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 | 50 | Plantation | Henry Stewart | Henry Stewart | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 51 | Ditch, dyke & banks, with line of planting and hedge, being estate boundary | Henry Stewart & John Berry | Peter Ramsay & Robert Arthur (lessees); Peter Ramsay, John & Robert Arthur (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 52 | Arable field | John Berry | Robert Arthur (lessee); John & Robert Arthur (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 53 | Arable field | John Berry | Thomas & John Just (lessees & occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 54 | Bank being division between fields | John Berry | Robert Arthur, Thomas & John Just (lessees); John & Robert Arthur, Thomas & John Just (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 55 | Kirk road | John Berry | The public | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 56 | Dwelling house with outhouses and courts at back and garden ground in front | Mary Ann Gibb & Eliza Gibb; John Geekie junior, Andrew Willison & James Petrie (trustees of late Alex. Gibb); John Skinner | Mary Ann Gibb & Eliza Gibb | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 57 | Dwelling house with outhouses and courts at back and garden ground in front | Mary Ann Gibb & Eliza Gibb; John Geekie junior, Andrew Willison & James Petrie (trustees of late Alex. Gibb); John Skinner | Alexander McLaren (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 58 | Arable field partially cultivated as garden ground & partly used as corn yard | John Just & Thomas Just | John Just (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 59 | Dwelling house with garden in front | Thomas Harris | Robert Kinnear(lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 60 | Arable or garden ground | Thomas Harris | Robert Kinnear(lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 61 | Old quarry or quarry hole | John Just & Thomas Just | John Just (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 62 | Arable field | Henry Stewart | George Just (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 63 | Bank lined with trees | Henry Stewart, John Just & Thomas Just | John & George Just (lessees & occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 64 | Occupation road | Henry Stewart | George Just (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 65 | Stack yard, farm offices, courts, & approaches | George Just | George Just (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 66 | Shrubbery & approach | George Just | George Just (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 67 | Bleaching green & garden, with rabbit house at south-east corner | George Just | George Just (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 68 | Garden ground | George Just | George Just (lessee & occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 69 | Enclosed garden ground & bleaching green, with privy at south-west corner | Robert Nicoll, Thomas Clark & Barbara Clark or Just, Trustees of late John Just | Mrs John Just | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 70 | Stripe of ground for road | Robert Nicoll, Thomas Clark & Barbara Clark or Just, Trustees of late John Just, George Just, Henry Stewart | Mrs John Just, George Just, Henry Stewart | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 71 | Occupation road | Misses Helen, Ann & Elizabeth Whittet, David Just, Henry Stewart | Misses Helen, Ann & Elizabeth Whittet, David Just, Henry Stewart, Mrs John Just, George Just, Edward Parker | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 72 | Occupation road | Henry Stewart, David Just, Misses Helen, Ann & Elizabeth Whittet, James Shepherd | Henry Stewart, David Just, Misses Helen, Ann & Elizabeth Whittet, James Shepherd, George Just, Mrs John Just, Edward Parker | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 73 | Dwelling house with cellarage and toofall [a lean-to building] at back, and green house at west | David Just | David Just | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 74 | Enclosed garden ground surrounding no. 73 | David Just | David Just | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 75 | Privy | David Just | David Just | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 76 | Wright's shop and wood yard and poultry yard | David Just | David Just | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 77 | Dyke with bank and trees, being estate boundary | John Berry, Henry Stewart | Robert Arthur & George Just (lessees); John Berry, Henry Stewart, Robert Arthur, John Arthur, George Just (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 78 | Small plantation | Henry Stewart | Henry Stewart | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 79 | Arable field | John Berry | Robert Arthur (lessee); Robert & John Arthur (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 80 | Arable field lined with trees | John Berry | Robert Arthur (lessee); Robert & John Arthur (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 81 | Plantation with banks lined with trees and intersected with walks | John Berry | John Berry | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 82 | Garden ground lined with trees | John Berry | John Berry (lessee); John Ritchie (occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 83 | Garden ground lined with trees | John Berry | John Berry (lessee); John McIntosh (occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 84 | Dwelling house with washing house & outhouses | John Berry | John Berry (lessee); John Ritchie (occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 85 | Enclosed garden ground in front | John Berry | John Berry (lessee); John Ritchie (occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 86 | Dwelling house with coal house & outhouses | John Berry | John Berry (lessee); John McIntosh (occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 87 | Piece oof waste ground at back of houses | John Berry | John Berry (lessee); John McIntosh & John Ritchie (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 88 | Enclosed garden ground in front of 86 | John Berry | John Berry (lessee); John McIntosh (occupier) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 89 | Occupation road through field and plantation | John Berry | John Arthur, Robert Arthur, John McIntosh, John Ritchie, John Berry | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 90 | Burn or stream, partly covered | John Berry | John Arthur, Robert Arthur,Thomas Kidd, John Berry | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 91 | Plantation and banks of stream intersected with walks | John Berry | John Berry | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 92 | Occupation road | John Berry | John Arthur, Robert Arthur, John Berry | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 93 | Tayfield Park, studded with trees, and intersected with roads and walks | John Berry | Robert Arthur (lessee); John Arthur, Robert Arthur, John Berry (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 94 | Small plantation | John Berry | John Berry | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 95 | Plantations intersected by walks | John Berry | John Berry | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 96 | Private approach or access to mansion house of Tayfield | John Berry | John Berry | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 97 | Arable field with trees | John Berry | Robert Arthur (lessee); John Arthur, Robert Arthur (occupiers) | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 98 | Plantation or clump of trees | John Berry | John Berry | ||
| TB & DU | 1864 | RHP24551 | 99 | Covered well or fountain | John Berry | John Berry, Robert Arthur, John Arthur |
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