The Blane Valley Railway was a railway line in Scotland to the east of Glasgow. It is now closed. In 1891 the railway company was absorbed by the North British Railway, which had operated the line and been a major shareholder from the start.[1] When NBR took over the line was in a poor state. The goods shed was inadequate for the amount of traffic, the only crane was too small and siding accommodation was deficient. There was considerable potential for the transportation of cattle in the area but there were no facilities in place. Capital was invested and the line transformed. The locomotives were cleaned and the stations given a makeover. Close attention was given to the cleanliness of staff and the neatness of their uniforms. The railway was the only means of transport for the people living in the area and was a source of much pride.[2] In 1923 following the grouping it became part of London and North Eastern Railway. Following nationalisation in 1947, it was taken over by British Railways. Unable to compete in the face of road competition, the line was closed to passengers in 1951 and closed completely in 1959.
The Blane Valley Railway, extended the Campsie Branch of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway into the countryside immediately south of the Campsie Fells. In this sparsely populated area the main item of carriage for the line was expected to be milk to be taken to Glasgow.[1] An act for the new railway was obtained on 6 August 1861. The eight and a quarter miles opened for freight in November 1866 and passengers in July 1867 as far as a station named Killearn. In fact the station was about two miles short of Killearn. When the Strathendrick and Aberfoyle Railway extended the route in the 1880s a new station was built at Killearn with the previous station of that name renamed as Dumgoyne. A new station was built at Lennoxtown to by-pass the previous Campsie Branch terminus there. Duntreath Castle was close to the line. The Edmonstone family had a railway halt installed at the Castle, Alice Keppel, née Edmonstone, the mistress of Edward VII, lived there. The Royal Train bearing the King was believed to have used the line from time to time.[2] Throughout its life the line had been used by through trains from Glasgow to Aberfoyle. However, in the closing years, the service terminated at Blanefield with a separate single coach train running to Aberfoyle and back. This service was little used and would sometimes run without a single passenger.[2]
Closureedit
By summer 1950 Blanefield was being served by five trains a day. The line closed to passengers the next year, on 1 October 1951. The line north from Campsie Glen closed completely eight years later, with the ending of the remaining goods services in October 1959. In April 1966 the final remaining goods services operated, and the remaining line was closed and the tracks and infrastructure removed. Parts of this railway track are now used by long-distance walking routes, the West Highland Way and the John Muir Way.[3] The southern section to Strathblane is used by the Strathkelvin Railway Path - a cycle / foot path.[4]
Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
Alison Dryden (2004). . Strathblane Historical Society. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
Alison Dryden (2004). . Strathblane Historical Society. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
October 27, 2023
blane, valley, railway, railway, line, scotland, east, glasgow, closed, 1891, railway, company, absorbed, north, british, railway, which, operated, line, been, major, shareholder, from, start, when, took, over, line, poor, state, goods, shed, inadequate, amoun. The Blane Valley Railway was a railway line in Scotland to the east of Glasgow It is now closed In 1891 the railway company was absorbed by the North British Railway which had operated the line and been a major shareholder from the start 1 When NBR took over the line was in a poor state The goods shed was inadequate for the amount of traffic the only crane was too small and siding accommodation was deficient There was considerable potential for the transportation of cattle in the area but there were no facilities in place Capital was invested and the line transformed The locomotives were cleaned and the stations given a makeover Close attention was given to the cleanliness of staff and the neatness of their uniforms The railway was the only means of transport for the people living in the area and was a source of much pride 2 In 1923 following the grouping it became part of London and North Eastern Railway Following nationalisation in 1947 it was taken over by British Railways Unable to compete in the face of road competition the line was closed to passengers in 1951 and closed completely in 1959 Blane Valley RailwayOverviewLocaleScotlandDates of operation12 August 1880 5 August 1891SuccessorNorth British RailwayTechnicalTrack gauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm Route mapLegendStrathendrick amp Aberfoyle RlyKillearnDumgoyneBlanefieldStrathblaneCampsie GlenLennoxtown New Lennoxtown Old Campsie BranchSite of Campsie Glen station Part of King Edward VII s Royal Train Now held at The National Rail Museum YorkDuntreath CastleContents 1 History 2 Closure 3 References 3 1 Notes 3 2 SourcesHistory editThe Blane Valley Railway extended the Campsie Branch of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway into the countryside immediately south of the Campsie Fells In this sparsely populated area the main item of carriage for the line was expected to be milk to be taken to Glasgow 1 An act for the new railway was obtained on 6 August 1861 The eight and a quarter miles opened for freight in November 1866 and passengers in July 1867 as far as a station named Killearn In fact the station was about two miles short of Killearn When the Strathendrick and Aberfoyle Railway extended the route in the 1880s a new station was built at Killearn with the previous station of that name renamed as Dumgoyne A new station was built at Lennoxtown to by pass the previous Campsie Branch terminus there Duntreath Castle was close to the line The Edmonstone family had a railway halt installed at the Castle Alice Keppel nee Edmonstone the mistress of Edward VII lived there The Royal Train bearing the King was believed to have used the line from time to time 2 Throughout its life the line had been used by through trains from Glasgow to Aberfoyle However in the closing years the service terminated at Blanefield with a separate single coach train running to Aberfoyle and back This service was little used and would sometimes run without a single passenger 2 Closure editBy summer 1950 Blanefield was being served by five trains a day The line closed to passengers the next year on 1 October 1951 The line north from Campsie Glen closed completely eight years later with the ending of the remaining goods services in October 1959 In April 1966 the final remaining goods services operated and the remaining line was closed and the tracks and infrastructure removed Parts of this railway track are now used by long distance walking routes the West Highland Way and the John Muir Way 3 The southern section to Strathblane is used by the Strathkelvin Railway Path a cycle foot path 4 References editNotes edit a b Awdry 1990 page 118 a b c Thomas John 1976 Forgotten Railways Scotland David and Charles pp 102 108 ISBN 0 7153 7185 1 West Highland Way at Laighparks Geograph org uk Retrieved 13 January 2015 Blane Valley Railway Geograph org uk Retrieved 13 January 2015 Sources edit Awdry Christopher 1990 Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies Sparkford Patrick Stephens Ltd ISBN 1 8526 0049 7 OCLC 19514063 CN 8983 Jowett Alan March 1989 Jowett s Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland From Pre Grouping to the Present Day 1st ed Sparkford Patrick Stephens Ltd ISBN 978 1 85260 086 0 OCLC 22311137 Alison Dryden 2004 Strathblane station and the story of the line Strathblane Historical Society Archived from the original on 3 October 2011 Retrieved 18 October 2011 Alison Dryden 2004 Blanefield station and the story of the line Strathblane Historical Society Archived from the original on 3 October 2011 Retrieved 18 October 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Blane Valley Railway amp oldid 1180249120, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
