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70-422: The Kelvin Valley Railway was an independent railway designed to connect Kilsyth , an important mining town in central Scotland, with the railway network. It connected Kilsyth to Kirkintilloch and thence over other railways to the ironworks of Coatbridge , and to Maryhill , connecting onwards to the Queen's Dock at Stobcross. The line opened in 1878. The hoped-for passenger traffic never developed, but

140-527: A broad loop round the north of Glasgow and then westwards some distance north of the River Clyde. At the time the industry of Glasgow was concentrated in the central and eastern areas, and the shipping that came to the city berthed at Broomielaw; there was relatively little industrial and marine activity on Clydeside west of the city, and the GD&;HR did not serve those areas. The GD&HR was absorbed by

210-607: A huge boat lift that connects the Union and Forth & Clyde Canal networks, and the Antonine Wall – marking the northern edge of the Roman Empire . Kilsyth is about 30 minutes from Glasgow , 15 minutes from Falkirk , 30 minutes from Stirling and 45 minutes from Edinburgh by car, bus (new express link in 2011) or train from nearby Croy station . Kilsyth held an international carnival in mid-August – in 2007 this

280-503: A loss of £1,400, they had been reimbursed out of NBR funds. The Maryhill connection was made on 1 October 1879, but the passenger service to Kilsyth was still routed through Kirkintilloch, except for a single journey each way between Maryhill and the one-platform halt at Torrance. The Torrance to Birdston section had no passenger service. Once again the KVR directors protested, and the NBR extended

350-657: A narrow strip of land between the Kilsyth Hills to the north and the River Kelvin to the south. To the east and west it is bordered by marshland and bogs . The centre of the town is close to the confluence of the Garrell and Ebroch burns . From earliest recorded times Kilsyth was one of the main routes between Glasgow , Falkirk and Edinburgh , and is very close to the Roman Antonine Wall ,

420-453: A new Low Level station at Queen Street, to Stobcross which was now on a through line instead of a dead end. The line proved immensely popular with passengers, and goods traffic could now be brought in by a shorter route. A short branch was opened on the same day from Partick Junction (on the original Stobcross line) to a terminus at Hyndland. On 1 August 1886 a spur was opened from Knightswood South Junction to Knightswood North Junction, forming

490-556: A prospectus was issued for the Kelvin Valley Railway, and considerable local support was generated. The North British Railway agreed to work the line, but the NBR was not enthusiastic about the prospects for the line, and only acquiesced to keep the rival Caledonian Railway out of the area. The Kelvin Valley Railway was incorporated by Act of Parliament on 21 July 1873, for a line from Kilsyth to Maryhill and

560-474: A public swimming pool, open seven days a week, a public library, a small cottage hospital and health centre, and a range of recreational facilities such as tennis courts and bowling clubs. A feature of Burngreen Park is a children's road safety attraction with a model road layout and bikes, etc. for hire. It is also an accredited Walkers are Welcome town. Nearby attractions include the Falkirk Wheel ,

630-589: A railway running eastward from Kilsyth to join the Caledonian Railway branch at Denny. The transit for their mineral traffic to Glasgow would have been longer, but from the NBR's point of view the whole of the business would be lost to a competitor. The NBR now promoted a Kilsyth Railway . This was to run through Strathkelvin from Kilsyth to Birdston, joining the Campsie branch there and giving access to both Coatbridge and Glasgow over their own lines; and

700-522: A short spur line to the Campsie branch at Birdston. The authorised capital was £90,000. The independent company failed to generate the subscriptions necessary to construct the line, particularly in the face of the manifest reluctance of the NBR. Baird Brothers already had an extensive mineral tramway network in the Kilsyth area serving their mines and smelters, and they were no strangers to the use of their power to influence events. They threatened to promote

770-610: A small industrial complex had established at Whiteinch. Shipbuilding and joinery works were prominent. The area was rural and remote at the time, and the construction of the Stobcross line presented an obvious opportunity, and on 1 July 1872 the Whiteinch Railway was authorised; at the same time the Whiteinch Tramway was authorised, which distributed wagons within the estate area. The Whiteinch Railway joined

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840-452: A south to west chord and enabling through running from the City and District line towards Milngavie and Dalmuir. Remote from the Stobcross branch, the missing link from Clydebank to Dalmuir was filled in 1897, from which time the NBR network was complete, with two linked routes from Queen Street High and Low Levels to Dalmuir and beyond, with the facility to cross over through Anniesland. At

