The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-26 00:00:00

GLASGOW, DUMFRIES, and CARLEtLie
RAILWAY.
lEPORT OF THE PROVISIONAL COMMITTEE TO THE
IHAREHOLDRRS OF THE GLASGOW, DUMFRIES%
AND CARLISLE RAILWAY.
Your Committee have delayed making any Report of their prvs-
enlliedetaiineg;...u.ntil they could lay before you sufficient information to
not only to form a correct opinion of the merits of your
ewes line, bat to understand the various scheme' more or less eon.
1;1"1141 with it, for which Parliamentary notices have been given.
* number of these schemes, and their complex bearing on the
bliterests of your undertaking, render it necessary to preface this
'ePort by some general observations.
The four existing railways of greatest importance in Scotland, in
r4lro et of lento, capital, and traffic, are—the Edinburgh and
"1"tow Railway, connecting the two largest cities in Scotland, as
tell as the two seas; the North British Railway, forming part of
t
treat trunk line from Edinburgh to London, by way of Berwick,
"Wcastle, and York ; the Glasgow and Greenock Railway, an ins_
t,"int link In the communication between the manufacturing and
ISPing towns of the west of Scotland; and the Glasgow, Paisley,
•41marnock, and Ayr Railway, connecting the western metropolis
ter Scotland with one of the most thriving mineral and manufac.
Pint districts in this country, including the seaports of Ayr,
Troop, Irvine, and Ardroman, from the latter of which there is a
remiss steamboat coramunication with the North of Ireland—a
railway destined, by means of your projected line from its southern
‘ftininus at Kilmarnock to Dumfries and Carlisle, to become the
treat high-road between the north and west of England, and the
41146,t equally important district known under the general name of
th* West of Scotland " Theenly link &wanting to complete the entire
ti Edinburgh,
of railwiys leading down the east coast of England and Scotland
Edinburgh, across to Glasgow, and up the west coast of Scotland
klid ye
%13
...and, back to L is from the of the Edin.
ig. andW
Glasgow Railway in ondon,
Glasgow to theterminus joint terminus of the
tr
"nock and Ayrshire Railways in the same city. Parliamentary
:°ticeo have keen given for this short line, which is net above half
41111 in length, and which will pass, partly in tunnelling, and
linty on arches, through a portion of the city.
IT these existing and projected railways, which intersect the
ISt; "I, and, as might be expected, the richest and most populous
',strict!' both of England and Scotland, almost the whole of the
tests of
manufacturing, mining, mercantile, and shipping in.
of Great Britain will be cennected, and a direct, rapid, and
:messiest means of transit secured. The accompanying map will
-"Winer, distinctly the course of these great leading lines. There
I°lll thus remain, se far as Scotland is concerned, only sue line of
Iral~c
nnaccommodatei, viz., between Edinburgh and the north.
▪:t 01 Scotland and Lancashire. It is true, the existing amount
;
intercourse between these districts is as yet limited, but still, in
: ,iht out the lines of communication between the two countries,
's essential to keep it in view ; and it fortunately happens, that
1,441"1 the snany schemes promoted for local objects, and for which
I.,'lliarnestary notices have been given, there is one, •i z., a line
;44 Edinburgh to Hawick, which, if extended to Carlisle, will
: if", even on this cross traffic, the full benefit of railway cons.
Unication, at the expense of a very small additional outlay of

Ts, explain this, r Committee again request your attention to
:le accompanying usap. From it you will observe that a straight
c'e, if drawn nearly due north front Birmingham, Lancaster, or
4110 e, would pass through or close to Hawick, Edinburgh, and
odee from which last point, by a slight deviation eastward, it
"%rid reach Aberdeen. Now, it so happens that this straight line
1:;:t aistY
-rbetween its north through
south`
termini, but opens practicable countryup by for amuch
rail.
tile Most fertile and thriving of those districts In the south and
Ottof Scotland, to which the great trunk lines would not them.
"'ell extend.
)*The northern portion of the line of communication thus described
it: been already taken up las parties of influence and capital. Par.
forth
notices have been given for railways extending the
ph" way from Burntisland, on the north side of the Frith of
Islth oeposite Edinburgh to Perth, Dundee, and Aberdeen. The
"e, or, as It Dolled, the Edinburgh and Northern Railway, forms
_
it: lest section of this line to the north of Edinburgh. It avails
hielf of the improved steam ferry across the Forth, established by
It Grace the Duke of Buccleuch and Mr. Gladstone, of Fasque,
te rick mineral and agricltural coun of
At
" mparedintersects kerb between
any line by way of Stirliung, it shortenty s therife.
between Edinburgh and the most important towns in the
-" of Scstland, front thirty to fifty miles. The section to the
41' of Edinburgh is that projected by the North British Railway
eoPaay to Hawick, already mentioned.
