Tay Bridge & Dundee Union Railway, 1864
The first proposals to get as far as Parliamentary plans for a bridge over the Tay.
Blog article in course of preparation
Original proposal (no plans), October 1864:
Tay Bridge & Dundee Union Railway.
At the Dundee end, the bridge was to run to Craig Pier and the line would then turn west.
Final proposal (with plans), end of November 1864:
Tay Bridge & Dundee Union Railway.
At the Dundee end, the line was to turn east and run into the town (shown dotted).
Originally the result of suggestions for a bridge from Tayport across to Hare Craig (at West Ferry), the Tay Bridge & Dundee Union Railway was presented by Thomas Bouch, its engineer, to the Dundee public on 26 October 1864. He proposed a bridge to run from Newport (exact location unknown but from the number of spans, 64, probably Craighead) to Craig Pier (now Discovery Point) where the line would turn west to run to a station. It was envisaged that it would be complemented by a railway on the Fife side from Tayport to Newport, where it would have sufficient height to enable the bridge to cross the river, and another direct line from Newport to Leuchars1. A central station in Dundee was proposed with links to the other railways coming into the town.
There was considerable discussion and argument locally, eventually leading to many changes.
The proposed Bill to go before Parliament was published on 22 November 18642. It was for a railway to run from the station at Ferryport-on-Craig (Tayport) and terminate just west of the Craig Pier.
But the detailed plans3 which had to be submitted to the Sheriff Clerk before the proposals could go to Parliament show the Dundee landfall of the bridge to be just to the east of Magdalen Point (near where the present railway bridge has its landfall). The plans were described in detail in the local press4. They show a line from the station at Tayport running along near the coast to Newport, then round to Woodhaven, from where a bridge, now with 80 spans, would be built directly across the river towards Magdalen Point, but turning eastwards at the north end continuing to a station opposite the foundry of the Scottish Central Railway. These plans were deposited on 30 November - change had been rapid.
Although confusing to many, the plans do not contradict the proposed Parliamentary Bill since the proposed Bill only mentions the end point of the railway (west of Craig Pier) and does not detail its route.
The line was never built - killed off by too many vested interests (Dundee Harbour Trust, Dundee Town Council, Perth Town Council & competing railway companies). Officially postponed in Parliament May 18655. The planned route from Tayport station to Castle Brae in Newport was used for the first planned Newport Railway.
References:
1. Dundee Advertiser, 18 October 1864, p2 & 27 October 1864, p3 (all newspapers available at British Newspaper Archive)
2. Edinburgh Gazette, 22 November 1864, p1559
3. Plans - at National Records of Scotland, ref. RHP24551
4. Dundee Advertiser, 1 December 1864, p2
5. Dundee Advertiser, 11 May 1865, p3
Additional reading:
Battle for the North, Charles McKean, 2007
Return to: Railway Plans
These are the entries in the Books of Reference which accompany the various railway plans, RHP24551, held at the National Records of Scotland, but not online. The full plans are not on this site.
