By the latter part of the nineteenth century most towns along the Scottish Borders had acquired a rail service. Falling passenger numbers led to line closures beginning in the 1930s and continuing until today. This nostalgic collection of photographs illustrates many of the area's lost stations, along with historic rolling stock.
During the railway network's heyday in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Dumfries and Galloway was served by dozens of stations, many of them on the 'Paddy Line' from Dumfries to Portpatrick and its several branches. Only a handful of stations now serve this rural area. 51 pictures and a map record many lost stations, along with other features such as the Solway Viaduct, the level crossing at Gretna Township, the engine shed at Beattock and sidings and sheds at Newton Stewart. Station staff, passengers and rolling stock feature prominently too.
A comprehensive book covering rail services in Lanarkshire from the 1820s. From the first, small horse powered wagon-ways, through the boom years; government control during the first and second world wars; nationalisation; Dr. Beeching and twentieth century re-privatisation, the railways in Lanarkshire have served and influenced the changing face of its industry, its countryside and its people. Over 50 beautiful photographs and a detailed narrative document the stations, locomotives and workers that have made railways such an important part of both rural and industrial life in Lanarkshire for nearly 200 years.
At the height of the railway era the Scottish Highlands had a total of 183 railway stations serving some of the most remote parts of the United Kingdom. Road transport was virtually non-existent and if it didn't have one already every village wanted its own station. Today there are just sixty-eight left to cover this vast area but unlike other parts of the country the prospects are good for an upturn in railway use. Some stations have been reopened and just as they were a hundred years ago railways continue to be a major lifeline for the economies of Caithness and Sutherland. This collection of fifty-two period photographs ranging from the 1880s through to the 1960s and accompanied by a line-by-line history recalls many past sights and locations.
With Edinburgh as its hub, the combined area of West, Mid and East Lothian once hosted a considerable railway network. During the nineteenth century, competition between the Caledonian and North British railways was intense and many lines and stations were built which were never meant to be viable. A prime example was the overly pretentious Leith Central Station. On the other hand, the activities of the railway companies did result in the engineering triumph of the Forth Bridge. By the 1920s bus services were impacting the railways' profits and by the 1960s many lines were dismantled by the Beeching cuts. Edinburgh especially suffered and virtually all of its suburban services disappeared. They are remembered in this history of the Lothian railway networks, enhanced by fifty-two authentic period photographs.
Perthshire and Kinross-shire are two particularly picturesque areas of Scotland - they also once boasted many of the country's most remote railway stations, including Killin Junction which served a community accessible only by rail. As well as information on the counties' railway system before the Beeching era, this book contains 52 excellent, and very rare, photographs of stations at locations including Killin, Aberfeldy, Grandtully, Blairgowrie, Aberfoyle, Meigle, Lochearnhead, St Fillans, Bankfoot, Bridge of Earn, Doune, Crieff, Crianlarich and Coupar Angus.
Dundee had one of the earliest railway systems in Scotland (dating from the 1830s) and by the early 1900s a network of lines served virtually every town and village in Angus and Kincardineshire. Today there are just eleven stations remaining in the two counties covered by this book although passengers can travel back in time by taking a ride on the preserved steam railway between Brechin and the Bridge of Dun. Stations illustrating Gordon Stansfield's text include Laurencekirk Marykirk Drumlithie Newtyle Baldovan and Downfield Lochee West Colliston Leysmill Crathes Brechin West Ferry Elliot Junction Lunan Bay Portlethen Justinhaugh Tannadice Dundee East and West Edzell Barnhill Johnshaven St Cyrus Kirriemuir Forfar Guthrie Auldbar Road Dubton Hillside and Newtonhill.
In keeping with the format of our other lost railway books this volume contains a selection of excellent historic photographs of stations and rolling stock this time featuring Aberdeenshire. Along with statistics detailing closures many stations are featured Alford Boddam Monymusk Kemnay Aboyne Lumphanan Culter Murtle Hatton Lonmay Brucklay Newmachar Auchterless Inverugie Cairnie Junction Kennethmont Kintore and Pitmedden.
Fife's Lost Railways provides vital statistics for all the closed passenger lines in the county, plus a brief history too. It is liberally illustrated with pre-closure photographs, with Boarhills, Lindores, Mount Melville, Stravithie, Elie, Kilconquhar and Largo among the stations featured. This one of our best-selling titles and had to be reprinted within months of publication.
Glasgow is unique among British cities in that it has the largest rail network outside of London, and there was once a time when the city had four very grand stations - Central, Queen Street, St Enoch's and Buchanan Street. Two of these have gone and with them the heyday of the city's railways. Those times are captured for us in this collection of fifty-two photographs, accompanied by a history of each of the city's lines. The neighbouring region of Dunbartonshire is also covered and was itself unique in that Milngavie was the home of one of the world's first monorail systems. Stations featured in the book - many of them long gone - include Cowlairs, Possilpark, Eglinton Street, Buchanan Street, Dalmuir Riverside, Stobcross, Bellahouston, Summerston, Maryhill Central, St Enoch's, Partick West, Cumberland Street, the Singer Terminal (Clydebank), Rutherglen and Strathbungo.