A rail consultant has told of his surprise at finding a Victorian engineer's proposals for a rail link between Scotland and Ireland.
Edinburgh-based David Spaven believed the plans for a tunnel, causeway or an undersea bridge between Stranraer and Belfast were not widely known today.
The plans feature in a new book, Mapping the Railways, Mr Spaven has co-written with author Julian Holland.
It also includes abandoned ideas for light railways on Skye and Lewis.
Published for the The Times by Collins, the book has been described as the most comprehensive collection of British railway maps dating from 1819 to the present day.

(Permalink) Belfast Book David Spaven Jullian Holland Lewis Mapping the Railways Skye Stranraer