Looking east across part of Princes Street Gardens, the monument to Sir Walter Scott is prominent in the background to the left. The North British Hotel is in the centre, with the North Bridge to its right above Waverley station.
The North British Hotel from the south east, beyond Waverley Station which is under the North Bridge
The North British Railway Company opened its first line, from Edinburgh to Berwick-upon-Tweed, with a branch to Haddington, in 1846. In 1865 it took over the Monkland and Kirkintilloch line, the oldest in Scotland. Other amalgamations followed, altogether over 50 small lines being made part of the North British system, which ultimately totalled 2,739 miles. The main line was from Aberdeen through Dundee to Edinburgh, whence it forked to Carlisle and Berwick to meet the main English routes (the London and North Western Railway (also the Midland Railway) and the North Eastern Railway respectively). Fife was covered with a network of lines, and the pleasure resorts on the east and west coasts were also served. The company owned the Tay Bridge and its services also used the Forth Bridge,1 for whose construction it was responsible as part of the Route to the North in the 19th century. Although primarily a Scottish railway, the NBR also had an extensive branch network in northern Northumberland, reaching to Hexham, Morpeth and Rothbury, as well as the main line into Berwick. Its lines also reached into northern Cumberland as far as Silloth, Port Carlisle, Gretna and Carlisle.2
The company’s headquarters were at 23 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh and its works at Cowlairs, Glasgow. Its capital in 1921 was £67 million.1 Besides its railway, the company also operated steamers on the Clyde serving Arran and points west 2 and acquired a 49% stake in the road haulage firm Mutter Howey.3
The North British Hotel at the east end of Princes Street in Edinburgh city centre forms a prominent landmark with its crown steeple displaying large clocks, renamed the Balmoral Hotel in the 1980s, though the old name is still shown in the stonework. The clock on the hotel has run since the building opened at three minutes ahead of real time to encourage tardy travellers to get to the station on time.
Component companies
During its existence the NBR absorbed the following companies:
Conolly, W Philip (1980). British railways pre-grouping atlas and gazetteer, 5th edition; 4th impression, Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. OCLC221481275.
Bonavia, Michael R. (1980). The Four Great Railways. Newton Abbot: David & Charles.