910-491: Is 10,380. The town is famous for the Battle of Kilsyth and the religious revivals of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The town now has links with Cumbernauld at one time being part of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District Council. The towns also have the same members of parliament at Holyrood and Westminster. Historically part of Stirlingshire , Kilsyth is at an elevation of 200 feet (60 metres) above sea level and occupies

980-415: Is also an SNP MP. Kilsyth Community Council , as the locally elected representative body, is an active community group but enjoys very limited powers. Since 1995 Kilsyth has been part of North Lanarkshire . The arms of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District Council featured an open Bible and the shuttle and miner's lamp. These symbols were taken from the earlier arms of Kilsyth. However the open Bible and

1050-479: Is also the Golden Gloves Boxing Club and many other groups and organisations. Kilsyth has three primary schools: Kilsyth Primary and Balmalloch Primary, and St Patrick's Primary School ( Roman Catholic ). Children from each school can progress to Kilsyth Academy while children from St Patrick's Primary generally advance to St. Maurice's High School located in nearby Cumbernauld . Kilsyth Academy

1120-484: Is now under Banton Loch which is a largely artificial body of water used to feed the Forth and Clyde Canal, close to its highest elevation. The canal was cut through Dullatur Bog in 1769–1770 bringing economic benefit to Kilsyth. (It apparently disturbed many small toads which relocated by hopping northwards). Historically the parish was known as Moniabrugh, or one of its variants, with its name changing sometime in

1190-570: Is situated on Corrie Road and hosts a range of functions throughout the year. Kilsyth is twinned with Meulan in France. Kilsyth artworks include several pieces by William Piper, including one about Kilsyth and Meulan. Stobcross Railway As industry and housing developed further west the line became the stem of further branches, and in 1886 the sub-surface Glasgow City and District Railway connected through Queen Street Low Level to Stobcross. Queen's Dock closed in 1969 and freight use of

1260-638: The Forth and Clyde Canal and the main Glasgow to Edinburgh railway line, with the nearest railway station at Croy . Formerly two separate stations existed in the town on separate, although linked, railway lines. One, the Kelvin Valley Railway went to Glasgow-Maryhill while the other, the Kilsyth and Bonnybridge railway , went via Banknock to Falkirk. The town occupies a sheltered position in

1330-630: The Glasgow City and District Railway in 1886, providing a through east-west sub-surface route through Glasgow. This hugely relieved the pressure on the cramped and congested Queen Street terminus, and the NBR was now able to establish a passenger service pattern over the Maryhill line. From 1886, trains generally started at Bridgeton Cross, running through Queen Street Low Level and Maryhill, to Torrance and Kilsyth. The previous passenger service through Lenzie and Kirkintilloch continued as well. However

1400-699: The Kelvin Valley , and is bisected by the A803 between Kirkintilloch and Falkirk . The old drovers' road from Stirling , (the Tak Ma Doon Road), and the route south to Cumbernauld via Auchinstarry Bridge , intersect the A803 at Kilsyth. There is archaeological evidence of settlement since Neolithic times The Romans recognised the strategic significance of Kilsyth; the Antonine Wall forts of Bar Hill and Croy Hill are clearly visible from

1470-532: The 18th century. The town economy has shifted over the past three centuries from dairy farming , handloom weaving , tambouring and extractive industries to light engineering , transport and service industries . Many of the townsfolk of working age now commute to work in larger towns or Glasgow . Following its foundation as an early monastic settlement, the town has a long tradition of radical protestantism . John Livingstone described himself as being from Monyabrock, an old name for Kilsyth. The town

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1540-620: The Boathouse and the Scarecrow pub, and a fair choice of local restaurants - European, Indian, Chinese, and fish & chips. The nearby villages of Croy , Banton , Queenzieburn , and Twechar are within easy walking distance from Kilsyth. Townhead reservoir, known locally as Banton Loch, is the site of the Battle of Kilsyth and is the main reservoir for the Forth and Clyde Canal. A thriving marina has been developed at Auchinstarry close to

1610-717: The Callendar and Livingston families as their fortunes waxed and waned, eventually becoming the property of the Edmonstones. Kilsyth was established as a Burgh of Barony in 1620. A Town Charter was granted in 1826, permitting the holders of plots to elect a Town Council. It used to be part of Stirlingshire, but is now within North Lanarkshire jurisdiction. In 2012, the multi-member ward was represented by three elected councillors; Jean Jones (Labour), Heather McVey (Labour) and Alan Stevenson (SNP). Jamie Hepburn MSP

