Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway

v t e Lanarkshire and   Dunbartonshire Railway
Legend
Hamiltonhill Branch Possil Junction Hamiltonhill Branch Possil Possilpark (GD&HR) Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway Maryhill Central Maryhill Central Junction River Kelvin Bellshaugh Jn│Kirklee Jn Glasgow Central Railway Dawsholm (GCR) Dawsholme Junction Kelvinside Hyndland (SR)│Partickhill (SR) Stobcross Railway Crow Road Partick West: North Junction West Junction│East Junction Partick West Partick Central Glasgow Central Railway partially used by Argyle Line Stobcross Glasgow Central Railway Whiteinch Riverside Scotstoun East Scotstoun West Yoker Ferry Clydebank Riverside Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway Kilbowie Clydebank (GY&CR) Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Railway Dalmuir Riverside Old Kilpatrick Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway Bowling Bowling (GD&HR/C&DJR) connecting line opened in 1960 Dumbarton East Dumbarton Joint Line Junction Dumbarton Central Caledonian & Dunbartonshire Junction Railway

The Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway was a railway company in Scotland. It was promoted independently but supported by the Caledonian Railway, and it was designed to connect Balloch (on Loch Lomond) and Dumbarton with central Glasgow, linking in heavy industry on the north bank of the River Clyde. From Dumbarton to Balloch the line would have closely duplicated an existing railway, and negotiation led to the latter being made jointly operated, and the L&DR terminated immediately east of Dumbarton, trains continuing on the joint section.

Since the twentieth century the county is now spelled Dunbartonshire, but at the time of formation of the Company, Dumbartonshire was in common use, and that is the spelling the company adopted.

The line opened progressively from 1894 to 1896. It was very successful in attracting goods traffic from heavy industry on Clydeside, and in carrying workers to and from their places of work. This was enhanced by the connection to the Glasgow Central Railway.

Heavy industry declined after 1950 and passenger and goods use of the line declined similarly, and the British Railways modernisation plan proposed electrification and upgrading of the parallel former North British Railway route, and closure of the former L&DR line. The electrification was commissioned in 1960 and the L&DR route closed in 1964 except for a short section near Dumbarton.