Friday 9 September 2016

Glasgow - Central Station

The main entrance to the Glasgow Central Station is on Gordon Street in Glasgow.

Glasgow Central Station
In the entrance way is a memorial to the those who served the Caledonian Railway during World War One, and remembers 706 men who lost their lives.

Caledonian Railway Memorial
Glasgow Central Station

Caledonian Railway Memorial
Glasgow Central Station



 
The Caledonian Railway was formed on 31 July 1845, its main objective being to provide main line links to the English rail network. In 1848 the first main lines opened. The Caledonia Railway (CR) connected with the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) at Carlisle, proceeding north to Carstairs. The line then split, north west to Glasgow and north east to
Edinburgh.

Dining Car Express c.1914
 The network expanded into north and south Lanarkshire to meet the demands of the coal and iron industries. The growth of Glasgow and the rise of new conurbations led to demand for suburban passenger lines. Other expansion took place in the central Scottish belt and around Edinburgh.

 In 1865 the Caledonian absorbed the Scottish Central Railway (SCR), in doing so it extended to Stirling, Perth, Callander and Crieff. Another absorption in 1865, the Scottish Central railway, extended the CR to Dundee and Aberdeen. The absorption of SCR also brought with it a link to Oban.

Caledonian Locomotive & Train near Oban
 Until 1879 the CR was working out of 3 terminus in Glasgow, two termini south of the Clyde, Buchanan Street north of the Clyde.  The latter required a circuitous route to connect southward due to lack of bridges over the Clyde. A four track bridge was over the Clyde was completed in 1878 giving access to a new station, Glasgow Central which opened in 1879.

The CR operated the Greenock and Wemys Bay Railway which provided connections to steamers on the Clyde which prided links to Scottish Islands and Argyll. It became part of the Caledonian in 1893. In 1889, the nominally independent Caledonian Steam Packet Company was formed to operate ferries from the Clyde, eventually providing a service from Gourock to Rothesay, Largs and Millport. In 1890 a service from Androssan to Arran was established.


Caledonian Railway
1913 Map

Glasgow Central station was extended between 1901 and 1906 and another railway bridge constructed. The Glasgow Central Hotel, originally built in 1813 was also extended as part of the construction.
 
Caledonian Railway
Glasgow Central Station and Hotel
 

Caledonian Railway in World War One

Caledonian Railway
Perth Railway Station
On the outbreak if WW1 the Caledonian Railway had traffic from thirty large engineering works, forty three iron and steel works, thirty five shipyards and many smaller enterprises. The necessities of war saw large increases in output from these industrial locations. To supply the Royal Navy there was a requirement to move Welsh Coal to Scapa Flow. The West Coast Main Line provided better security (the East coast main line running along the coastal areas north of Newcastle), so large volume of coal trains and return empties increased traffic on the Caledonian. Over the course of the war traffic at Carlisle increased 91% north bound and 162% southbound. 
 
The demand for munitions led to the establishment of National Filling Factories. On the CR this included the NFF Grangetown , near Glasgow (prodution commenced January 1916) and NFF Gretna (which started production in April 1916). Six timber camps were established on the CR network, new military camps, airbases added more goods to move, and in some cases necessitated new works to handle the volumes.

Gretna Railway Station
World War One
 Passenger traffic increased due to movement of military personnel, over 7,600,000 additional passengers were carried throughout the war. Troop trains moved soldiers from barracks in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and other large towns. One movement resulted in the worst railway disaster in British history at Quintinshill, near Gretna, May 2nd 1915.

 
 
As with many other Railway Companies, the CR locomotive and carriage works included ammunition, guns, horse drawn vehicles and defence stores.

Four paddle steamers from the Caledonian Steam Packet Company were requisitioned by the Admiralty to operate as auxiliary minesweepers, two being sunk by mines whilst in service.
 
The Caledonia Railway released 5,229 staff to join Her Majesty's forces, representing 22% of the total staff employed on 4th August 1914.