The railway line along the north bank of th Firth of Forth between Stirling and Alloa closed to passengers in the nineteen sixties and to freight in the nineteen eighties. Now that the Scottish Government have autonomy over transport policy, funds have been made available to re-open railways and yesterday was the turn of Alloa to rejoin the rail network. Pasengers are piped aboard the first public train.

For the first day's runs an appropriate train from the old railway era was run, seen here getting under way as excited children race the train.

Joining the main line. The train is leaving the station platform line at Alloa and joining the new main line, which once more provides a through route for freight between Stirling and Dunfermline. The locomotive is number 61994, The Great Marquess.

On the gradient out of Alloa station, smoke still oozes from under the bridge as the third coach passes below the camera.

The locomotive has now reached the summit and will begin to gather speed. This is the site of the original Alloa station, which was once a multiple platform junction for lines to Larbert, Alva and the Devon Valley route through to Kinross, as well as to Stirling and Dunfermline. A new leisure centre was built on the station site but there is enough space for a re-instated single rail track to squeeze past.

The Devon Valley route to Kinross has now been converted to a cycle track for the first six miles as far as Tillicoultry and Dollar.

The train has arrived at Stirling, which is one of the few places in Scotland to retain traditional semaphore signalling.

The classic station concourse at Stirling, with its old booking hall, buffet and blue enamel signs is remarkably unchanged from an earlier era.

A modern class 170 Turbostar deisel train which shuttles between Glasgow and Stirling. From Monday this service will be extended to Alloa.

A ninteen sixties deisel locomotive was on hand at Stirling to take the special train back to Alloa.