- Ardrossan Railway
The Ardrossan Railway was a
railway company inScotland built in the mid 19th century that primarily ran services betweenKilwinning andArdrossan , as well as freight services to and from collieries between Kilwinning andPerceton . The line was later merged with theGlasgow and South Western Railway , and is today part of theAyrshire Coast Line .History
The line began life as a
waggonway which opened in 1831 between Ardrossan and Kilwinning and was known as the Ardrossan and Johnstone Railway.Lewin, Pages 17-18] It was initially built to theScotch gauge of RailGauge|54 and was worked byhorse s.Wishaw] For passenger services, a carriage held 24 passengers; 16 inside and 8 outside.The railway was built by the
Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal company. It commenced on the west side of Ardrossanharbour . It was intended to terminate atJohnstone , to connect with the Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal. However, this never occurred due to lack of money. It therefore terminated at Kilwinning.The 3 mile (5
km ) long Doura branch left the main line near Stevenston and crossed under theGlasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway to reach the Douracoal pit.Whishaw] The 0.5 mile Fergus Hill branch left the Doura branch just after the Lugton Water crossing to reach the Fergus Hill coal pit.In 1840 the line was regauged to
standard gauge and connected with theGlasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway at Kilwinning station; and in 1854 both lines merged with the newGlasgow and South Western Railway .Connections to other lines
*
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway at KilwinningCurrent operations
The majority of this line is still in use as part of the
Ayrshire Coast Line . The only sections closed are the entire Doura branch andArdrossan Winton Pier railway station (now cut back toArdrossan Harbour railway station ).References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
