Railway Plans
Background information about railway plans is in the blog - Big Plans and A Tunnel Under Tayfield. Blog articles on the Tay Bridge & Dundee Union, and the Newport Railways are planned.
These are not the only proposed or planned railways. These are some of the more important ones, and the ones which got as far as producing plans (held at the National Records of Scotland, but not online).
Station details and sidings omitted.
Proposed
Edinburgh & Dundee Railway (E & D), planned 1836. link to original plan at National Library of Scotland
Proposed line in solid colour, possible variations shown as dotted lines.
A railway from Burntisland to Newport (for connection to Dundee).
Note the possible line which ends at Forgan roundabout - presumably it was intended to continue into Newport. Indecision? landowner reluctance? or mistake?
Forth & Tay Railway (F & T), planned 1836.
Proposed line in solid colour, possible variation shown as dotted line.
A railway from Burntisland or Kirkcaldy or Kinghorn to Cupar to Newburgh or Newport or Ferryport or Craighead to Dundee (leaving all options open), planned 1836.
A rival to the Edinburgh & Dundee Railway, and the Fife Junction Railway, this one reached the survey stage (by engineer John Geddes) but got no further.
Sources: Plan at National Records of Scotland, ref. RHP23650; Fifeshire Journal 28 Apr 1836; Scotsman 23 Apr 1836
Edinburgh & Northern Railway (E & N) Cupar to Ferry-Port-on-Craig and Newport extension, planned November 1845. see separate page
A branch to run from Cupar through Ferry-Port-on-Craig (Tayport), then along the coast to a terminus at the Newport ferry.
Glasgow & Dundee Junction Railway (G & D J), planned November 1845. see separate pages
Tunnels shown as dotted lines.
A railway from Craighead to Kinross, Stirling & Glasgow, with a branch to Cupar / St Andrews.
Tayport & Craighead Railway (T & C), planned November 1856.
No plans, hence here shown as dashed line.
To be worked in conjunction with the Edinburgh, Perth & Dundee Railway (the new name of the Edinburgh & Northern Railway); proposed to build a railway from Tayport station to Craighead, to build a pier at Craighead, and to have powers to purchase & operate the ferry between Dundee and Newport / Craighead. Intention to apply to Parliament in the next session.
Subject of a positive editorial in the Dundee Perth & Cupar Advertiser, 3 Oct 1856.
Surveyed, but no plans drawn up. Plans should have been prepared by 30 Nov 1856 but nothing further is heard.
Source: Dundee Perth & Cupar Advertiser, 3 Oct 1856, p2 and 14 Nov 1856, p1; Edinburgh Gazette, 14 Nov 1856, p1009
Tay Bridge & Dundee Union Railway (T B & D U), planned October - December 1864, postponed May 1865. see separate page
A railway from the station at Tayport, passing through Newport to Woodhaven, and then across the river. The first proposals to get as far as Parliamentary plans for a bridge over the Tay.
The company's first intention was for a line from Newport to Craig Pier (shown dotted).
North British (Tay Bridge) Railway (N B (T B)), planned November 1865, abandoned by the Railway Company July 1866
A bridge across the river with a connecting line from Leuchars. The line was a North British response to the failure of the independently promoted Tay Bridge and Dundee Union Railway. This line's failure was due to the problems caused by the rivalry between the North British and the Caledonian Companies, and the financial mismanagement of the North British.
Sources : Plan at National Records of Scotland, ref. RHP24554; Dundee Advertiser 17 November 1865, Caledonian Mercury 27 July 1866, and many newspaper articles in between. Plans not examined, so the exact position of line at the Dundee end is uncertain - shown as dotted line.
Newport Railway (N R), planned 1865/66, shortened deviation line planned November 1866. see separate page
A railway from Tayport station through Newport to connect with (a) the Tay Bridge at Wormit and (b) a line to Leuchars. A much shortened plan was to run from Tayport station to Craighead.
Built
Edinburgh & Northern Railway (E & N) - later the Edinburgh, Perth & Dundee Railway - Cupar to Ferry-Port-on-Craig, planned November 1845.
A line to run from Cupar to Ferry-Port-on-Craig (Tayport). Operated 1848 - 1956 (passengers) - 1966 (goods). Linked to Broughty Ferry by Bouch's "Floating Railway" 1851 - 1887.
North British Railway (N B), 1878 - 1879.
Railway as built for first Tay Bridge. Leuchars to Dundee.
Newport Railway (N R), planned 1869, opened 1879; closed 1967 (Newport-on-Tay East to Tayport), 1969 (remainder). see separate page
Railway as built for first Tay Bridge. Wormit to Tayport.
North British Railway (N B), 1887.
Railway as built for the second Tay Bridge.
Newburgh & North Fife Railway (N & N F), 1909 - 1951.
St Fort to Newburgh.
Tay Ferries
The railway companies were also involved in the ownership and management of the Tay Ferries. In 1843 the Tay Ferries Trustees were heavily in debt to the Exchequer Loan Commissioners [i.e. the government]. The debt was bought out by the Dundee Banking Co who in turn sold it on to the Scottish Central Railway Co, despite the Edinburgh & Northern Railway wanting to buy it. (see the blog - Mr Rendel's Floating Bridge) In turn, the Scottish Central Railway amalgamated with the Caledonian Railway in 1865. The ferry was eventually taken over by Dundee Harbour Trustees in 1872.
Not shown Caledonian Railway (C), proposals at Newport, 1869, and the takeover by Dundee Harbour Trustees, 1872. see separate page
There is a list of the Railway Plan References - the entries in the Books of Reference which which accompany the various railway plans held at the National Records of Scotland, but not online. Extracts from some of the plans are included as sketch maps on this site.
Additional reading:
The Railways of Fife, William Scott Bruce, 1980
Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, vol 15 North of Scotland, John Thomas & David Turnock, 1993
The Railways of Dundee, Peter Marshall, 1996
Battle for the North, Charles McKean, 2007
The North British Railway - a History, David Ross, 2014
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