RAILSCOT | Coltness Iron Works

Coltness Iron Works

Location type

Works

Name and dates

Coltness Iron Works (1839-1970)

Served by the Wishaw and Coltness Railway.
Served by the Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway.
Served by the Coltness Iron Works Railway.
Served by the Cleland to Morningside Line (Caledonian Railway).

Description

Established by Henry Houldsworth (1770-1853) in 1839.
After the Wishaw and Coltness Railway was extended it was served by private railway to reach the south end of the works from Stirling Road Junction.

The private railway, Coltness Iron Works Railway, extended over a large area serving a number of mines in addition to the iron works.

Later further connections reached the works from the north, controlled by Coltness Iron Works Signal Box.

An area at the southern part of the works became a concrete works, Coltness Cement Works.

Aliases

Coltness Iron Company

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
12/04/2022

Nearby stations Morningside [CR] Newmains Morningside [1st] Morningside [NBR] Cambusnethan Stirling Road Law Junction Overtown [2nd] Overtown [1st] Davies Dykes Wishaw Cleland [1st] Wishaw South Cleland Hartwood	Coltness Cement Works Newmains Junction Coal Pit Coal Pit Coal it Coal Pit Allanton Brick and Tile Works Coal Pit Coal Pit Coal Pit Coal Pit Allanton Iron Foundry Morningside Junction Coal Pit Tourist/other Coltness Iron Works Signal Box
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.

Chronology Dates

/ /1837	Wishaw and Coltness Railway A further extension of time allowed to complete works. Line authorised to use locomotives through the Jerviston Estate - the company and Houldsworths of the Coltness Iron Works buying the rights.
/ /1841	Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway Act receives Royal assent. The Coltness Iron Works owners, the Houldsworths, were major shareholders.
/10/1841	Wishaw and Coltness Railway Line completed to Chapel near the Coltness Iron Works. The iron works used the railway to transport its pig iron.
01/11/1858	New Monkland Line (Monkland Railways) Cowdenhead to Standhill Junction (later renamed Woodend Junction) opened. The Craigmill Branch opened from Standhill Junction to Craigmill Siding. The siding served the nearby Woodend mines owned by the Coltness Iron Works.
/ /1860	Haywood Colliery Sunk by the Coltness Iron Works.
/ /1861	Cleland to Morningside Line (Caledonian Railway) An extension of the Cleland branch to Morningside [CR] is promoted. The branch will serve numerous mines and the Coltness Iron Works, avoiding the Morningside Incline of the existing route to Morningside [1st]. It also provides possible access to Edinburgh over the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway owned Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway. The Morningside [CR] extension of the Cleland branch predates the Cleland and Midcalder Line (Caledonian Railway) which was required after the Wilsontown route was merged into the North British Railway in 1865.
/ /1870	Woodend Colliery Pit No 5 (Armadale) Opened by Coltness Iron Works for coal and anthracite.
/05/1887	Cleland to Morningside Line (Caledonian Railway) Start of an arrangement where the Coltness Iron Company pays £200 annually to allow Coltness Iron Works staff to travel from Sunnyside to Newmains without tickets.
/ /1893	Douglas Colliery Sunk by the Coltness Iron Works.
/11/1913	Raw Pit (East Calder) Closed by Coltness Iron Works for limestone (Raw Camps Quarry and East Camps Quarry). The Camps Branch (North British Railway) was directly associated with the quarry and carrying limestone from Camps Lime Works to the iron works.
/ /1919	Kingshill Colliery No 1 Opened by the Coltness Iron Works. Connected to the Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway. The town of Allantown is developed by the company and local council for miners.
/ /1923	Dewshill Colliery Owned by the Coltness Iron Works.
/ /1928	Kingshill Colliery No 2 Sunk by the Coltness Iron Works. Served by the Wilsontown Branch (Caledonian Railway). It was colloquially known as 'Queenshill'.
/08/1946	Kingshill Colliery No 3 Sunk by the National Coal Board, originally planned by the Coltness Iron Works.
/ /1952	Kingshill Colliery No 3 Opened by the National Coal Board. Connected by double track cable haulage railway to new preparation plant at Kingshill Colliery No 1. The new preparation plant also replaces the Royal George Washery at the Coltness Iron Works and is used for coal from Branchal Mine and Overtown Mine.
/ /1956	Straiton Lime Works Locomotive transferred from the Coltness Iron Works.