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.

Looking east across part of Princes Street Gardens, the monument to Sir Walter Scott is prominent in the background to the left. The North British Hotel is in the centre, with the North Bridge to its right above Waverley station.

The North British Hotel from the south east, beyond Waverley Station which is under the North Bridge

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.

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.

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.

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, Gretna and Carlisle.^[2]

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.

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 steeple displaying large clocks. It was renamed the Balmoral Hotel in the 1980s, though the old name is still shown in the stonework. The clock on the hotel has run since the building opened at three minutes ahead of real time to encourage tardy travellers to get to the station on time.^{[citation needed]}

Component companies

During its existence the NBR absorbed the following companies:

• Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway - first public railway in Scotland
• Slamannan Railway
• Ballochney Railway
• Dundee and Arbroath Railway
• Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway
• Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
• Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee Railway
• Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway
• Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway
• Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway
• Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway
• Kirkcaldy and District Railway
• West Highland Railway

Chief Mechanical Engineers

• Thomas Wheatley 1867-1874
• Dugald Drummond 1875-1882
• Matthew Holmes 1882-1903
• William P. Reid 1903-1919
• Walter Chalmers 1919-1922

References

Notes

Sources

• Hammerton, John Alexander (1920). Harmsworth's universal encyclopedia (1st Edition ed.). London: Educational Book Co. OCLC 52464434. 
• Hammerton, John Alexander (1925). Harmsworth's universal encyclopedia (Revised Edition ed.). London: Educational Book Co. OCLC 219858827. 

• British railways pre-grouping atlas and gazetteer (3rd edition ed.). London: Ian Allan. 1963. OCLC 221386661. 
• British railways pre-grouping atlas and gazetteer (4th edition ed.). London: Ian Allan. 1965. OCLC 38260240. 
• British railways pre-grouping atlas and gazetteer (5th edition ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. 1972. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. OCLC 811476. 
• British railways pre-grouping atlas and gazetteer (5th edition; 3rd impression ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. 1974. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. OCLC 256832221. 
• Conolly, W Philip (1980). British railways pre-grouping atlas and gazetteer (5th edition; 4th impression ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. OCLC 221481275. 

• Bonavia, Michael R. (1980). The Four Great Railways. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. 
• Thomas, John (1969). The North British Railway. Volume 1 (1844-1879) (1st edition ed.). Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. ISBN 0715346970. OCLC 76961. 

• Thomas, John (1975). The North British Railway. Volume 2 (1879-1922) (1st edition ed.). Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. OCLC 60079555. 

• North British Railway Study Group
• North British Railway & Other Railways

See also

• Locomotives of the North British Railway