Act in 1869; it was amended in 1870 and 1871 for financial reasons. The line was to run from Maryhill on the GD&HR southwards, turning east past the Royal Lunatic Asylum (later converted and now Gartnavel Hospital), then running south-east through Partickhill to the dock. Even though the route avoided the main city area, considerable difficulty and expense arose from the necessary land acquisition. The Forth and Clyde Canal was diverted over a length of 586 yards (535 m) and the route used for the new railway line. The original estimate for the line had been £84,400 but £140,000 was spent on land acquisition and legal fees alone. In 1868 the NBR observed that there was little sign of the Stobcross being started, and introduced a Parliamentary Bill to abandon the line. However, in fact they did proceed with it. Extensive siding accommodation was provided at Stobcross. The importance to the city of free rail access was such that the rival Caledonian Railway was granted running powers over the line by Parliament; the Caledonian got access to the NBR system from Sighthill via Springburn. The siding complex at Stobcross was 70 feet (21 m) above the level of the quayside lines and a steeply graded connecting line was built; the Caledonian got joint ownership of that short section. The G&SWR also applied for access but their line was to run west from Dunlop Street across St Enoch square, continuing along the bank of the Clyde, and this scheme was refused by Parliament. The line opens The Stobcross line opened on 20 October 1874, for goods and mineral traffic only. The route from the NBR line out of Queen Street was extremely circuitous, but for the time being any more direct routing was unthinkable. The NBR went to considerable lengths to make the exercise of the Caledonian Railway's running powers as inconvenient as possible; this included various forms of delay for supposed operational reasons, and the refusal to allow stabling of Caledonian locomotives at Stobcross, resulting in much wasteful light running. However the NBR and the Caledonian each had their own goods yard at Partick. The Whiteinch estate It was not just berthing of ships that was moving down river; by this time a small industrial complex had established at Whiteinch. Shipbuilding and joinery works were prominent. The area was rural and remote at the time, and the construction of the