Discover the remains of Scotland’s earliest standard gauge railway

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of Scotland’s earliest standard-mechanical railway, located in Cognezi, East Lothian. It is believed that the 1435mm (4’8.5-inch) wide-wood railway was used as early as 1775, perhaps even before Willington Waggonway in Newcastle, which was previously considered the oldest standard-meter railway. That 1435mm track gauge would spread from gravity and horsepower-powered truck railways, becoming the standard for steam-powered trains in the 19th century.

The excavation is part of the Waggonway 1722 Project Community Heritage Initiative, which aims to investigate and retain Tranent -Cockenzie Waggonway, Cockenzie Waggonway, the earliest recorded railway of any norm in Scotland. It was built in 1722 by the York Buildings Company, which transports coal from the pits in Tranent to the industrial salt factory in Cockenzie, where salt is produced by evaporating seawater in a large barrel called a salt pot. Full vans supervised along the railway along the gravity-driven railway. The empty truck was pulled back to the coal mine by horse.

Six days a week, six days a day, six days a year, vans deliver 2,000 tons a day, requiring a lot of coal to feed the pot (2,000 tons a year). To support these frequent weights, the Waggonway has double-height tracks to overcome the difficulty of bringing heavy-duty wooden trolleys to the overwhelming ground. It features a set of rails “float” on another track, the lower track is connected and stabilized by strap beams. Cut the wood into squares and attach it to wooden dowels called Trenails.

So far, archaeologists and volunteers have discovered 65 feet of railway, including preserved railways and with the original transcrater.

“The excavation is another huge success for the project,” said Ed Bethune, president of the Waggonway project.

“We once again, with the help of professionals and community volunteers, have added important information to the archaeological record and made new discoveries to add to the earliest incredible history of the Scottish Railway.

“It’s not only exciting to find that we think the ‘modern’ instrumentation is earlier than we thought it’s been important nationwide.”