From 1865 Caledonian Railway branches in North Lanarkshire

1 1865

1.1 shotts line
1.2 bothwell, hamilton , motherwell
1.3 wishaw deviation line
1.4 switchback line
1.5 airdrie lines
1.6 bellshill cut-off

from 1865
the shotts line

the caledonian railway in north lanarkshire in 1887

in 1869 caledonian railway opened long west east line cleland midcalder on carstairs - edinburgh line. ran via hartwood, shotts , fauldhouse, connecting collieries , industries, , forming shorter through passenger route glasgow edinburgh. opened goods , mineral trains on 1 january 1869, , passenger service started on 9 july 1869. station provided @ omoa (already served earlier morningside , drumbowie line, little further south) , spur connection there provided @ bellside junction connect west north, bringing turdees junction mineral line network.

the mineral line @ turdees junction extended 1881 dunsiston colliery.

bothwell, hamilton , motherwell

in 1873 north british railway had attempted obtain authorisation penetrating lines hamilton area. caledonian railway managed put successful opposition scheme, undertaking build branch fallside junction (between uddingston , motherwell) bothwell, there rather grand station . line opened in 1877 , did not make connections pits. if intention deflect north british reaching area, unsuccessful: glasgow, bothwell, hamilton , coatbridge railway, nominally independent friendly nbr, authorised in 1874 , opened 1877. many years competition on 2 routes bothwell glasgow fierce.

the hamilton branch had been part of clydesdale junction railway proposals; hamilton terminus west of town, @ present-day hamilton west location. mineral lines south of motherwell , hamilton had built up, gap between hamilton , motherwell proved inconvenient. in 1876 gap closed when line opened connecting hamilton terminus triangular junction @ ross junction lesmahagow line. opened goods traffic on 23 september 1876, passenger services starting on 2 october 1876. trains lesmahagow area run glasgow direct, avoiding congestion @ motherwell. major marshalling yard developed @ ross junction of mineral traffic pits sorted onward conveyance. former hamilton terminus renamed hamilton west, , connecting line had new station @ hamilton central. pits @ silverton , barncluith connected, followed viaduct on clyde , barncluith tunnel under chatelherault estate (later chatelherault country park. turning north line passed haughead junction new southward line ferniegair , lesmahagow diverged, ending @ ross junction.

the wishaw deviation line

notwithstanding relief congestion @ motherwell, traffic in area increasingly affected heavy industry developing in area , @ wishaw. in 1880 deviation line opened, paralleling , running north of main line. ran law junction, east of garriongill junction, , ran north-west through wishaw carfin (later renamed holytown) new station @ wishaw central; former wishaw station on original main line renamed wishaw south. new line enabled traffic between carlisle area , coatbridge , beyond avoid motherwell altogether.

the switchback line

the 1861 dalmarnock goods line extended short distance serve parkhead forge of william beardmore , company in 1885. (the site, south of north british railway line shettleston, occupied forge shopping centre.) caledonian railway continued feel disadvantage of having no connection between buchanan street lines , clydesdale junction lines near glasgow, , in 1886 gap closed railway parkhead junction, short of forge complex, blochairn branch, connected germiston junction, short distance out buchanan street , st rollox.

at time urban housing , street network considerably built up, , new line had pass on , under existing roads , railways. involved succession of gradients , line, officially known caledonian s glasgow lines became known switchback : fairground rides of kind popular @ time. crossing on london road , great eastern road reach parkhead junction, line passed on nbr shettleston line, under cumbernauld road kennyhill goods depot. crossed monklands canal , reached blochairn junction; crossed under buchanan street line @ provanmill, turning west , facing towards buchanan street, joining line on north side.

airdrie lines

airdrie had long been served monkland railways, allied north british railway, , caledonian had reached coatbridge glasgow rutherglen , coatbridge (r&c) line. importance of airdrie , mineral , manufacturing districts south , east of town compelled caledonian build line it. line built running east langloan on r&c line , crossing former glasgow garnkirk , coatbridge line @ whifflet. @ low level there complex of running lines , sidings , low level whifflet station. whifflet high level station provided on new line, continued east calder, crossing monkland canal high viaduct; line looped north airdrie passenger , goods station on graham street. line opened on 19 april 1886 goods traffic , on 1 june 1886 passenger trains. passenger trains ran through glasgow central low level partickhill or maryhill.

there important pits , ironworks serve, , extension built, leaving airdrie branch triangular junction short distance south of station, , running cairnhill junction calderbank, there iron works. line opened on 1 september 1887.

a branch gartness opened @ same time; gartness important colliery, served north british railway. caledonian line ran gartness junction, southern apex of airdrie triangle.

the bellshill cut-off

the cleland , midcalder line of 1869 carried traffic glasgow via mossend, whifflet , rutherglen , coatbridge line. area heavily congested slow mineral trains, , link line opened on 1 october 1878 uddingston junction on main line through bellshill fullwood junction joined earlier cleland branch, extended. formed more direct route iron workings in , beyond cleland towards glasgow, shortening edinburgh glasgow route. complex of junctions forming @ mossend, @ same time west-to-north curve , south-to-east curve provided.