Ayr and Dalmellington Railway
Encyclopedia
The Ayr and Dalmellington Railway was a railway in Scotland
that provided services between Ayr
and Dalmellington
in Ayrshire
.
on 8 June 1847. Although the line was originally to run between Waterside and Sillyhole near Dalmellington, the company evolved into the Ayr and Dalmellington Railway, which received Royal Assent on 4 August 1853 and had new plans to extend the line to both namesaked towns.
The line opened to freight on 15 May 1856, and to passengers on 7 August of the same year. The Glasgow and South Western Railway
took over the line a short time later on 1 August 1858.
The line closed to passengers on 6 April 1964. The majority of the line is still open today for freight trains accessing open-pit mining
sites in the area. The line between and the Maybole Junction is still used by passenger services as part of the Ayrshire Coast Line
and Glasgow South Western Line
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
that provided services between Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
and Dalmellington
Dalmellington
Dalmellington is a market town in Ayrshire, Scotland. In 2001 it had a population of 1407. The town owes its origins to the fault line separating the Southern Uplands of Scotland from the Central Lowlands...
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
.
History
The Ayr and Dalmellington Railway began life as the Ayrshire and Galloway (Smithstown & Dalmellington) Railway, which received Royal AssentRoyal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
on 8 June 1847. Although the line was originally to run between Waterside and Sillyhole near Dalmellington, the company evolved into the Ayr and Dalmellington Railway, which received Royal Assent on 4 August 1853 and had new plans to extend the line to both namesaked towns.
Glasgow and South Western Railway
The Glasgow and South Western Railway , one of the pre-grouping railway companies, served a triangular area of south-west Scotland, between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle...
took over the line a short time later on 1 August 1858.
The line closed to passengers on 6 April 1964. The majority of the line is still open today for freight trains accessing open-pit mining
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
sites in the area. The line between and the Maybole Junction is still used by passenger services as part of the Ayrshire Coast Line
Ayrshire Coast Line
The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow...
and Glasgow South Western Line
Glasgow South Western Line
The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride.- History :...
.
Connections to other lines
- Ayr to Mauchline BranchAyr to Mauchline BranchThe Ayr to Mauchline Branch was a railway line in Scotland and ran services between Ayr and Mauchline as part of the Glasgow and South Western Railway.-History:...
at Newton and Hawkhill Junctions - Ayr and Maybole Junction RailwayAyr and Maybole Junction RailwayThe Ayr and Maybole Junction Railway was a railway in Ayrshire, Scotland that provided services between Ayr and Maybole. The line is still in use today as part of the Glasgow South Western Line.- History :...
at Maybole/Dalrymple Junction - Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr RailwayGlasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr RailwayThe Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
at Falkland Junction - Maidens and Dunure Railway at Alloway Junction