Glasgow Tramway and Omnibus Company Limited
Owner Glasgow Tramway and Omnibus Company Limited (GT&OCo), a subsidiary of the British and Foreign Tramways Company Ltd
Opened 19th August 1872 (horse) - newly built lines owned by Glasgow Corporation
Operator (lessee) Glasgow Tramway and Omnibus Company Limited (GT&OCo)
Took over (operation) 1st January 1873 Vale of Clyde Tramways) - Govan line
Name changed (parent company) 27th April 1874 - to the Tramways Union Company Limited
Taken over (operation) 2nd July 1874 (Vale of Clyde Tramways Company) - Govan line, previously leased to the GT&OCo
Company buy-out February 1878 (gained independence from the TUCo)
Took over (operation) 28th May 1891 (Glasgow and Ibrox Tramway) - following the tramway's acquisition by the local authority, the Govan Commissioners of Police
Took over (lessee) 10th July 1893 - lines of the former Vale of Clyde Tramways, now owned by the Govan Commissioners of Police
Taken over (operation) 1st July 1894 (Glasgow Corporation) - all lines owned by the Corporation but previously leased to the GT&OCo
Taken over (operation) 11th November 1896 (Glasgow Corporation) - all lines owned by Govan Commissioners of Police, previously leased to the GT&OCo
Length 30.40 miles
Gauge 4ft 7¾ins
Button description Monogram of interwoven initials ('GT&OCL’) with the 'G' inverted about its vertical axis
Materials known Silver plate; brass
Button Line reference [None]
Comments Evidence that this button is indeed an issue of the GT&OCoLtd can be found in Glasgow Transport Museum, which has a horse brass from this company with the identical monogram (thanks to David Hughes and Kenny Delman for this information). The 'G' would appear to have been inverted about its vertical axis solely to give a more pleasing symmetry - the 'L' has also been given a tail, presumably to increase the symmetry with respect to the 'T'.
The silver plate button is of 1-piece construction, with the shank directly soldered onto the front.