 | |
 1920 map of the railway | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Glasgow |
| Dates of operation | 1847; 178 years ago (1847) – 1923; 102 years ago (1923) |
| Successor | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
| Length | 1,118 miles 13 chains (1,799.5 km) (1919)[1] |
| Track length | 2,836 miles 66 chains (4,565.4 km) (1919)[1] |
TheCaledonian Railway (CR) was one of the two biggest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the1923 Grouping. It was formed in 1845 with the objective of forming a link between English railways andGlasgow. It progressively extended its network and reachedEdinburgh andAberdeen, with a dense network of branch lines in the area surrounding Glasgow. It was absorbed into theLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. Many of its principal routes are still used, and the original main line betweenCarlisle and Glasgow is in use as part of theWest Coast Main Line railway (with a modified entry into Glasgow itself).
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In the mid-1830s, railways in England evolved from local concerns to longer routes that connected cities, and then became networks. In Scotland it was clear that this was the way forward, and there was a desire to connect theCentral Belt to the incipient English network. There was controversy over the route that such a line might take, but the Caledonian Railway was formed on 31 July 1845 and it opened its main line betweenGlasgow,Edinburgh andCarlisle in 1848, making an alliance with the EnglishLondon and North Western Railway which connected Carlisle to theEnglish Midlands andLondon. In the obituary of the engineer Richard Price-Williams written in 1916 the contractor of the Caledonian Railway is stated to beThomas Brassey and the civil engineerGeorge Heald.[2]
Although the company was supported by Scottish investors, more than half of its shares were held in England.[3]
Establishing itself as an intercity and cross-border railway, the Caledonian set about securing territory by leasing other authorised or newly built lines, and fierce competition developed with other, larger Scottish railways, particularly theNorth British Railway and theGlasgow and South Western Railway. The company 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.
A considerablesteamer passenger traffic developed on theFirth of Clyde serving island resorts, and fast boat trains were run from Glasgow to steamer piers; the company was refused permission to operate its own steamers, and it formed a partnership with a nominally independent, but friendly, operator, theCaledonian Steam Packet Company.
In 1923 the railways of Great Britain were "grouped" under theRailways Act 1921 and the Caledonian Railway was a constituent of the newly formedLondon Midland and Scottish Railway; its capitalisation at that time was £57 million (equivalent to £4.11 billion today),[4] and it had a single-track mileage of 2,827 miles (4,550 km).
It extended fromAberdeen toPortpatrick, and fromOban toCarlisle, running express passenger services and a heavy mineral traffic.
In the closing years of the 18th century, the pressing need to bring coal cheaply to Glasgow from the plentifulMonklands coalfield had been met by the construction of theMonkland Canal, opened throughout in 1794.[5][6] This encouraged development of the coalfield, but dissatisfaction at the monopoly prices said to be exacted by the canal led to the construction of theMonkland and Kirkintilloch Railway (M&KR), Scotland's first public railway; it opened in 1826. Development of the use of blackbandironstone byDavid Mushet, and the invention of thehot blast process ofiron smelting by James Beaumont Neilson in 1828, led to a huge and rapid increase in iron production and demand foriron ore and coal in theCoatbridge area.
The industrial development led to the construction of other railways contiguous with the M&KR, in particular theGarnkirk and Glasgow Railway and theWishaw and Coltness Railway. These two lines worked in harmony, merging to form the Glasgow, Garnkirk and Coatbridge Railway in 1841, and competing with the M&KR and its allies. All these lines used the local track gauge of4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm), and they were referred to as "the coal lines"; passenger traffic was not a dominant activity.[3][7][8][9]
During this period, the first long-distance railways were opened in England; theLiverpool and Manchester Railway, the first intercity line, opened in 1830 and was an immediate success.[10] It was quickly followed by theGrand Junction Railway in 1837,[11] theLondon and Birmingham Railway in 1838[12] and theNorth Union Railway reachingPreston in 1838, so that London was linked with the Lancashire and West Midlands centres of industry.
