Undiscovered Scotland

Boatlines: Scottish Craft of Sea, Coast and Canal by Ian Stephen (2 March 2023). (Amazon paid link.) People are drawn to the harbours and boats of Scotland. Why do boats take on different shapes as you follow the complex shorelines of islands and mainland? And why do the sails they carry appear to be so many shapes and sizes? Then there are rowing craft or power-driven vessels. As he traces the iconic forms of a selection of the boats of Scotland, Ian Stephen outlines the purposes of craft, past and present, to help gain a true understanding of this vital part of our culture.
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The Fabulous Flotilla: Scotland's Adventure on the Rivers of Burma by Paul Strachan (12 December 2022). (Amazon paid link.) The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, known in colonial Burma as the ‘Fabulous Flotilla’, was the largest privately-owned fleet of ships in the world. It was an entirely Scottish enterprise. Over 1,200 ships were ordered mainly from Clyde yards and each year carried the majority of the population of Burma without loss of life. The paddle steamers were amongst the largest in the world, innovative in design and technology, and very beautiful.
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For the Safety of All: A Story of Scotland's Lighthouses by Donald S Murray (28 April 2022). (Amazon paid link.) Lighthouses punctuate Scotland’s coastline. They have been a lifeline for seafarers at the mercy of treacherous weather and uncertain navigation. Donald S Murray explores Scotland’s lighthouses through history, storytelling and the voices of the lightkeepers: from ancient beacons to the work of the Stevensons and the Northern Lighthouse Board, and from wartime strife to automation and preservation.
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Scotland's Wings: Triumph and Tragedy in the Skies by Robert Jeffrey (15 September 2022). (Amazon paid link.) Scotland has a worldwide reputation for launching some of the greatest ships ever built, but far less is known about our pioneering work on aviation. Including the first flight over Everest, the construction of the most northerly airship station in mainland Britain and the experience of civilians and pilots during the Clydebank Blitz of 1941, Scotland's Wings is a glimpse into the dramatic and sometimes controversial adventures in Scottish aeronautics.
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Britain's 100 Best Railway Stations by Simon Jenkins (28 September 2017). (Amazon paid link.) The railway station is a place of coming and going, meeting, greeting and parting. It is the setting for our hopeful beginnings and our intended ends. Britain's stations are also an architecture that is little studied and much neglected. They were the 'below stairs' of the railway, carrying a legacy of soot, decay and industrial decline. Yet they are fascinating buildings, and ones that are returning to prominence with the revival of railway travel.
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The British Lighthouse Trail: A Regional Guide by Sarah Kerr (9 September 2019). (Amazon paid link.) Lighthouses have been used as aids to maritime navigation for centuries. They are highly recognisable and beloved features of our coastline and waterways, treasured by communities and captivating visitors. But how many are there and is it really possible to visit them all? The British Lighthouse Trail is the only book of its kind to provide a comprehensive listing of all lighthouses in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Channel Islands accompanied by practical advice on how to reach them.
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Highways to the Highlands: From Old Ways to New Ways by Eric Simpson (15 July 2021). (Amazon paid link.) For centuries travellers have been travelling north to the Highlands of Scotland. This book follows the main thoroughfares north, using vintage and contemporary images to illustrate how they and the people using them have changed over time. The book starts as many visitors to Scotland have done over the years, by following the Great North Road from Edinburgh to Inverness. The reader continues north around the north coast and then the spectacular west coast.
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The Railway Through the Central Highlands by David Price (15 March 2022). (Amazon paid link.) The railway route through the Central Highlands from Perth to Inverness offers a spectacular journey through a variety of landscapes. These include Druimuachdar, the highest standard gauge railway summit in the United Kingdom. The route from Aviemore to Inverness has another major climb to a summit at Slochd. The author has visited the line regularly over the last four decades and presents his steam and diesel photographs showing the different traction in use during this period.
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Flight from the Croft by Bill Innes (10 January 2019). (Amazon paid link.) As a barefoot lad in the Outer Hebrides, Bill Innes dreamed the impossible dream of becoming a pilot and this book tells how that dream came to pass. The author's career of over forty years spanned a period of incredible advances in the air - now regarded as a golden era in aviation. After gaining his RAF wings in Canada he really started to learn his trade by flying Dakotas for British European Airways around the Highlands and Islands of Scotland before moving on to pilot a range of more modern airliners for a number of airlines.
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Hard Down! Hard Down! The Life and Times of Captain John Isbester from Shetland by Captain Jack Isbester (30 April 2019). (Amazon paid link.) Hard Down! Hard Down! describes the eventful life of a Shetland man in pursuit of his ambitions - to reach the top in his profession, to find a wife, to cherish a family, to do his job well and to be respected by his peers. The account is enlivened by extracts from numerous well-chosen family letters, diaries and postcards revealing the minutiae of shipboard and family life 120 years ago.
