Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway

Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway

Overview
Headquarters	Bridge Street, Glasgow
Locale	Scotland
Dates of operation	5 August 1839–28 October 1850
Successor	Glasgow and South Western Railway
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Length	33 miles (Paisley to Ayr - 1840)

Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow & Paisley Joint Railway Wallneuk Junction Paisley Gilmour Street Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway Paisley Canal Line Paisley and Barrhead District Railway Ferguslie Elderslie East Junction Elderslie Elderslie West Junction Johnstone Junction Cart Junction Johnstone Bridge of Weir Railway Milliken Park Dalry and North Johnstone Line Howwood Lochwinnoch Beith North Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway Dalry and North Johnstone Line Glengarnock Brownhill Junction Dalry Dalry Junction Kilwinning Junction Kilwinning Dubbs Junction Ardrossan Railway Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway Byrehill Junction Bogside Montgreenan Irvine Cunninghamhead Irvine Junction Dreghorn Springside Crosshouse Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway Busby Junction Kilmarnock North Junction Gailes Kilmarnock Riccarton Junction Kilmarnock & Troon Rly Hurlford Barassie Hurlford Junction Barassie Junction Darvel Branch Troon Loop Line Troon (new) Troon (old) Lochgreen Junction Prestwick Airport Monkton Monkton South Junction Ayr to Mauchline Branch Prestwick Mauchline Falkland Junction Mauchline Junction Ayr (original) Ballochmyle Viaduct Ayr & Dalmellington Rly Brackenhill Junction Catrine (Catrine Branch) Auchinleck Auchinleck Junction Cumnock Commondyke Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway Lugar Ayr to Mauchline Branch Cronberry Junction Cronberry Muirkirk Muirkirk Junction Muirkirk Branch (CR) Spireslack Branch (CR)

The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway (GPK&AR) 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 north to Cumnock and Ayr in the south. The section between Paisley and Glasgow was jointly owned by the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway. The GPK&AR merged with the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway to form the Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) in 1850, which was in turn incorporated into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923, and later nationalised to become part of British Railways in 1948.

Since nationalisation the line has suffered numerous cutbacks and closures, mostly due to the Beeching Axe. As a result over half of the stations on the line are now closed. Most of the line and remaining stations are still in use as part of the Ayrshire Coast Line and Glasgow South Western Line.

History

Earliest lines

Coal and other minerals were extracted in the west of Scotland from medieval times; getting the heavy product to market was always a challenge, and this encouraged the development of tracked systems; the earliest plateways in the vicinity of Ayr date from—at the latest—1775.

In 1812 the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway opened, also a horse-operated plateway, constructed to carry coal from the Kilmarnock area to the harbour at Tron, for onward conveyance by coastal shipping; it was the first railway in Scotland to have an authorising Act of Parliament.

In the late 1820s, several further mineral railways were constructed in the west of Scotland: the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, opened in 1826, proved a remarkable success in carrying coal from the collieries near Airdrie and was quickly followed by the Ballochney Railway. These "coal railways" used horse traction (mostly) and short cast iron rails on stone block sleepers. The key technical advance was that they used "edge rails": the guidance was provided by flanges on the wheels of the wagons. These lines showed the way forward.

In 1831 the Ardrossan Railway opened; it too was a horse-operated line using stone block sleepers, but passenger operation was a major part of its objective. It was conceived as a means of developing Ardrossan Harbour as the sea port for Glasgow. However the promoters were unable to raise sufficient money to build the whole of their line; moreover recent improvements to the navigability of the River Clyde enabled sea-going ships to reach the City. Accordingly the line was truncated, and only reached a terminal at Kilwinning and collieries east of that town. Nonetheless it was a considerable commercial success, carrying passengers and in enabling coal, particularly from the pits belonging to the Earl of Eglinton to be exported at Ardrossan, and it further emphasised the viability of railways.

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway had opened the previous year, and proved a remarkable success in abstracting traffic from the parallel canal, and indicated that longer distances, not merely feeders to a harbour or from a colliery, could be dealt with, and everywhere business people were considering where a railway might advantageously be built next. When the Grand Junction Railway was authorised in 1833, it was possible to consider that railways might one day link central Scotland and the south of England.

Glasgow to Ayr and Kilmarnock

By 1835 the idea of building a railway from Glasgow into Ayrshire gained sufficient support for a survey to be commissioned from John Miller, a partner in the firm of Grainger and Miller, which had been heavily involved in the earlier railways in the west of Scotland. Miller proposed a route from Tradeston, in Glasgow at the south end of Glasgow Bridge, through Paisley and the Garnock Valley to Kilwinning and Ayr, with a branch from Dalry to Kilmarnock. The cost was to be £550,000 and a 10% return could be expected; notwithstanding the south-westerly course of the line, it was foreseen as a first step towards linking with railways in England.