It was clearly desirable to connect central Scotland into the emerging network. At first it was assumed that only one route from Scotland to England would be feasible, and there was considerable controversy over the possible route. A major difficulty was the terrain of theSouthern Uplands: a route running through the hilly lands would involve steep and lengthy gradients that were challenging for the engine power of the time; a route around them, either to the west or the east, involved much lengthier main lines, and made connection to both Edinburgh and Glasgow more problematic.
| Caledonian Railway Act 1845 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Citation | 8 & 9 Vict. c. clxii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 31 July 1845 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Many competing schemes were put forward, not all of them well thought out, and two successive government commissions examined them. However, they did not have mandatory force, and after considerable rivalry, the Caledonian Railway obtained an authorisingact of Parliament, theCaledonian Railway Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict. c. clxii), on 31 July 1845, for lines from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Carlisle. The share capital was to be £1,800,000 (equivalent to £225 million today).[4]
The Glasgow and Edinburgh lines combined atCarstairs inClydesdale, and the route then crossed overBeattock Summit and continued on throughAnnandale.[13] The promoters had engaged in a frenzy of provisional acquisitions of other lines being put forward or already being constructed, as they considered it was vital to secure territory to their own control and to exclude competing concerns as far as possible. It was not the only Anglo-Scottish route; theNorth British Railway opened its coastal route between Edinburgh andBerwick-upon-Tweed on 22 June 1846,[14][15] forming part of what has become theEast Coast Main Line. TheGlasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway had opened in 1841 with the declared intention of reaching Carlisle by way ofDumfries; it did so in 1850, changing its name then to theGlasgow and South Western Railway.[16][17]
The main line was opened from Carlisle toBeattock on 10 September 1847, and throughout between Glasgow and Carlisle on 15 February 1848. A continuous railway route between Glasgow and London existed for the first time. (It had been possible to travel via Edinburgh andNewcastle upon Tyne since 1846, but this involved crossing theRiver Tweed at Berwick by road, and theRiver Tyne at Gateshead / Newcastle by congested road bridge or ferry.)
The Caledonian Railway's Edinburgh line from Carstairs opened on 1 April 1848. The terminal at Edinburgh was atLothian Road. Glasgow was reached over the Glasgow, Garnkirk and Coatbridge Railway (successor to theGarnkirk and Glasgow Railway), and theWishaw and Coltness Railway, which the Caledonian had leased from 1 January 1847 and 1 January 1846 respectively. The Glasgow station was theTownhead terminus of the Glasgow, Garnkirk and Coatbridge Railway.[17]
During the process of seeking Parliamentary authorisation, the Caledonian observed that theClydesdale Junction Railway was being promoted. The Caledonian acquired that line during its construction, and it opened in 1849. It gave an alternative and shorter access to another Glasgow passenger terminal, namedSouth Side, and to theClyde quays at General Terminus (over the connectedGeneral Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railway). The South Side station was already being used by theGlasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway, worked by the Caledonian. One day, they hoped, they might extend that line intoAyrshire. Meanwhile, the line was leased (for 999 years) to the Caledonian in 1849.[3][17][14]
The Caledonian recognised that the Townhead terminus was unsatisfactory and constructed a deviation fromMilton Junction to a new Glasgow terminus atBuchanan Street. It opened on 1 November 1849. Trains toEdinburgh,Stirling andCarlisle used the new station; the Stirling trains had to reverse at Gartsherrie Junction. The Garnkirk's old Glebe Street (Townhead) station was reduced to goods and mineral duties. In 1853–54 the Hayhill Fork, between Gartcosh and Garnqueen, was opened, enabling direct running from Buchanan Street towards Stirling.[17]
In the period between formation of the Caledonian Railway and the opening ofthe main line, a large number of leases and working arrangements had been concluded with other railways being promoted or built nearby. This was mostly done by guaranteeing those shareholders an income on their capital, which meant no immediate cash was required. When the lines started working, suddenly a huge periodical payment was required, and the income was inadequate to satisfy it. There were also suggestions of improper share acquisitions, and in the period 1848 to 1850 a number of shareholder inquiries disclosed bad practices, and many board members had to resign in February 1850.
