Edinburgh Waverley Station Through Time

Waverley is Scotland's largest railway station and covering an area of 25 acres it is the second largest main line station in the UK after Waterloo. In the 1840s three railway companies built stations in the newly drained Waverley valley - North Bridge, Central and Canal Street - and these became known collectively as Waverley from around 1845. In 1868 the North British Railway company acquired all three and demolished them to build the present Victorian structure which has continued in use ever since. Under the LNER's reign Waverley became the symbolic destination for the East Coast Main Line trains with a series of high-profile expresses, such as the Flying Scot and Night Scot, departing daily from King's Cross, London. It was on the East Coast line that the Mallard famously smashed the world speed record for a steam locomotive, achieving just under 126 mph. Michael Meighan explores this great station, delving into its rich history and showing how it has changed over the years.