CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines

CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines en Sun, 17 May 2026 19:48:21 +0000 kaputnik on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=4#post-242068 Fri, 03 Feb 2017 11:15:25 +0000 kaputnik 242068@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ The timetable is very interesting and revealing. A reasonable commuter service, with trains every 20 mins, then quickly dropping down to half hourly and then hourly, picking up to half hourly for lunch time, back to hourly and then a slight intensification for the home commute. And then nothing. There was a fairly concerted effort by British Railways to prove that railways were poorly patronised and not sustainable by offering such a mediocre service on them. dessert rat on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=4#post-242035 Thu, 02 Feb 2017 16:06:21 +0000 dessert rat 242035@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Before my time <a href="https://flic.kr/p/Rca3gY"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/435/32287726750_6eebbcdd60.jpg"></a> threefromleith on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=4#post-241295 Fri, 20 Jan 2017 13:29:18 +0000 threefromleith 241295@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ @Iain McR - I have an image in my head of passing CCE members stopping by on their bikes during the summer, knocking on the door and asking if Iain's coming out to play ;-) dessert rat on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-241292 Fri, 20 Jan 2017 12:58:43 +0000 dessert rat 241292@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ vaguely on-topic. I will soon be relocating office into the old Newhaven Station building. Directly above NEPN. Quite excited. Despite my daydreaming, there will be no Danny Macaskill-esque step-downs off the balcony to get a rolling start on the NEPN. chdot on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-230258 Fri, 09 Sep 2016 11:43:17 +0000 chdot 230258@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Interesting! Wonder if this was planned to be an extra line or a different routing of the one that was built (and is now the cycle path to the Russell Rd zigzag)? Arellcat on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-230229 Thu, 08 Sep 2016 21:42:57 +0000 Arellcat 230229@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ In case you were wondering why we have so many railway cycle paths in Edinburgh Here's one they apparently never built, at least not at that exact location: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/LzvwEE"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8321/29258903570_d783968d54.jpg"></a> <a href="https://flic.kr/p/LzvwEE">The non-bridge to nowhere</a> The referenced report is fascinating reading, too, in the context of recent months. chdot on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-229991 Tue, 06 Sep 2016 22:54:40 +0000 chdot 229991@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ " The section through Saltoun Big Wood is easy to follow though " <a href="https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gifford_and_Garvald_Railway._-_geograph.org.uk_-_73614.jpg" rel="nofollow">https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gifford_and_Garvald_Railway._-_geograph.org.uk_-_73614.jpg</a> chdot on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-229987 Tue, 06 Sep 2016 22:45:39 +0000 chdot 229987@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smeaton_railway_branches_of_the_Lothians" rel="nofollow">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smeaton_railway_branches_of_the_Lothians</a> chdot on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-229985 Tue, 06 Sep 2016 22:42:31 +0000 chdot 229985@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <a href="https://www.railscot.co.uk/Gifford_and_Garvald_Railway/index.php" rel="nofollow">https://www.railscot.co.uk/Gifford_and_Garvald_Railway/index.php</a> chdot on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-229984 Tue, 06 Sep 2016 22:41:02 +0000 chdot 229984@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Pretty much all there, apart from - <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2112754" rel="nofollow">http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2112754</a> neddie on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-229982 Tue, 06 Sep 2016 22:21:06 +0000 neddie 229982@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ It would be so easy for them to connect all these routes up along the original alignments and reinstate the bridges. Imagine - a complete railway path from the Innocent to Gifford. chdot on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-229980 Tue, 06 Sep 2016 21:56:48 +0000 chdot 229980@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Bridge at Whitecraigs/Smeaton - <a href="http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=15191#post-194060" rel="nofollow">http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=15191#post-194060</a> kaputnik on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-229978 Tue, 06 Sep 2016 21:44:28 +0000 kaputnik 229978@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ The Pencaitland railway path is the alignment of two old railways really; the section from Whitecraig to Smeaton is the "Monktonhall, Ormiston & Macmerry Branch" and from Macmerry onwards was the "Gifford & Garvald Light Railway". The MO&M branch left the mainline where it crosses the Esk, turning south across the fields, passing the current A1 at a right angle and running parallel to Carberry Road on an embankment, where it crossed Salters Road and joined with the current embankment where the cycle path now starts with the uphill slalom. The northern section of the embankment and the bridge were obliterated in living memory when the road was widened (the line was open to coal traffic until c. 1979) There was a major junction at Smeaton (the overgrown area around the electric pylons and the travellers' camp) as this was a nexus for East Lothian coal traffic which was collected and washed at a plant just south of the junction. (infact the travellers camp is on top of one of the Dalkeith drift mines). Anyway, the line curves east here towards Smeaton where the access road for the pylons runs. Now you have to turn right up the hill through the farm and around the bing. The railway ran across the fields around the other side of the bing and under the road at Crossgate, the current road is actually the old railway bridge. neddie on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-229975 Tue, 06 Sep 2016 21:29:22 +0000 neddie 229975@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ The Pencaitland railway path must continue westward under the bridge at the top of Cowpits Rd, to join up with the Dalkeith to Whitecraig line somewhere. Would be a nice one to reconnect kaputnik on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-229972 Tue, 06 Sep 2016 21:16:22 +0000 kaputnik 229972@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <a href="https://flic.kr/p/LUhoi7"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8004/29471352376_b06101bc5a.jpg"></a><a href="https://flic.kr/p/LUhoi7">Edinburgh Railways</a> by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kaputniq/">andy a</a>, on Flickr In case you were wondering why we have so many railway cycle paths in Edinburgh... wangi on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41877 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:03:10 +0000 wangi 41877@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ @kaputnik nice map; you've got a wee missing link in Edinburgh - between Baileyfield & Niddry - see the OS Six-inch 1st edition Edinburghshire, Sheet 3 1854: <a href="http://maps.nls.uk/os/6inch/view/?sid=74426702" rel="nofollow">http://maps.nls.uk/os/6inch/view/?sid=74426702</a> A