North British Railway

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The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company established in 1844, and absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.

Waverley Station, Edinburgh with the North British Hotel on the left

Contents

[edit] History

The North British Railway Company was established in 1844 and opened its first line, from Edinburgh to Berwick-upon-Tweed, with a branch to Haddington, in 1846.

[edit] Acquisitions

In 1865 it took over the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, the oldest in Scotland. Other amalgamations followed, altogether over 50 small lines being made part of the North British system, which ultimately totalled 2,739 miles.

[edit] Main line

The main line was from Aberdeen through Dundee to Edinburgh, whence it forked to Carlisle and Berwick to meet the main English routes (the London and North Western Railway (also the Midland Railway) and the North Eastern Railway respectively). Fife was covered with a network of lines, and the pleasure resorts on the east and west coasts were also served. The company owned the Tay Bridge and its services also used the Forth Bridge,[1] for whose construction it was responsible as part of the Route to the North in the 19th century.

[edit] English lines

Although primarily a Scottish railway, the NBR also had an extensive branch network in northern Northumberland, reaching to Hexham, Morpeth and Rothbury, as well as the main line into Berwick. Its lines also reached into northern Cumberland as far as Silloth, Port Carlisle, and Carlisle.[2]

Black Dyke Halt near Carlisle in 1961

[edit] Train services

The NBR operated services between Waverley station, Edinburgh and Queen Street station in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Carlisle (via Galashiels and Hawick – the Waverley Route) and between Newcastle upon Tyne and Aberdeen. The North British was a partner (with the North Eastern Railway and the Great Northern Railway) in the East Coast Joint Stock operation from 1860.

[edit] Business activities

The company’s headquarters were at 23 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh and its works at Cowlairs, Glasgow. Its capital in 1921 was £67 million.[1] Besides its railway, the company also operated steamers on the River Clyde serving Arran and points west [2] and acquired a 49% stake in the road haulage firm Mutter Howey.[3]

The North British Hotel at the east end of Princes Street in Edinburgh city centre forms a prominent landmark with its high tower displaying large clocks. It was renamed the Balmoral Hotel in the 1980s, though the old name is still shown in the stonework. Since the building opened, the clock on the hotel has run three minutes ahead of real time to encourage tardy travellers to get to the station on time[4].

[edit] Component companies

During its existence the NBR absorbed the following companies:

[edit] Chief Mechanical Engineers

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Harmsworth (1921)
  2. ^ a b Conolly (2004)
  3. ^ Bonavia (1980)
  4. ^ http://www.thebalmoralhotel.com/maps-and-directions/

[edit] Sources

The "Big Four" pre-nationalisation British railway companies
GWR constituents
LNER constituents
LMS constituents
SR constituents
Constituent railway companies of the London and North Eastern Railway
Constituent companies
Subsidiary companies
Historical Scottish railway companies
Primary companies
Caledonian Railway
Lines built by the Caledonian Railway
CR Cleland and Midcalder
CR Main Line
CR Douglas Branch
CR Hamilton Branch
CR Hamiltonhill Branch
CR The Switchback
Independent lines worked by the Caledonian Railway
Callander and Oban
Killin Railway
Glasgow and South
Western Railway
Great North of
Scotland Railway
Highland Railway
North British Railway
Joint lines
Other lines
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