The company had obtained Parliamentary powers to merge with theGlasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway (GP&GR) in 1847, but even more alarming revelations of financial impropriety emerged regarding that company, and the Caledonian considered getting authorisation to cancel the amalgamation. However, it was later decided to proceed, and the amalgamation took place by an act of Parliament[which?] of 7 August 1851. The GP&GR operated the line between Glasgow andPaisley jointly with theGlasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR), and the Paisley line used a terminus atBridge Street in Glasgow.
The Caledonian now worked trains at three termini in Glasgow: Buchanan Street, South Side (from the Clydesdale Junction line, mostly used for local trains toMotherwell andHamilton), and Bridge Street (on the Paisley line).
Gradually the financial difficulties were got under control, by economy, and by the discovery that several of the lease agreements were illegal.[18] Handsome dividends continued to be paid, but it was not until March 1853 that the dividend was paid wholly from revenue.[note 1][17]
If the Caledonian Railway had been formed as an intercity trunk line, its attention was early on turned to other demands. Local interests inLanark promoted a branch line to their town, opening in 1855. Coal owners inSouth Lanarkshire pressed for a railway connection, and theLesmahagow Railway was formed by them, opening in 1856. It was later absorbed by the Caledonian, but other lines followed in the sparsely populated but mineral-rich area. As new coal mines opened, so new branches were needed, connectingCoalburn,Stonehouse,Strathaven,Muirkirk andDarvel and many other places, with new lines built right up until 1905. When the coal became exhausted in the second half of the 20th century, the railways were progressively closed; passenger traffic had always been light and it too disappeared. Only the passenger traffic to the Lanark andLarkhall branches remain in operation.[17][14]
InNorth Lanarkshire, theNorth British Railway was a keen competitor, having taken over theMonkland Railways. The area contained the rapidly-growing iron production area surroundingCoatbridge, and servicing that industry with coal andiron ore, and transport to local and more distant metal processing locations, dominated the Caledonian's activity in the region. TheRutherglen and Coatbridge line, later linkingAirdrie, and theCarfin to Midcalder line were routes with significant passenger traffic. Many lines to coal and iron ore pits further east were built, but serving remote areas the lines closed when the mineral extraction ceased.[17][14]
With the Barrhead line in full operation, interests inBusby wanted a railway connection. The wealthy middle class saw the town as an elegant location and theBusby Railway opened in 1866. Commuting was already in fashion. The line was extended toEast Kilbride in 1868, although at that time the then small village did not generate much business for the railway.[17][14]
When the main line was built, no branches were provided in the thinly populated terrain of theSouthern Uplands. Four independent companies made branches themselves, and the Caledonian built two.
TheSymington, Biggar and Broughton Railway was opened in 1860, having been taken over by the Caledonian during construction. It was extended toPeebles in 1864.[14]
In 1863 an independent line, theDumfries, Lochmaben and Lockerbie Railway was opened. The line was encouraged by the Caledonian Railway, giving westward access intoDumfriesshire, and worked by it; the Caledonian acquired the line in 1865. ThePortpatrick Railway had opened betweenCastle Douglas andPortpatrick in 1861–62 and the Caledonian Railway worked that railway; it obtained running powers over the G&SWR betweenDumfries and Castle Douglas, and at a stroke the Caledonian had penetrated deep into the south-west, and to the ferry service to the north of Ireland, territory that the G&SWR had assumed was its own. The Portpatrick Railway later reformed with the Wigtownshire Railway as thePortpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway; the Caledonian was a one-quarter owner.[19][20]
| Caledonian Railway (Carstairs and Dolphinton Branch) Act 1863 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to enable the Caledonian Railway Company to make a Branch Railway from Carstairs to join the Leadburn, Linton, and Dolphinton Railway; and for other Purposes. |
| Citation | 26 & 27 Vict. c. xxiv |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 11 May 1863 |
The North British Railway opened its branch line toDolphinton, 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. To head this off, the Caledonian built its ownDolphinton branch from Carstairs; it opened in 1867. Dolphinton had a population of 260 and two railways, and traffic was correspondingly meagre, and the line closed in 1945 to passengers and in 1950 to goods.[14]
The independentSolway Junction Railway was opened in 1869, linking iron mines inCumberland with the Caledonian Railway atKirtlebridge, crossing theSolway Firth by a 1,940 yd (1,770 m) viaduct; the company worked the line itself. It considerably shortened the route to the Lanarkshire ironworks, and was heavily used at first, but the traffic was depleted by cheap imported iron ore within a decade. The Scottish part of the line was acquired by the Caledonian Railway in 1873, and the whole line in 1895. Serious ice damage and later heavy maintenance costs made the line seriously unprofitable and it was closed in 1921.[21]
When the Caledonian's first main line opened, it used the Townhead terminus of theGlasgow, Garnkirk and Coatbridge Railway, and almost simultaneously, it acquired access to the South Side station planned for theClydesdale Junction Railway. It extended from Townhead toBuchanan Street, an "inadequate and very cramped station"[22] in 1849, but the route from there to the southwards main line was very circuitous. The Caledonian also worked theGlasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway with a terminus atBridge Street, also inconveniently situated south of the Clyde: the Caledonian, therefore, had three unsatisfactory Glasgow termini.
