Lesmahagow Railway

The Lesmahagow Railway, south of Glasgow in Scotland, was developed by a company known as The Lesmahagow Branches (later known as The Lesmahagow Guarantee Company). It was not an independent company in the usual sense. It was a financially independent, self-contained unit within the framework of the Caledonian Railway (CR). The shareholders and officers of both companies were mainly the same people. The line was built largely to transport the vast amount of coal being produced by the many mines in the area. Authority to build the line was given in the Caledonian Railway (Lesmahagow Branches) Act 1847 (10 & 11 Vict. c. xxiv) but construction did not commence till 1854. In 1856 the line was opened in stages. Later there was found to be a demand for passenger services which commenced in 1868. In 1923, with the grouping, the CR amalgamated with several other companies to form the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) which, following nationalisation in 1947, became part of British Railways.