1680-579: The E&;GR in 1862 and the E&GR was itself absorbed by the larger North British Railway (NBR) in 1865. As shipping activity increased, larger and more numerous vessels required to berth in Glasgow and it was obvious that they could not be accommodated in the central area. In 1872 the Clyde Commissioners started work on a new dock at Stobcross, on the north shore of the Clyde to the west of

1750-565: The Maryhill to Kilsyth service, and on 4 August 1951 for the Kirkintilloch to Kilsyth trains. The line remained open for goods traffic for the time being. In 1958 driver training on new diesel multiple unit trains took place on the line. In 1960 an enthusiasts' railtour ran on the line, hauled by the preserved locomotive Glen Douglas , which is now housed in the Riverside Museum in Glasgow. In 1966 freight traffic ceased and

1820-491: The Maryhill to Torrance train to Kilsyth from 29 October 1880. The additional revenue was negligible and the NBR discontinued the extended journey from 31 December 1880. The KVR was absorbed by the North British Railway on 1 August 1885. The declared cost of constructing the line was £77,308. KVR shareholders were to receive a guaranteed 4% dividend for two years and thereafter 5% in perpetuity. The NBR opened

1890-576: The NBR had become the project manager for the scheme. The NBR put no emphasis on the western section of the line, from Birdston to Maryhill: opening it would in any case abstract revenue from their own lines on which the traffic was flowing. However agitation from the Kelvin Valley company – of course principally the Baird Brothers – motivated it to construct that section; it was open for goods traffic on 4 June 1879. The connection at Maryhill

1960-651: The Stobcross Railway were: Almost all of the route is still open as of September 2015: most of it forms part of the North Clyde Line electric commuter network and the remainder at the northern end is used by Maryhill Line DMU services between Maryhill and Anniesland . Network Rail began work in the summer of 2015 to reinstate the former Knightswood South Junction connection near Anniesland to allow through running once more between Hyndland & Partick and Maryhill via Kelvindale. The only parts of

2030-584: The Stobcross line near Crow Road; the junction was named Whiteinch Junction and the line opened on 29 October 1874. The Whiteinch Railway ran down as far as the Dumbarton Road, and the tramway operated an east-west distributor route south of the main road. On 1 January 1897 the Whiteinch Railway was made a passenger line, with a new connection with the Yoker line at Whiteinch West Junction;

2100-603: The area was regenerated by infilling the docks; the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre now stands on the site. The extensive sidings at Stobcross to serve the dock have all been removed and occupied by the Exhibition Centre and other developments. The railway connection to the Queen's Dock was severed much earlier, in 1980, when Maryhill Park Junction signal box was burnt down, and the section of

2170-451: The bulk of its mineral traffic over the Kelvin Valley line to quays on the Clyde, and this proved to be the dominant source of income for the line. On 2 July 1888 the Kilsyth and Bonnybridge Railway opened, running eastwards from the KVR station at Kilsyth, and connecting to the Caledonian Railway line at Larbert Junction, via Bonnybridge. The North British Railway became a constituent of the new London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at

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2240-499: The city. The new dock was formally opened on 18 September 1877 by the Lord Provost of Glasgow, and he announced that by permission of Queen Victoria the new dock was to be known as The Queen's Dock . The new facility was obviously going to make considerable changes to commodity flows in Glasgow, and the North British Railway set about constructing a branch line to serve the dock. The NBR obtained an authorising Act in 1869; it

2310-618: The climbing wall and lakes at the old quarry. Kilsyth Lennox Golf Club was founded in 1899. The original nine-hole course was the Balmalloch area of the town, but moved in 1905 to the present position North East of the town. Between 1997 and 2002, the majority of the greens and tees were redesigned by Rocky Roquemore , the American Golf Course architect. The club hosts a Festival of Golf in the first week in July. Kilsyth has

2380-506: The coal traffic from Kilsyth to the River Clyde was buoyant for many years. Motor bus competition had greatly reduced the passenger use of the line, and it closed to passengers in 1951. The mineral traffic was also declining and, in 1966, the line closed completely. None of it is active for rail purposes now. Kilsyth had become an important quarrying and mining centre, as well as having a chemical works and coke ovens. Iron ore extraction

