SCOTLAND'S LOST BRANCH LINES 

Excellent talk David, thank you very much for your research. If I could add one thing - you mentioned the Lifting the Spirit trial which was moving bulk whisky. I think there has been another couple of tricks missed. I regularly travel on the A95 between Aviemore and Keith, and am constantly stuck behind lorries which are usually distillery traffic. The bulk spirit is not the only bulk transported item. Many of the lorries also carry liquid yeast, the malted barley and casks in, and also often take out not just raw spirit, but also draff and spent lees for the use in the animal feed industry. There is also the oil and gas needed to fire the boilers required to heat the stills and water for mashing that often comes in by lorry. It would have been much more efficient had the Speyside line had been kept open, with stations only at major towns such as Aberlour, Rothes, Craigellachie Junction, Dufftown and possibly Grantown East, (although this one was a bit out of the town). This would give direct links to Elgin East and Keith Goods yards. Many distilleries in the Speyside had their own sidings, with a few even having their own puggies. Its a shame that it has been taken away. It would be so useful now. I would imagine the disappearance of coal frieght as people started to use electric heating has taken away a lot of the business for some of the lines too. Thank you again, Scotty

How about reopening the Aberfoyle to Kirkintilloch line via the Glasgow to Edinburgh mainline as most of the line and infrastructure are still in situ i,e railbridges towns and villages have all expanded in the last 60+years!!!

In the accident at Carlisle they sent an emergency Loco down from Edinburgh, Beeching Closed it!!! (Educated Ignorance!) The safe Waverly Route! was closed!!!

Normally the railway lines built in the 1850s survive and those built around 1900 don't. I noticed that many of the closed lines were built relatively early in the railway building period.

Very interesting but its not only Scotland where lines were closed England and Wales have the same situation where no thought was given to thinking about the future need for public transport.

Thanks David, this was a fascination video. I will get the book. I was aware that Dr B was not entirely responsible for all closures and it was good to understand something of why lines and service were closed prior to the good man's hatchet job. Like you, I am keen to see a renaissance of the railways and not for nostalgic reasons. See against the climate crisis I think it is a no-brainer. I would like to add just a word about reopening stations on existing lines. I am part of a campaign group wanting to reopen Newburgh station. It sits on the Edinburgh to Perth line. The station closed in 1955 and the town (like many others) can only watch as some 39 daily services pass through the centre of the town without stopping. The group has worked hard to promote the idea that a new station need not be an expensive project. One aspect of this is the promotion of modular platforms, mostly made from environmentally friendly components and which is assembled on site. This set against the construction costs of building a new station presents considerable savings. If we fail to persuade the Govt we will look at the possibility of buying our own station. It has be done elsewhere! But that's us. I believe what we are doing can be applied by many communities which sit on an existing lines across Scotland. The modular station approach together with the developments in cost-efficient Battery and Hydrogen propulsion technology offers much potential for cost-effective, clean train travel across both existing and reopened lines. Here in Newburgh, we certainly think so!