1/7t he general ardent of international railway communication
Nl"described, it 'Will be seen that three principal lines are pro.
The first of these gives the most direct line from London
Edinburghl.4 ; the second the best line from London through
ncethire to the West of Scotland ; and the third the shortest
flee across the Island, from Carlisle to Edinburgh and the north.
cant of Scotland.
4,ollataY collateral advantages might be pointed out as resulting
)I,IW, the ahoy. arrangement, bat these will be more properly ex-
4'N wheridiscuseing the merits of your line in detail.
the üblic point of view, your Committee
canregrd it as one of
th M `limpetant characteristics of the •sche w explained,
at although-in itself more complete than any other, it can be
17ted hy a comparatively mall expenditure of capital beyond
4 't 15 required for those new lines of railway, which are about
4.004 constructed solely for the accommodation of existing local
-`e. This statement requires a little explanation.
It has been mentioned that it is intended to form a railway front
Zllhburgh to Hawick. The line has been planned, and is under.
et4t_tt by the North British Railway Company. The object is te
(*ii7od the Dalkeith Railway, now belonging to that Company
tt„,_lch is at any Wet. be improved and adapted for locomotives),
11" to thrivarrnanufactlring towns of Galashiels, Selkirk, and
h"ich, situated in the midst of the best wool-growing and
ot,„
lan anufacturing district in Scotland. On the other side of the
14:4, the Ayrshire Railway Company have intimated their inten.
es (without meaning to interfere with your undertaking) to
eicettne their long-projected scheme of a Branch Railway to Cum.
40 ',for the purpose of bringing into their line the passenger traffic
11:4 that district, and of opening up the large mineral fields of the
is of Bate, Sir James Boswell, and Lord George Bentinck,
eeetthleh the celebrated blackbani ironstone has been distinctly
ehh„taieed to exist ; and where extensive additional iron-works are
"t, it is believed, to be erected under leases recently entered Into.
to be being the case, the whole length of new railwalll require
tai, Nada for the purpose of completing the two trunk lines from
• Alttrith to Carlisle, via Hawick, and from Glasgow to Carlisle,
orntriee, will be—
CZek to the Durafries line, near Carlis_es ay. 35 miles.
• 'leek to Carlisle
Ale Slaking in al'
12,041Pital rejoiced for which may be roughly estimated at
per mile, or 1,216,0001.
4t,t otir Committee are so satisfied of the capabilities of the line
,hay as a part of the general plan to ue suumitted to
Lae a branch and feeder to your line, that, with the unanimous
rrenee of a meeting of your extraordinary Committee of
alanagement, they have undertaken to the Board of Trade, to apply
Parliament in a subsequent session for power to make it, in the
°!ent of the general scheme of international communication
440e.rnention being adopted.
Another most important characteristic of the scheme now de.
etis is, that it interferes in no way with the interests of any
„„_ tin
tines
line of railway, but furnishes new feeders both to the four
eeteh
k. of railway referred to at the outset, and to all the
ittith railways with which the projeeted lines are tebe connected.
our Committee, however, would not be discharging their duty
poreth they naLla the next place, shortly to call your attention to
4°l'igin and history of another plan, which is about to be brought
,_
Parliament under the name of the Caledonian Railway, sad to
;;;Itrast the public and private advantages it holds out with those
It Will probably he known to all of you that the Royal Commis-
."'o, Sir _Frederick Smith and Professor Barlow—who were
1;,;4• 4oled in 1840 to report on the projected railways between Eng.
hand Scotland—proceeding upon the assumption that only one
uw
ho made, expressed a preference for a line passing over the
h,"' ground which occupies the centre of Scotland. In doing so,
erWetec, the Commissioners carefully reserved the question which
the varlets. routes ought to be preferred, in the event of its
n
to I found practioable to snake two or more lines. The following
, ot their words :—" Were this otherwise (viz., were more than
h te
Atsar
Chew, we should subdivide th• question into two
and oonsider, in the first instaace, which of the several
,
would be the most suitable for a communication by Lancaster
lest Irow, as well as to the West of Scotland and to the North of
4", sad which would be the best route by Newcastle to
1:01
e„4.he line thus preferred by the Commissioners, " under the
4:Position that at present one line of railway only can be formed
tik,L4 South to Edinburgh and Glasgow," recommended itself to
ito're chiefly in consequence of its having two forks or branches at
,thoerthern extremity, the one terminating in Edinburgh, and the
Glasgow; but the barren character of the country through
,;leh it would run, and probably some eonsideration of the extra
141'°°10 of working it, arising from the steep gradients rendered
,t‘UaTY by its au/wait
of 1,000 feet, induced the Commissioners
sttord their opinion that "It was hardly to be expected that such
i;
te*tle° would command much support as an investment from the
rat speculator ;" and to add, that," unless the principal landed
r. tk-Prieters along the line should feel disposed to give the under-
:o.4'S their _herty
te their support,
rorather with a view to the increased
tii;`!‘ It would give r pperty, than to • large remunerating
to 'lend, there sterns considerable doubt whether it will ever be
oatrusted...
