The Hamiltonhill Branch was constructed by the

Caledonian Railway The Caledonian Railway (CR) was one of the two biggest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping. It was formed in 1845 with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively ex ...

in 1894 with the intention to provide a large goods yard at Hamiltonhill on the

Forth and Clyde Canal The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allow ...

. There was also a branch to the

Saracen Foundry Saracen Foundry, Possilpark, Glasgow The Saracen Foundry was the better-known name for the Possilpark, Glasgow-based foundry company W MacFarlane & Co. Ltd, founded and owned by Walter MacFarlane. MacFarlane's was the most important manufactur ...

but this had to be closed as it was in breach of an agreement with the

North British Railway The North British Railway was one of the two biggest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, ...

History

The original act of parliament for the construction of the line was granted in 1876 but this lapsed before construction could begin. A second act was passed in the 1890s for the construction of the line. Most of the line opened between 1894 and 1896. in 1926 a branch was opened that served Robroyston Colliery. This branch closed in 1944. HamiltonHill1923

The Hamiltonhill yard closed at an early date, however the section of the line was extended by the

Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway The Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway was a railway company in Scotland. It was promoted independently but supported by the Caledonian Railway, and it was designed to connect Balloch, West Dunbartonshire, Balloch (on Loch Lomond) and Dumb ...

to Dumbarton and gave the Caledonian Railway access to Balloch, linking through to the

Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway The Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway was an early railway built primarily to carry coal to Glasgow and other markets from the Monkland coalfields, shortening the journey and bypassing the monopolistic charges of the Monkland Canal; passenger traffic ...

to the east. Part of the route between Eastfield and Possil was built along the course of an old waggonway which had run from pits at Eastfield to the Forth and Clyde Canal at Ruchill. Much of the former trackbed is still visible to this day.

Current operations

The line is now closed, having ceased operations in 1965

Connections to other lines

at Possil Junction *

at Balornock Junction * The Caledonian Railway Switchback at Balornock Junction

References

* *

External links

Google Maps
Closed railway lines in Scotland Caledonian Railway {{Scotland-rail-transport-stub