Drem railway station
Encyclopedia
Drem railway station serves the village of Drem
in East Lothian
, 8 kilometres (5 mi) from the seaside town of North Berwick
in Scotland
. It is located on the East Coast Main Line
(ECML) 29 kilometres (18 mi) east of Edinburgh Waverley
. Passenger services are provided on the First ScotRail
North Berwick Line
, and the junction where the North Berwick branch diverges from the ECML is a short distance to the east of the station.
on 22 June 1846, on the same date as the main line from Edinburgh to Berwick-upon-Tweed
. The short branch towards North Berwick was opened by the NBR on 13 August 1849, making the station a junction of some importance. The earthworks and bridges on the North Berwick line were built to accommodate double track, but only one track was ever laid and in its early years the line was not particularly successful. In 1856-57 the NBR attempted to cut costs by operating most of the branch passenger trains with horse traction. The horse-drawn carriage used, known as the 'Dandy Car', had originally been built for the NBR's Portobello to Leith branch, and was later used on the Port Carlisle branch. It is now in the National Railway Museum
at York
.
When the main line opened there was a small station at Ballencrief to the west of Drem, but this was very short-lived and closed to passengers on 1 November 1847. There was also an intermediate station on the North Berwick branch at , which lasted until 1 February 1954.
Drem station consists of two platforms, with the main buildings being situated on the up (eastbound) platform. At the west end of the station is an overbridge carrying a minor road to Athelstaneford. Both platforms originally extended further west through this bridge. The signal box
was situated on the down (westbound) side of the line immediately to the east of the station, opposite the original point of divergence of the North Berwick branch. There were trailing refuge sidings on the up line west of the station and on the down line to the east of it, whilst the station goods yard with a goods shed and five sidings was on the up side east of the station.
In the days of steam locomotives, many of the North Berwick branch trains terminated at Drem and passengers had to change onto main line stopping services to continue their journeys. In 1958, diesel multiple unit
s were introduced on the North Berwick services, and most branch trains then ran right through to Edinburgh Waverley or Corstorphine. Some main line stopping services continued to be steam hauled until 4 May 1964, when they were largely discontinued (Inveresk, East Fortune and East Linton stations closing on that date). Thereafter, all North Berwick trains ran through to Edinburgh or beyond. A few peak-hour stopping trains from Edinburgh to Dunbar continued to operate until around 1990.
The Beeching Axe
almost claimed Drem in 1968 when British Rail applied to close the branch, along with North Berwick, Drem, Longniddry and Prestonpans stations. This request was refused by the Minister of Transport on 19 September 1969, but from 4 January 1970 the local trains were reduced to a skeleton service. During the 1970s Eastern Scottish
ran a feeder bus between East Linton and Drem for commuters, but this was not to last.
Local goods services also declined, starting with Ballencrief Siding (closing on 1 June 1959), followed by Dirleton Siding (1 June 1964) and North Berwick goods yard (1 January 1968). Drem goods yard then served as a central goods facility for much of East Lothian, lasting until 6 August 1979.
Drem signalbox closed on 21 November 1977, when new automatic signalling controlled from Edinburgh was commissioned. The track was remodelled such that the old down refuge siding became a refuge loop, whilst the junction of the North Berwick branch was moved further east, with the original branch track becoming an up refuge loop (replacing the old up refuge siding west of the station). One siding in the old goods yard was retained for use by engineering trains, and the rest of the yard was redeveloped as the station car park.
Passenger services gradually recovered from their nadir in the 1970s, and by the late 1980s an hourly service to North Berwick had been restored. With the introduction of 'pay trains' on 27 May 1985, the station became unstaffed, and BR quickly moved to demolish the buildings. Contractors demolished the waiting room on the down (Edinburgh) platform, but as the station was a Listed building the work was stopped and BR were required to construct a replica - the current waiting room is built to the original NBR design. The main line was electrified in 1990, and regular electric services on the branch began on 8 July 1991.
There is a local campaign to reopen East Linton station and to resume main line stopping services between Edinburgh and Dunbar, which would also serve Drem.
and operate between North Berwick and Edinburgh. A few trains continue beyond Edinburgh to Glasgow Central. There is an hourly daytime service in each direction on weekdays with additional trains during peak hours. On Saturdays the service is half-hourly through the day, reducing to hourly in the evening. On Sundays an hourly service operates.
Main line trains operated by East Coast
and CrossCountry
pass through the station but do not stop, and the main line is also used by freight trains.
Drem
Drem is a small village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is approximately 20 miles east of Edinburgh and is close to Haddington , North Berwick , Dirleton and Gullane ....
in East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
, 8 kilometres (5 mi) from the seaside town of North Berwick
North Berwick
The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is located on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
(ECML) 29 kilometres (18 mi) east of Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
. Passenger services are provided on the First ScotRail
First ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
North Berwick Line
North Berwick Line
The North Berwick Line is a railway line linking Edinburgh with North Berwick in Scotland. The route follows the East Coast Main Line as far as Drem where it then branches to the north....
