Greenock and Ayrshire Railway

MetaSidebar|19%|#949699|right|Greenock and Ayrshire Railway|(south east to north west)

Bridge of Weir
Kilmacolm
Port Glasgow (Upper)	Port Glasgow (Inch Green)

Lynedoch

Princes PierThe Greenock and Ayrshire Railway ran from Greenock, Scotland to Bridge of Weir. It closed progressively between 1959 and 1983. Despite its name it never reached Ayrshire; however by means of the line to Johnstone on the Bridge of Weir Railway trains could head directly to Ayrshire.

Formation

The Greenock and Ayrshire Railway was authorised on 5 July 1865 and opened to passengers on 23 December 1869. It was involved with a price cutting war with the Caledonian Railway and amalgamated with the Glasgow and South Western Railway on 1 August 1872.

From Bridge of Weir, it had stations at Kilmacolm, Lynedoch and Greenock Princes Pier. (to link the Ocean liner boat trains with the passenger ships.Fact|date=June 2008) The large and attractive terminal station at Princes Pier was built on the quayside, attracting passengers who boarded Clyde steamers there to visit holiday resorts down the Firth of Clyde or to commute in summer to their villas around the shores of the firth. It took most of the steamer trade away from the Caledonian Railway whose Cathcart Street station was a short but inconvenient walk through part of Greenock to the Custom House quay, leading them to organise an extension to Gourock, with Gourock railway station opening as a rival terminal in 1889.McCrorie (1989)]

Closure

Stopping passenger services ceased running beyond Kilmacolm in February 1959.Thomas (1971)] However the Glasgow St Enoch railway station, to Greenock Prince's Pier Ocean Liner boat trains continued running until 30 November 1965. The tracks were then truncated at Kilmacolm in September 1966.

The short terminus section at Greenock Prince's Pier was reopened in June 1971 to service the Clyde Port Authority (CPA) container terminal. It was linked into the, (former Caledonian Railway) (Paisley to Gourock), Inverclyde Line at Cartsburn Junction. Passenger services continued from Glasgow, via the Paisley Canal Line, through to Kilmacolm using diesel multiple units. It closed completely to passengers on 10 January 1983.

References

Notes

ources

*
* cite book
last = McCrorie
first = Ian
title = To The Coast
publisher = Fairlie Press
date = 1989
location = Fairlie, Ayrshire
id = ISBN 1-8712-0901-3
*
*
* [http://www.gswra.org.uk/ The Glasgow & South Western Railway Association]
* [http://www.railbrit.co.uk/Greenock_and_Ayrshire_Railway/frame.htm RAILSCOT on Green and Ayrshire Railway]