This is the ninth volume in the ten-part series of regional books
examining the industrial railways of England, Scotland and Wales. Like
elsewhere in Britain, changes have been far-reaching in industry, and
Scotland has certainly suffered considerably in recent decades with the
loss of its traditional coal mining, steel and manufacturing industries,
especially many of those that were once located around its Central Belt.
The diversity of the locomotives and the railways that once served
industry in Scotland is a fascinating and neglected subject, and both
standard and narrow gauge systems, most of which no longer survive
today, are covered within the pages of this book. The author presents an
array of striking images, both in colour and black and white, that
strive to include some feel for the locations being studied, covering
the broad spectrum of industrial railways that once existed in Scotland.
These mostly previously unpublished photographs, accompanied by detailed
captions, reflect the changing face of Scottish industry over the last
six decades or so. As the title suggests, this book is chiefly about
Scotland's industrial railways and its locomotives, many actually
constructed in Scotland, but this work is also a sad reminder of how
much our traditional industries have contracted, or have even been lost
entirely over this period, either through globalisation of
manufacturing, or the importation of commodities at a cheaper market
rate than could have been obtained at home.
