Discovering Scotland's Lost Railways

Author: Julian Holland

The mid-to-late nineteenth century was a boom period for railway building in Scotland. However, many lines were built through open countryside and the lines did not always serve villages or towns. Many more lines built with false hopes. Many lines were built but never paid back a proper financial return to their backers, and many closed because of that.

Many of the lines built were doomed from the start. From early in the 1930s the railways met competition from the motor car. But worse was to come, The ‘Beeching Report’ of 1963 spelt the end for many of Scotland’s rural railways and by the end of the 1960s huge swathes of the country had lost their railway service. Built to last by their Victorian and Edwardian engineers, much of the infrastructure of these lost lines is still in place. The book looks at new life for redundant station buildings; cycleways and footpaths following the old track beds, embankments and cuttings; graceful steel bridges spanning the rivers; soaring viaducts striding across the landscape and burrowing tunnels beneath it. Sustrans manage some of the cyclepaths.

Much of Scotland’s lost railway heritage is still out there waiting to be discovered. Researched and written by respected railway author Julian Holland and profusely illustrated with historical and present-day photographs, Discovering Scotland’s Lost Railways will open the door to this secret world for the cycle, walking and train enthusiast as well as those with an interest in Scotland and its transport.

Lost railways featured

Dumfries to Stranraer
Connel Ferry to Ballachulish
Spean Bridge to Fort Augustus
Muir of Ord to Fortrose
Boat of Garten to Keith
Elgin to Tillynaught and Banff
Inveramsay to Macduff
Kinnaber Junction to Stanley Junction via Forfar
Gleneagles to Balquidder
Dunblane to Crianlarich
East Fife
Waverley Route

Author and photographer Julian Holland has a passion for both railways and Scotland. In addition to creating and contributing to many best-selling books on the former subject he has also written Amazing and Extraordinary Railway Facts (David and Charles), Discovering Britain’s Little Trains (AA Publishing), Great Railways of the World (AA Publishing), and Lost Joy of Railways (David and Charles).

As a writer and photographer he has also produced Water Under the Bridge (Collins and Brown), Exploring the Islands of England and Wales (Frances Lincoln) and Exploring the Islands of Scotland (Frances Lincoln).

Trimmed Page Size: 260 x 170mm; Hardback; Spine: 25mm Weight: 300g