The first railway in Scotland was the Monkton & Kirkintilloch Railway, opened in 1826. By 1850, the country’s major cities were linked, and by 1900 almost every town had a railway station. The network was also of vital importance to industry for freight transport. The Transport Act of 1947 nationalised UK railways and by the late 1950s, they were running at a loss. The Beeching Report resulted in mass track closures but train use has now revived and many lines and stations have re-opened.
Scotland has five canals, built between 1768 and 1822, mainly to transport coal and iron around the country. After 1900, their use diminished with the impact of the railways, and the network was nationalised in 1948. Although many stretches were lost to motorway construction, by the 1990s their potential was being realised and steps have been taken to reverse the decline and bring the canals back into public use.
Scotland’s aviation history started with a manned hydrogen balloon in 1785. 150 years later, a group of men acquired a site at Monkton, near Prestwick where they founded a flying school under the name Scottish Aviation. At the beginning of WW2, the RAF took over the airfield and developed it to handle US aircraft. After the war, Scottish Aviation expanded into aircraft manufacturing. In 1977, the company was merged with the British Aircraft Corporation and nationalised to form British Aerospace.
Scotland has a history of other forms of transport and communications – why not visit the museums and find out!
Dumfries & Galloway Aviation Museum
- Address: Former Control Tower, Heathhall Industrial Estate, Dumfries DG1 3PH
- Tel: 01387 251623
- E-mail: (Contact form online)
- Website: www.dumfriesaviationmuseum.com
Dundee Museum of Transport
- Address: 10 Market Mews, Market Street, Dundee DD1 3LA
- Tel: 01382 455196
- E-mail: (Contact form online)
- Website: www.dmoft.co.uk
Glenfinnan Station Museum
- Address: Station Road, Glenfinnan PH37 4LT
- Tel: 01397 722295
- E-mail: enquiry@glenfinnanstationmuseum.co.uk
- Website: https://glenfinnanstationmuseum.co.uk
Grampian Transport Museum
- Address: Alford, Aberdeenshire AB33 8AE
- Tel: 01975 562292
- E-mail: info@gtm.org.uk
- Website: www.gtm.org.uk
Insch Connection Museum
- Address: Railway Station, Insch, Aberdeenshire AB52 6XP
- Tel: (Contact by e-mail)
- E-mail: inschmuseum@gmail.com
- Website: www.inschmuseum.org.uk
Linlithgow Canal Centre Museum
- Address: Linlithgow Union Canal Society, Manse Road Basin, Linlithgow, West Lothian EH49 6AJ
- Tel: (Contact form online)
- E-mail: info@lucs.org.uk
- Website: www.lucs.org.uk/linlithgow-canal-centre/canal-museum
Maud Railway Museum
- Address: The Railway Station, Station Road, Maud, Peterhead AB42 5LY
- Tel: 01771 613874
- E-mail: (Contact form online)
- Website: www.friendsofmaud.org.uk
Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre
- Address: Waldron Road, Montrose DD10 9BD
- Tel: 01674 678222
- E-mail: enquiries@rafmontrose.org.uk
- Website: https://rafmontrose.org.uk
Museum of Communication
- Address: 131 High Street, Burntisland, KY3 9AA
- Tel: 01592 874836
- E-mail: enquiries@mocft.co.uk
- Website: https://museumofcommunication.org.uk
Museum of Scottish Railways
- Address: Bo’ness EH51 9AR
- Tel: 01506 822298 or 01506 201521
- E-mail: enquiries.railway@srps.org.uk
- Website: www.srps.org.uk
Myreton Motor Museum
- Address: Aberlady, Longniddry EH32 0PZ
- Tel: 07585 356931
- E-mail: info@myretonmotormuseum.co.uk
- Website: www.myretonmotormuseum.co.uk
National Museum of Flight
- Address: East Fortune Airfield B1347, North Berwick EH39 5LF
- Tel: 0300 123 6789
- E-mail: info@nms.ac.uk
- Website: www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-flight
Orkney Wireless Museum
- Address: Kiln Corner, Junction Road, Kirkwall KW15 1LB
- Tel: 01856 871400
- E-mail: orkneywireless@outlook.com
- Website: www.orkney.com/listings/orkney-wireless-museum
Riverside Museum
- Address: Pointhouse Place, Glasgow G3 8RS
- Tel: 0141 287 2720
- E-mail: museums@glasgowlife.org.uk
- Website: www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/venues/riverside-museum
Scottish Industrial Railway Centre
- Address: Dunaskin Bridge, Dalmellington Rd, Waterside, Patna, Ayr KA6 7JH
- Tel: 01292 269260
- E-mail: scottishindustrialrailwaycentre.org.uk
- Website: https://doonvalleyrailway.co.uk
Scottish Vintage Bus Museum
- Address: M 90 Commerce Park, Dunfermline KY12 0SJ
- Tel: 01383 623380
- E-mail: info@svbm.org.uk
- Website: https://www.svbm.online
Strathspey Railway Museum
- Address: Dalfaber Road, Aviemore PH22 1PY
- Tel: 01479 810725
- E-mail: (Contact form online)
- Website: www.strathspeyrailway.co.uk
[Image: Pixabay by javipolinario]