2450-411: The decline of heavy industries and the rise of efficient bus services, meant that the steam trains running through the city in poorly ventilated tunnels were increasingly unpopular. A modernisation plan was developed in 1955, and this led to electrification of the passenger operation of most of the former NBR network. Most of the old Caledonian routes were to close to passengers. The new passenger service

2520-486: The exercise of the Caledonian Railway's running powers as inconvenient as possible; this included various forms of delay for supposed operational reasons, and the refusal to allow stabling of Caledonian locomotives at Stobcross, resulting in much wasteful light running. However the NBR and the Caledonian each had their own goods yard at Partick. It was not just berthing of ships that was moving down river; by this time

2590-472: The first Pentecostal Church in Scotland in 1902 led to further outbreaks of revival in 1908 and to Kilsyth becoming an early focus of Pentecostalism . Kilsyth was originally part of the deanery of Lennox. The parish was called variously Monyabroch, Monaeburgh, or Moniabrocd, but part of the parish was called Kelvesyth by the beginnings of the 13th century. The lands passed through the hands of branches of

2660-517: The grouping of the railways of Great Britain, following the Railways Act 1921 . By this time motor buses and improved roads were abstracting much passenger and goods traffic from the railway. Nationalisation of the railways followed in 1948, and the line was part of British Railways Scottish Region. A review of heavily loss-making passenger services at this time included the Kelvin Valley line, and closure to passengers followed on 31 March 1951 for

2730-559: The line was closed completely. The line opened between Birdston Junction and Kilsyth on 1 June 1878, and between Maryhill and Birdston Junction on 1 October 1879. Locations on the route were: Kilsyth Kilsyth ( / k ɪ l ˈ s aɪ θ / ; Scottish Gaelic : Cill Saidhe ) is a town and civil parish in North Lanarkshire , roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland . The estimated population

2800-462: The line was minimal, but part of the line has been electrified and most of it is in use in 2015 for passenger trains. The Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway (GD&HR) was opened in 1858, running from the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway (E&GR) at Cowlairs to Dumbarton where it joined an existing railway; together they served Balloch and Loch Lomond, and Helensburgh. The new line ran in

2870-438: The main line out of Glasgow Central, to Stobcross and curving round to Maryhill. Now the Caledonian too had a direct line through the centre of the city offering convenient east-west transits for passengers. Stobcross and the Queen's Dock was now reached from the city by the Caledonian as well. In 1923 the main line railways of Great Britain were "grouped" by the Railways Act 1921 into four large groups. The North British Railway

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2940-523: The miner's lamp were the only symbols which were carried on to the North Lanarkshire coat of arms. Kilsyth has many of the elements associated with a Scottish market town, including a pedestrianised Main Street with a wide range of local and specialist independent shops, attractive parks and gardens at Burngreen and Colzium complete with bandstands, welcoming hostelries such as the Coachman Hotel,

3010-533: The name of the town, modern research into Kilsyth's toponymy leads to different findings than earlier analysis. The civil war Battle of Kilsyth took place on hillsides between Kilsyth and Banton in 1645. Kilsyth was later closely associated with the various attempts by the Jacobites to regain the crown. Bonnie Prince Charlie is reported to have spent the night in the town in January 1746. The battlefield

3080-547: The north bank, until in the years 1894 to 1896 the Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway opened, from the Caledonian main line east of Buchanan Street, arcing round in a similar northerly arc to the Stobcross line, then turning west to reach Dumbarton. This was progress for the rival company, but it was not enough. In the years 1895 to 1896 the Glasgow Central Railway opened, running from Rutherglen on

3150-527: The original Stobcross Railway from Maryhill Park Junction to Knightswood South Junction was disconnected. There had been workers trains from Clydebank to Springburn over the route until 1959, and also empty passenger stock trains from Cowlairs to Queen Street Low Level for trains originating there. The section of the Glasgow Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway from Cowlairs to Maryhill had also been closed to local passenger trains since 1961, and only

3220-412: The passenger business on the routes remained very quiet, the residential development never having taken place. Sunday school excursions to the rural beauty spots on the line provided the most animated business. Bairds internal tramway system connected both to the Kelvin Valley line at Kilsyth and the former Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway main line at Gartshore (a little west of Croy), but the company sent

3290-487: The passenger service finished on 2 April 1951. The branch was used as a depot for the electrification works trains when the North Side Electrification was in progress in the late 1950s. There were numerous pits and quarries near Knightswood not far from the line. In 1875 a branch line from what became Knightswood South Junction was opened in a northerly arc to Jordanhill Brickworks, and the branch