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The Kyle of Lochalsh and Far North Lines by David Price (15 November 2018). (Amazon paid link.) The railway system to the north and west of Inverness passes through some remote and beautiful parts of Scotland and there is a varied mix of scenery to enjoy from the train, including farmland, mountains, lochs, moorland and spectacular coastal stretches. When the Kyle line was threatened with closure in the 1970s, David Price travelled the line. Here, David presents a wonderful selection of steam and diesel photographs from the last four decades of two of the most picturesque routes in Britain.
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Prestwick Airport Through Time by Peter C. Brown (15 July 2018). (Amazon paid link.) Prestwick Airport is a major international freight hub. It also has the second-longest runway in Scotland. Its aviation history began in 1913 when it was developed for the Royal Flying Corps, and during the Second World War it was involved in fitting and maintaining military aircraft delivered from the USA. Post-war, it retained a military role, while a civilian airport grew alongside to accommodate commercial air travel. Prestwick quickly became the transatlantic gateway to Scotland.
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Walking Scotland's Lost Railways: Track Beds Rediscovered by Robin Howie and John McGregor (22 July 2019). (Amazon paid link.) Scotland still has hundreds of miles of dismantled railways and the track beds give scope for many walks. Some track beds have been saved as Tarmacadam walkway/cycleway routes while others have become well-trodden local walks. The remainder range from good to overgrown to well-nigh impassable. This book provides a handy guide to track bed walks with detailed information and maps. It is enhanced by numerous photographs.
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Archie's Lights: The Life and Times of a Scottish Lightkeeper by Archie MacEachern and Anne MacEachern (30 April 2019). (Amazon paid link.) Born at a clifftop lighthouse in 1910, Archie's life was spent in the world of Scottish lighthouses. Compiled by Anne MacEachern and written in Archie's words, this account portrays the man and reveals a past way of life. From peacetime through war, dealing with goats, shipwrecked sailors or German spies, the story brings vividly to life the challenges of living and working at a lighthouse.
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A Scottish Blockade Runner in the American Civil War - Joannes Wyllie of the steamer Ad-Vance by John F. Messner (19 July 2021). (Amazon paid link.) Born in 1828 near Kelso, Wyllie went to sea in 1852. In 1862 he took command of his first vessel, running contraband through the Union blockade of the Confederate States, in the American Civil War. Wyllie then took command of the Ad-Vance until her capture in September 1864. Two more commands of blockade runners followed; he was captured again and then evaded the American authorities through a remarkable escape to Scotland.
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A Wild Call: One Man's Voyage in Pursuit of Freedom by Martyn Murray (10 October 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Martyn Murray was finding modern life, with all its restrictions and controls, suffocating. His father's death triggered him into opening the old logbooks and charts to retrace the sailing trips they had once shared together. Falling in love with an old ketch in Ireland, he bought and restored her enough to sail back to Scotland. Over the next two summers he cruised Scotland's Western Isles, with one goal: to reach St Kilda: 40 miles from the Outer Hebrides.
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Leith-Built Ships Vol 2, Leith Shipyards 1918-1939 by R. O. Neish (30 April 2021). (Amazon paid link.) The fortunes of the three main shipyards are followed through good times to eventual closure or assimilation by the man who would open up the shipyard that took his name. Henry Robb Ltd, shipbuilders and engineers, began without a yard in which to build ships, but eventually took over oothers. Leith Shipyards 1918-1939 continues the chronological story begun in Volume I and provides a fascinating illustrated story that reveals the remarkable and ongoing story of shipbuilding.
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Bell Rock Lighthouse: An Illustrated History by Michael A. W. Strachan (15 June 2018). (Amazon paid link.) Since its completion in 1811, the Bell Rock Lighthouse has been revered as an industrial wonder of the world. The iconic tower was built on the Inchcape Rock, a submerged reef some 12 miles off the coast of Arbroath, and now stands as the oldest sea-washed tower the world, surviving over 200 years of violent storms and crashing waves. The construction of the Bell Rock made the name of the Stevenson family of lighthouse engineers.
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Edinburgh's Leith Docks 1970-80: The Transition Years by Malcolm Fife (15 May 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Leith has been Edinburgh’s main port since the Middle Ages. It dates back to the twelfth century. Modern Leith docks took shape in the nineteenth century with the construction of stone quays and breakwaters. The port was transformed in 1969 when a large state-of-the-art sea lock was installed, transforming the tidal harbour into a deep-water docks. Its fortunes were further boosted with the discovery of oil in the southern North Sea.
