Kilmarnock and Troon Railway
Encyclopedia
The Kilmarnock and Troon Railway was the first railway line in Scotland
authorised by Act of Parliament
, in 1808; the engineer was William Jessop
. It was the first railway in Scotland to use a steam locomotive
; and it was the only one in Scotland for fourteen years. Its representation appeared in the Coat of Arms
of the Burgh
of Troon
.
The line was intended to carry coal
for the Duke of Portland
; and ran services between Kilmarnock
and Troon Harbour
.
, horse
-drawn waggonway which opened on 6 July 1812. It was built using cast iron
plate rails with an inner flange.
A 2.5 miles (4 km) branch to Drybridge and Fairle colleries was built to gauge. It opened in 1818. The branch had fish bellied edge rails set in iron chairs spiked to stone blocks.
A George Stephenson
-built locomotive
named The Duke, his second one from Killingworth
colliery, was tried on the main line in 1817, but the weight of the engine broke the cast iron plate rails. It worked better when wooden rails were used; and the locomotive remained in use until 1848. Wooden wheels are mentioned by Mackintosh. Sprocket-wheels on the driving axles caused problems by digging up the pathway for horses which was raised up between the rails. An eye witness had commented upon the ease and grace by which the huge machine snorted along the line.
In 1837 an Act of Parliament was obtained to convert the line for locomotive use; and these services commenced on 27 September 1841.
On 16 July 1846 the line was leased to the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
(GPK&A). On 16 July 1899 the line was bought by the GPK&A's successor, the Glasgow and South Western Railway
, who ran services until the 1923 Grouping
. Services continued under the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
and then British Rail
until the line's closure to passenger traffic on 3 March 1969.
The Drybridge branch was abandoned in 1846 or 1849.
'Burns Line', providing services to Stranraer
via Kilmarnock. The intermediate stations between Barassie and Kilmarnock remain closed, and the line remains unelectrified. As part of the resignalling prior to the electrification of the Ayrshire Coast Line
, the Kilmarnock line through Barassie station was singled and the platforms taken out of use.
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...
authorised by Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
, in 1808; the engineer was William Jessop
William Jessop
William Jessop was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.-Early life:...
. It was the first railway in Scotland to use a steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
; and it was the only one in Scotland for fourteen years. Its representation appeared in the Coat of Arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the Burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
of Troon
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
.
The line was intended to carry coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
for the Duke of Portland
William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland
William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland PC, FRS, FSA , styled Marquess of Titchfield until 1809, was a British politician who served in various positions in the governments of George Canning and Lord Goderich.-Background and education:Portland was the eldest son of...
; and ran services between Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
and Troon Harbour
Troon (Harbour) railway station
Troon railway station was a railway station serving the town of Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Located at Troon Harbour, this was the first railway station in the town and was part of the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway.- History :...
.
History
The line began life as a 9.5 miles (15.3 km), double track gaugeRail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
, horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
-drawn waggonway which opened on 6 July 1812. It was built using cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
plate rails with an inner flange.
A 2.5 miles (4 km) branch to Drybridge and Fairle colleries was built to gauge. It opened in 1818. The branch had fish bellied edge rails set in iron chairs spiked to stone blocks.
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
-built locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
named The Duke, his second one from Killingworth
Killingworth
Killingworth, formerly Killingworth Township, is a town north of Newcastle Upon Tyne, in North Tyneside, United Kingdom.Built as a planned town in the 1960s, most of Killingworth's residents commute to Newcastle, or the city's surrounding area. However, Killingworth itself has a sizeable...
colliery, was tried on the main line in 1817, but the weight of the engine broke the cast iron plate rails. It worked better when wooden rails were used; and the locomotive remained in use until 1848. Wooden wheels are mentioned by Mackintosh. Sprocket-wheels on the driving axles caused problems by digging up the pathway for horses which was raised up between the rails. An eye witness had commented upon the ease and grace by which the huge machine snorted along the line.
In 1837 an Act of Parliament was obtained to convert the line for locomotive use; and these services commenced on 27 September 1841.
On 16 July 1846 the line was leased to the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The 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...
(GPK&A). On 16 July 1899 the line was bought by the GPK&A's successor, the Glasgow and South Western Railway
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...
, who ran services until the 1923 Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
. Services continued under the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
and then British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
until the line's closure to passenger traffic on 3 March 1969.
The Drybridge branch was abandoned in 1846 or 1849.
Connections to other lines
- 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 Barassie and Kilmarnock - Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint RailwayGlasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint RailwayThe Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway was a railway co-owned by Caledonian Railway and Glasgow and South Western Railway and was an amalgation of two different lines: the Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway and the Glasgow and Kilmarnock Joint Railway.-Glasgow, Barrhead and...
at Kilmarnock
Current operations
On 5 May 1975 the line was reopened and today is part of the Glasgow South Western LineGlasgow 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 :...
'Burns Line', providing services to Stranraer
Stranraer
Stranraer is a town in the southwest of Scotland. It lies in the west of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire.Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland...
via Kilmarnock. The intermediate stations between Barassie and Kilmarnock remain closed, and the line remains unelectrified. As part of the resignalling prior to the electrification 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...
, the Kilmarnock line through Barassie station was singled and the platforms taken out of use.
See also
- Laigh Milton viaductLaigh Milton ViaductLaigh Milton Viaduct is a railway viaduct near Laigh Milton mill at Gatehead in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It lies in the parishes of Kilmaurs and Dundonald, at map reference: NS 3834 3690. The viaduct was closed in 1846 when the railway line was realigned.- Laigh Milton viaduct :The stone viaduct...
- Scotland's oldest railway viaduct - situated on this route.
Sources
- Mackintosh, Ian M. (1969). Old Troon and District. Kilmarnock : George Outram, Kilmarnock.
- Veitch, Kenneth (2009). Scottish Life and Society. Transport and Communication. Edinburgh : John Donald. ISBN 978 1 904607 88 5