The Newport Railways, 1865, 1866 and 1869
Blog article in course of preparation
Newport Railway 1, planned November 1865.
Newport Railway 2, planned November 1865.
Newport Railway 3, planned November 1865.
Newport Railway Deviation, planned November 1866.
Newport Railway, planned 1869, opened 1879.
North British (Tay Bridge) Railway (N B (T B)), planned November 1865.
The map is best viewed by having the pink Newport Railway 1869/79 line switched off until that point in the story is reached.
The November 1865 version
Initially 3 railways were planned to run from Tayport through Newport to join up with the North British (Tay Bridge) Railway at 2 points1. Engineers: George Cadell Bruce & George Cunningham.
- Railway 1 was to run from Tayport station to Victoria Street in Newport. This used the same route as the Tay Bridge & Dundee Union Railway planned in 1864.
- Railway 2 was to run from the end of Railway 1 at Victoria Street, through West Newport and then round to terminate south of Wormit Farm where it would join up with the North British (Tay Bridge) Railway to form a route to Leuchars and beyond. The route from Victoria Street to Castle Brae was the same as the TB & DU route.
- Railway 3 was to break away from Railway 2 at a point south of Woodhaven Farm and was to run to join with the NB (TB) on the bridge near its south end, thus providing a link to Dundee.
This all depended on the building of a Tay Bridge and the North British (Tay Bridge) Railway, which had been planned in November 18652.
The November 1866 version
However, just as the Newport Railway Bill was passing through the House of Lords, the North British abandoned their plan for a Tay Bridge and railway on 26 July 18663. The Newport Railway Act received the Royal assent on August 6th4, but wthout the North British (Tay Bridge) railway, the Newport Railway had no reason to exist.
The Newport Railway Company revised their plans and proposed a Newport Deviation Railway5, to run from Tayport station along the coast to terminate at Craighead (nowadays more or less underneath the Tay Road Bridge). Engineer: George Cadell Bruce. This Act received the Royal assent on 25 July 18676.
There was no more progress on the Newport Railway until the North British Railway published their next proposals for a Tay Bridge and supporting railways in 18697.
The (final) 1869 version
Except for the first quarter of a mile from its beginning at Tayport station (which remained from the original 1865 plans and the TB & DU plans of 1864), a new route8 [now you should display it on the map] was surveyed for the 1869 line which was to run from Tayport station through Newport to connect to the (first) Tay Bridge. Like the bridge, its engineer was Thomas Bouch. The Newport Railway Company intended the line to open at the same time as the Tay Bridge9 but construction of the line only began in June 187710 and it opened for passenger traffic on 12 May 187911 (the Tay Bridge officially opened on 31 May 1878).
Following the collapse of the first Tay Bridge and the construction of the new Tay Bridge, the Wormit end of the Newport Railway was moved a little to the west which necessitated a new tunnel at Wormit.
The line from Newport-on-Tay East to Tayport was closed on 22 May 1966, a replacement bus service running to Tayport until 18 December 1967. The rest of the line closed on 3 May 1969. Much of the line is now a nature trail.
Articles about the stations and the line in operation are on the Newport History Group's website.
References:
1. Fifeshire Journal, 16 November 1865, p3; Plans - at National Records of Scotland, ref. RHP45903; Edinburgh Gazette, 28 Nov 1865, p1597
2. Plans - at National Records of Scotland, ref. RHP24554; Edinburgh Gazette, 24 Nov 1865, p1522
3. Caledonian Mercury, 27 July 1866, p3
4. The Newport Railway Act, 1866 [not available on legislation.gov.uk], but available here
5. Dundee Advertiser, 6 November 1866, p5; 16 November 1866, p1; 17 November 1866, p2; Plans - at National Records of Scotland, ref. RHP45904; Edinburgh Gazette, 20 Nov 1866, p1372
6. The Newport Railway Act, 1867
7. Plans - at National Records of Scotland, ref. RHP24560; Edinburgh Gazette, 23 Nov 1869, p1465
8. The Newport Railway Act, 1870; Plans - at National Records of Scotland, ref. RHP45905; Edinburgh Gazette, 26 Nov 1869, p1510
9. An extension of the time limit on building the line had been required - The Newport Railway Act, 1873; Dundee Courier, 17 February 1876, p2
10. Dundee Courier, 25 June 1877, p2
11. Dundee Courier, 13 May 1879, p4
Additional reading:
The High Girders, John Prebble, 1956
Forgotten Railways - Scotland, John Thomas, 1976
The Railways of Fife, William Scott Bruce, 1980
The North British Railway - a History, David Ross, 2014
Return to: Railway Plans
These are the entries in the Books of Reference which accompany the various railway plans held at the National Records of Scotland, but not online. The full plans are not on this site.
There are 335 records.| Co. | Year | Plan | Ref | Description | Owner or reputed owner | Occupier | [Comments] | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 52 | Footpath | Henry Stewart | William Robertson, George Just, the Public | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 53 | Arable | Rev. T Just | John Just (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 54 | Garden ground | Alexander Tyrie | Alexander Tyrie | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 55 | Dwelling house & green | Alexander Tyrie | Alexander Tyrie | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 56 | Public or Church Road | John Berry & Henry Stewart | The Public | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 57 | Arable | John Berry | Robert & John Arthur (lessees & occupiers) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 58 | Garden ground | John Berry | Andrew Garland (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 59 | Arable | John Berry | Robert & John Arthur (lessees & occupiers) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 60 | Arable | Henry Stewart | Henry Rhind (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 61 | Plantation | Henry Stewart | The owner | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 62 | Occupation road | Henry Stewart | Henry Rhind (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 63 | Waste ground | Henry Stewart | Henry Rhind (lessee); Henry Rhind & the owner (occupiers) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 64 | Plantation | Henry Stewart | The owner | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 65-71 | Plantations & arable | Henry Stewart | Henry Rhind (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 72 | Occupation road | Henry Stewart | Henry Rhind (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 73 | Footpath | Henry Stewart | Henry Rhind, Alexander Balfour, Alexander Kay, the owner | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 74 | Occupation road | Henry Stewart | Henry Rhind, Alexander Balfour, Alexander Kay, the owner | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 75 | Arable | Henry Stewart | Henry Rhind (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 76 | Arable | Henry Stewart | Henry Rhind (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 77 | Ditch, banks, trees | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | Henry Rhind & John Blair (lessees & occupiers) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 78 | Occupation road | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | David Grieve (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 79 | Arable | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | David Grieve (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 80 | Arable | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | David Grieve (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 81 | Old ditch & dyke | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | David Grieve & John Blair (lessees & occupiers) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 82 | Pasture ground | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | John Blair (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 83 | Arable | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | John Blair (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 84 | Turnpike road from Cupar to Newport | The Turnpike Road Trustees for the District of St Andrews, County of Fife | The Public | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 85 | Arable | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | David Grieve (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 86 | Arable | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | John Blair (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 87 | Footpath | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | The owner, the Public | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 88 | Rocky bank | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | John Blair (lessee & occupier) | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 89 | Fishermen's hut | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | The owner | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 89/1 | Roadway to fishermen's hut or landing stage | Frederick Lewis Scrimgeour Wedderburn | The owner | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 90 | Shore of the River Tay | The Crown | The Crown, the Public | ||
| Newport final | 1869 | RHP45905 | 91 | River Tay | The Crown | The Crown, the Public |
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