The Dundee and Newtyle Railway opened in 1831 and was the first railway in the north of Scotland. It was built to carry goods from Strathmore

Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross

Strathmore is a strath in east central Scotland running from northeast to southwest between the Grampian mountains and the Sidlaws....

 to the port of Dundee

Dundee

Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...

 and was chartered with an Act of Parliament

Act of Parliament

An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...

 that received royal assent in 26 May 1826 and opened in 1831. The railway originally ran between Dundee and Newtyle

Newtyle

Newtyle is a village in the west of Angus, Scotland.It lies 11 miles to the north of Dundee in the south west of Strathmore, between Hatton Hill and Newtyle in the Sidlaws. The village sits on gently sloping ground with a northwest aspect. The main communication link is the B954 road...

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Overview

The line was originally 10+1/2 mi long and of rail gauge

Rail gauge

Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...

. Construction costs were obtained from a capital of £140,000 in shares and £30,000 in loans. In 1846, the railway was leased in perpetuity to the Dundee and Perth Company

Dundee and Perth Railway

The Dundee and Perth Railway is a historic railway in Scotland. It was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1845.-History:Following incorproration on 31 July 1845, the line was opened on 22 May 1847...

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The route included three rope-worked inclined planes

Funicular

A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...

, with stationary steam engines to pull the trains uphill. There was a tunnel under Dundee Law

Law, Dundee

Law, Dundee is an area located in the centre of Dundee, Scotland. Its predominant feature is an extinct volcano which gives it its name.-Geology:...

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The Dundee station was originally on Ward Road but was later extended to the harbour in 1842 and was also extended to Lochee

Lochee

Lochee is an area in the west of Dundee, Scotland. Until the 19th century, it was a separate town, but was eventually surrounded by the expanding Dundee...

. A small part of the original station at Newtyle still exists and the site of Ward Road station is occupied by a BT

BT Group

BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...

 call centre

Call centre

A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...

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Halts on the original line were at the back of Law tunnel, Baldovan, Baldragon, Auchterhouse, Balbeuchly Foot, Balbeuchly Incline, Balbeuchly Top, Auchterhouse, Hatton and Newtyle. In February 1867 the line was extended to Dundee Harbour at the Earl Grey Dock. The later Lochee Deviation stopped at Ninewells Junction

Ninewells

Ninewells is an area of Dundee, Scotland, known for its hospital.-Transport:Many bus routes in Dundee terminate or call at Ninewells Hospital...

, Liff, Lochee West, Lochee

Lochee

Lochee is an area in the west of Dundee, Scotland. Until the 19th century, it was a separate town, but was eventually surrounded by the expanding Dundee...

, Fairmuir Goods and Maryfield Goods near Stobswell

Stobswell

Stobswell is an area of Dundee, Scotland with a population of approximately 10,000. It was originally a small hamlet outside the city until the industrial revolution caused the growth of Dundee. The area is by and large a residential area. Schools in the area are Morgan Academy Secondary School,...

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Locomotives

One of the steam locomotive

Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...

s used on the Dundee and Newtyle Railway was Earl of Airlie, a 0-2-4

0-2-4

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-2-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, two powered driving wheels on one axle, and four trailing wheels on two axles.-History:...

 built by J & C Carmichael of Dundee in 1833. This had a horizontal boiler but the cylinders were vertical and drove the front wheels through bell crank

Bell crank

A bell crank is a type of crank that changes motion through an angle. The angle can be any angle from 0 to 360 degrees, although 90 degrees and 180 degrees are common....

s. It was one of the earliest engines in Britain to be fitted with a bogie

Bogie

A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...

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External links

• RAILSCOT on Dundee and Newtyle Railway
• Archives Hub
• 1843 Timetable from Bradshaw's Railway Monthly.
• Information on the inclines