Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway facts for kids
The Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway (C&DJR) was an early railway in Scotland. It opened in 1850. This railway connected the towns of Bowling and Balloch by going through Dumbarton. The company originally wanted to build a line all the way to Glasgow. However, they couldn't find enough money to do so.
Later, other railways reached Dumbarton. The C&DJR was taken over by a bigger company, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, in 1862. It then became a smaller part of the larger North British Railway network.
A competing railway, the Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway, planned a line very close by. To avoid building two lines side-by-side, an agreement was made. Part of the old C&DJR line became jointly owned in 1896. This new shared line was called the Dumbarton and Balloch Joint Railway.
Today, most of the original C&DJR line is still used.
History of the Railway
Why a Railway Was Needed
In 1770, William Stirling started a textile factory near Renton, by the River Leven. Other textile businesses soon opened there too. The area between Balloch and Dumbarton quickly became a busy center for making fabrics. A special red dye, called Turkey red, became very famous in this industry.
Dumbarton itself was an important town. It was on the main road between the Western Highlands and Glasgow. Shipbuilding also grew into a major industry in Dumbarton.
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway (E&GR) started running trains in 1842. This showed everyone how useful railways could be for connecting cities. Many people got excited about building more railways. In 1845, the Caledonian Railway and many other Scottish lines got permission from Parliament to build. A railway network was starting to form across Scotland.
Seeing the benefits, some people in 1844 suggested a railway line. It would run from the E&GR line near Cowlairs (just north of Glasgow). It would go through Dumbarton to Helensburgh and Balloch.
Building the Line
Quick facts for kids Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway Act 1846 |
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| Act of Parliament | |
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| Citation | 9 & 10 Vict. c. lxxxi |
On June 26, 1846, the Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway (C&DJR) got permission to build its line. This permission came from a special law called the Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway Act 1846. The company was allowed to raise £600,000, which was a huge amount of money back then.
The railway directors tried to let the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway (E&GR) rent their line before it was even built. But the E&GR said no. The Caledonian Railway, another big company, wanted to control many smaller railways. They offered to rent the C&DJR line for 5% of its cost. However, the C&DJR decided to stay independent.
The C&DJR still needed a way to connect to Glasgow. So, in 1847, they got another law passed. This law allowed them to extend their line to Port Dundas Road in Glasgow. It also allowed a short branch line to connect with the Glasgow Garnkirk and Coatbridge Railway. This railway had agreed to be rented by the Caledonian Railway. This new law allowed the C&DJR to raise an extra £50,000.
It was hard to get people to actually invest money. Even though the Caledonian Railway secretly bought some shares, only £183,510 was raised in total.
The small company faced serious money problems. Many investors didn't pay what they promised. So, the company decided to build a shorter railway. It would only run from Bowling to Balloch. Even for this smaller plan, they only got half the money they needed.
The railway was saved by George and James Burns. They were successful steamboat operators. They agreed to rent the railway in exchange for a large amount of cash. This money helped build the line. The Burns brothers also built piers at Balloch and Bowling. This made it easy to move goods and passengers from Glasgow by boat to the railway. Bowling was also at the end of the Forth and Clyde Canal. This canal connected to industries in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The railway was built right to the canal basin for easy trade.
The railway officially opened for trains on July 15, 1850. At that time, the company's advertisements called it the Dumbartonshire Railway. This was because the connection to the Caledonian Railway in Glasgow hadn't happened.
How the Railway Worked
The small railway did surprisingly well, thanks to the Burns Brothers. Eight fast steamboat trips ran daily from Glasgow to Bowling. Passengers could then switch to trains there. A trip from Glasgow to Loch Lomond took only 90 minutes. Day trips to Loch Lomond became very popular as tourism grew. Once, 600 tourists from Edinburgh visited Loch Lomond in a single day. They traveled by the E&GR, then by Clyde steamer, and finally by the C&DJR.