Interests in Kilmarnock were dismayed to be consigned to a branch line, and the Burgh Council of Kilmarnock commissioned Scott, Stephen and Gale, an engineering partnership "which was not to make a mark on railway engineering" to plan a more direct route. Plotting a direct route was easy, but gradients were severe, earthworks would be formidable, and there was much less intermediate business. Gale was a rival canal company's engineer, and was hardly impartial. It was necessary to bring in someone to settle the matter; George Stephenson gave a report supporting Miller's choice of route.

Raising capital proved straightforward, and it was possible to present a Bill for the line in the 1837 session of Parliament. There was strenuous opposition from river and canal interests, but this was overcome. At the time the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway (GP&GR) was also promoting its line, with a similar route from Tradeston to Paisley. It became obvious that Parliament would be hostile to the formation of two adjacent lines, so it was determined to build the line jointly as far as Paisley. Both the GPK&AR and the GP&GR received the royal assent on 15 July 1837. The Glasgow, Paisley Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway Act authorised share capital of £625,000, and £208,300 in loans. The line was to be constructed simultaneously from each end, to prevent the experience of the Ardrossan Railway which failed to build the eastern end of its authorised line.

The gauge of the new line was not yet determined, although the estimates had been prepared on the basis that it would not exceed 6 feet. Many of Grainger and Miller's lines had been to a gauge of 4ft 6in; the Dundee and Newtyle Railway (1831) had been at 4ft 6½in (1,384 mm) and the Dundee and Arbroath Railway, authorised in 1836, was to be 5ft 6in (1,676 mm). Connections to local railways were considered important in determining the gauge, but the engineer Joseph Locke urged that conformity to the gauge of the English railways was important, and in the end this was adopted: standard gauge, 4ft 8½in (1,435 mm).

Construction starts

Construction of the line, supervised by Grainger & Miller, proved challenging, as a large-scale contracting industry was not yet in place in Scotland; nor was large-scale financing. At the end of 1838 Miller was instructed to build a branch from Barassie to Troon Harbour, earlier thoughts of taking over the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway and converting it—it was then still a horse-operated plateway—having been dropped.

In 1839 the Ardrossan and Johnstone Railway was engaged in converting its gauge to standard so as to interwork with the GPK&AR (with which it was to connect at Kilwinning), and the following year it changed its name to the Ardrossan Railway

Opening—in stages

After a directors' special run between Ayr (north of the river, at Newton-on-Ayr) and Irvine on 19 July 1839, the line opened to the public between those points on 5 August 1839. This was an enormous success and that limited section of the line made a surplus of £500 in the remainder of the year. The section between Irvine and Kilwinning opened on 23 March 1840.

On 13 July 1840 the joint line between Paisley and a temporary terminus in Glasgow at Bridge Street was ready for a demonstration run, opening fully to the public the following day.

The remainder of the main line opened in further stages, and the dates for the whole line were:

• Glasgow Bridge Street (temporary station) to Paisley (Joint Line): 14 July 1840;
• Paisley to a temporary station at Howwood (then spelt Howood): 21 July 1840;
• Howood to Beith: 12 August 1840; Howood station then closed;
• Beith to Kilwinning: 21 July 1840;
• Kilwinning to Irvine: 23 March 1840;
• Irvine to Ayr (Newton-on-Ayr): 19 July 1839.

The permanent Bridge Street station opened on 6 April 1841.

The GPK&AR moved their head offices to Bridge Street from Gordon Street in March 1841.

The construction of the main line was stated to have overrun estimated costs considerably, and at a shareholders' meeting in February 1841 it was stated that as a result, the Kilmarnock branch could not be started until authority for additional capital had been obtained, and of course the money actually raised. Kilmarnock had to be content with a coach connection until the line there from Dalry Junction opened on 4 April 1843.

By rail and sea to London

The opening of the line and the conversion of the Ardrossan railway to run in connection, enabled a fast service—26½ hours—between Glasgow and London to be instituted. The fast steamer Fire King plied on alternate days between Ardrossan and Liverpool; from May 1841 the English terminal was transferred to Fleetwood following the opening of the Preston & Wyre Railway and Dock Company. The service only lasted a few days and was not a commercial success; the GPK&ASR sold the vessel to James Burns, who continued the service but "soon withdrew it", transferring the boat to a route to Ireland.

The railway route to England

From the time the GPK&AR was authorised, controversy raged about the route a railway to England might take. It was plain that Carlisle would be reached from the south; a direct route from Glasgow over the Southern Uplands, the route that became known as the Annandale line, would involve severe gradients, and pass through almost unpopulated territory. The locomotives available at the time were not thought to be capable of climbing the steep inclines, and rope haulage was put forward by some as the solution. By contrast, a route from Kilmarnock through Cumnock and Dumfries—the Nithsdale line—would have much easier gradients and pass through considerable population centres, bringing in additional traffic. Moreover the Nithsdale route would be much cheaper to build.

