Early Railways of Scotland

In this book Ed Bethune and Anthony Dawson from the 1722 Waggonway Project take the reader on a century long tour of the earliest of Scottish railways, beginning in 1722 with the Tranent–Cockenzie Waggonway and ending with the Garnkirk & Glasgow Railway of 1831, the first ‘modern’ railway in Scotland. ''A superb book that will broaden the horizons of most readers, even those who thought they had a reasonable understanding of railway history.'' ''This book describes in detail the coming of the early waggonways and metallic rails of the first ''proper'' railways, their traction, rolling stock and engineers. Excellent reading.'' ''There are profiles of some of the pioneers of these lines, many of whom will not be - in railway circles - household names, so this is very interesting and full of information and images. While certainly a niche subject, its originality makes it a decent book.'' ''If either the general development of early railways, or specifically railways in Scotland, is within your interest range the book is thoroughly recommended.''

Scottish railway history began in 1722 when William Dickson commenced work on the Tranent–Cockenzie Waggonway. Built entirely in wood and designed to carry coal from pits at Tranent to salt pans at Cockenzie, it was the first railway to be built in Scotland. Developing first in the most industrialised parts of the country, in the Lothians and later around Glasgow, wooden and iron railways flourished in no small part thanks to the work of Robert Stevenson. Ed Bethune and Anthony Dawson of the 1722 Waggonway Project present a century-long tour of the earliest of Scottish railways, beginning in 1722 and ending with the Garnkirk & Glasgow Railway of 1831, the first ‘modern’ railway in Scotland. The 1722 Waggonway Heritage Group was established in 2017 to preserve, promote and enhance the history of the Tranent–Cockenzie Waggonway through research, archaeology and community heritage initiatives. Thanks to the work of the group, much is now known about how early wooden railways were constructed and how early nineteenth-century fish-bellied rails laid on stone blocks worked, as well as the 1833 Robert Stevenson-designed harbour at Cockenzie.

Brand-new information from the archival and archaeological work into Scotland’s earliest railways is showcased alongside fascinating and rare images, all serving to set the scene for the beginnings of the Scottish railway network as conceived by trailblazers William Dickson, William Adam and Robert Stevenson.

• | Author: Anthony Dawson, Ed, FSA Scot Bethune
• | Publisher: Amberley Publishing
• | Publication Date: Aug 15, 2025
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781398123199
• | ISBN-10: 1398123196