Maidens and Dunure Light Railway

Maidens and Dunure Light Railway

Legend - - Ayr and Dalmellington Railway Ayr Alloway Junction - - Ayr and Dalmellington Railway Alloway Tunnel under Alloway Kirk River Doon Greenan Castle Heads of Ayr Holiday Camp Heads of Ayr Dunduff Burn Dunure Croy Glen Knoweside Rancleugh Glen Balchriston Level Crossing Halt Glenside Maidens Turnberry Dipple - - Maybole and Girvan Railway Girvan Junction Girvan - - Girvan and Portpatrick Railway

The Maidens and Dunure Light Railway was a light railway worked by the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Ayrshire, Scotland connecting the stations in Ayr and Girvan following a coastal route via Turnberry.

History

The line was incorporated under a Light Railway Order by Act of Parliament on 30 September 1899,^[1] and opened to traffic on 17 May 1906.^[1] The line was twenty miles in length from Alloway Junction, south of Ayr station, to Girvan Junction, north of Girvan station.^[1] It had a short life with the passenger service between Turnberry and Ayr withdrawn on 1 December 1930,^[1] however the line was reopened briefly as far as Heads of Ayr between 4 July 1932 and 31 May 1933.^[1] The remaining line south of Turnberry closed to passengers on 2 March 1942.^[1]

On 17 May 1947 the line was reopened again to a new Heads of Ayr station serving the then new Butlins holiday camp.^[2]

In 1955 the freight service south of Heads of Ayr was withdrawn, with the remaining freight working ceasing in 1959. The remaining passenger service to Heads of Ayr ceased on 14 September 1968.^[1]

References

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Awdry, page 90
2. ^ Butt, page 90

Sources

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. 
• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199. 
• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137. 
• Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 0-9068-9999-0. OCLC 228266687. 
• RAILSCOT on Maidens and Dunure Railway
• Article in British Railway Journal No 8 Summer 1985 Wild Swan Publications