Kelvin Valley Railway

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 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 too was 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 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 was a serious disadvantage.

Local promoters set about creating a railway to rectify the problem: the destination for the minerals were 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, 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 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.

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