As early as 1846 proposals to cross the Clyde from Gushetfaulds to a Dunlop Street terminal had been put forward; the idea was killed by fierce opposition from the Clyde Bridges Trust (which would lose toll income) and theAdmiralty (who insisted on aswing bridge).[23]
| Caledonian Railway (Gordon Street Station Connecting Lines) Act 1875 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act for enabling the Caledonian Railway Company to alter the authorised lines of Railway and Viaduct across the River Clyde for connecting their Railways on the south side of Glasgow with their authorised Station in Gordon Street in that city; and for other purposes. |
| Citation | 38 & 39 Vict. c. cxxxiii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 19 July 1875 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Another scheme failed to get finance in 1866 and again in 1873, but theCaledonian Railway (Gordon Street Station Connecting Lines) Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict. c. cxxxiii) was obtained to build a bridge crossing the Clyde and bringing the South Side route into the city centre. A four-track railway bridge crossing the river was designed by Blyth and Cunningham and built bySir William Arrol & Co.; theClyde railway bridge was complete on 1 October 1878. The newGlasgow Central station on Gordon Street opened in December 1879. It had eight platforms, but was considered to be unsatisfactory, having narrow platforms; the circulating area was "ridiculously small"; there was no good cab stance and inadequate siding accommodation.[24]
The Bridge Street terminus was jointly operated with theGlasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR); it had to be reconstructed as a through station, and theGreenock line trains (operated by the Caledonian) continued to use it.
A ninth platform was added to Central station in 1889, but a major expansion took place in the years 1901–1906, when the platforms were lengthened and four platforms added on the west side; a second river crossing was provided. In 1904Bridge Street station was substantially changed to provide carriage washing and stabling facilities; it closed as a passenger station on 1 March 1905. Central station was operated by a singlesignal box, staffed with ten men. It was commissioned on 3 May 1908; it had 374 miniature levers, the largest of its type in the world, operating points and signals by electro-pneumatic and electro-magnetic equipment.[23]
TheMoffat Railway was opened from Beattock on 2 April 1883. It was just over1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) long. It was worked by the Caledonian and absorbed on 11 November 1889. The Caledonian Railway sought to develop bothMoffat andPeebles as watering places, and ranThe Tinto Express from both places, combining atSymington, to Edinburgh and Glasgow for several years.[14]
With the intention of revitalising the lead mining industry, theLeadhills and Wanlockhead Branch was opened as alight railway fromElvanfoot in 1901–02. With challenging gradients to reach Scotland's highest village in otherwise remote territory, the line scraped a bare living and closed in 1938.[14]
In the mid-1850s thesteamer connections on theFirth of Clyde assumed ever increasing importance, and journey transit times from settlements inArgyll and the islands to Glasgow became critical. The inconvenient situation of the Greenock station and pier encouraged thoughts of more convenient routes, and in 1862 theGreenock and Wemyss Bay Railway was authorised. It was an independent company intending to provide a fast connection fromRothesay on theIsle of Bute; it opened on 13 May 1865 and in August 1893 it amalgamated with the Caledonian Railway, having been operated by the Caledonian Railway since its opening.[25][17]
In 1889 the Caledonian itself opened an extension line from Greenock toGourock, more conveniently situated than Greenock; this involved the expensive construction of Newton Street Tunnel, the longest in Scotland.[26]
In competing with rival rail and steamer connections, the Caledonian became frustrated with its reliance on independent steamer operators, and tried to obtain powers to operate the vessels directly; this was refused by Parliament on competition grounds, and in reaction the company founded the nominally independentCaledonian Steam Packet Company in 1889. The CSPC expanded its routes and services considerably; following nationalisation of the railways in 1948 it became owned by British Railways, but was divested in 1968 and later became a constituent ofCaledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), which remains in state ownership.[27]
In the final decades of the 19th century, as the cities spread into conurbations, the company's attention turned to increasing traffic in areas now thought of as "suburban". Street runningtramways were already responding to the demand for passenger travel in these areas, but as yet they used horse traction.
