railway's area, it became even more successful. Ballochney Railway As coal extraction developed, pits were opened further north and east than the M&KR reached, and the Ballochney Railway was constructed to serve some of them, running from Kipps, near Coatbridge, to pits around Arbuckle and Clarkston, and a quarry. It opened in 1828. The area it reached was on high ground, and two rope-worked inclines were necessary to gain altitude. Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway The Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway was opened in 1831 connecting the Monklands directly to Glasgow without the need to transshipment to a canal. Wishaw and Coltness Railway The Wishaw and Coltness Railway opened from 1833, connecting iron pits and works further east to Whifflet (then spelt Whifflat) for access to the Coatbridge ironworks. Slamannan Railway There was a large area of undeveloped moorland between Airdrie and the banks of the Forth, and a railway was promoted to develop the region. There were optimistic ideas of serving new collieries in the area, as well as the advantage of connecting Monklands to Edinburgh more directly. The Slamannan Railway opened in 1840 between Arbuckle and Causewayend, a wharf on the Union Canal; it had a rope worked incline down to the wharf. Onward transport to Edinburgh involved transshipment to canal barges. Main line railways The M&KR and the Ballochney companies enjoyed huge commercial success as the iron smelting industry boomed around Coatbridge, and as successful new mineral extraction started around Airdrie, although the Slamannan company's sought-for new mineral business barely materialised. The coal railways collectively worked in a loose collaboration. At the same time new intercity railways were being promoted and suddenly the coal railways disadvantages seemed dominant. Their near monopoly of mineral traffic in very small areas now seemed to exclude them from areas where new business was being developed, emphasised by the terminating points at canal basins, requiring transshipment to get to destination. Their primitive track on stone block sleepers, their distinct track gauge of 4 ft 6 in also necessitated transshipment where they connected with the new standard gauge lines. Their obsolete locomotives, horse haulage by independent hauliers is some parts, the rope-worked inclines and the antiquated operating methods were all considerable disadvantages. In 1842 the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway (E&GR) opened its main line (to Haymarket at first) on the standard gauge of 4 ft 8½ in with modern locomotives. At this time the Caledonian