Numerous horse-drawn waggonways were constructed in Scotland during the Industrial Revolution, mainly in connection with the ironworks and coal mines ("pits") of the Central Belt.
The earliest railways, beginning with the Tranent to Cockenzie Waggonway in 1722, had wooden rails, and several lines had been built by the time the first cast iron rails were produced in 1767.
Many of the later waggonways were built to the Scotch gauge of 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm), and were subsequently converted to standard-gauge steam railways.
NameOpenedRouteNotes Alloa Waggonway 1768 Collyland & Alloa Pits to Alloa glassworks Ardrossan and Johnstone Railway 1831 Kilwinning collieries to Ardrossan Harbour Merged with the Glasgow and South Western Railway Auchincruive Waggonway c.1784 Newton-on-Ayr to Annbank Abandoned Bainsford waggonway 1810 Carron Works to the Forth & Clyde Canal at Burnhouse Basin Ballochney Railway 1828 Arden Colliery, Ballochney to Kipps (connection with Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway) Merged into Monkland Railways Brora colliery tramway 1770 Brora colliery to Brora Salt Works, Sutherland Calderbank c.1797 Calderbank Ironworks to Monkland Canal Carron Railway c.1766 Kinnaird & Carronhall collieries to Carron Works Craigie Waggonway c.1855 Craigie Pits to Ayr Lifted after 1865 Drumpeller Railway 1847 Bankhead collieries to Monkland Canal at Cuilhill Gullet Dundee and Newtyle Railway 1831 Newtyle to Dundee Taken over by the Dundee and Perth Railway Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway 1831 Dalkeith to Edinburgh (St Leonards) & Fisherrow Harbour, Musselburgh Sold to the North British Railway Edmonstone Railway (or Newton Railway) 1818 Newton Colliery to Little France, EdinburghHistory of the railways of Edinburgh: The Waggonways Arrive Elgin Wagonway c.1773 Berrylaw pits (west of Dunfermline) to the coast at Limekilns and Charlestown, Fife Developed as the Dunfermline and Charlestown Railway Fairlie Mains 1818 Peatland coalworks to Kilmarnock and Troon Railway at Drybridge Fordell Railway c.1752 Fordell Collieries to St Davids Harbour, Inverkeithing Bay Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway 1831 Gartsherrie (Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway junction) to Garnkirk and Glasgow Merged into Monkland Railways Govan Railway 1775-78 Govan Colliery to Wherry Wharf, Windmillcroft Quay, Glasgow Extended as Polloc and Govan Railway Halbeath Railway 1783 Halbeath Colliery to Inverkeithing Harbour Hurlet Waggonway 1820 Hurlet Coal & Limeworks to Glasgow, Paisley & Ardrossan Canal at Rosshall quay, Paisley Irvine Colliery c.1836 Irvine Colliery to Irvine Harbour Kilmarnock and Troon Railway 1812 Kilmarnock to Troon harbour Knightswood Waggonway c.1750 Woodside Colliery, Knightswood to River Clyde at Yoker Legbrannock Waggonway 1800 Legbrannock collieries to eastern end of Monkland Canal at Calderbank Marquis of Lothian's waggonway 1832 Coal pits at Arniston Engine to Dalhousie (connection with Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway ) Sold to North British Railway Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway 1826 Palacecraig & Kipps collieries to the Forth and Clyde Canal at Kirkintilloch, plus branches Newbigging Limeworks c.1817 Newbigging Limestone Mine to Carron Harbour, FifeShale Oil: Newbigging No.1 & 2 mines Newton-upon-Ayr c.1775 Newton-upon-Ayr pits to Ayr harbour Newtyle and Coupar Angus Railway 1837 Newtyle (junction with Dundee and Newtyle Railway) to Coupar Angus Taken over by the Scottish Midland Junction Railway Newtyle and Glammis Railway 1838 Newtyle (junction with Dundee and Newtyle Railway) to Glamis Taken over by the Scottish Midland Junction Railway Omoa Waggonway 1813 Newarthill collieries to Omoa Ironworks, Cleland, North Lanarkshire Paisley and Renfrew Railway 1837 Paisley to Renfrew Wharf on the River Clyde Sold to the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway in 1847 Pinkie Railway (Hopes Railway) 1815 Pinkie Hill pits to Musselburgh & Fisherrow Harbour Polloc and Govan Railway 1840 Rutherglen to Broomielaw Harbour, Glasgow Ravenscraig and Jameston Railway ? Ravenscraig Quarry to Jameston Quarry, Dalry, North Ayrshire Sauchie by 1806 Devonside & Tillicoultry pits & ironworks to Clackmannan Pow Shotts Iron Works by 1813 Stevenston Waggonway by 1812 Stevenston Canal Basin at Saltcoats to the harbour Closed by 1852 Townhill waggonway 1841 Townhill colliery to the Halbeath Railway at Guttergates Tranent to Cockenzie Waggonway 1722 Tranent coalpits to Cockenzie Salt Pans & Port Seton Harbour Re-routed to Cockenzie Harbour in 1815 Venture Fair waggonway (Symes' Railway) 1812 Venture Fair Colliery to Dunfermline Wemyss waggonway by 1795 Wemyss Coalpits to Methil Harbour Wilsontown c.1805 Climpy colliery to Wilsontown Ironworks, South Lanarkshire Wishaw and Coltness Railway 1833 Chapel Colliery, Newmains to the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway near Whifflet
References
Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals, Joseph Priestley 1831 National Library of Scotland: Map images Baxter, Bertram (1966). Stone Blocks and Iron Rails. David & Charles
Thomas & Turnock, John & Thomas (1971). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Volume 6 Scotland the Lowlands and the Borders. David & Charles