History of the North British Railway (until 1855)
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The history of the North British Railway until 1855 traces the founding and construction of the railway company. It built and opened its line between Edinburgh and Berwick (later Berwick on Tweed) and formed part of the first rail link between Edinburgh and London (although with two water breaks). The line opened in 1846.
The first chairman, John Learmonth, wanted to enlarge the geographical area of dominance of the NBR and committed huge sums of money to the project even before opening the first line. Some of the commitments were in vain, but he acquired the Edinburgh and Hawick Railway as a first step to reaching Carlisle, part of the bitter and enduring rivalry with the Caledonian Railway. Making the Hawick line included purchasing the obsolescent Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway and converting it for locomotive operation.
The railway's operations were popular and successful, although early shortcomings in the civil engineering caused temporary difficulties. Branches to Haddington, North Berwick, Dunse (later spelt Duns) and Kelso were opened. Part of the motivation for their building was the exclusion of rival railway companies, and these branches did not enjoy such great success.
The drain on the Company's financial resources dragged it down in comparison to the rival Caledonian Railway, and shareholder dissent led to the departure of its first chairman and his successor, and in 1855 Richard Hodgson took over, with the mandate of rescuing the company.