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Rail Rover: Scotland in the 1970s and 1980s by Arnie Furniss (15 August 2017). (Amazon paid link.) The Rail Rover ticket for Scotland in the 1970s and 1980s had the grandiose title "Freedom of Scotland", for the ever-growing group of diesel enthusiasts in the 1970s, it was a gift from the gods. An army of rail enthusiasts set out in pursuit of the exotic machines. Utilising rare and unpublished images, Arnie Furniss takes the reader on a nostalgic and often humorous journey around Scotland during the halcyon days of British-built diesel locomotives.
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Hebridean Diary of a Serial Sailor by Cully Pettigrew (13 June 2013). (Amazon paid link.) The life of a serial sailor whose passion is to explore the waters around the West Coast of Scotland. His yacht, Papillon of Carden, has been in commission every year from 1980 to 2013, clocking up well over 26000 nautical miles.
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25 Years of the Ayrshire Road Run by Bill Reid (15 June 2018). (Amazon paid link.) The Ayrshire Road Run was instigated in 1993 as an adjunct to the established annual vintage rally organised by the Ayrshire Vintage Tractor & Machinery Club (AVT&MC). The idea was to promote the rally by running entered commercial vehicles around the major towns in Ayrshire. Over the following years the Road Run attracted more and more vintage vehicles. Here, organiser Bill Reid celebrates twenty-five years of the run with a superb collection of photographs.
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Wooden Fishing Boats of Scotland by James A. Pottinger (1 January 2013). (Amazon paid link.) With the gradual phasing out of wooden fishing boats of Scotland it is timely to record some of these handsome vessels. In the years from 1960-80 boat builders produced some of their most shapely and graceful craft, a testament to the skill of both the builders and designers. A wonderful collection of evocative images.
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The Later Years of British Rail 1980-1995: The North of England and Scotland by Patrick Bennett (15 August 2017). (Amazon paid link.) The railway in 1980 had not changed much since the 1960s. In 1980, BR was still one railway. All this was about to change. Focusing here on the north of England and Scotland and utilising a wealth of photographs and maps, together with comprehensive notes, this book reflects the immense changes that took place in the railway scene between 1980 and 1995. Finally, in 1995, privatisation arrived.
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Scotland's Cruel Sea: Heroism and Disaster off the Scottish Coast by Robert Jeffrey (6 November 2014). (Amazon paid link.) Disaster at sea is a poignant part of Scotland's history, and in this book tells the compelling stories of the victims of the ocean deeps. Car ferries, fishing boats, troopers, pleasure yachts and Navy vessels of all sorts, including submarines, have gone to the bottom around Scotland's shores.
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By Steamer to the Ayrshire Coast by Alistair Deayton (21 November 2013). (Amazon paid link.) At the turn of the twentieth century new laws introduced paid holidays for the masses and the seaside towns of Scotland saw a huge influx of visitors. From Glasgow, Paisley and the industrial heartland of Scotland, poured holidaymakers on the Fair Holiday trip doon the watter.
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Southern Lights: The Scottish Contribution to New Zealand's Lighthouses by Guinevere Nalder (10 April 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Southern Lights recounts the story of how New Zealand's lighthouses were established through the transfer of technology from Scotland to New Zealand over a period of almost 90 years. This resulted in most of New Zealand's lighthouses being fully or partially built using Scottish materials and expertise. The major Scottish contribution was the professional services provided by the firm founded by Robert Stevenson.
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Fife's Railways Remembered by Michael Mather (15 March 2018). (Amazon paid link.) Local enthusiast and photographer Michael Mather delves into the past with a selection of photographs mainly from the 1950s and 1960s, but also dating back to the beginning of the twentieth century, along with some from more recent years, covering the main, secondary and branch lines, locomotives, trains and infrastructure of the county’s railways, most of which has now disappeared. While steam locomotives predominate, first generation diesels, most of which are now history, are also featured.
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Kinnaird Head Lighthouse: An Illustrated History by Michael A. W. Strachan (15 September 2019). (Amazon paid link.) On the promontory of Kinnaird Head, on the north-east coast of Scotland, sits a peculiarly designed lighthouse. It is the only lighthouse in the world to be built into a castle. Originally constructed in 1571 by Sir Alexander Fraser, the castle towered over his new town of Fraserburgh with Scotland s forgotten university built in its shadow. For 200 years this small tower played host to lairds, lords and Jacobites before abandonment in 1750.
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The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Volume Six The Grand Junction and North Union Railways by Stanley C. Jenkins & Martin Loader (15 July 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Approved in May 1833 with the London & Birmingham Railway, the Grand Junction Railway was intended to act as a link between the London & Birmingham and the Liverpool & Manchester Railway. The Grand Junction was opened along its complete length on 4 July 1837. From 19 August 1839, through coaches were able to run for 218 miles from London through Birmingham to Preston.
