Scottish Railways

Scottish Steam in the 1950s and '60s This is a pictorial work depicting the wide variety of steam locomotives and trains in Scotland during the 1950s and early 1960s. The illustrations are arranged geographically within the former Scottish shires and extend from Dumfries in the south to Wick in the North, and from Oban in the west to Aberdeen in the north east. The motive power ranges from the Caledonian Railway "Pug", to the main line express locomotives at a time when many engines were operated by their own regular crews and received the highest standard of maintenance. All the illustrations in this work are captioned with details of the locomotive depicted, the train being worked and the location. It also includes a pictorial survey of all steam locomotive types to be found on the Scottish Region of British Railways in 1954. Scottish Railways.

Iron Road to the Highlands (Iron Roads... A travellers and tourists guide to the Highland Railway Line, Perth to Inverness, featuring full colour photographs of the area; an entertaining commentary with points of interest and historical details, along with detailed one inch to the mile maps of the route travelled. A gazetteer gives information on accomodation, eating out, shopping, things to do, and places to visit.

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silvery... Tay. The book describes in great detail the events leading up to he Tay bridge disaster of 1879. The subsequent public Inquiry provides the answers to why the disaster occurred, which the author provides in the form of extracts from the main witnesses. The reinvestigation confirms their cncluisons that the bridge was badly designed, built and maintained. The book concludes by examining the aftermath and modern disasters which show the importance of forensic methods in understanding them, and learning the lessons so as to prevent further accidents. Scottish Railways.

Along Country Lines Along Country Lines highlights some of the best journeys you can undertake in Britain. It includes a mixture of existing lines and lost routes to build a picture of a rural Britain that is held in great affection. Railways were once the vital lifelines of the country, reaching everywhere. They carried people and goods and made entire ways of life possible. The book recaptures the people and the industries that used the lines, through a rich mixture of photographs, postcards, posters, ephemera and documents. Special coverage of towns and villages at the start and finish of each route highlights places of interest. Along Country Lines is for everyone with an interest in Britain's landscapes and history, combining beauty, history, nostalgia and great stories to make an essential read.

The West Highland Railway (Railways of... Scotland) The West Highland existed as a separate company for only nineteen years, including the five years it too to build. It never had a general manager or a locomotive superintendent, yet the West Highland had, and still has, an atmosphere all its own. Despite amalgamations and nationalisation, the West Highland remains unique... there is nothing quite like it in Britain. This book is for armchair reading and for reference, and to bring with you on this magnificent line. P.J.G. Ransom has updated this classic history to reflect important developments in recent years. Scottish Railways.

History of the Railways of the Scottish... Highlands. This second volume in the "Railways of the Scottish Highlands" series offers a history of the Highland Railway, one of the most famous Scottish railways, with its route through hundreds of miles of spectacular countryside. It is an updated text which continues the railway's story into the 1990s. It is intended as a book for the general reader and as a reference source for the railway enthusiast.

The Railways of Upper Strathearn,Crieff... When a journey by motor car along the A85 from Comrie to Crieff occupies a mere 10 minutes, it is difficult to imagine the tremendous enthusiasm with which the people of Comrie welcomed the arrival in 1893 of the branch line from Crieff. Comrie, along with the other villages in Upper Strathearn between Crieff and Lochearnhead, had been steadily increasing in size and prosperity in the second half of the 19th century but still depended on stagecoaches and general carriers for communication with the outside world. This book tells of the efforts made over many decades to bring the railway to Comrie and to continue it westwards to link with the Callander & Oban line at Lochearnhead. All these efforts came to nothing until, in the end, the single-minded determination of Colonel David Robertson Williamson, Laird of Lawers, above all others achieved that goal. When the House of Commons passed the Crieff & Comrie Railway Act in 1890 there was cause for much excitement. In 1905 the line was completed westwards to Balquhidder where it joined the Callander & Oban Railway and its promoters had great hopes of Oban being developed as a major transatlantic port. But it was not to be. The line never really prospered in spite of attempts in the 1930s to develop it as a tourist route. The end came in 1951 for the Balquhidder-Comrie section of the line and Comrie lost its rail service completely in 1964 when the remaining section to Crieff and Gleneagles was also closed. In writing the book the author has not only used original material held in various archives but has also quoted extensively from contemporary newspapers reports. These reports vividly convey the excitement generated in villages whose transport system had been confined to the speed of a stagecoach or a horse-drawn cart and were now entering the modern age of steam transport.

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