Overview | |
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Locale | Scotland |
Dates of operation | 11 August 1879–1 September 1884 |
Successor | Caledonian Railway |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Alyth Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Alyth Railway was a short branch railway line built in Strathmore in Scotland, connecting the town of Alyth to the main line network. It opened in 1861. Its junction was remote from any large population centre except Dundee, which was only reached by a primitive line with three rope worked inclines. This was modernised in 1868 and the Alyth branch, now with a good connection to Dundee, became busy. Nonetheless, the population of Alyth declined, and so did usage of the line, and it closed in 1951.
The Scottish Midland Junction Railway opened its main line between Perth and Forfar, forming part of a network of associated companies connecting central Scotland and Aberdeen. The line ran through Strathmore and adopted and upgraded two moribund railways, the Newtyle and Coupar Angus Railway and the Newtyle and Glammiss Railway. The SMJR was amalgamated with the Aberdeen Railway in 1856, together forming the Scottish North Eastern Railway (SNER).
Promoters in Alyth saw the advantages of a railway connection, and they obtained an Act of Parliament for a branch line to their town, on 14 June 1858; the Alyth Railway company was authorised, with capital of £33,000. [1] to build a branch line to Alyth from Meigle, a junction on the SNER main line. The branch was just over 5 miles (8 km) long.
It opened on 2 September 1861 [note 1] and was worked by the SNER. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
An Act of 23 June 1864 authorised the lease of the line in perpetuity to the Scottish North Eastern Railway, which had taken over the Scottish Midland Junction Railway. The lease charge was 45% of gross receipts. The SNER was itself taken over by the Caledonian Railway in 1866 and the lease transferred to the Caledonian. [1]
The population of Alyth had been 3,422 in 1861 but this declined to 2,837 by 1921 and did not recover. Use of the line declined accordingly, and it closed to passengers on 2 July 1951. [6] [7] Complete closure followed in January 1965. [8]
The point of junction with the main line was named Alyth Junction; the Dundee and Newtyle Railway had been connected to the former SMJR main line by two ancillary railways, the Newtyle and Coupar Angus Railway and the Newtyle and Glammiss Railway. (Glammiss is spelt Glamis nowadays.) These two lines approaching from Dundee forked to run south-west and north-east respectively, and Alyth Junction was in the middle of the base of the triangle. As Dundee was a significant destination from Alyth, a connecting line from Newtyle was built by the Caledonian Railway, and it was made to cross over the main line to avoid conflict with main line trains. This opened on 3 August 1868. [7] [8]
The typical passenger timetable gave nine return trips daily, eleven on Saturdays, with most trains proceeding to Dundee. [8]
The original Meigle station was located at the convergence of the Newtyle and Glammiss line with the main line, but the Newtyle spur line was lifted and the station was closed; a new Meigle Junction station was opened, sited at Alyth Junction. [3]
The Dundee and Newtyle line had been laid with stone block sleeper track to a unique gauge of 4 ft 6.5in (1,384 mm) and had three rope-worked inclines. The Caledonian Railway took over the line and modernised it, eliminating the inclines; this work was completed on 31 August 1868. By now the Caledonian had taken over the SNER as well, and commenced running through passenger trains from Dundee to Alyth, which "became a busy country terminus over the next few years". [3]
The Caledonian Railway (CR) was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively extended its network and reached Edinburgh and Aberdeen, with a dense network of branch lines in the area surrounding Glasgow. It was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. Many of its principal routes are still used, and the original main line between Carlisle and Glasgow is in use as part of the West Coast Main Line railway.
The Dundee and Newtyle Railway opened in 1831 and was the first railway in the north of Scotland. It was built to carry goods between Dundee and the fertile area known as Strathmore; this involved crossing the Sidlaw Hills, and was accomplished with three rope-worked inclined planes. Newtyle was simply a remote railhead, and the anticipated traffic volumes were not achieved, the inclines incurred heavy operating costs, and the railway never made money.
The Perth, Almond Valley and Methven Railway was a Scottish railway line that connected Methven with Perth. It opened in 1858.
The Scottish Central Railway was formed in 1845 to link Perth and Stirling to Central Scotland, by building a railway line to join the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway near Castlecary.
The Aberdeen Railway was a Scottish railway company which built a line from Aberdeen to Forfar and Arbroath, partly by leasing and upgrading an existing railway.
The Scottish Midland Junction Railway was authorised in 1845 to build a line from Perth to Forfar. Other companies obtained authorisation in the same year, and together they formed a route from central Scotland to Aberdeen. The SMJR opened its main line on 4 August 1848. Proposals to merge with other railways were rejected by Parliament at first, but in 1856 the SMJR merged with the Aberdeen Railway to form the Scottish North Eastern Railway. The SNER was itself absorbed into the larger Caledonian Railway in 1866. The original SMJR main line was now a small section of a main line from Carlisle and central Scotland to Aberdeen.
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The Scottish North Eastern Railway was a railway company in Scotland operating a main line from Perth to Aberdeen, with branches to Kirriemuir, Brechin and Montrose. It was created when the Aberdeen Railway amalgamated with the Scottish Midland Junction Railway on 29 July 1856. It did not remain independent for long, for it was itself absorbed by the Caledonian Railway on 10 August 1866.
The Dundee and Perth Railway was a Scottish railway company. It opened its line in 1847 from Dundee to a temporary station at Barnhill and extended to Perth station in 1849. It hoped to link with other railways to reach Aberdeen and changed its name to the Dundee and Perth and Aberdeen Railway Junction Company, but this early attempt was frustrated, and for some years it failed to make a physical connection with other railways in Dundee.
Alyth Junction railway station served the village of Meigle in the Scottish county of Perth and Kinross. The station was the junction where the Alyth Railway and the Dundee and Newtyle Railway diverged from the Scottish Midland Junction Railway running between Perth and Arbroath.
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The Kilsyth and Bonnybridge Railway was a railway line in central Scotland, built to exploit the mineral extractive industries in the area; it opened in 1888. A passenger service was run, but bus competition overwhelmed it after 1920 and the passenger service closed in 1935. The goods and mineral traffic continued, but it was dependent on the industries it served, and when they declined so did the business on the railway; it closed in 1964 and none of it is now in railway use.
The Dolphinton Branch refers to two railway branch lines in Lanarkshire and Peeblesshire, Scotland, built in the nineteenth century.
The Forfar and Brechin Railway was promoted as a possible alternative main line to part of the Caledonian Railway route between Perth and Aberdeen. It was opened in 1895, having been sold while incomplete to the Caledonian Railway.
The Dundee and Forfar direct line was a railway line opened by the Caledonian Railway in 1870, connecting the important county town of Forfar with the harbour and manufacturing town of Dundee.
The Grangemouth branch railways served Grangemouth docks on the Firth of Forth, Scotland, connecting the docks to the main line railway network. The first line was opened in 1860. The docks and the branch line developed considerably, and a second branch line was opened in 1911. Grangemouth docks was exceptionally busy during World War I, supplying the Grand Fleet.
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