Detective work helps ring a bell for town historians

A TOWN’S much-loved brass bell, which disappeared more than 70 years ago, is to be returned to its home.

The bell, which sounded from Dalkeith Railway Station in Midlothian for almost 100 years, vanished after the station’s closure in 1942.

But now, following detective work by the Dalkeith History Society, the relic has been tracked down to storage at Glasgow’s Transport Museum, and will return to the town next month.

Brian Scott, of Dalkeith History Society, said he was thrilled the 19th century bell was coming back to Midlothian to mark the opening of the town’s new museum.

Brian said: “It’s such a prominent part of our community and we are planning on polishing it up and then ringing it to mark the opening of Dalkeith’s new museum on May 25.

“We think it would have been sounded to mark departure of trains due to connect with the then Innocent Railway at Glenesk Junction, about half a mile out of Dalkeith station, which opened to traffic in 1838.

“We understand the bell was removed to a rail company office in Edinburgh’s Waterloo Place after the facility closed to passenger traffic in 1942, before being transferred where it was in the storage at the Glasgow Transport Museum.”

Roy Nimmo, president of the Rotary Club of Dalkeith, which helped with the search for the bell, said: “We are delighted to have been able to lend a hand on behalf of the community.”