Scottish Central Railway

Scottish Central Railway
Scottish Midland Junction Railway Dundee and Perth Railway Perth Moncrieffe Tunnel Hilton Junction Edinburgh and Northern Railway Forgandenny Forteviot Dunning Auchterarder Crieff Junction Railway Crieff Junction (original station site) Gleneagles Blackford Carsbreck Greenloaning Kinbuck Dunblane, Doune & Callander Rly Dunblane Bridge of Allan (1848–1965)  A9  Bridge of Allan (opened 1985) Forth and Clyde Junction Railway Stirling North Junction Stirling and Dunfermline Railway Stirling Bannockburn Plean Alloa Railway South Alloa Dunmore Junction Airth Alloa Junction Alloa Junction 1850–1865 Larbert Denny Kilsyth and Bonnybridge railway Bonnywater Junction Larbert Junction Carmuirs West Junction Stirlingshire Midland Junction Rly Forth and Clyde Canal Bonnybridge Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Greenhill Lower Greenhill Upper Junction Caledonian main line Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway

Glasgow Buchanan St. - Kirkcaldy train approaching Greenhill in 1957

The Scottish Central Railway was formed in 1845 to link the Caledonian Railway near Castlecary to the Scottish Midland Junction Railway at Perth. The engineers for the line were Joseph Locke and John Edward Errington, while the contractor was Thomas Brassey in partnership with William Mackenzie and Robert Stephenson.

Following an abortive attempt to amalgamate with the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, the Scottish Central Railway absorbed several other railway companies in the area, prior to becoming part of the Caledonian Railway in 1865.

Railway companies absorbed

• Dundee and Perth Railway - 1863 (after assuming the title of Dundee & Perth & Aberdeen Railway Junction
• Crieff Junction Railway - 29 June 1865
• Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway - 1865
• Dundee and Perth and Aberdeen Railway Junction - 1863

Connections to other lines

• Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway at Greenhill Upper Junction
• Caledonian Railway Main Line at Greenhill Lower
• Kilsyth and Bonnybridge Railway at Bonnywater Junction on the Denny Branch
• Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway at Carmuirs West and Larbert Junctions
• Alloa Railway at Dunmore Junction on the South Alloa Branch
• Stirling and Dunfermline Railway at Stirling
• Forth and Clyde Junction Railway at Stirling North Junction
• Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway at Dunblane
• Crieff Junction Railway at Crieff Junction
• Edinburgh and Northern Railway at Hilton Junction
• Dundee and Perth Railway at Perth
• Scottish Midland Junction Railway at Perth

Current operations

The main route between the Greenhill Junctions and Perth is still open and served by First ScotRail services, however the Denny and South Alloa branches are closed.

References

Sources

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. CN 8983.
• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Helps, Arthur (2006) [1872]. The Life and Works of Mr Brassey (Modern ed.). Stroud: Nonsuch. ISBN 1-8458-8011-0.

• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
• Marshall, Peter (1998). The Scottish Central Railway: Perth to Stirling. Usk, Monmouthshire: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-8536-1522-5.
• Listing of Scottish pre-grouping railways
• RAILSCOT on Scottish Central Railway
• RAILSCOT on Dundee and Perth Railway