By the end of this lesson you can: General – at least 2 economic, social & geographic benefits

Credit – at least 4 economic, social & geographic benefits

The first railways were built in the industrial areas of the country, such as the Monklands in Glasgow.

Railways allowed other industries to prosper as they required steel, coal and iron.

For example:

Coal was transported via rail to Borders mills to help power them.

The coming of the railways allowed farmers to produce more. It was quicker and easier to transport fresh food daily, with market people loading railway trucks on a daily basis. Fresh milk also became available every day, which would be transported on the milk train.

Fishermen also benefited from the railways. They were now able to sell fresh fish inland rather than having to preserve it by salting it in a barrel of brine.

Daily newspapers began to be produced and quickly became very popular. Newspapers such as the Glasgow Herald, now The Herald became daily from 1859. The Scotsman became printed daily from around 1850.

In 1840, Rowland Hill invented the penny post, which allowed letters to be sent all over the country for the price of a one-penny stamp.

The railways opened up the opportunity for people to travel all over the country, either for long holidays or day-trips.

Golf resorts also flourished with the development of the railways, such as Turnberry in Ayrshire.

The Stirling to Perth line helped to develop the famous Gleneagles golf resort and hotel.

Other lines went to spa towns such as Moffat and Strathpeffer.

Divide the page into 2 columns and construct a table like the one shown

below.

The benefits ofthe railways

ECONOMIC

Economic Social

CENTRAL BELT HIGHLANDS

Divide the page into 2 columns and construct a table like the one shown

below.THE GEOGRAPHICAL BENEFITS OF THE

RAILWAYS

Manufactured goods could be brought in from all over the country at affordable prices, such as tinned foods, clothes and shoes. Village shops were able to stock a wider range of products, while towns and cities flourished because people could travel cheaply for a days shopping.

Food and other goods were now able to move from one part of the country to another at a decent cost. People could go to their local shop and select from a range of different, fresh produce. Not only that, people from the country to get into Glasgow or Edinburgh for their shopping and at a good price for travel! Even the men could go and watch their team play at another park.

Source A

Source B

How far do Sources A and B agree about the benefits of the railways? (4)

For hundreds of years people had lived next to the place they worked. With the coming of the railways people now had more freedom and choice in where they lived. More houses were built as people moved out of the cramped tenements and out to the suburbs.

The Singer factory at Clydebank had a huge workforce which would now arrive daily through timetabled trains. Even factory owners commuted to their work, with many opting to live in commuter towns such as Helensburgh and Largs.

From 1890 the people of Glasgow were also able to use the Underground to travel around a portion of the city.

The population of Scotland saw a massive increase due to an improved diet. This was largely a result of the creation of the railways. It was easier to move fresh farm produce around the country.

Even manufactured goods could be brought in from all over the country at affordable prices, such as tinned foods, clothes and shoes. Village shops were able to stock a wider range of products, while towns and cities flourished because people could travel cheaply for a days shopping.

Going on holiday was no longer a luxury for the rich. Although the Highlands remained a haven for the rich upper classes, thanks largely to Queen Victoria and Balmoral, the rest of the country opened up for the working classes. Passengers in third class would be charged no more than one penny per mile. They could go to seaside places such as Largs, Ayr and St Andrews and rent a house for a month. Others would travel by rail to Ardrossan or Gourock before taking a leisurely trip on the ferry.

Also, many sports such as golf and hunting flourished with the creation of the railways. Football was also heavily impacted by the growth of the railways. Connections across the country allowed it to develop into the national sport as supporters could now travel cheaply across the country to watch the weekly matches. In 1900 there were over 100 football teams.

Before the railways there were huge differences in timekeeping across the country. Clocks would be checked against the sun at noon, allowing for massive differences between the East and West coast.

In 1846 a decision was taken to standardise time across the country. This saw the introduction of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which is still in use to this day.

The majority of the railway lines were built in the Central Belt of Scotland because most of the population lived there. Towns changed in appearance as bridges, tunnels and stations continued to be built.

A railway line was built to connect Glasgow with Edinburgh in 1842, which would see a passenger rate of one million every year by 1846.

Other lines were built which would link Glasgow with many other places including Paisley, Greenock and Kilmarnock. Through building the Waverley line, the Scottish capital was now linked with Hawick and gradually other Borders towns.

This allowed more people to move out of the cities because they were now able to travel in each day for their work.

The Highlands were a far more difficult area for the railway engineers to tame. It took many years to open up the area because of the terrain and lack of population centres.

A railway was built between Inverness and Aberdeen which would first open in 1858. Further developments were made in effort to open up the Highlands, with a line opening between Inverness and Wick and Thurso in 1894, whilst in 1880, Oban was connected to Glasgow.

The West Coast Line which opened in 1894 connected Fort William to Glasgow, eventually extending to Mallaig in 1901.

Other northern lines were created to join the Central Belt with the Highlands, building through Stirling, Perth, Dundee, Montrose and Aberdeen.