Carron Company

Introduction

This company owned the Carron Iron Works, nearby mines and further flung lime works and coal mines. This works was the first major iron works in Scotland, using coal instead of charcoal. It was highly successful and even had a canon, the Carronade produced by the company for the Royal Navy, named for it. Examples can be found all over the former British Empire and even Afghanistan. The works also made prototype steam engines for [[James Watt]. Other products included stoves. The company owned a fleet of vessels operating on the Forth and Clyde Canal. The works had its own waggonway, railway and tramway systems. These connected the Carron Iron Works to the Forth and Clyde Canal and later the Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway. The lines extended north to various collieries. A short portion of the line near Falkirk Camelon formed the first portion of the relief line to Grangemouth.




Dates

26/12/1760Carron Iron Works
Carron Iron Works opens. Managed by Dr John Roebuck. Shareholders in the Carron Company were; Dr John Roebuck, Thomas Roebuck, Ebenezer Roebuck, William Cadell (Senior) and William Cadell (Junior) of Cockenzie (who owned pits at Tranent), John Cadell and Samuel Garbett. The works may even have been in blast in January 1761.
  /  /1765Carron Iron Works
The Carron Company projects Duke Street in Glasgow as a direct route from Cumbernauld to Glasgow.
  /  /1766Carron Iron Works
Carron Company tramway to Kinnaird and Carronhall collieries opened.
  /  /1767Carron Iron Works
Carron Company tramway to Kinnaird and Carronhall collieries re-laid with iron rails from Coalbrookdale.
  /  /1773Carron Iron Works
Dr John Roebuck sells his portion of the Carron Company due to financial difficulties in his flooded mines.
  /  /1802Charlotte Dundas, first practical steamship, on Forth and Clyde Canal
Engine designed by William Symington and manufactured by the Carron Company.
  /  /1810Carron Iron Works
Tramway (see Carron Company) to Bainsford Basin on the Forth and Clyde Canal opened, replacing an earlier navigable cut.

Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.


Carron Iron Works Lines

This iron works was established in 1759. The works was able to produce iron from raw materials (notably using coke) and produce products such as cannons. Indeed the works was famous for its product the Carronade which was a form of cannon used until the 1850s. (At the entrance tower is a small display of cannon balls and cannons.)
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The facade of the Carron Company's works, on Stenhouse Road, in 1991. Only the central tower survives today.
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Bill Roberton //1991
This viaduct carried the Carron Iron Company's line from the Forth and Clyde Canal at Falkirk over the River Carron into the works. The line began ...
Ewan Crawford //2001
2 of 2 images.


The level crossing of the line from the Carron Iron Works north and east to collieries was controlled by a privately owned signal box. This was of brick construction and two stories. ...

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Carron Iron Works to Canal Waggonway

This iron works was established in 1759. The works was able to produce iron from raw materials (notably using coke) and produce products such as cannons. Indeed the works was famous for its product the Carronade which was a form of cannon used until the 1850s. (At the entrance tower is a small display of cannon balls and cannons.)
...

More details
The facade of the Carron Company's works, on Stenhouse Road, in 1991. Only the central tower survives today.
...
Bill Roberton //1991
This viaduct carried the Carron Iron Company's line from the Forth and Clyde Canal at Falkirk over the River Carron into the works. The line began ...
Ewan Crawford //2001
2 of 2 images.







Carron Iron Works to Falkirk Railway



This was a double track junction. It was formed between the Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway (1850)
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See also
Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway
170478 was the last Turbostar in SPT livery. It has been transformed into Saltire colours and is here working the 11.58 from Dunblane to Edinburgh on ...
Bill Roberton 30/05/2014
1 of 1 images.


This canal basin, now infilled, was on the west/north bank of the Forth and Clyde Canal. It was connected to the Carron Iron Works with a tramway and was used for the delivery of coal to the works from the canal system, and export of iron products.
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This was the junction between the railway to the Carron Iron Works and the later (1908) Bainsford Branch (North British Railway). The signal box was in the 'V' of the junction.
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See also
Bainsford Branch (North British Railway)






This iron works was established in 1759. The works was able to produce iron from raw materials (notably using coke) and produce products such as cannons. Indeed the works was famous for its product the Carronade which was a form of cannon used until the 1850s. (At the entrance tower is a small display of cannon balls and cannons.)
...

More details
The facade of the Carron Company's works, on Stenhouse Road, in 1991. Only the central tower survives today.
...
Bill Roberton //1991
This viaduct carried the Carron Iron Company's line from the Forth and Clyde Canal at Falkirk over the River Carron into the works. The line began ...
Ewan Crawford //2001
2 of 2 images.





Distant mines and works

The Banton and Kelvinhead Collieries were worked by the Carron Company. Coal from these collieries was taken south by the Banton Tramway to Kelvinhead Quay and then east along the Forth and Clyde Canal to the Carron Iron Works.
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See also
Banton Tramway


General view of Blairhall Colliery, West Fife, in February 1970. View looking north east shortly after production at the colliery had ceased. ...
John Furnevel 17/02/1970
1 of 1 images.


This 1999 view shows the remains of the railway bridge over the Forth and Clyde Canal at Cadder Pits which served the various pits on either side of ...
Ewan Crawford //1999
1 of 1 images.