alasr,,b° Publieatioo of that Report, and the facts it disclosed, in
of lending to the early execution of the Beattock or Central
,r, had the effect of deterring the public from embarking in it,
t,te,°f directing their attention to the more profitable investment
*°
itotell by the East Coast Lino from Newcastle to Edinburgh.
North British Railway, being the Scoter's portion of that line,
Act
accordingly brought forward in 1842—was sanctioned by an
t,iitof Parliament obtained last session—and is now in course of
h°t°B
Made.
t`na. ° effect of this decision of Parliament in favour of an East
r„0...7t Line, which removes the only ground on which the Royal
hrglroissioners had preferred the Central Line, is net even yet go.
swishy knoWn. Accordingly, the scheme of a Beattock Railway
thh'h Was revived last spring, with some modifications that led to
a4doPtion of the new name of the Caledonian Railway, has been
le: tally received by the public under the erroneous impression
et it has still the sanction of the Commissioners' authority.
I, 140 line, as thus revived and modified, is meant to extend
14tit Carlisle, to a point at or Rear Lanark, and to diverge there
(14°. two branched, one running to Edinburgh and the other towards
eidcw. A subordinate branch Is proposed, from a point about
tialh,,` miles distant from Glasgow, to join a projected railway,
a so': %tattles Central Railway, at Castlecarry ; whereby a
'`elion with Stirling and the North would be afffirded. The
-nth towards Glasgow is not intended to be carried so far as
to
s4int City, but at some distance from it, will run-1, into certain
telrat railways belonging to separate Companies, and constructed
th:lnttila for the purpose of conveying coals to the high levels on
esalL°tth side of Glasgow ; and 2, into another projected line,
rei`" the Clydesdale Junction, is intended to convey
4ia-erals and passengers to the low levels en the south side of
44.1°°,. This complicated plan will be beat understood by
' nee to the accompanying Map.
le contrasting this scheme with that of which the G aglow,
CeLniries, and Carlisle Itailway is intended to form a part, your
on:slur ittee feel bound to consider, preferably, their bearing on the
r al Interests of the country.
Csolttt•---The length of the Caledonian Railway, excluding the
atat,,ecatcY Branch, which Is said to be about eight 'miles long, is
" in the Prospectus, as being 112 miles, and the cost is there
"toatea
140,0 -at 1,800,100/. In a subsequent report, published by the
los,t,,°ters, it is stated, that, " In consequence of savings en other
°f the line, the Castlecarry extension of the Caledonian Line
IPh be constructed without exceeding the capital upon which the
4f I)c‘ctus proceeded " But, even after allowing this correction
the s •
hoe
nor ginal estimate, of the accuracy of which your Committee
saven°e Means of judging, and without attempting to calculate the
aea or a proposed branch of about I i miles long to Dumfries,
11,"°. wideningthe guage, and otherwise altering the mineral
lAoehefora4Sentioned, or the expense of the Clydesdale Junction
that
t,hich practically forms a part of the scheme, it would appear
th, single line of international communication proposed by
trnmttalectoeian Company, would, without accommodating toy
er an Incal traffic, actually caose an expenditure of upwards
00
coe‘Ne., theo than the whole sum that would be required for
butt.. `ring two trunk lines of communication which your Corn.
-" Bare- already pointed out.
Secoo,„
Taw `"Y —Your Committee bog to refer you to the Comparative
of will Distances on the accompanying Map, from which you
vith
t°hoserve-1. That tho North British Railway, in connexion
to Bet:. Projected lines from London to York, and from Newcastle
,Tk, affords the shortest communication from London,
not 00,Newcastle, to Edinburgh and Stirling ; and that,
way, which
the Fife Line, but even by the Scottish Central Rail.
tolit4wilnwsaY",cikt fowrmousld be reached by the Eeinburgh and Glasgow
the shortest route from London and the important
1. Thasa.l!_"°-olention to Perth, Dundee, and Aberdeen.
sh the Edinburghhi;riaip:iawisk, and Carlisle Railway affords the
‘tlSidrinerbtuhr,
Ate , the front Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol,
'toes, to ,„ , and, in connexion with the Fife and Northern
and Aberdeen, S. That the Glasgow,

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