3360-553: The present-day town. In the Middle Ages , Kilsyth held a key strategic position on one of the main routes across the narrowest part of Scotland. It was the site of two, now ruined, castles at Balcastle and Colzium . These were shown in Timothy Pont 's map of 1580 and can also been seen on Blaeu 's map which was derived from it. The town officially came into being in 1620 although a barony of Kilsyth preceded this. Regarding

3430-415: The proposal also included an eastward line to reach Falkirk and to join the Caledonian at Bonnybridge; clearly the latter was intended to exclude the Caledonian Railway from further incursion. The Kilsyth Railway was authorised by Act of Parliament on 13 July 1876. Having secured authority for this entirely tactical railway, the NBR now came to terms with Baird Brothers and the Kelvin Valley promoters, and it

3500-607: The routing was to the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway. Maryhill gave access to the River Clyde: the Stobcross Railway was being prepared to serve what became the Queen's Dock on the north bank of the Clyde. Onward shipborne transport from there would obviously be possible. The promoters also hoped that high class residences would be built along the line, creating residential travel to business in Glasgow. In 1873

3570-417: The same time the junction at Jordanhill was made into a triangle by the opening of the north to west chord there: "Partick West Chord". The North British Railway had established a commanding network serving increasing areas of residential development and heavy industry on the north side of the Clyde, based on the original Stobcross line of 1874. The rival Caledonian Railway still had the smallest of toeholds on

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3640-515: The through West Highland Line trains and goods traffic used it for many years. However, from 1993 a new local passenger service has been resumed, from Glasgow Queen Street to Maryhill, and since 2005 it has been extended to Anniesland on the former Stobcross Railway. The physical junction at Maryhill Park Junction has been moved to the west of the River Kelvin viaduct. A typically 30-minute interval passenger service operates. The locations on

3710-577: The traditional crowning of the Civic Queen. The festival features a variety of cultural and sports activities usually featuring members of clubs/groups from the town. A Christmas Festival is held annually, supported by the Rotary Club of Kilsyth. The town is well represented on the football front, being the home of Kilsyth Rangers F.C. who are the local junior team, and there are two amateur teams - Kilsyth United AFC & Kilsyth Amateurs. There

3780-614: Was a constituent of the new London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and the Caledonian Railway was a constituent of the new London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). For the time being the competition continued. In 1948 the Government once again reorganised the railways, this time taking them into state ownership, nationalisation. Both the North Clyde networks were now part of British Railways, Scottish Region. The train services continued much as before, but changing social patterns,

3850-605: Was a serious disadvantage. Local promoters set about creating a railway to rectify the problem: the destination for the minerals was to be Coatbridge and Maryhill. Coatbridge was the centre of iron smelting, and it was to be reached by connecting to the Campsie Branch of the North British Railway near Birdston; the Campsie branch later became part of the Glasgow to Aberfoyle Line . From the Campsie branch,

3920-538: Was agreed to build the Kelvin Valley line generally as originally planned, only deviating near Kilsyth to adopt the Kilsyth Railway alignment, as this suited Baird Brothers better. This compromise was ratified by Parliament on 17 May 1877, when the Kilsyth Railway was dissolved. The NBR subscribed £30,000 to the Kelvin Valley and agreed to work the line for 50% of gross receipts, provisionally guaranteeing 5.25% on capital. The North British Railway saw that Kilsyth

3990-490: Was amended in 1870 and 1871 for financial reasons. The line was to run from Maryhill on the GD&HR southwards, turning east past the Royal Lunatic Asylum (later converted and now Gartnavel Hospital), then running south-east through Partickhill to the dock. Even though the route avoided the main city area, considerable difficulty and expense arose from the necessary land acquisition. The Forth and Clyde Canal

4060-435: Was diverted over a length of 586 yards (535 m) and the route used for the new railway line. The original estimate for the line had been £84,400 but £140,000 was spent on land acquisition and legal fees alone. In 1868 the NBR observed that there was little sign of the Stobcross being started, and introduced a Parliamentary Bill to abandon the line. However, in fact they did proceed with it. Extensive siding accommodation