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The Buses of Northern Scottish by Peter Findlay (13 June 2013). (Amazon paid link.) This book reflects the author's interest in Northern Scottish and its predecessor, from childhood through to actually working with the company from their Buckie depot, covering the fleet from the early 1960s through to the late 1980s and including vehicles the author travelled on, drove or just photographed.
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West Highland Line: Great Railway Journeys Through Time by John McGregor (15 May 2013). (Amazon paid link.) Twice voted the top railway journey in the world, the West Highland route to Mallaig accessed the remote and mountainous west coast of Scotland. The original West Highland line, described here, links Glasgow and Fort William. In this book, John McGregor uses a wonderful collection of photographs to bring the history of the line to life.
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Signalling and Signal Boxes along the North British Railway, Great North of Scotland Railway and the CLC Routes by Allen Jackson (15 November 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Showing the North British Railway, Great North of Scotland Railway and the Cheshire Line Committee (CLC), Allen Jackson uses a range of previously unpublished photographs to tell the story of signalling. The North British Railway took The Flying Scotsman’s baton proudly to Edinburgh Waverley station and generally up the east coast of Scotland on a joint line to Aberdeen.
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Directory of Clyde Paddle Steamers by Alistair Deayton (13 September 2013). (Amazon paid link.) For the first time, a truly definitive record of the Clyde paddlers has been produced. Alistair Deayton has used contemporary records and local newspapers as well as the steamship operators and the shipyards to produce a book detailing every one of the Clyde steamers from the Comet of 1812 to the last surviving sea-going paddle steamer, PS Waverley.
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They Once Were Shipbuilders: 1 Leith-Built Ships by R. O. Neish (15 November 2019). (Amazon paid link.) Leith-Built Ships is a testimony to the skill of the men who built the ships and to those who sailed or served on them. This is Volume I of a three-volume series about the almost-forgotten part that Leith played in our great maritime heritage and is the culmination of the author's lifetime experience of shipbuilding. Leith had begun building ships some 400 years before the great shipyards of the Clyde and these vessels reached all corners of the globe, touching many people's lives.
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Dumfries & Galloway Independents by David Devoy (15 October 2017). (Amazon paid link.) The main bus operator in Dumfries & Galloway since the 1950s was the nationalised Western SMT company, but a few independents held out and continued to run a stage service alongside their coaches. Independent operations, however, were on a small scale. Deregulation in October 1986 allowed many more independent operators to register routes in the area, and local authority tenders are often worked by these companies too.
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Steamers and Ferries of the Northern Isles by Alistair Deayton (6 May 2015). (Amazon paid link.) The story of the ferries and steamers of the northern isles, including not only the North Company but its successors and competitors on the routes between mainland Scotland and the islands, including chartered vessels and wartime Ministry of War Transport ships travelling to Scapa Flow. The book also includes the inter-island ferries in both Orkney and Shetland.
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Glasgow and Dunbartonshire Independents by David Devoy (15 September 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Local bus and tram services in Glasgow were traditionally operated by the Corporation Transport Department. When local bus services in the UK were de-regulated in 1986, any credible operator was able to register and run a local bus service, and this is where our story begins. A myriad of operators have come and gone at a tremendous pace, bringing a welcome splash of colour to the city and beyond. Today only a few stronger companies still serve the city.
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Scottish Lighthouse Pioneers: Travels with the Stevensons in Orkney and Shetland by Paul A. Lynn (14 March 2017). (Amazon paid link.) In the 19th century, the Stevenson engineers pioneered marvellous lighthouses around the coasts of Scotland. But what was it actually like to be a Scottish lighthouse engineer? How did the Northern Lighthouse Board's Engineer cope with weeks aboard a small lighthouse vessel, travelling around the Scottish coastline on dangerous tours of inspection in some of the remotest regions of Europe?
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Starlight Specials: The Overnight Anglo-Scottish Express by Dave Peel (18 August 2014). (Amazon paid link.) In the 1950s and 1960s these cheap return excursion trains ran overnight between London and both Glasgow and Edinburgh. Dave Peel looks at this now little known but once popular service that spanned ten years of service at the twilight of steam. He examines their rise and their fall, their successes and failures.
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Kirckaldy & Central Fife's Trams & Buses by Walter Burt (6 November 2012). (Amazon paid link.) Using a mixture of colour and black and white images, Walter Burt, himself a bus driver based in Fife, takes us through the history of tram and bus services in Kirkcaldy and the surrounding area up to the present day, from Kirkcaldy Corporation Tramways and Walter Alexander through to Stagecoach Fife.
