Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway
Stations in bold are still open Junctions in italics
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The Edinburgh and Dalkieth Railway received the royal assent on 26 May 1826 as a horse-drawn tramway to the Scotch gauge, of 4 ft 6 in (1371 mm), to link various coal mines to the south east of Edinburgh.[1][2]
Due to the success of the enterprise, the North British Railway had to pay £113,000 (Pound Sterling) for the line, with the sale being completed in October 1845.[2] It was subsequently converted to standard gauge, reopening in July 1847.[2]
Contents
Formation
The original Act of Parliament authorised £10,125 of joint stock capital; further Acts were obtained on 4 June 1829 and 27 June 1834 to raise a further £8,053 and £54,875, respectively.[1]
The main line opened in part for traffic in July 1831.[1][2] Further parts were opened in October; and passengers were first carried in July 1832.
The Leith Branch was partially opened in March 1835 and the rest in July 1838.[1]
The route
The main line
The railway line started life as a horse-drawn, coal carrying, tramway linking a number of collieries to Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth. It initially ran between South Esk and St Leonards; some 8¼ miles (13 km) in length.[1] It opened on 4 July 1831 and was laid as a double track.[2][3]
The final St Leonards section included a gravity-operated incline, with a steam winding engine, which passed through a 572 yard (515 m) tunnel lit by gas lamps.[2][1]
The branch to Fisherrow Harbour, Musselburgh, on the Firth of Forth, opened in October 1831.[3]
Leith branch
The Leith branch was brought into use in July 1838.[3]
Dalkeith branch
To be added
Expansion
To be added
Connections to other Lines
- Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway at Duddingston Junction
- North British Railway at Niddrie South Junction
- Edinburgh, Loanhead and Roslin Railway at Millerhill
- Edinburgh and Hawick Railway (including Marquis of Lothian's waggonway) at Dalhousie
Innocent Railway
- Further information is provided in the article Innocent Railway
The line acquired the name Innocent Railway because of its safety record, despite carrying up to 400,000 passengers per year, no-one was ever killed.
Notes
References
- Awdry, Christopher, (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing.
- Jowett, Alan (1993). Jowett's Railway Centres. Volume 1. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN 1-85260-420-4.
- Thomas, John (1971). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Volume VI Scotland: The Lowlands and the Borders. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5408-6.
- Popplewell, Lawrence (1989). A Gazetteer of the Railway Contractors and Engineers of Scotland 1831 - 1870. (Vol. 1: 1831 - 1870 and Vol. 2: 1871 - 1914). Bournmouth: Melledgen Press. ISBN 0-906637-14-7.
- Whishaw, Francis (1842). The Railways of Great Britain and Ireland practically described and illustrated. Second Edition. London: John Weale. Reprinted and republished 1969, Newton Abbott: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4786-1.
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