4130-626: Was elected as Cumbernauld and Kilsyth (Scottish Parliament constituency) member of the Scottish Parliament on 5 May 2011 with a majority of 3459. Since May 2015, Stuart MacDonald has been Westminster MP for the Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East (UK Parliament constituency). He is a member of the Scottish National Party . As he said in his maiden speech he has sometimes been mistaken for his namesake who

4200-491: Was extended back to the north later to reach Knightswood Brickworks and the Western Colliery at Cowdenhill. In later years the location of pits and factories changed and the configuration of this branch was changed accordingly. Just as Stobcross was a response to the westerly movement of the focus of industry, so that process continued, and from 1870 Clydebank became the centre of a complex of heavy industry . It too

4270-634: Was held on Sunday August 12 and headlined the Peatbog Faeries and David Sneddon . It is held in the grounds of the wooded Colzium estate nearby. Following a two-year break, the carnival was relaunched in mid-August 2010 as a multi-day music, comedy and dance festival under the banner of the BIG KIC headlining Salsa Celtica , Dougie MacLean and Fred MacAulay . However this event is no longer held Civic Week festivities are held in June each year, with

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4340-532: Was inaugurated in 1960. The Hyndland branch of 1886 was closed to passengers (on 5 November 1960), and a depot for the new electric trains was created there, in use until 1989, when the depot at Yoker was opened. The Caledonian Railway route to Rutherglen was closed in 1964. However it was revived when in 1979 the Argyle Line opened, using most of the earlier alignment from Stobcross eastwards. The Queen's Dock had closed to maritime use in 1969, and from 1982

4410-465: Was largely controlled by James Baird and his company, Baird Brothers of Gartsherrie. The ore was taking on an increasing importance as the best of the ores in the Monklands were being exhausted. Kilsyth was close to the Forth and Clyde Canal and Bairds had created an extensive mineral tramway system connecting their pits and the canal, but in the railway age, the remoteness of the nearest main line

4480-406: Was not a passenger station. During all this time, as heavy industry, shipbuilding and quay facilities were moving west, the NBR's North Clyde network continued to be accessed only from Cowlairs via Maryhill, a long way round. On 15 March 1886 the Glasgow City and District Railway opened. It was a subsurface line running east to west through the centre of Glasgow, from College in the east, through

4550-408: Was not close to the original GD&HR line and the nominally independent Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway was opened on 1 December 1882 to serve it. The line ran west from Yoker Junction, just west of Whiteinch Junction, on a straight alignment just north of the Whiteinch line. There were passenger stations at Partick, Yoker and Clydebank. For the time being this was an isolated section; Stobcross

4620-436: Was not made, and the passenger stations and goods facilities at the stations were not ready: the NBR was evidently doing the minimum it was required to do. At a shareholders' meeting on 25 September 1879, the reason emerged: £66,000 of NBR money had been subscribed to the Kelvin Valley; only £30,000 had been authorised by the shareholders. Moreover, NBR directors had been illegally trading in Kelvin Valley shares, and having made

4690-507: Was provided at Stobcross. The importance to the city of free rail access was such that the rival Caledonian Railway was granted running powers over the line by Parliament; the Caledonian got access to the NBR system from Sighthill via Springburn. The siding complex at Stobcross was 70 feet (21 m) above the level of the quayside lines and a steeply graded connecting line was built; the Caledonian got joint ownership of that short section. The G&SWR also applied for access but their line

4760-442: Was the only place on the line of any commercial interest, and it proceeded to build the line through Strathkelvin from Kilsyth to Birdston, giving access to its own network via Kirkintilloch. That section was opened on 1 June 1878. This opened up access for minerals from Kilsyth to the new Queen's Dock on the Clyde, via Lenzie and over the Stobcross Railway , and of course passengers could travel to Glasgow via Lenzie. It appears that

4830-419: Was the scene of major revivals for example under the leadership of James Robe in 1742. William Hamilton Burns a minister in Kilsyth, and his son William Chalmers Burns a missionary to China also saw revival in 1839, part of the Second Great Awakening . William Irvine (evangelist and founder of the Two by Twos and Cooneyites sects) was born in Kilsyth in 1863. The formation of the new Church of God,

4900-414: Was to run west from Dunlop Street across St Enoch square, continuing along the bank of the Clyde, and this scheme was refused by Parliament. The Stobcross line opened on 20 October 1874, for goods and mineral traffic only. The route from the NBR line out of Queen Street was extremely circuitous, but for the time being any more direct routing was unthinkable. The NBR went to considerable lengths to make

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