Shettleston station and staff, photographed in the 1920s.
The station was opened in 1871 by the North British Railway Co on its Glasgow & Coatbridge line, which completed an alternative route to the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway Co's main line from Glasgow to Edinburgh. Local coal and iron industries ensured a profitable goods traffic, although subsidence from disused pits posed a constant threat to the buildings. Passenger numbers increased significantly when the North British opened a branch line (later the Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton & Coatbridge Railway) from Shettleston to Hamilton in 1878. Commuter traffic was another source of revenue, with around 500 season tickets issued in 1894.
The buildings shown have been replaced, but Shettleston station remains open in 2003 with a regular service of electric trains run by Strathclyde Transport connecting Drumgelloch and Helensburgh via Glasgow Queen Street Low Level Station.
Reference: Glasgow City Archives, TD1271/1/53
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
coal, coal mines, commuters, Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton & Coatbridge Railway, iron, ironstone, North British Railway Co, railway workers, railways, Shettleston Station, stations, Strathclyde Transport, subsidence, trains