Alloa Waggonway
Encyclopedia
Alloa Waggonway was a railway line of about 3' 3" gauge running around the Alloa
area, Scotland
. It was opened in either 1766 or 1768 (the date is uncertain) 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
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.
and along the north side of Gartmorn Dam
Alloa
Alloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....
area, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It was opened in either 1766 or 1768 (the date is uncertain) and ran from Alloa Harbour and up through Sauchie
Sauchie
Sauchie is a village in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies north of the River Forth and south of the Ochil Hills, within the council area of Clackmannanshire. Sauchie is located north-east of Alloa and east-southeast of Tullibody.- History :...
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 coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from pits in and near Sauchie for delivery to industry in Alloa
Alloa
Alloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....
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.The line Today
Today the line has been converted into a cyclepath running from Castle Street, through the earliest railway tunnel in Scotland which passes under Bedford Place, to near Alloa railway stationAlloa railway station
Alloa railway station is a railway station in the town of Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, which was re-opened on Monday, 19 May 2008.- History :...
and along the north side of Gartmorn Dam