Joseph Locke instructed by the Directors of the Grand Junction Railway (Birmingham to Warrington) to survey a route from Preston to Glasgow.

The Grand Junction would reach Preston over the lines of the North Union Railway. (Locke’s initial conclusion was that the Annandale route, which followed Thomas Telford’s road and was the mail coach route, could not be followed, as he calculated it would involve a climb of 10 miles at 1 in 75 between Beattock and Elvanfoot.

In March 1836 he recommended to the Grand Junction Board that the Nithsdale route be chosen with a distance of 417 miles between London and Glasgow.

A possible line to Edinburgh was not included in the survey as the intention was that the capital city would be reached via the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, which was being projected at the time and was in fact authorised in 1838.)

The recommendation of the Nithsdale route was met with favour by the Glasgow merchants who were promoting two local railways, the Glasgow, Paisley & Greenock, and the Glasgow, Ayr & Kilmarnock which would share the line between Glasgow and Paisley and could form the northern section of the Nithsdale route by linking Kilmarnock to Carlisle.

The major promoters of the Annandale route sought to change the recommendation and a period of debate and power politics ensued as the rival promoters each sought to win support for their preferred route.

Following a second survey, Locke changed his mind on the basis that, with the continued development of the locomotive, the ascent over Beattock summit was practical, although he expressed concern about the decent, which he advised could hold more danger, and was thus a question of importance.

A third route from Berwick to Edinburgh was also being promoted by this time.

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