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The Next Stop: Inverness to Edinburgh, Station by Station by Simon Varwell (9 March 2014). (Amazon paid link.) After years travelling by train between Inverness and Edinburgh, Simon Varwell realised that he knew very little about the places on the line. So over the course of six days in 2012, he stopped at all twenty-three stations. It was a trip that led him to the unknown, the beautiful, the isolated, the depressingly mundane, the run-down, and the haunting.
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Giants of the Clyde: The Great Ships and the Great Yards by Robert Jeffrey (30 May 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Around the world "Clyde-built" is recognised as the ultimate shipbuilding accolade. As late as the 1950s, around a seventh of the total of the world's sea going tonnage was built on the Clyde. From the many yards on its banks, north and south came iconic names in shipping: vessels like the Cutty Sark, warships like the mighty Hood, and the cream of the world's great liners. This is the fascinating, often turbulent, story of a great river, its great ships and the folk who built them.
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Daniel Defoe's Railway Journey: A Surreal Odyssey Through Modern Britain by Stuart Campbell (20 July 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Daniel Defoe's Railway Journey describes the odyssey undertaken by two eccentric pensioners as they travel on every mile of railway track in the UK. Surreal and poignant by turns, Stuart Campbell describes the people they meet and the unwanted adventures that befall them. He is aided and abetted by the ghost of Daniel Defoe, writer, soldier, businessman and spy who completed his own journey in the 1720s.
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Bell's Comet: How a Paddle Steamer Changed the Course of History by P. J. G. Ransom (6 August 2012). (Amazon paid link.) The passenger steamer burst upon the early nineteenth century with great suddenness. Leading the way was Henry Bell of Helensburgh. When he started to carry passengers down the Clyde in his little steamer Comet in 1812, he established the first viable steamer service in the Old World.
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Great British Shipwrecks by Rod Macdonald (11 December 2012). (Amazon paid link.) The author uses his encyclopaedic knowledge of shipwrecks to provide a snapshot in time of some of the best known and most revered shipwrecks around the UK. For each of the 37 shipwrecks covered Rod provides a dramatic account of its time afloat and its eventual sinking - with each wreck being beautifully illustrated by renowned marine artist Rob Ward.
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Dundee's Trams and Buses by Walter Burt (5 June 2014). (Amazon paid link.) In this book, well known transport historian and prolific author Walter Burt looks at the trams and buses used in and around Dundee, and tells the story of transport in Dundee through the vehicles that used to work its streets in a collection of images that will bring back memories of Dundee from times past.
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The Finest Road in the World: The Story of Travel and Transport in the Scottish Highlands by James Miller (1 June 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Trains and stagecoaches stuck in the snow, wild storms driving sailing ships off course, traffic pile-ups - stories abound about the horrors of travel in the Highlands and Islands, and have done for centuries. James Miller tells the dramatic and sometimes humorous story of travel in the region. Some of the figures in the story are familiar - General George Wade, Thomas Telford and Joseph Mitchell among them - but there are a host of others too,
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Exploring Disused Railways in East Scotland by Michael Mather (15 March 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Michael Mather explores the disused railways of east Scotland, bringing them to life with photographs revealing what remains of the railway infrastructure, and some shots of the views that passengers might have had from the trains travelling along these lines. Also included are a selection of historical photographs; some taken when the lines were still open, and some just after their closure.
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Regional Tramways - Scotland: 1940-1950s by Peter Waller (30 March 2016). (Amazon paid link.) The story of tramways north of the border from the 1840s, when the first horse-drawn service linking Inchture village to Inchture station opened, through to the closure of the last traditional tramway - Glasgow - in 1962. Plus details of the big city systems that survived the Second World War in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
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Anglo-Scottish Sleepers by David Meara (15 March 2018). (Amazon paid link.) For over a hundred years there have been sleeper trains running to a variety of destinations around the British Isles. The longest running services are those between England and Scotland, which started in 1873. In this book, David Meara tells the fascinating story of these icons of Britain’s railways, offering a history, including the motorail operation, as well as stories and anecdotes from those who use the sleepers. This book truly captures the essence of what is still one of the most civilised ways of travelling.
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The Darkness Below by Rod Macdonald (6 October 2011). (Amazon paid link.) A collection of absorbing adventures gained from a lifetime in diving. As one of the UK's leading Technical Divers, Rod takes the reader on a spellbinding and gripping journey. Told in intimate detail with a beguiling sense of self-deprecating humour, he recounts epic dives on some of the most fabulous shipwrecks around the world.
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Waverley Steam Navigation Company by Alistair Deayton and Iain Quinnn (29 July 2014). (Amazon paid link.) To mark the bicentenary of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, this volume provides biographies of the eight membes of the Stevenson family who between them built many of Scotland's lighthouses and gives a detailed account of the building of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, one of the engineering marvels of its day.