The Government intervened and in 1839 appointed two Royal Commissioners to determine the way forward; at this time there was a presumption that one railway route from Scotland to England would suffice; but which? There was no consensus between expert witnesses, and in 1840 the Commissioners reported that the Annandale route should prevail, but "the promoters must prove their bona fide intention to complete the English portion of the line, otherwise preference would be given to the East Coast route" (from Edinburgh via Berwick-upon-Tweed and Newcastle-upon-Tyne). This stalled the whole process: there was no such single group as "the promoters" of any route via Carlisle, and in fact the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was not authorised until 1844.

The report of the Commissioners was not binding, and the rivalry between supporters of the two routes intensified. An independent Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway was proposed, to build from Carlisle to meet the GPK&AR, and the GPK&AR itself proposed several branches, mostly for tactical reasons, to weaken or exclude the Caledonian Railway (CR), as the dominant supporter of the Annandale route. Of these only an extension from Kilmarnock to Horsecleugh, south of the mining town of Old Cumnock was authorised, by Act of 21 July 1845. The CR case was strengthened by its intended branch to Edinburgh; moreover locomotive designs were being improved, and the capacity to haul trains over the steep gradients of the Annandale route was diminishing in importance. In Parliamentary hearings in 1845, the Caledonian Railway passed the Commons and despite the GPK&AR fighting on in the Lords, the Caledonian Railway was authorised, in preference to the Nithsdale route, on 31 July 1845.

The Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway felt the setback most keenly, as it had no railway and had just been refused sanction to build one.

A resilient mood; but then collapse

The GPK&AR was at least able to see a positive future without the line to Carlisle; a 6% dividend was declared in August 1845. The Shareholders approved the lease of the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway (K&TR); as a horse-operated plateway this would need to be converted and upgraded at a cost of £40,000, but the process would give access much improved access to the harbour for collieries in the area. In addition a mineral line was to be built from Auchinleck, on the Cumnock extension, to Muirkirk. There had long been an ironworks at Muirkirk which suffered from the disadvantage of poor transport links to market; in addition a new ironworks at Lugar would also be accessed by the line.

The 1846 session of Parliament experienced a snowstorm of bills for new railways; many of these threatened to encroach on the GPK&AR area of influence and abstract business; several schemes were promoted by the Caledonian Railway or its allies; in self-defence the GPK&AR itself promoted numerous schemes—in fact 25 branches as well as a bill nominally by the K&TR to authorise the modernisation works—to head off some of the encroachment.

In this session, the remodelled Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway got its authorising Act of Parliament (on 13 August or 16 July), to build from Horsecleugh (near Cumnock, the southern limit of the GPK&AR authorisation) to Gretna Junction, reaching Carlisle from Gretna over the Caledonian Railway line. The Act stipulated that on actual completion of the construction, the GD&CR should merge with the GPK&AR to form a new company, the Glasgow and South Western Railway.

This huge volume of intended activity was fuelled by financial speculation—the "railway mania". It appeared that fortunes could be made by subscribing to shares in new lines, and the subscriber only had to put a small deposit down until construction got under way. Over-optimism led to stark inability to pay up when the calls (for cash on subscribed shares) came in, and suddenly money was impossible to come by. Most of the speculative schemes collapsed at once.

Regaining momentum

Although in difficulties for cash, the GD&CR started construction; obstructions by the Caledonian Railway at the Gretna end were eventually resolved, and a fresh Act structuring the merger with the GPK&AR was passed (on 9 July 1847), but "so heavily amended ... as to be useless to the Companies".

On 1 March 1847 the Kilmarnock and Troon line reopened, as a standard gauge locomotive operated railway. It had been closed for the modernisation work, and it now provided a proper link from Kilmarnock to the coast. The GPK&AR opened a short connecting spur between its own line and the K&TR in Kilmarnock. On the same day a branch at Dalry to Swinlees was opened; there was a copper mine there.

On 22 July 1847 the company acquired control of the Paisley and Renfrew Railway under the Paisley & Renfrew Railway Sale and Improvement Act. ,. The purchase had earlier been agreed by the proposed Paisley, Barrhead and Hurlet Railway, supported by the GPK&AR, for £34,000. It was horse-operated and had a track gauge of 4ft 4in (1,321 mm). The line was loss-making and had no practical value other than the tactical one of securing territory against competing companies. The Pasiley Barrhead and Hurlet Bill failed in the 1847 session of Parliament and was re-presented in 1848; the share capital proposed had risen to £230,000; during the Lords' hearings it became plain that running powers were likely to be granted to the Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway, an offshoot of the Caledonian Railway. The GPK&AR had subscribed to £150,000 in face value of the shares of this proposed line, with the sole intention of excluding the Caledonian Railway from the area. The GPK&AR now petitioned against the Bill, but this was unsuccessful, and it received the Royal Assent, with the running powers clause, on 31 August 1848.