There are 247 records.| Co. | Year | Plan | Ref | Description | Owner or reputed owner | Occupier | [Comments] | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 1 | River or Firth of Tay and soil or bed thereof | The Crown; The Commissioner of Her Majesty's Woods, Forests & Land Revenues of Scotland; The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty (Lord Clarence Paget and William G Romaine, secretaries); Henry Stewart; The Provost, Magistrates & Town Council of Dundee (Chris. Kerr, clerk); David Hunter; The Scottish Central Railway Co (J A Jamieson, secretary) | Covered with water at full tide. The public | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 2 | Banks of the River Tay | Henry Stewart | John Grant (lessee); John Grant & the public (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 3 | Arable field | Henry Stewart | John Grant (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 4 | Woodhaven toll house and coal house in front and toll bar | The Turnpike Road Trustees for the District of Cupar, County of Fife (William Horsburgh, clerk) | Alexander Henderson (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 5 | Dwelling house & appurtenances | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay & Thomas Watson (lessees); Thomas Watson (occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 6 | Waste ground | Henry Stewart | Henry Stewart & Thomas Watson | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 7 | Garden ground having ruinous pigstye on west, and timber pigstye on east thereof | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay & Thomas Watson (lessees); Thomas Watson (occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 8 | Footpath | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee); Thomas Watson & James Dandy (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 9 | Piece of waste ground covered by stones | Henry Stewart | Henry Stewart | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 10 | Barrow house | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay & James Dandy (lessees); James Dandy (occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 11 | Dwelling house with small plot in front | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay & James Dandy (lessees); James Dandy (occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 12 | Coal house and necessary | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay & James Dandy (lessees); James Dandy (occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 13 | Occupation road | Henry Stewart | William Black, Peter Robertson, Thomas Watson, Peter Ramsay, James Dandy, James Grant, Margaret Welsh, Angus Williamson, Margaret Patrick, H Stewart, Alexander Henderson | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 14 | Waste ground and banks partially covered with stones and used as a bleaching green | Henry Stewart | John Grant, James Dandy & Peter Robertson (lessees & occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 15 | Garden ground and banks with ruins of pigstye | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay & James Dandy (lessees); James Dandy & the public (occupier)s | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 16 | Pigstye | Henry Stewart | Angus Williamson (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 17 | Waste and pasture ground and banks used partially as a bleaching green, with trees | Henry Stewart | John Grant, Peter Ramsay, Angus Williamson, James Dandy, Peter Robertson, Margaret Welsh, William Black, Margaret Patrick (lessees); John Grant, Peter Ramsay, Alexander Henderson, Thomas Watson, Angus Williamson, James Dandy, Peter Robertson, Margaret Welsh, William Black, Margaret Patrick (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 18/1 | Well | Henry Stewart | John Grant, Peter Ramsay, Alexander Henderson, Thomas Watson, Angus Williamson, James Dandy, Peter Robertson, Margaret Welsh, William Black, Margaret Patrick | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 18/2 | Piece of ground covered partially with pigstye and partially used as garden ground | Henry Stewart | Angus Williamson, Margaret Welsh, William Black (lessees and occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 19 | Pasture ground | Henry Stewart | John Grant, Peter Ramsay (lessees and occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 20 | Arable ground | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 21 | Garden ground with pigstye on north-east end thereof | Henry Stewart | William Black (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 22 | Dwelling house with outhouses on west | Henry Stewart | William Black (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 23 | Dwelling house | Henry Stewart | Margaret Patrick (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 24 | Dwelling house with outhouses at back | Henry Stewart | Angus Williamson (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 25 | Garden ground | Henry Stewart | William Black (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 26 | Garden ground | Henry Stewart | Angus Williamson (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 27 | Garden ground | Henry Stewart | Margaret Patrick (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 28 | Garden ground | Henry Stewart | Angus Williamson (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 29 | Dwelling house & outhouses, with garden ground to back, and flower plot in front | Henry Stewart | Margaret Welsh (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 30 | Dwelling house with garden to back and flower plot to front | Henry Stewart | Peter Robertson (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 31 | Turnpike Road commonly called the Woodhaven Turnpike Road | The Turnpike Road Trustees for the District of Cupar, County of Fife (William Horsburgh, clerk) | The public | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 32 | Arable field | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 33 | Foot road | Henry Stewart | Peter Robertson (lessee); Peter Robertson & Henry Stewart (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 34 | Public steelyard | The Turnpike Road Trustees for the District of Cupar, County of Fife (William Horsburgh, clerk) | Alexander Henderson (lessee); Alexander Henderson & the public (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 35 | Occupation road & margins | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay, Alexander Key, Henry Stewart, the public | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 36 | Enclosed orchard & garden ground, with temporary erections thereon | Henry Stewart | John Grant (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 37 | Pigstye | Henry Stewart | John Grant (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 38 | Byre & dung stance | Henry Stewart | John Grant (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 39 | Ditch, or stream of water, with banks | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 40 | Arable field | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 41 | Enclosed orchard or garden | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 42 | Belts & clumps of planting | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 43 | Small plantation | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 44 | Arable field | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 45 | Arable field | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 46 | Occupation road | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 47 | Arable field | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 48 | Occupation road with banks and ditch | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee); Peter Ramsay & Henry Stewart (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 49 | Arable field | Henry Stewart | Peter Ramsay (lessee & occupier) |
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