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The Lighthouse on Skerryvore by Paul A. Lynn (20 May 2015). (Amazon paid link.) Perched on an isolated rock in the Hebrides, this is a fascinating account of Skerryvore, 'the most graceful lighthouse in the world', and the great Victorian engineer who designed and built it. At a height of 48m (156 feet), it is the tallest lighthouse in Scotland. The story of the Skerryvore lighthouse and its creator, Alan Stevenson, is remarkable by any standards.
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The Lifeboat Service in Scotland Station by Station by Nicholas Leach (25 October 2013). (Amazon paid link.) The RNLI currently operates forty-seven stations in Scotland and this superb book contains details of every one, with information about their history, rescues and current lifeboats. Author Nicholas Leach has amassed a wealth of information about Scotland's lifeboats and lifeboat stations, past and present.
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200 Years of Clyde Paddle Steamers by Alistair Deayton & Iain Quinn (8 August 2012). (Amazon paid link.) In August 1812, the River Clyde saw a transport revolution one that would change the world for ever. This book take us through the two centuries of Clyde paddle steamers, illustrating the most famous, such as the Columba, Jeanie Deans and Waverley, and the piers they sailed from, from Rothesay to Helensburgh and from Loch Goil to Loch Long.
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Scottish Traction by Colin J. Howat (15 October 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Covering virtually the whole of Scotland from Wick in the north to the southern border, Colin Howat looks at the Scottish rail scene from 1974 until the present day, covering diesel locos from humble Class 08s to the latest Class 70s, examining DMU classes 101-221 and EMU classes 303-390. With a wealth of rare and unpublished images captured over several decades, tis is a fascinating look at the railways of Scotland and a perfect read for any rail enthusiast.
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The West Highland Railway 120 Years by John McGregor (20 August 2014). (Amazon paid link.) This profusely illustrated book takes a look at this famous line, from its construction to the present day the men who built it; its early years and varied fortunes thereafter; changing traffic patterns; advertising and tourism; maintenance and mishaps; and the return of heritage travel in the modern era.
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West Over The Waves: The Final Flight of Elsie Mackay by Jayne Baldwin (13 February 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Glamorous heiress Elsie Mackay was determined to pursue her dreams: eloping with a dashing soldier, starring on the silver screen, and designing the luxurious interiors of ocean liners. But her greatest passion was for aviation, still in its infancy in the 1920s, and her burning ambition was to become the first woman to not only fly the Atlantic but to cross by the most challenging route, from east to west. Journalist Jayne Baldwin uncovers the forgotten story of this bold and beautiful woman.
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Winchman by Chris Murray (31 May 2013). (Amazon paid link.) This is the thoroughly enjoyable life story of Chris Murray. As a winchman on Stornoway based search and rescue helicopters, for 22 years he was involved in the rescue of many people from the seas and mountains around the north of Scotland and further afield. He also details his exploits from his early days as a Royal Navy diver in the elite Faslane diving team and later as a civilian diver working offshore for various companies.
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Hebridean Princess: In Pictures by Bryan Kennedy (12 November 2012). (Amazon paid link.) This superb book follows the cruises of the Hebridean Princess over the last ten years around the Western Isles of Scotland, England, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the Norweigan coast. The book has outstanding photographs and helpful and informatice captions to allow the reader to make the most of the images themselves.
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Kirkcudbright's Prince of Denmark: And Her Voyages in the South Seas by David R. Collin (27 June 2013). (Amazon paid link.) The long career of a small Scottish schooner spent primarily in the southern hemisphere. From her history and construction to the careers of those who owned and sailed in her during her 74-year life, the story is full of vividly-portrayed rogues and heroes as well as ordinary people calmly going about their daily business in tempestuous and difficult times.
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The Tweed to the Northern Isles: The Fishing Industry Through Time by Mike Smylie (13 June 2013). (Amazon paid link.) In this superb book Mike Smylie takes us on a tour from the Tweed to the Northern Isles, taking us to harbours that were once home to hundreds of fishing boats. We also find out about the fishermen and women on shore and at sea, their boats, the harbours and the methods used to catch the fish.
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Buses of Clydeside Scottish and Clydeside 2000 by David Devoy (28 June 2014). (Amazon paid link.) Based in Renfrewshire, Clydeside Scottish was a member of the Scottish Bus Group and was created from the northern part of Western SMT's area. Covering the Clyde coast from Largs in Ayrshire into Renfrewshire and Glasgow, its distinctive yellow and red buses numbered some 330 on formation of the company in 1985.
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From Comet to Cal Mac: Two Centuries of Hebridean & Clyde Shipping by Donald E Meek & Bruce Peter (1 January 2012). (Amazon paid link.) A superbly researched and beautifully illustrated book about the development of shipping services in the Hebrides and the Clyde: perfectly timed to mark the 200th anniversary in August 2012 of Europe's first commercial seagoing steamship, the Comet.
