Records of the Whiteinch Railway Co, Glasgow, Scotland

Scope and Content

  • Administrative papers, mainly reciepts, vouchers and certificates 1871-1880
  • Plans 1871-1879
  • Property claims 1871-1872
  • Correspondence 1857-1880
  • Booklet on Whiteinch dock 1873
  • Auditors' reports 1875-1879
  • Accounts and general meeting papers 1871-1881
  • Correspondence and agreements with the North British Railway 1871-1880
  • Reports of the directors 1873-1881
  • Financial records 1872-1880

Administrative / Biographical History

Around 1870 an isolated pocket of industrial activity formed on the north bank of the river Clyde at Whiteinch, Glasgow, Scotland. The site was surrounded by rural estates and was without railways. Local industrialists, estate owners and even the United Presbyterian Church contributed finances to two separate companies to take a line down through the estates to the riverside factories and yards. The Whiteinch Railway Co was to construct a short branch off the Stobcross line, Glasgow, and the Whiteinch Tramway Co was to continue the line across the road and through the fields to the river. Both companies received Acts of Incorporation in July 1872  and the complete system came into use in September 1874  . The North British Railway Co worked the traffic down to the Dumbarton Road where it was taken over by James and William Wood who conveyed it over the tramway to the various yards and works. At first this was done using horse haulage, but capacity was enough in 1875  to justify the purchase of a locomotive. The North British Railway Co had a covetous eye of the Whiteinch line and after several attempts, purchased the line in 1891  . By this time Whiteinch had become a residential and industrial suburb of Glasgow and the intention was to turn the line into a passenger branch. In 1897, passenger traffic opened to the Victoria Park station at Whiteinch.

Source: David Thomas, vol 6A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Scotland(Newton Abbot, 1971)

Arrangement

The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received

Access Information

Open

Acquisition Information

Loan : Mitchells, Johnston & Co : Glasgow : prior to 1966

Other Finding Aids

The archive forms part of the Scottish Railways Collection held by Glasgow University Archive Services, finding aid reference GB 248 UGD 008

Digital file level list available in searchroom

Manual file level list available at the National Registers of Archives in Edinburgh (NRA(S)1631) and London (NRA21659)

Alternative Form Available

No known copies

Conditions Governing Use

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the University Archivist

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use & condition of documents

Appraisal Information

This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 248 procedures

Custodial History

Held by Mitchells, Johnston & Co , solicitors, Glasgow

Accruals

None expected

Related Material

GB 248 UGD 008 The Scottish Railway Collection

GB 248 UGD 008/1 Records of North British Railway Co

For contact details of all repositories with a GB code, see the Archon repository search page

Bibliography

J R Kellet,Railways and Victorian Cities(London, 1979)

Additional Information

This material is original

Revised by Lesley Richmond, Director of Archive Services, 26 April 2002