Caledonian Railway Association

'The Act of 31 July 1845 which established the Company as The Caledonian Railway included the absorption/amalgamation of a number of existing lines. With the other lines incorporated on the same day, all engineered by Joseph Locke, in one gigantic piece of coordinated railway planning, his London to Carlisle line was extended to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Greenock. By 1866 the Scottish Central and the Scottish North Eastern Railways and their constituents had been absorbed by the Caledonian ...

'The Caley was the most Scottish of the pre-grouping companies, reflecting the Saltire flag with its blue locomotives and by its adoption of both the Lion of Scotland and the Royal Arms of Scotland to adorn its locomotives, carriages, buildings, company documents, etc.

'The Caledonian absorbed and developed many lines within the coal and iron fields of central Scotland, extended its rail heads to Ardrossan, Wemyss Bay, Gourock, Oban and Ballachulish on the west coast and built Grangemouth docks on the Forth and by 1923 had 1,114 route miles. The development and operation of the separate and independent Caledonian Steamer Packet Company's fleet of steam ships on the Clyde was as dynamic and colourful as the development of the railway itself and was operated in conjunction with special fast Boat Trains ...'