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Scottish Buses During Deregulation by Kenny Barclay (15 May 2017). (Amazon paid link.) In 1986 Britain’s bus services were deregulated. In the run-up to deregulation the Scottish Bus Group was restructured from seven companies into eleven companies along with Scottish Citylink Coaches. The new companies all developed bright new liveries to set them apart from their former owners. Competition for passengers was fierce with existing operators suddenly facing new rival operators; congestion and bitter battles took place across the country. A collection of photographs of the era.
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The Traction Engine in Scotland by Alexander Hayward (8 June 2011). (Amazon paid link.) Traction engines were most widespread in Scotland from the 1880s until the 1940s. The book describes the use of traction power on Scottish road and field, and places National Museum Scotland's 1907 Marshall traction engine in its historical context.
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Highland Buses by John Sinclair (10 May 2013). (Amazon paid link.) Highland Omnibuses was founded in 1952 as part of the state-owned Scottish Bus Group and operated services throughout the Highlands. In this unique collection of images taken almost entirely by the author and dating mostly from the 1960s and 1970s, John Sinclair provides a window into the past of the isolated communities served by these buses and the landscapes they travelled through.
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Scotland's Independent Coach Operators by David Devoy (15 June 2018). (Amazon paid link.) As with everything, the coach industry has changed beyond all recognition over the last few decades. In the past, an operator would purchase a coach and run it for many years to get back their initial investment. More often than not, lightweight chassis were purchased because of the lower purchase price, and these could be changed every few years, keeping a modern look to the fleet. It was always more important in the coach industry to have the latest style.
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Fife Buses: From Alexanders (Fife) to Stagecoach by Walter Burt (27 July 2012). (Amazon paid link.) Fife Scottish was established in the 1960s as part of the Scottish Bus Group. In this book, Walter Burt, himself a bus driver based in Fife, takes us through the different buses used in the Kingdom of Fife, starting in 1960 just before the Scottish Bus Group took over services and finishing just after privatisation, when Fife became part of the Stagecoach Group.
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Callander & Oban Railway Through Time by Ewan Crawford (6 August 2013). (Amazon paid link.) Construction on the Callander & Oban Railway began in 1866, but because of the mountainous terrain the line did not open until 1880. It was designed to link Callander with the west coast port of Oban, this excellent book charts the course of the railway, and covers both used and disused sections of the route.
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Ancestors in the Arctic: A Photographic History of Dundee Whaling by Malcolm Archibald (21 November 2013). (Amazon paid link.) For over 160 years, Dundee sent ships to the Arctic to hunt the whales. It was a brutal, dangerous business but one which was vital to the economy of the city. This book shows some of the most evocative images held by the McManus Museum in Dundee, together with explanatory text.
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The Kingdom of MacBrayne (Paperback) by Donald E. Meek (19 Sep 2008). (Amazon paid link.) This beautifully produced and fascinating book tells the story of David MacBrayne, his ships and his company, his predecessors, rivals and successors.
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Dunfermline & West Fife's Trams & Buses by Walter Burt (18 February 2013). (Amazon paid link.) Walter Burt, himself a Fife bus driver, charts the advances of the trams and buses which have served the people of Dunfermline and West Fife, from the earliest motor vehicles and electric trams, to modern buses. It also takes in the changing face of west Fife in the backgrounds of the images.
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Aberdeenshire Tramways by Mike Mitchell (18 February 2013). (Amazon paid link.) In this wonderful collection of images, Mike Mitchell, a historian of Aberdeen transport, shows the development of tramways not just in the city of Aberdeen but wider Aberdeenshire as well, from the Aberdeen Suburban Tramways Company through the Strabathie Light Railway to the Cruden Bay Hotel Tramway.
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Dynasty of Engineers, The Stevensons and the Bell Rock by Roland Paxton (February 2011). (Amazon paid link.) To mark the bicentenary of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, this volume provides biographies of the eight membes of the Stevenson family who between them built many of Scotland's lighthouses and gives a detailed account of the building of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, one of the engineering marvels of its day.
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Piers of the Hebrides & Western Isles by Alistair Deayton (9 March 2012). (Amazon paid link.) From Gigha in the south to Lewis in the north and St Kilda in the west, Alistair Deayton covers the piers of the Hebrides and other outlying islands in the companion volume to his West Highland Piers. A fascination collection of images showing how travel to and from the Hebrides was undertaken, even up to recent times.
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Turbine Excursion Steamers: A History by Alistair Deayton & Iain Quinn (13 September 2013). (Amazon paid link.) This book tells the story of the turbine excursion steamer over the century and a bit since the first revolutionary turbine pleasure steamer made its maiden voyage on the Clyde at the dawn of the Edwardian era. It covers the first passenger steam turbine vessels on the Clyde, as well as the Irish, English and German turbine pleasure steamers.
