Archaeology Notes

Event ID 832961

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/832961

NS56NE 1866.00 c. 59276 65773 to c. 6009 6774

Extends into map sheet NS66NW.

Location formerly cited as NS 5978 6700 and as NS 5922 6566 to NS 5994 6738

NS56NE 1866.01 NS c. 5998 6821 Signal Box

NS56NE 1866.02 NS 5927 6577 to NS 5963 6662 Railway Tunnel (Tunnel portion)

NS56NE 1866.03 NS 59434 66148 Air Shaft (Tunnel portion, under Calgary Street)

NS56NE 1866.04 NS 59324 65884 Air Shaft (Tunnel portion, under Cowcaddens Road)

For stationary engine-house at head of the incline (NS 6009 6774), see NS66NW 460.

For associated and adjacent (to SW) Queen Street (High Level) Station, see NS56NE 76.00.

For Cowlairs (Junction) Station (at head of this incline), see NS66NW 217.

Cowlairs Incline [NAT] (at NS 6005 6761)

OS 1:1250 map, 1952.

Cowlairs Incline [NAT] (at NS 6000 6749)

OS 1:1250 map, 1972.

Cowlairs Incline [NAT] (at NS 5988 6726)

OS 1:1250 map, 1970.

Cowlairs Incline [NAT] (at NS 5971 6680)

OS 1:1250 map, 1973.

NMRS REFERENCE

Glasgow, Cowlairs Incline.

Incline depicted on the revised 2nd edition of the OS 25-inch map (Lanarkshire 1913, sheet VI.7)

Cowlairs cable-hauled incline opened 21.02.1842, cable working ceased 31.10.1908.

(Undated) information in NMRS.

Cowlairs incline was built by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Rly (later incorporated into the North British Rly), and opened on 18 February 1842. The engineer responsible for the incline was John Miller, and trains were formerly rope-hauled under power from a stationary steam engine. On 10 November 1840 the directors of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Rly announced that a contract for the construction of the stationary winding engine had been given to Kerr, Neilson and Co of Glasgow, at a cost of £2900. By May 1841, an order was placed with Heggie and Son of Newcastle for a hemp rope weighing 239cwt (12.1t) and costing £538.32. Trains descended the incline under the control of special brake vehicles, which were attached at the front in place of the locomotive. Ascending trains were assisted by power passed through a haulage rope attached indirectly to the buffer-beam of the leading locomotive. The use of a messenger rope allowed the rope to be detached without stopping, while brake vehicles were returned to the top of the incline attached to the rear of the ascending train, and detached by slipping.

Rope-haulage remained the practice until 1908 despite occasional incidents and repeated attempts to introduce locomotives with sufficient power to allow its abolition. The introduction of electric traction was also considered. Wire ropes were fitted from 1848, allowing a useful increase in the permissible weight of trains but not preventing the occasional mishaps. A second cylinder was added to the haulage engine in the 1850's, allowing an increase in capacity.

In 1906, the following were recorded:

Circumference of cable: 5ins [127mm]

Speed of movement: c. 14mph [21kph]

Life of cable: about 14 months

HP of haulage engine: c. 650

Average weight of trains (excluding engine and tender): c. 200

Nimber of trains per day: 70 to 80.

Following a near-serious accident in January 1902, it was decided to replace rope-haulage with the banking by heavy tank banking engines specially designed for the puropse. These were thoroughly tested before being put in service on 12 December 1907. Rope haulage was abolished on 31 January 1908, authority being given to remove the cable on 26 August 1909.

The track in the tunnel was relaid on concrete ladder units since October 1976, allowing headroom for electrification.

[Details of wire haulage ropes 1848-1902 cited, and comparison made with English inclines].

C Johnston and J R Hume 1979.

Cowlairs incline forms the steep but straight approach from the NNE into Queen Street High Level station (NS56NE 76.00). It remains in use by regular passenger traffic and measures 2090yds (1911m) in length, the lower portion (NS56NE 1866.02) being in tunnel. The gradient varies between 1-in-41.5 and 1-in-50.

The available map evidence indicates that the incline extends from NS c. 59276 65773 to NS c. 6009 6774.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 7 February 2006.