Welcome to my SAK pages, which are a set of features about the railways of Clackmannanshire in Central Scotland, where I have lived all my life. The name 'SAK' is a commonly used abbreviation for the 'Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine Railway and Linked Improvements (Scotland) Act 2004', which marked the first major upward move in the fortunes of the railways of the 'Wee County' in my lifetime. Since that bill being passed inspired me (eventually) to create this set of pages it seemed the most appropriate title to use! However you will see (if you choose to read further), that the railways of Clackmannanshire have a long history, and there is thus much more on these pages than just details of the new re-construction work and the re-opening, even althoughI documented that to the best of my ability as it happened.

In the beginning...

One thing not widely know about Clackmannanshire is that it's railway history pre-dates standard gauge track, passenger travel, or steam locomotives! See what (little) there is left today of The Alloa Waggonway

A Brief SAK History Lesson

I don't have any pictures of the railways of Clackmannanshire taken prior to the diesel era, but even although I am forced to use relatively recent pictures to illustrate the story of the rise of the standard gauge railways in the area, I hope you will find my stab at SAK History interesting nonetheless.

Going, going, ...

My local railways declined steadily in the BR diesel era, and having been born in the mid-1960s I know this part of the SAK story quite well. Read about it in BR Diesels In 'The Wee County'! (Part1) & BR Diesels In 'The Wee County'! (Part2).

... Gone?

By 2004 vegetation had taken over the sections of local line that had gone out of use in the 1980s. For casual observers the most obvious question was Where's The Track???

I Was There!

As a long-time (and hence long-suffering) Clackmannanshire railway enthusiast, I have seen re-opening proposals come and go several times. However in 2003-4 things got much more serious with a bill being presented to the Scottish Parliament and funding being made available to carry the proposal through if passed. So here (briefly) is the story of the The Road To The SAK Bill!

There's Track Under This Lot!

In early 2005 the first small step was made toward the SAK reconstruction, as someone finally decided to get rid of all the horribly out of control vegetation along the route letting everyone have A Last Look At The BR Tracks!

SAK Rebuilt!

Work started in earnest on the SAK reconstruction in 2006, and since I live nearby I have been able to check regularily on how well the project is proceeding. Read & view my progress reports in a section entitled ' SAK Rebuilt!'