Coal from the Monkland mines was brought to Bowling using the Forth and Clyde Canal. This greatly lowered costs for businesses along the railway and around Loch Lomond. Steamboats on the Loch could reach Inverarnan. From there, people could take a coach to Oban. It was possible to travel from Glasgow to Oban in one day!
Connecting to Glasgow and Helensburgh
People still wanted a railway connection from Glasgow to Dumbarton and Helensburgh. The C&DJR only ran from Bowling to Balloch. So, a new company, the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway (GD&HR), stepped in. They got permission to build their line on August 15, 1855. This new line cost £240,000. It ran from the Edinburgh and Glasgow line at Cowlairs. It went through Maryhill, Dalmuir, and Kilpatrick to Bowling. This was similar to the C&DJR's original plan. It also went from Dalreoch to Cardross and Helensburgh.
The GD&HR line opened on May 31, 1858. The C&DJR, GD&HR, and E&GR agreed to share the money they earned. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway operated the new line. The GD&HR also paid the C&DJR half the cost of the bridge over the River Leven in Dumbarton. Both railways were managed almost like one company.
Bigger Railways Take Over
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway (E&GR) was already running both lines. It made sense for them to take over completely. The E&GR did this on August 14, 1862. Then, the E&GR itself was taken over by the North British Railway on August 1, 1865.
The C&DJR had finally achieved its goal of connecting with Glasgow through the GD&HR. Tourism to Loch Lomond continued to grow. Regular passenger and goods traffic was also strong. The line was now just a branch line, feeding into the main routes of the North British Railway.
The Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway Arrives
In 1889, a new railway was proposed. It was called the Dumbarton, Jamestown and Loch Lomond Railway. It would run up the east side of the River Leven. Then, in 1890, the Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway (L&DR) was announced. This line would run from Glasgow to Dumbarton. It would then join the Dumbarton, Jamestown and Loch Lomond Railway. The L&DR would serve many factories and shipyards along the north side of the Clyde. Many factory owners supported it. This new line would also connect to the Caledonian Railway network for goods.
On August 5, 1891, the Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway got permission to build its line. On the same day, the North British Railway (NBR) also got permission for its own improvements. The L&DR's success was a big win for the Caledonian Railway, which supported it.
| Dumbarton and Balloch Joint Line, &c. Act 1892 | |
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| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act to give effect to certain Agreements between the Caledonian North British and Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway Companies and to confer powers on them with respect to joint, ownership of the Railway between Dumbarton and Balloch and the Pier at Balloch and the joint acquisition and working of Steamboats on Loch Lomond and other matters to authorise the construction of certain Railways and Works at or near Dumbarton and for other purposes. |
| Citation | 55 & 56 Vict. c. clxx |
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| Royal assent | 27 June 1892 |
However, many shareholders and local people didn't want two expensive, similar lines. So, a compromise was reached. The North British Railway's line from Dumbarton to Balloch would be shared. The L&DR and the Caledonian Railway would also help manage it. The North British Railway didn't like this, but they had to agree. This agreement became law on June 27, 1892. Once the L&DR finished its line to Dumbarton, the route to Balloch would become a Joint Railway.
The Dumbarton and Balloch Joint Railway
The L&DR took some time to reach Dumbarton. It arrived at Dumbarton East Junction on June 15, 1896. The Dumbarton and Balloch Joint Railway officially started on October 1, 1896. It was managed together by the North British Railway (NBR), the Caledonian Railway (CR), and the Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway.
The pleasure steamboats on Loch Lomond also became part of the joint company. The NBR received £30,000 for them. The steamers were very fancy. They offered excellent service to different places on Loch Lomond. They also had good connections to the trains at Balloch Pier.
This new joint railway was part of the older Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway line. The section from Bowling to Dumbarton Junction stayed with the North British Railway. The seven-mile route had over eleven miles of extra tracks for goods. This shows how important industry was in the area.
Both the NBR and the CR wanted to run fast passenger trains. These trains would take people who lived by Loch Lomond to Glasgow for work. However, the single track from Balloch limited how many trains could run. People used to live by Loch Lomond on weekends and travel to Glasgow on Monday mornings. But this practice became less common over the years. By 1922, only one train left Balloch Pier on Mondays.
