Alloa Waggonway

Alloa Waggonway was a railway line of about 3 ft 3 in (991 mm) gauge running around the Alloa area, Scotland. It was opened around 1768[1][2] and ran from Alloa Harbour and up through Sauchie to Devon Colliery north of Fishcross. There were numerous branches. An early one to Collyland required an inclined plane. Another was to Sherriffyards Colliery at Gartmorn Dam. In Alloa the principal one was to the Glass Works and rails were still set into the setts in Castle Street in the 1950s

Coal mining

The line was used to gather coal from pits in and near Sauchie for delivery to industry in Alloa and to the harbour for export. In 1879, 159,780 tons were shipped to foreign countries and 15,236 to UK ports.

Closure

The Alloa Waggonway lost its importance with the opening of the Tillicoultry Branch of the Stirling & Dunfermline Railway in 1851 but continued for many years until closed in 1924.[1]

The line today
Alloa Waggonway and tunnel

Today the line has been converted into a cyclepath[1] running from Castle Street, through the earliest railway tunnel in Scotland which passes under Bedford Place, to near Alloa railway station and along the north side of Gartmorn Dam.

References
  1. "Alloa: Overview". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  2. Historic Environment Scotland. "Alloa, Bedford Place, Waggonway Bridge (47236)". Canmore. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
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