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Halcyon in the Hebrides by Bob Orrell (30 March 2012). (Amazon paid link.) To celebrate 60 years of sailing Scottish waters, the author single-handedly sailed Halcyon, a 32' wooden yawl, from Fairlie on the Clyde, round the Mull of Kintyre by way of numerous inner islands to Barra and to the Atlantic side of the Outer Hebrides, not often visited by cruising yachts. This is the fascinating and engaging story of his journey.
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Canals Across Scotland: Walking, Cycling, Boating, Visiting by Hamish Brown (20 October 2015). (Amazon paid link.) This entertaining and informative book will be of practical benefit to all who discover the historic Union Canal and the Forth & Clyde Canal, whether walking, cycling, boating or visiting the Falkirk Wheel or the Kelpies. The canals are for fun, whether on the water, on the towpath, walking or cycling or just visiting.
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MacBrayne Ships by Alistair Deayton (15 May 2014). (Amazon paid link.) David MacBrayne's involvement in West Highland shipping services soon grew to encompass all of the major routes to the Isles. The company was eventually taken into state ownership to become Caledonian MacBrayne. This volume tells the story of MacBrayne's in private ownership up to the end of the independent company in 1972.
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Scottish and Manx Lights: A Journey in the Footsteps of the Stevensons by Ian Cowe (31 December 2015). (Amazon paid link.) This is an unmatched compilation of glorious photographs of Scotland`s marvellous lighthouse heritage. Join photographer Ian as he captures this wonderful collection of images. Learn about the exploits of the Stevensons who battled against the elements for over 150 years and the keepers who manned these inspirational sentinels of the sea.
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Glasgow Central Station Through Time by Michael Meighan (16 April 2013). (Amazon paid link.) Originally opened in August 1879, Central Station became a Glasgow landmark and one of Scotland's great buildings following a rebuild between 1901 and 1905 supervised by engineer Donald Matheson. The Edwardian ticket offices and information building still survive, as does the Central Hotel.
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By Steamer to the Argyllshire Coast by Alistair Deayton (12 November 2013). (Amazon paid link.) At the turn of the twentieth century, new laws introduced paid holidays for the masses and the seaside towns of Scotland saw a huge influx of visitors. This is a look at the Scottish seaside resorts on the Argyllshire coast and the steamers that brought the holidaymakers in their thousands every summer.
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To Western Scottish Waters by Robert N. Forsythe (1 February 2010). (Amazon paid link.) A pictorial tour through the decades and a peek into how both people and goods have travelled to the Isles over the years. Illustrated with old photographs, advertising leaflets and timetables, as well as more recent photographs by the author, the ever-changing modes of travel are portrayed here.
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West Highland Extension: Great Railway Journeys Through Time by John McGregor (13 June 2013). (Amazon paid link.) The Mallaig Extension was approved in 1894 to provide a continuation of the West Highland route for the benefit of the fishing industry on Scotland's west coast. Construction began in 1897 and the Extension was opened in 1901. A companion to "West Highland Line" by the same author.
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The Flying Scotsman: The Legend Lives on by Brian Sharpe (16 July 2009). (Amazon paid link.) From hauling the first non-stop express from London to Edinburgh in 1928 and breaking the 100mph barrier in 1934, to being sold in 1963, and to its final home at the York National Railway Centre, The Flying Scotsman has a rich and, at times, controversial history. Relive the great age of steam and follow the making of the legend. An informative and highly illustrated account.
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Buses of Skye and the Western Isles by John Sinclair (10 April 2014). (Amazon paid link.) In the 1960s, many of the bus services in Scotland s Western Isles, from Lewis and Harris in the north down to Islay in the south, were operated by MacBraynes, the company which also operated the ferry services. This book takes the reader back to the 1960s and the 1970s with wonderfully evocative images of buses and scenery.
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Scotland's Railways, The Classic Photography of W.J. Verden Anderson by Keith Verden Anderson & Brian Stephenson (18 October 2010). (Amazon paid link.) This beautiful large format book, which is predominantly illustrated in colour, draws upon the large number of unpublished images by the renowned railway photographer W. J. V. Anderson, and portrays Scottish railways and Scotland itself during the four decades from 1949 to 1989.
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Steadfast Boats and Fisher People by Gloria Wilson (1 August 2010). (Amazon paid link.) Illustrated with 200 photographs taken by the author, this evocative book reveals developments in fishing boats of mostly Scottish fishermen from the mid-1960s to the late 1980s: and celebrates the author's deep regard for the fishing communities and their boats, which represented such a unique way of life.
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