TheCathcart District Railway was promoted as an independent concern but heavily supported by the Caledonian. It opened in 1886 fromPollokshields toMount Florida andCathcart (the eastern arm of the present-dayCathcart Circle Line) in 1886, and was extended viaShawlands to form a loop in 1894. It was worked by the Caledonian, although the company retained its independence until 1923.
TheGlasgow Central Railway was authorised as an independent company to build a surface line fromRutherglen toMaryhill. It encountered fierce opposition, and the scheme was taken over by the Caledonian and converted into a route mainly in tunnel underArgyle Street. It opened in 1896, further encouraging suburban passenger travel. It closed in 1959 but reopened (as theArgyle Line) in 1979.
ThePaisley and Barrhead District Railway was incorporated in 1897 and transferred to the Caledonian in 1902; it was to linkPaisley andBarrhead and enable a circular service from Glasgow. The line was substantially ready in 1902 but by now street tramways were electrically operated and eminently successful. It was plain that a passenger service would not be viable against tram competition and the intended passenger service was never started.[28]
The area of the north bank of the river Clyde became increasingly important for industry, and therefore became heavily populated. TheNorth British Railway and its satellites had gained an early monopoly of this traffic, but its importance encouraged the Caledonian to enter the area.
TheLanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway was nominally independent, running from nearMaryhill toDumbarton, opening progressively between 1894 and 1896. In 1896 the Caledonian gained access toLoch Lomond with the opening of theDumbarton and Balloch Joint Railway (originally built by theCaledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway), built jointly with the NBR.
In 1888 theLanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway opened a6+1⁄2-mile (10.5 km) line fromGiffen on theGlasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway toArdrossan. Its purpose was to shorten the route for Caledonian mineral traffic, and it was worked by the Caledonian. In 1903–04 it was extended eastwards to Cathcart and Newton, enabling the heavy mineral trains to avoid the Joint Line and the congested area around Gushetfaulds from the Lanarkshire coalfields toArdrossan Harbour.[14][29]
The Caledonian Railway entered Edinburgh fromCarstairs on 15 February 1848; its terminus was a one-platform station namedLothian Road. This was the first line to offer travel without change of carriage between Edinburgh and London: passengers on the rivalNorth British Railway needed to cross theRiver Tweed on foot to continue their rail journey.
The unsatisfactory Edinburgh terminus needed improvement but funds were limited, and the Caledonian built a short spur toHaymarket; talks had taken place about using the E&GR and NBR station, later namedWaverley; but the NBR rejected the idea. Eventually in 1870 the Lothian Road station was much improved and extended, and the new terminus was namedPrinces Street.
The owner ofGranton Harbour encouraged, and half-funded, the construction of a branch from near Lothian Road, and this opened in 1861. A branch from the Granton line toLeith Docks was made in 1864. This line was opened to passengers from 1879: theLeith terminal was later renamed Leith North. After 1900 the port authorities built new modern docks to the east of the former Leith docks, and the Caledonian further extended its Leith line to reach the new facilities: the Leith New Lines opened in 1903. It had been planned to open a passenger service on the line, and passenger stations had been built, but tram competition made it clear that an inner suburban passenger railway was unviable and the passenger service was never inaugurated.
