Woodmuir Junction photo  and the shunter (bloke with the pole) beside the engine is also, I think, in the group on the 'box steps. I guess this latter photo was taken from a locomotive.

Woodmuir Junction was, as far as I can tell, between Addiewell and Breich. There was a line off the main line (Edinburgh-Shotts-Glasgow C) leading to exchange sidings (in the background of the photo of the bloke standing outside the 'box). From here a branch ran SW to Woodmuir pit. I assume the NCB pug worked to/from there. It is a standard Andrew Barclay (Caledonia Works, Kilmarnock) type. A similar one works nowadays at the Caledonian Railway in Brechin. In the photo beside the box can be seen the tender of a main-line loco.

Woodmuir pit opened in 1896, and closed in 1963.

Visit to Addiewell/Breich

If it is a nice day tomorrow, I might go out to Addiewell/Breich and have a look around. Not much in the photographs to go by, but there is (maybe) a flat-topped bing in the background of one photo."

Patrick Hutton visited Addiewell/Breich after sending the comments above, and took some photographs of the area.  He found no remaining evidence of the Woodmuir Junction signal box.

With acknowledgement to Patrick Hutton  -  April 2004

Update

December 2006

Patrick Hutton contacted me again today (December 18, 2006) and said:

Woodburn Junction (confirmed)

"I had preciously placed the photograph of 'NCB loco No 13' at Woodmuir 'Box in West Lothian.

I picked up one of those Stenlake photograph books ('Industrial Locomotives of the Lothians') yesterday which corroborates this rather nicely."

Patrick mentioned that the book also had further information about this locomotive:

"The locomotive was delivered new in 1907 for work at Loganlea Colliery, near Addiewell.

 A spell at Greenrigg Colliery (Whitburn) was followed by a return to Loganlea in 1950.  It moved to Polkemmet in 1957, and scrapped in Dec 1963.

So the photo at Woodmuir is between 1950 and 1957."

With acknowledgement to Patrick Hutton  -  December 18, 2006