Macbrayne Centenary; one hundred years of progress, 1851 - 1951 : booklet cover : David MacBrayne Ltd., Glasgow
In 1951 MacBraynes celebrated 100 years of service and issued a small illustrated booklet. The company's roots dated back to 1851 when MacBrayne was a partner in James Hutcheson & Co., a shipping company that passed to MacBrayne in 1878. The company became well known for their steamer fleet and associated road services branding the tourist appeal as the "Royal Route" and offering a range of inclusive tours as well as scheduled services across the many firths and lochs between islands and mainland.
The company was effectively bankrupt in 1928 and jointly bought out by the London Midland & Scottish Railway (who already had shipping services in the area through the Caledonian Steam Packet Company) and Coast Lines Ltd., a major concern who acquired controlling interests in many shipping companies. In 1969 Coast Lines holding passed to the Scottish Transport Group and in 1973 it was merged with the Caledonian to form Caledonian MacBrayne, the bus interest passing to SBG subsidiaries.
Macbrayne Centenary; one hundred years of progress, 1851 - 1951 : booklet cover : David MacBrayne Ltd., Glasgow
In 1951 MacBraynes celebrated 100 years of service and issued a small illustrated booklet. The company's roots dated back to 1851 when MacBrayne was a partner in James Hutcheson & Co., a shipping company that passed to MacBrayne in 1878. The company became well known for their steamer fleet and associated road services branding the tourist appeal as the "Royal Route" and offering a range of inclusive tours as well as scheduled services across the many firths and lochs between islands and mainland.
The company was effectively bankrupt in 1928 and jointly bought out by the London Midland & Scottish Railway (who already had shipping services in the area through the Caledonian Steam Packet Company) and Coast Lines Ltd., a major concern who acquired controlling interests in many shipping companies. In 1969 Coast Lines holding passed to the Scottish Transport Group and in 1973 it was merged with the Caledonian to form Caledonian MacBrayne, the bus interest passing to SBG subsidiaries.