, and the junction where the North Berwick branch diverges from the ECML is a short distance to the east of the station.
History
The station was opened by the North British RailwayNorth British Railway
The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.-History:...
on 22 June 1846, on the same date as the main line from Edinburgh to Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station
Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station is a railway station which serves the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. It is located on the East Coast Main Line, 335 miles north of London Kings Cross and 55 miles south of Edinburgh Waverley...
. The short branch towards North Berwick was opened by the NBR on 13 August 1849, making the station a junction of some importance. The earthworks and bridges on the North Berwick line were built to accommodate double track, but only one track was ever laid and in its early years the line was not particularly successful. In 1856-57 the NBR attempted to cut costs by operating most of the branch passenger trains with horse traction. The horse-drawn carriage used, known as the 'Dandy Car', had originally been built for the NBR's Portobello to Leith branch, and was later used on the Port Carlisle branch. It is now in the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
.
When the main line opened there was a small station at Ballencrief to the west of Drem, but this was very short-lived and closed to passengers on 1 November 1847. There was also an intermediate station on the North Berwick branch at , which lasted until 1 February 1954.
Drem station consists of two platforms, with the main buildings being situated on the up (eastbound) platform. At the west end of the station is an overbridge carrying a minor road to Athelstaneford. Both platforms originally extended further west through this bridge. The signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
was situated on the down (westbound) side of the line immediately to the east of the station, opposite the original point of divergence of the North Berwick branch. There were trailing refuge sidings on the up line west of the station and on the down line to the east of it, whilst the station goods yard with a goods shed and five sidings was on the up side east of the station.
In the days of steam locomotives, many of the North Berwick branch trains terminated at Drem and passengers had to change onto main line stopping services to continue their journeys. In 1958, diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s were introduced on the North Berwick services, and most branch trains then ran right through to Edinburgh Waverley or Corstorphine. Some main line stopping services continued to be steam hauled until 4 May 1964, when they were largely discontinued (Inveresk, East Fortune and East Linton stations closing on that date). Thereafter, all North Berwick trains ran through to Edinburgh or beyond. A few peak-hour stopping trains from Edinburgh to Dunbar continued to operate until around 1990.
The Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
almost claimed Drem in 1968 when British Rail applied to close the branch, along with North Berwick, Drem, Longniddry and Prestonpans stations. This request was refused by the Minister of Transport on 19 September 1969, but from 4 January 1970 the local trains were reduced to a skeleton service. During the 1970s Eastern Scottish
Eastern Scottish
Eastern Scottish, of Edinburgh, Scotland, was a bus and coach operator and a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group . Eastern Scottish Omnibuses Ltd. was formed in June 1985 from the main part of Scottish Omnibuses Ltd., which had itself traded as 'Eastern Scottish' since the 1960s...
ran a feeder bus between East Linton and Drem for commuters, but this was not to last.
Local goods services also declined, starting with Ballencrief Siding (closing on 1 June 1959), followed by Dirleton Siding (1 June 1964) and North Berwick goods yard (1 January 1968). Drem goods yard then served as a central goods facility for much of East Lothian, lasting until 6 August 1979.
Drem signalbox closed on 21 November 1977, when new automatic signalling controlled from Edinburgh was commissioned. The track was remodelled such that the old down refuge siding became a refuge loop, whilst the junction of the North Berwick branch was moved further east, with the original branch track becoming an up refuge loop (replacing the old up refuge siding west of the station). One siding in the old goods yard was retained for use by engineering trains, and the rest of the yard was redeveloped as the station car park.
Passenger services gradually recovered from their nadir in the 1970s, and by the late 1980s an hourly service to North Berwick had been restored. With the introduction of 'pay trains' on 27 May 1985, the station became unstaffed, and BR quickly moved to demolish the buildings. Contractors demolished the waiting room on the down (Edinburgh) platform, but as the station was a Listed building the work was stopped and BR were required to construct a replica - the current waiting room is built to the original NBR design. The main line was electrified in 1990, and regular electric services on the branch began on 8 July 1991.
There is a local campaign to reopen East Linton station and to resume main line stopping services between Edinburgh and Dunbar, which would also serve Drem.
Services
All trains calling at the station are operated by First ScotRailFirst ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
and operate between North Berwick and Edinburgh. A few trains continue beyond Edinburgh to Glasgow Central. There is an hourly daytime service in each direction on weekdays with additional trains during peak hours. On Saturdays the service is half-hourly through the day, reducing to hourly in the evening. On Sundays an hourly service operates.
Main line trains operated by East Coast
East Coast (train operating company)
East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...
and CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
pass through the station but do not stop, and the main line is also used by freight trains.
Sources
- Hajducki, Andrew M. (1992) The North Berwick and Gullane Branch Lines, Headington, Oakwood Press, ISBN 085361427X
- RAILSCOT on North British Railway Main Line
- RAILSCOT on North Berwick Branch