Ballochney Railway
Encyclopedia
The Ballochney Railway was an early mineral railway built near Airdrie
, in the Monklands
District of Scotland
.
The railway was Incorporated on 19 May 1826 and was opened on 8 May 1828. Its main function was intended to be the transportation of coal
, but iron ore and passengers were also carried. It was built to the Scotch gauge
of ; and the engineer was Thomas Grainger
). The line included two self-acting inclined planes
.
It became relatively prosperous, by 1838 to 1834 it was paying 14 - 16% dividend
; and it contributed half the capital
of the Slamannan Railway
.
In 1848 it merged with other railway lines to become the Monkland Railways
; which in turn were absorbed by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
.
was to raise £18,431 (Pound sterling
) of joint stock capital
and a loan of £1,000. The Forth and Clyde Canal
company agreed to subscribe for stock in the railway company in February 1826, because an economic depression in Glasgow, which lasted from 1826–1827, made fund raising difficult. In 1826, £3,300 of capital came from England
.
A further Act was obtained in 1835 to raise, by means of a loan, an additional £10,000.
, at Kipps, to the west of Airdrie. From there branches went to:
There were two inclined planes
in the middle section.
started negotiations in 1844 to take over the various Monkland Railways; and at the same time the railway companies applied for permission to change
to Standard gauge
. In May 1846, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was refused permission to amalgamate and it decide to withdraw on 31 December 1846. The Caledonian Railway
by that time had taken over the Wishaw and Coltness Railway
and the Glasgow and Garnkirk Railway
.
The Ballochney Railway, the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway and the Slamannan Railway all obtained aurthorisation to change to Standard gauge
between 1845 and 1846. The three railways changed their gauge on 26 July and 27 July 1847.
and the Slamannan Railway
to become the Monkland Railways
.
The Monkland Railways were absorbed by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
by an Act of Parliament, dated 5 July 1865, effective from 31 July 1865. A day later (on 1 August 1865) the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was absorbed into the North British Railway
.
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...
, in the Monklands
Monklands, Scotland
Monklands was formerly one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland....
District of 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...
.
The railway was Incorporated on 19 May 1826 and was opened on 8 May 1828. Its main function was intended to be the transportation of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, but iron ore and passengers were also carried. It was built to the Scotch gauge
Scotch gauge
Scotch gauge was the name given to a track gauge, that was adopted by early 19th century railways mainly in the Lanarkshire area of Scotland. It differed from the gauge of that was used on some early lines in England; and from the standard gauge of...
of ; and the engineer was Thomas Grainger
Thomas Grainger
Thomas Grainger FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer and surveyor. He was born in Ratho, outside Edinburgh, to Hugh Grainger and Helen Marshall. Educated at Edinburgh University, at sixteen he got a job with John Leslie, a land surveyor.He started his own practice in 1816. In 1825 he formed a...
). The line included two self-acting inclined planes
Cable railway
A cable railway is a steeply graded railway that uses a cable or rope to haul trains.-Introduction:...
.
It became relatively prosperous, by 1838 to 1834 it was paying 14 - 16% dividend
Dividend
Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business , or it can be distributed to...
; and it contributed half the capital
Capital (economics)
In economics, capital, capital goods, or real capital refers to already-produced durable goods used in production of goods or services. The capital goods are not significantly consumed, though they may depreciate in the production process...
of the Slamannan Railway
Slamannan Railway
The Slamannan Railway was an early mineral railway built near Slamannan, Falkirk, Scotland, where it had coal and iron ore.The railway was Incorporated on 3 July 1835 and was opened on 31 August 1840. Its main function was intended to be the transportation of coal and passengers, but iron ore was...
.
In 1848 it merged with other railway lines to become the Monkland Railways
Monkland Railways
The Monkland Railways was formed on 14 August 1848 by the merger of the Ballochney Railway, the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway and the Slamannan Railway.A 4.5 mile extension was built to Bo'ness, which opened on 17 March 1851...
; which in turn were absorbed by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
Edinburgh and Glasgow 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 which was open on 28 July 1863. Services started between Glasgow Queen Street and Haymarket on 21 February 1842. The line was...
.