bunch of the embankment is still present today. L/ chdot on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41864 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:36:16 +0000 chdot 41864@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ "Designs for the point where the tram line will turn at York Place have still not been finalised, it has emerged." YEP " NOT yet designed... POSTED 1 WEEK AGO " <a href="http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=2#post-41281" rel="nofollow">http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=2#post-41281</a> kaputnik on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41857 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:14:54 +0000 kaputnik 41857@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <a href="http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/Tram-turning-point-not-yet.6843369.jp">designs for the turning "facility" are about 97% complete</a> (EECW) Tulyar on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41508 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:43:19 +0000 Tulyar 41508@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ PS Turnback is a dirty word for cycle-tram track interface issues as it usually means rails crossing your route obliquely on a tight curve and pointwork Tulyar on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41507 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:39:48 +0000 Tulyar 41507@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Turnback is a generic tramway term - it can be a loop branching off the main route and going around a block of streets or it can be a cross-over between the main tracks or it can be a siding - usually in the middle of the main tracks that a tram runs in to and exits to the other track, usually by spring-loaded points and spring biased conductor wire to avoid any need for actuators. Those who want to learn more about EGIP might want to attend a meeting local to the site being organised by CRAG on 2nd November London Road Church, 1a Easter Road, at 7.30 p.m A few other events also on my listing sound interesting - will post in more detail later unless Arellcat or others who are on Lawrence Marshall's mailing list want to mine the listing (from CRAG) for the cycle related nuggets kaputnik on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41496 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:57:39 +0000 kaputnik 41496@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ They did build a branch to Fort Augustus in expectation of running all the way to Inverness up the Glen, but it never performed financially and was an early (1930s I think) casualty, although it remained open for the odd bit of freight and timber use until just after end of WW2. Killin branch reached Loch Tay, but was always a private railway until nationalisation. Braemar was reached, but no further. Ballachullish was reached, but not by the route on the map - the junction was at Connel Ferry, the bridge there being built for the railway. Part of the cycle route now runs along the former trackbed (although not that much of it) Comrie to Lochearnhead section was completed. Direct route from Aviemore to Inverness was completed. I don't think anywhere else on that map in a dotted line was. LaidBack on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41488 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:31:23 +0000 LaidBack 41488@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ It is a superb book. I'm currently doing the Autumn issue of The Geographer for the RSGS in Perth which has it as the reader offer. RSGS members also get free admission to many interesting talks. (commercial over!) Railways... Laggan no - although that could be a handy cut through to the west and they could have closed that Rannoch bit! Garve to Ullapool was almost built. I had a map once which showed it as dotted line. Fort Augustus to Inverness was a proposal. cb on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41482 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:36:13 +0000 cb 41482@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Some images from "Scotland: Mapping the nation" <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15008220">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15008220</a> Picture number 6 shows the Caledonian Railway network. The dashed lines are supposed to show routes 'under construction', but surely many of these only reached the proposed or planned stage? E.g. was anything ever started along Laggan, or Lochs Tummel and Rannoch, or Glen Shee (that would have been an interesting one)? crowriver on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41364 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:02:27 +0000 crowriver 41364@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Why can they not just build a loop around St Andrew Sq? Am I missing something? As the line is supposed eventually to go to Newhaven, makes sense to get it a bit further along the route than waste cash on a turning loop. Bhachgen on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41363 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:42:14 +0000 Bhachgen 41363@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ I really don't understand why the trams need to do a "turnback" at York Place at all. Why can they not just build a loop around St Andrew Sq? Surely less potential for traffic snarl-ups, also no need for any drivers to get out and walk to the other end for the return journey. It doesn't preclude any future line down Leith Walk and might even make it easier to build an even future-er line to the southside as the loop could form a ready made interchange. Am I missing something? cc on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41354 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:40:56 +0000 cc 41354@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ In some cities the procedure seems to be for the tram driver to tell the passengers "hold on tight" then ram the car off the tracks. kaputnik on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41339 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:09:42 +0000 kaputnik 41339@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ It's OK DaveC, if you leave the flashers on you can park wherever you want. It's in the highway code and everything. DaveC on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41338 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:06:11 +0000 DaveC 41338@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ I wonder what will happen when soem numpty parks their car on the tram tracks, like down Haymarket Yards... kaputnik on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41335 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:59:02 +0000 kaputnik 41335@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ And the Princes St. bus jam is surely more of an issue with the routing of services rather than buses themselves? I've commented before that Edinburgh's strategic transport plan does seem to be "route everything down Princes Street) cb on "The Unused Edinburgh Railway Lines" http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3556&page=3#post-41330 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:34:54 +0000 cb 41330@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ Just to point out that I didn't actually say that I am in any so called buses-are-better camp, just that tram turning issues do strike me as a bit of a negative point. E.g. not only can trams not manoeuvre around an obstacle, they potentially can't even back off from an obstacle. "Just a short conceptual leap to "cars are better"." I think I'd need some convincing of that. And the Princes St. bus jam is surely more of an issue with the routing of services rather than buses themselves?