Contact the chronology editor, Ewan Crawford.

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1776	American declaration of independence	Under provisions of Magna Carta
1831	Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway	Opened from St Leonards to Craighall.
1836	Manchester and Leeds Railway	Royal assent received.
1836	Great North of England Railway	Act for line between Redhaugh Quay, Gateshead, and Croft, Darlington and on to York.
1839	Manchester and Leeds Railway	Manchester (Oldham Road) to Littleborough opened.
1855	Peebles Railway	Opened from Hardengreen Junction (Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway) to Peebles. Stations opened at; Hawthornden, Roslin, Penicuik, Leadburn, Eddleston and Peebles.
1864	Leadburn Linton and Dolphinton Railway	Line opened from Leadburn (Peebles Railway) to Dolphinton.
1879	Anglo-Zulu war	Last major battle, Zulus defeated.
1890	Leith New Lines (Caledonian Railway)	Act received for a line from Newhaven to Seafield (Seafield Junction was for the line to the terminus and the North British Railway lines)
1905	Darvel and Strathaven Railway	Darvel to Strathaven opened (joint operation of the Glasgow and South Western Railway and Caledonian Railway).
1909	#West Somerset Mineral Railway#	The Somerset Mineral Syndicate sub-lets the line from the Ebbw Vale company. The line is re-opened between a new jetty at Watchet and Brendon Hill where a 2 foot mine line extends the railway. Gupwrthy is not re-opened.
1923	Devon Colliery	No 3 pit sunk
1932	Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway	Ardrossan North to Uplawmoor closed to passengers, (except boat train specials). Stevenston Moorpark and Saltcoats North closed.
1938	Brechin and Edzell District Railway	Edzell to Brechin re-opened to passengers
1949	Cairn Valley Railway (Glasgow and South Western Railway)	Moniave-Dumfries (Cairn Valley Junction) closed to freight.
1955	Glasgow Bothwell Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway	Bothwell to Shettleston closed to passengers. Also given as 2 July.
1955	Stirling and Dunfermline Railway	Causewayhead station closed
1966	Leith New Lines (Caledonian Railway)	Newhaven Junction to Leith Walk West (excluded) closed.
2005	Coalburn Branch (Caledonian Railway) Mid Lanark Lines (Caledonian Railway)	Signalling switched on on the re-opening Hamilton - Larkhall branch.