Carmyllie Railway
| Carmyllie Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Status | partly disused | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | Arbroath Carmyllie quarries |
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| Operation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1855 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1965 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Carmyllie Railway was built in 1855 to enable transport of stone products from the Carmyllie area of Scotland to markets. At the time the stone was highly sought after for the urban development in progress.
The 6.5 miles (10.5 km) line ran to the main line of the Dundee and Arbroath Railway at Elliot Junction railway station.
In 1900 a passenger service was initiated on the line under the terms of Light Railway legislation. It was the first such in Scotland. However it was unsuccessful and ended in 1929.
The line closed completely in May 1965 except for a stub at Elliot which continued to serve a private siding until it too closed in 1984.
In the nineteenth century, urban development in Scotland proceeded at great speed, and there was considerable demand for construction materials. The sedimentary rocks located around Arbroath were exceptionally suited to roofing slates and paving slabs, being easily worked into flat sheets, and this product became known as Arbroath pavement. The most important quarry for extraction of the material was around the village of Carmyllie, a settlement located in high ground about 6 miles (8 km) west of Arbroath. With the exception of certain turnpike roads, the roadways in the area were very poor, and transport to market by horse and cart to Arbroath (for onward coastwise shipping) was difficult. The General Report of 1814 stated:
The quarries of Carmyllie, near Arbroath, are famous for paving freestone, and are the most esteemed in Scotland. The stones are easily quarried; of various thicknesses; large dimensions; and so smooth, that they require little dressing, yet are hard and durable. These advantages, however, are lessened by the tedious land carriage to the port of shipping (Arbroath), distant seven miles, and without a railway.
In 1839 the Dundee and Arbroath Railway (D&AR) opened its line, giving access to Arbroath harbour, but the line was remote from the quarries, and was of no use in transporting the stone.
The Marquess of Dalhousie was the principal landlord in the area, and he determined to improve the situation by building a railway branch line to the D&AR at Elliot. The route was fairly easy, descending with the Elliot Water. Dalhousie had no opposition to his scheme and did not seek an Act of Parliament. The line probably opened at the end of January 1855 It was a private mineral railway, and was probably worked by the D&AR.
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Wikipedia