Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway

Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway

Legend    City of Glasgow Union Railway    Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway    Sighthill Junction Springburn Glasgow Queen Street Cowlairs Tunnel Pinkston North Craighall Cowlairs Cowlairs Junction    Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway    Hamiltonhill Branch of Caledonian Railway    Bishopbriggs Lenzie Middlemuir and Monkland Junctions    Campsie Branch    Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway Garngaber Goods Croy Dullatur Castlecary    Caledonian Railway Main Line Greenhill Upper and Lower Junctions Greenhill    Scottish Central Railway Bonnybridge High Falkirk High Falkirk Tunnel    Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway Polmont Junction Polmont Coatbridge Line Junction         Slamannan Railway Bo'ness High Junction    Slamannan and Borrowstounness Railway Manuel High Level Lochmill Goods Linlithgow Philpstoun Winchburgh Junction Winchburgh Winchburgh Tunnel Broxburn Oil    Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway Bathgate Junction South Queensferry Goods Forth Bridge Dalmeny Dalmeny North Junction Dalmeny South Junction Kirkliston Ingliston Colliery Ratho Turnhouse Gogar Gogar Goods Saughton Junction Saughton Corstorphine Pinkhill Balgreen Halt    Caledonian Railway Main Line Haymarket West Junction Haymarket Central Junction Haymarket East Junction    Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway Haymarket Haymarket Tunnel Edinburgh Waverley    North British Railway

The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was a railway built to link Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Act of Parliament for building the railway received its Royal Assent in 1838. Services started between Glasgow Queen Street and Haymarket on 21 February 1842. There was a rope hauled incline on the section of the railway from the entrance to the tunnel outside the Glasgow terminus, to Cowlairs station (where the main railway Works were located), this being a distance of 1.5 miles with an average gradient of 1 in 44. The endless rope for the incline was driven by two beam engines at Cowlairs, of the high pressure type, made by Messrs Neilson & Mitchell of Glasgow. They had 28 inch cylinders, and 6 foot stroke. They were supplied with steam at 50psi by 8 boilers, each 30 foot long and 5 foot diameter.^[1]

The line was extended to Edinburgh General in 1846.^[2] John Miller surveyed the route. In 1848 the hemp rope on the incline was replaced by steel cable, and it was to continue in operation until 31 January 1908, when banking engines took over.

The line was absorbed into the North British Railway on 1 August 1865.

The line is still open as the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line.

Connections to other lines

• At Sighthill Junction (on the Sighthill Branch) to the City of Glasgow Union Railway
• At Sighthill Junction to the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway
• At Cowlairs Junction to the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway
• At Lenzie to the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway and the Campsie Branch
• At Greenhill Upper to the Scottish Central Railway
• At Polmont to the Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
• At Manuel to the Slamannan Railway and Slamannan and Borrowstounness Railway
• At Winchburgh, Saughton and Dalmeny to the Forth Bridge Connecting Lines of the North British Railway
• At Bathgate Junction to the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway
• At Ratho to the South Queensferry Branch of Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
• At Haymarket to the Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway
• At Haymarket to the Caledonian Railway (Edinburgh Station and Branches)
• At Edinburgh Waverley to the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
• At Edinburgh Waverley to the North British Railway

Accidents

• 1862 - Winchburgh rail crash, 15 killed and 35 injured
• 1874 - Bo'ness Junction rail crash, 16 killed and 28 injured.
• 1917 - Ratho rail crash, 12 killed and 46 injured
• 1937 - Castlecary rail accident, 35 killed and 179 injured
• 1968 - Castlecary rail accident, 2 killed
• 1984 - Polmont rail accident, 13 killed and 61 injured

References

Sources

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. 
• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199. 
• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137. 
• RAILSCOT on Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
• RAILSCOT on South Queensferry Branch
• RAILSCOT on Corstorphine Branch
• Glasgow to Edinburgh Lines

External links

• March 1843 timetable from Bradshaw's Railway Monthly (XVI) (text) (scan)