The Edinburgh main line passed close to numerous mineral workings, and several short branches and connections were made to collieries, iron workings and shale oil plants. TheWilsontown branch fromAuchengray, opened in 1860 was the most significant, and carried a passenger service.
The originalWishaw and Coltness Railway, now leased by the Caledonian, had long since reachedCleland ironworks from the west, and in 1869 the line was extended from near there toMidcalder Junction on the Edinburgh main line, passing throughShotts,Fauldhouse and Midcalder. This line connected to many further mines and industrial sites, and gave the Caledonian a passenger route between Glasgow and Edinburgh that competed with the North British Railway'sroute through Falkirk.
The first main line had bypassed a considerable centre of industry located on theWater of Leith southwest of Edinburgh, and a branch line toBalerno opened on 1 August 1874. The line was successful in encouraging residential building, especially atColinton, and also leisure excursions: for a time it was known as "the picnic line", but it too succumbed to more convenient transport facilities by road, and it closed to passengers in 1943.
Speculative residential development encouraged the construction of a line toBarnton, west of Edinburgh. The branch line opened on 1 March 1894; the terminus was named Cramond Brig at first. The Caledonian intended to make the line into a loop, returning to the city by way ofCorstorphine, but this idea was shelved.[17][14]
The Caledonian Railway had intended to lease, or absorb, theScottish Central Railway (SCR), which obtained itsact of Parliament, theScottish Central Railway Act 1845 (8 & 9 Vict. c. clxi), on the same day as the Caledonian. The SCR needed a partner railway to get access to Glasgow and Edinburgh, but the rivalEdinburgh and Glasgow Railway (E&GR) would provide that. The SCR opened from Greenhill Junction with the E&GR toPerth on 22 May 1848, and the Caledonian opened its branch to reach Greenhill Junction on 7 August 1848. The SCR remained independent for some time, mainly because of Parliamentary opposition to proposed mergers. The SCR builtPerth General station, which became the focus of several railways at that traffic centre, and a Joint Committee managed the station.
The SCR itself managed to absorb some local railways; theCrieff Junction Railway had opened fromCrieff to what later becameGleneagles station in 1856, and it was worked by the SCR and absorbed in 1865.
In 1858 theDunblane, Doune and Callander Railway was opened in 1858. It achieved considerable significance as the starting point for theCallander and Oban Railway, described below. It was absorbed by the SCR in 1865 immediately before the SCR amalgamated with the Caledonian Railway on 1 August 1865, finally having gained Parliamentary approval to do so.
The Scottish Central Railway was absorbed by the Caledonian Railway in 1865.
Several railways obtained their acts of Parliament on the same day as the Caledonian, on 31 July 1845. There was a frenzy of railway promotion in that year, and it seemed as if every locality must have its own line. The Scottish Central Railway had been described above; theScottish Midland Junction Railway (SMJR), theAberdeen Railway and theDundee and Perth Railway also got their acts on the same day.
The SMJR built a line fromPerth toForfar; at Perth it used the Scottish Central Railway joint station. The main line ran through the fertile area ofStrathmore and the SMJR adopted two existing short lines that were on a suitable alignment. They were theNewtyle and Coupar Angus Railway and the Newtyle and Glammiss Railway. Both were unsuccessful adjuncts to theDundee and Newtyle Railway, built using stone block sleepers and a track gauge of4 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1,384 mm). The two short lines were modernised and altered to double track using standard gauge. At Forfar the SMJR joined theArbroath and Forfar Railway, another earlier stone block railway, in this case using the track gauge of5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm). The SMJR opened in 1848.
The Inchture Express was ahorse-drawn carriage service operated by the Caledonian Railway Company. Its rails "ran along a hedge-lined route" toInchture railway station. It later closed and the rails were lifted.[30]
The Aberdeen Railway was to run north fromGuthrie, a few miles northwest ofArbroath. Joining the Arbroath and Forfar Railway there, it obtained access to both termini of that line. It was authorised to lease the A&FR. The Aberdeen Railway may have underestimated the cost of upgrading the A&FR's stone block track, and it ran out of money building its own main line; its construction was delayed and it encountered political difficulty inAberdeen itself. It opened in 1850 toFerryhill, on the southern margin of the city, extending toGuild Street station in 1854. There were branches toBrechin andMontrose.
