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History

Scotland’s Railways: A History and Geography

Course Times & Enrolment

This course is currently unavailable.

Course Summary

Railways have served Scotland for nearly 200 years, influencing economic and social geography, and creating a distinctive impact on the landscape. The course will explore the massive changes wrought through the development, contraction and later revival of the rail network across the country, from the early 19th century to the present day.

Please note this course includes a field trip (a visit to the Maps Reading Room of the National Library of Scotland).

Course Details

Pre-requisites for enrolment

The course content will assume no prior knowledge of the subject, but it is likely to be particularly relevant to students with an interest in the geography and history of railways and/or in the design and role of mapping.

Content of Course

1. The early years: pioneering and often isolated developments up to 1845.

2. The core main-line network in place: 1845–1863.

3. System infill: 1863–1909.

4. The zenith, and ‘the Grouping’: 1909–1923.

5. The struggle against growing competition: 1923–1948.

6. Visit to the Maps Reading Room of the National Library of Scotland.

7. Nationalisation and modernisation: 1948–1963.

8. Beeching, and the aftermath: 1963–1975.

9. The revival of the passenger railway: 1975–1993.

10. Privatisation and beyond: 1993 onwards.

Teaching method(s)

The course will be a combination of illustrated lectures and discussion, plus a visit to the Maps Reading Room of the National Library of Scotland.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

  • Analyse the development of Scotland’s rail network, including the role of physical geography, settlement and economic development;

  • Assess critically the sources for Scotland’s railways, with a particular focus on maps;

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the story of Scotland’s railways across nine distinct historical periods from the early 19th century to the present day.

Sources

Core Readings

Recommended:

  • Spaven, David, 2015. The Railway Atlas of Scotland: 200 years of history in maps. Edinburgh: Birlinn.

  • Ransom, P.J.G., 2007. Iron Road. Edinburgh: Birlinn.

  • Simmons, J. and Biddle, G. eds., 2003. The Oxford Companion to British Railway History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

  • Spaven, D. and Holland, J., 2011. Mapping the Railways. London: Times Books.

  • Thomas, J., 1971. A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, Volume 6 Scotland: the Lowlands and the Borders. Newton Abbott: David & Charles.

  • Thomas, J. and Turnock, D., 1989. A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, Volume 15 The North of Scotland. Newton Abbot: David & Charles.

Class Handouts

Handouts will comprise copies of each session’s presentation, plus a short bibliography for further reading.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.