Formation of the railway
The original 1826 Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
was to raise £18,431 (Pound sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
) of joint stock capital
Joint stock company
A joint-stock company is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more individuals that own shares of stock in the company...
and a loan of £1,000. The Forth and Clyde Canal
Forth and Clyde Canal
The Forth and Clyde Canal crosses Scotland, providing a route for sea-going vessels between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. The canal is 35 miles long and its eastern end is connected to the River Forth by a short stretch of the River...
company agreed to subscribe for stock in the railway company in February 1826, because an economic depression in Glasgow, which lasted from 1826–1827, made fund raising difficult. In 1826, £3,300 of capital came from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
A further Act was obtained in 1835 to raise, by means of a loan, an additional £10,000.
The route
It was linked the Monkland and Kirkintilloch RailwayMonkland and Kirkintilloch Railway
The Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway was an early mineral railway running from a colliery at Monklands to the Forth and Clyde Canal at Kirkintilloch, Scotland....
, at Kipps, to the west of Airdrie. From there branches went to:
- Arbuckle;
- AirdrieAirdrie, North LanarkshireAirdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...
; - Ballochney;
- Clarkston.;
There were two inclined planes
Cable railway
A cable railway is a steeply graded railway that uses a cable or rope to haul trains.-Introduction:...
in the middle section.
Attempted take over and change of gauge
The Edinburgh and Glasgow RailwayEdinburgh and Glasgow 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 which was open on 28 July 1863. Services started between Glasgow Queen Street and Haymarket on 21 February 1842. The line was...
started negotiations in 1844 to take over the various Monkland Railways; and at the same time the railway companies applied for permission to change
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
to Standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. In May 1846, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was refused permission to amalgamate and it decide to withdraw on 31 December 1846. The Caledonian Railway
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
by that time had taken over the Wishaw and Coltness Railway
Wishaw and Coltness Railway
The Wishaw and Coltness Railway was an early Scottish railway. It ran for approximately 11 miles from Chapel Colliery, at Coltness, North Lanarkshire, to the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, near Gartsherrie...
and the Glasgow and Garnkirk Railway
Glasgow and Garnkirk Railway
The Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway was incorporated on 26 May 1826 and was ceremonially opened on 27 September 1831. It was built to the Scotch gauge of...
.
The Ballochney Railway, the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway and the Slamannan Railway all obtained aurthorisation to change to Standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
between 1845 and 1846. The three railways changed their gauge on 26 July and 27 July 1847.
Amalgamation to form the Monkland Railways
On 14 August 1848 the Ballochney Railway merged with the Monkland and Kirkintilloch RailwayMonkland and Kirkintilloch Railway
The Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway was an early mineral railway running from a colliery at Monklands to the Forth and Clyde Canal at Kirkintilloch, Scotland....
and the Slamannan Railway
Slamannan Railway
The Slamannan Railway was an early mineral railway built near Slamannan, Falkirk, Scotland, where it had coal and iron ore.The railway was Incorporated on 3 July 1835 and was opened on 31 August 1840. Its main function was intended to be the transportation of coal and passengers, but iron ore was...
to become the Monkland Railways
Monkland Railways
The Monkland Railways was formed on 14 August 1848 by the merger of the Ballochney Railway, the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway and the Slamannan Railway.A 4.5 mile extension was built to Bo'ness, which opened on 17 March 1851...
.
The Monkland Railways were absorbed by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
Edinburgh and Glasgow 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 which was open on 28 July 1863. Services started between Glasgow Queen Street and Haymarket on 21 February 1842. The line was...
by an Act of Parliament, dated 5 July 1865, effective from 31 July 1865. A day later (on 1 August 1865) the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was absorbed into the North British Railway
North 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:...
.
Connection to other lines
- Monkland and Kirkintilloch RailwayMonkland and Kirkintilloch RailwayThe Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway was an early mineral railway running from a colliery at Monklands to the Forth and Clyde Canal at Kirkintilloch, Scotland....
- At Dykehead Junction to the Slamannan RailwaySlamannan RailwayThe Slamannan Railway was an early mineral railway built near Slamannan, Falkirk, Scotland, where it had coal and iron ore.The railway was Incorporated on 3 July 1835 and was opened on 31 August 1840. Its main function was intended to be the transportation of coal and passengers, but iron ore was...
- At Brownieside Junction to the Bathgate and Coatbridge RailwayBathgate and Coatbridge RailwayThe Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway, also known as the "New Monkland Line", was built by Monkland Railways. It opened on 28 July 1863. The line was absorbed into the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway on 31 July 1865...