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. It did so not by purchasing them, but by leasing them. This had the advantage that no payment was required at first, only a periodical payment much later. 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 found that the periodical lease payments were unaffordable, and it was rescued by the legal opinion that the lease agreements had beenultra vires.
TheDundee and Perth Railway opened in 1847; it was taken over by the Scottish Central Railway, and its network came to the Caledonian with the SCR when that company was taken over by the Caledonian in 1865.
TheScottish Midland Junction Railway opened in 1848 from Perth to Forfar, giving onward access to Aberdeen. The SMJR and the Aberdeen Railway amalgamated in 1856 to form theScottish North Eastern Railway in 1856. The SNER did not remain independent for long: it was absorbed by the Caledonian in 1866. At the time of the absorption the SNER and theGreat North of Scotland Railway were engaged in building a through line at Aberdeen, with a newJoint station; it opened in 1867.
The Caledonian had now got what it had wanted from the outset: control of an extensive network of lines covering a considerable territorial area. This came at a cost: Parliament became increasingly uncomfortable with monopolies of this kind, and when the North British Railway protested, it was given running powers over much of the Caledonian's northern system. There was worse to come: as the North British approachedDundee with the building of theTay Bridge, which opened in 1878, the NBR sought and was given joint ownership of theDundee and Arbroath Railway, which became jointly owned in 1881. The NBR had already built an independent line from Arbroath toKinnaber Junction, north of Montrose, and so, with the opening in 1890 of theForth Bridge immediately north of Edinburgh, the NBR now had a rival route to Aberdeen. Competition between the companies on the east and west coast routes from London to Aberdeen led in 1895 to what the press called theRace to the North.[31]
Acquisition of the SNER and other lines brought a number of branch lines to communities off the main line. A number of infill lines were added towards the end of the 19th century. The Dundee and Forfar direct line was opened by the Caledonian in 1870 betweenBroughty Ferry andForfar, developing commuter travel to Dundee but otherwise only a rural line. TheForfar and Brechin Railway was promoted as a potential alternative main line; it opened in 1895 but remained simply a rural branch.
TheCallander and Oban Railway was an independent company intended to connect thewestern seas to the railway network, but it had been promised financial support by theScottish Central Railway (SCR). The Caledonian absorbed the SCR in 1865 and the directors were dismayed at the level of commitment to a difficult construction scheme barely started. Construction took many years, reaching a "Killin" station in 1870 and completing in 1880, and money was always desperately tight.
The line was never profitable although it contributed greatly to the development of the town ofOban. A branch was built toBallachulish, opened in 1903.[32]
The western part of the line fromCrianlarich to Oban is open today, connected to the ex-NBRWest Highland Line, but the remainder has closed.[33][34]
ThePerth, Almond Valley and Methven Railway opened in 1858 to connectMethven to the SMJR network; it was extended toCrieff when theCrieff & Methven Railway opened in 1866.
Crieff now had two railway connections, using the same station. The upsurge in tourism inStrathearn encouraged many visitors, who used Crieff as a railhead and continued by road. In 1893 theCrieff and Comrie Railway made a short extension into Strathearn, and this encouraged ideas of completing a link right through to theCallander and Oban line. There were wild dreams of Irish cattle imports coming to Perth markets over the route. This became theLochearnhead, St Fillans and Comrie Railway; due to serious problems raising capital, it took from 1901 to 1905 to open fully. The through traffic never developed and passenger connections atBalquhidder were poor, discouraging through travel.[35]
From July 1865, the Caledonian Railway adopted "a version of theScottish arms, without, so far as is known, getting the blessing of theLord Lyon King of Arms". From September 1888 a further riband was added below theNemo me impune lacessit motto; this bore the wordsCaledonian Railway Company.[44]