The NBR had promised better access to the factories in the Leven Valley. This was provided in the years after the 1892 law. At this time, the textile dyeing industry was very busy. There were many extra tracks on both sides of the line, especially between the railway and the River Leven. There were also many tracks in Dumbarton itself.
Later Years
On August 1, 1909, the L&DR was taken over by the Caledonian Railway. Since the Dumbarton and Balloch Joint Railway was owned equally by the Caledonian, L&DR, and NBR, the Caledonian now owned two-thirds of the line and the steamboats.
In 1923, the main railways in Great Britain were combined into larger groups. This happened because of a law called the Railways Act 1921. The Caledonian Railway became part of the new London, Midland and Scottish Railway. The North British Railway became part of the new London and North Eastern Railway. These two big companies continued to compete for trains to Balloch. The Dumbarton and Balloch Joint Railway remained jointly owned.
In 1948, the railways were taken over by the government. The line simply became part of British Railways in Scotland. The two routes from Balloch to Glasgow continued to compete. There were more than twenty trains daily on the old Caledonian route. About 16 trains ran on the old North British Railway route. Only a few trains went all the way to Balloch Pier. The weekend rush of travelers also ended. More and more people started using roads to travel from Loch Lomondside.
In 1960, electric trains began running on the line between Glasgow, Balloch, and Helensburgh. They used the old North British Railway route. However, between Dunglass and Dumbarton Junction, they used the Caledonian line. Dunglass was a short distance west of Bowling. The two routes were close there, so a new connection was built. A few electric trains started running on Saturday, November 5, 1960. A full service began the next day. But on December 13, a serious explosion happened on a train at Renton. Other problems followed, and the electric service was stopped. Steam trains started running again. The normal electric service finally restarted on October 1, 1961.
Steam trains continued to run on the Caledonian route until 1964. That line was then closed.
Use of Balloch Pier station dropped a lot in the following years. For some time, there were no regular passenger trains. However, the line could still be used for special trips. The last passenger trains ran in September 1986.
Today, electric passenger trains run from Balloch to Glasgow and beyond. They usually run every half hour. ScotRail operates these trains.
The Maid of the Loch
From the very beginning, steamboats on Loch Lomond worked with the trains. For much of the time, these boats were owned by one of the railway companies.
In 1953, the PS Maid of the Loch started operating. She was the largest ship ever built for inland waterways in Britain. She was also the last paddle steamer built in Britain. Because she was so big, she had to be put together right on the loch. She stopped operating on the loch in 1981.
Railway Stations
Here are the stations that were on the Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway:
- Bowling canal basin (for goods);
- Bowling; this station was moved on May 31, 1858, when the line to Glasgow opened;
- Dumbarton; a new station was built on May 31, 1858; it was made bigger in 1896 for the joint line;
- Dalreoch; first appeared in train schedules in May 1852;
- Renton;
- Alexandria;
- Forth and Clyde Junction; where a line from Drymen joined (from 1856);
- Balloch;
- Balloch Pier.
Here are the stations that were on the Dumbarton and Balloch Joint Railway:
- Dumbarton Junction; where the Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway and North British Railway lines met;
- Dumbarton Central;
- Dalreoch; where the North British Railway line to Helensburgh branched off;
- Renton;
- Alexandria; between 1935 and 1962, it was called Alexandria and Bonhill;
- Forth and Clyde Junction; where a line from Drymen joined (until 1934);
- Balloch; renamed Balloch Central in 1962; it was moved south of Balloch Road on September 29, 1986, to remove a level crossing; it was then renamed Balloch;
- Balloch Pier; closed on September 29, 1986.
All of these stations are still in use today, except for Bowling (the L&DR station) and Balloch Pier.
Connections to Other Lines
- Forth and Clyde Junction Railway at Forth and Clyde Junction
- Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway at Dalreoch Junction and Bowling
- Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway at Dumbarton Joint Line Junction and Bowling Link Line
