Scottish Railways

The last 15 years have seen a huge amount of change in the rail network within Scotland, including the replacement of old rolling stock with new trains, an explosion of colourful liveries, the re-opening of routes, the demise of coal trains and the boom of container freight traffic. Looking at passenger operations, new routes have opened during the period, including those to Larkhall and Alloa along with the Airdrie to Bathgate extension and the Borders route to Tweedbank. Furthermore, electrification has changed a number of the lines beyond recognition with overhead wires now on the Edinburgh to Glasgow routes via both Falkirk and Shotts along with the suburban route out of Glasgow to Paisley Canal. Of course, these changes have brought about a shift in traction with new electric units ousting the diesels. Likewise, the introduction of HSTs on services between the Scottish cities has brought much interest back to the passenger scene. In contrast, the freight market has unfortunately been in decline for some time, compounded significantly by the loss of coal traffic, which accounted for a substantial volume. However, container traffic has continued to increase and new freight operating companies have appeared, bringing much heritage traction back to the scene. Illustrated with over 180 images, this book details the huge variety of trains, ranging from the everyday to the unusual, that have been seen on Scotland's rails in the last 15 years.