 In 1973, they were merged with MacBraynes as Caledonian MacBrayne.Rival railway companies, the Caledonian Railway (CR), the North British Railway (NBR) and the Glasgow and South Western Railway (GSWR) at first used the services of various early private operators of Clyde steamers.The CR failed to attract private ship owners to their new extension from Greenock to the fishing village of Gourock.