36 Facts About Caledonian Railway

Caledonian Railway established primacy in some areas, but remained less than successful in others; considerable sums were expended in the process, not always finding the approval of shareholders.

However, they did not have mandatory force, and after considerable rivalry, the Caledonian Railway obtained an authorising Act of Parliament on 31 July 1845, for lines from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Carlisle.

The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Caledonian Railway had opened in 1841 with the declared intention of reaching Carlisle by way of Dumfries; it did so in 1850, changing its name then to the Glasgow and South Western Caledonian Railway.

Glasgow was reached over the Glasgow, Garnkirk and Coatbridge Railway, and the Wishaw and Coltness Railway, which the Caledonian had leased from 1 January 1847 and 1 January 1846 respectively.

The Caledonian Railway acquired that line during its construction, and it opened in 1849.

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Caledonian Railway recognised that the Townhead terminus was unsatisfactory and constructed a deviation from Milton Junction to a new Glasgow terminus at Buchanan Street.

Company had obtained Parliamentary powers to merge with the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway in 1847, but even more alarming revelations of financial impropriety emerged regarding that company, and the Caledonian considered getting authorisation to cancel the amalgamation.

Caledonian Railway now worked trains at three termini in Glasgow: Buchanan Street, South Side, and Bridge Street.

The line was encouraged by the Caledonian Railway, giving westward access into Dumfriesshire, and worked by it; the Caledonian acquired the line in 1865.

The Portpatrick Railway later reformed with the Wigtownshire Railway as the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway; the Caledonian was a one-quarter owner.

North British Railway opened its branch line to Dolphinton, east of Carstairs, and the Caledonian feared that the next step would be an incursion by the NBR into Caledonian territory, possibly seeking running powers on the main line.

The Caledonian worked the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway with a terminus at Bridge Street, inconveniently situated south of the Clyde: the Caledonian, therefore, had three unsatisfactory Glasgow termini.

Bridge Street terminus was jointly operated with the Glasgow and South Western Railway ; it had to be reconstructed as a through station, and the Greenock line trains continued to use it.

The Caledonian Railway sought to develop both Moffat and Peebles as watering places, and ran The Tinto Express from both places, combining at Symington, to Edinburgh and Glasgow for several years.

In 1889 the Caledonian Railway itself opened an extension line from Greenock to Gourock, more conveniently situated than Greenock; this involved the expensive construction of Newton Street Tunnel, the longest in Scotland.

Cathcart District Railway was promoted as an independent concern but heavily supported by the Caledonian.

Glasgow Central Caledonian Railway was authorised as an independent company to build a surface line from Rutherglen to Maryhill.

Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Caledonian Railway was nominally independent, running from near Maryhill to Dumbarton, opening progressively between 1894 and 1896.

In 1896 the Caledonian gained access to Loch Lomond with the opening of the Dumbarton and Balloch Joint Railway, built jointly with the NBR.

Caledonian Railway entered Edinburgh from Carstairs on 15 February 1848; its terminus was a one-platform station named Lothian Road.

The Caledonian Railway intended to make the line into a loop, returning to the city by way of Corstorphine, but this idea was shelved.

Caledonian Railway had intended to lease, or absorb, the Scottish Central Railway, which obtained its Act of Parliament on the same day as the Caledonian.

SCR itself managed to absorb some local railways; the Crieff Junction Caledonian Railway had opened from Crieff to what later became Gleneagles station in 1856, and it was worked by the SCR and absorbed in 1865.

Aberdeen Caledonian Railway was to run north from Guthrie, a few miles northwest of Arbroath.

At this early stage the Caledonian Railway saw itself as the future creator of an extensive network in Scotland, and it set about gaining control of as many other Scottish railways as possible.

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The Caledonian negotiated with the SCR, the SMJR and the Aberdeen Railway and believed it had captured them, but the SCR had other ideas.

Much later the Caledonian Railway found that the periodical lease payments were unaffordable, and it was rescued by the legal opinion that the lease agreements had been ultra vires.

Scottish Midland Junction Caledonian Railway opened in 1848 from Perth to Forfar, giving onward access to Aberdeen.

The SMJR and the Aberdeen Caledonian Railway amalgamated in 1856 to form the Scottish North Eastern Caledonian Railway in 1856.

At the time of the absorption the SNER and the Great North of Scotland Caledonian Railway were engaged in building a through line at Aberdeen, with a new Joint station; it opened in 1867.

Caledonian Railway had now got what it had wanted from the outset: control of an extensive network of lines covering a considerable territorial area.

The Forfar and Brechin Caledonian Railway was promoted as a potential alternative main line; it opened in 1895 but remained simply a rural branch.

Callander and Oban Caledonian Railway was an independent company intended to connect the western seas to the railway network, but it had been promised financial support by the Scottish Central Caledonian Railway.

The Caledonian Railway absorbed the SCR in 1865 and the directors were dismayed at the level of commitment to a difficult construction scheme barely started.

In 1893 the Crieff and Comrie Caledonian Railway made a short extension into Strathearn, and this encouraged ideas of completing a link right through to the Callander and Oban line.

From July 1865, the Caledonian Railway adopted "a version of the Scottish arms, without, so far as is known, getting the blessing of the Lord Lyon King of Arms".