Having a majority shareholding, the GPK&AR was able to stall any plans to proceed with construction of the Hurlet line, but on 9 October a special GPK&AR Shareholders' Meeting reviewed the financial commitments made by their Board in the frenzied days of 1845 and 1846, when support to numerous new lines had been committed; the meeting left the directors in no doubt as to their disapproval.

On 28 May 1848 a line opened between Irvine and Busbie, about 2 miles (3 km) north-west of Kilmarnock; a short branch to Irvine Harbour opened on the same day. The Cumnock line as far as Auchinleck and the Muirkirk branch from that point, opened on 9 August. This included the Ballochmyle Viaduct, located near Catrine; it was built with a central span of 181 feet (55.2 m) and 175 feet (53.3&nsp;m) high above the River Ayr. It has the largest masonry arch span in the world, and is the highest railway bridge in Britain.

Also on 9 Augsut 1848 the Newmilns branch opened from Hurlford to Galston.

A branch to Perceton Colliery (a short northward spur from the Irvine - Busbie line) opened on 26 June 1848. On 1 July 1848, a Perceton branch from the Doura line of the Ardrossan Railway opened. It was actually the only part of the Glasgow Kilmarnock and Ardrossan Railway to be built; it became part of the Ardrossan Railway.

On 26 February 1849 the Fairlie branch of the former Kilmarnock and Troon Railway was opened.

Completing the line to Carlisle

The Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway had been proceeding with construction as fast as funds would allow, and on 23 August 1848 it opened its line between Gretna and Dumfries. At Gretna passengers could change to Caledonian Railway trains; the Dumfries station was a temporary structure south of Annan Road. The GPK&AR provided the rolling stock to its junior partner. The GD&CR was insolvent, owing £230,000 and needing £602,000 to complete the line; these facts emerged after another bruising session at which shareholders criticised the liabilities and futile Parliamentary expenses incurred by the directors of both companies. (In fact there was considerable overlap on the two boards.)

By March 1849 these negative feelings led to the GPK&AR Chairman, James McCall being removed along with several directors; Andrew Orr took over as chairman, but for a period the remaining directors from the earlier years formed an obstructive group; their motivation seemed to be the personal liabilities they had taken on on behalf of the company, and their wish to be indemnified against personal loss. Orr eventually resolved these issues and on 24 August, Orr held shareholders' meetings of each company (separately) and announced that all the "old" directors had resigned, and that a new board would shortly be formed, with an identical composition for the two companies. The engineer John Miller also resigned at this time in the interest of economy. All the remaining GD&CR construction contracts had been let and were proceeding, and the two companies would operate as a single unit using GPK&AR rolling stock.

On 20 May 1850 the line was opened between Auchinleck and New Cumnock, completing the GPK&AR southward extension and including the northern extremity of the GD&CR line.

By 28 October 1850 the final section of the main line to Carlisle was completed by the GD&CR, and trains began to run through to Carlisle; evidently the difficulty with the Caledonian Railway from Gretna southwards had been resolved.

The Glasgow and South Western Railway is formed

The GPK&AR and the GD&CR had already been authorised by the Acts of 1846 and 1847 to amalgamate at this stage. In fact the GD&CR was absorbed by the GPK&AR which then changed its name to the G&SWR; the 1847 Act provided for the vesting of the GD&CR in the GPK&AR on the date of the opening throughout of the GD&CR, when that company would be dissolved. From the date of the amalgamation the company would be called the Glasgow and South Western Railway.

On 28 October 1850 the Glasgow and South Western railway started its existence.

Services

The first services on the line in 1839, between Irvine and Ayr, travelled at an average of 21 miles per hour (34 km/h) with stoppages averaging 1 min 6 secs per station, meaning a trip along the entire 10.5-mile (16.9 km) line at that point would have taken around 35½ minutes. The maximum fare for passengers at the time was 2d, 1½d and 1d for first, second and third class respectively. 137,117 passengers travelled on the line during the first year of services.

In conjunction with the Ardrossan Railway, which was regauged in 1840, on alternate days a fast steamboat service ran between Ardrossan Pier and Liverpool, and vice versa. This connected with the Grand Junction Railway and London and Birmingham Railway's expresses to London. In 1841 the steamboat service was transferred from Liverpool to the new Port at Fleetwood, Lancashire.

Rolling stock

Phoenix - an Edington and Son 2-2-2 locomotive built 1840-1841

The original locomotives used on the line in 1839 were similar to those used on the London and Birmingham Railway, having 12-inch (305 mm) cylinders, 18-inch (457 mm) stroke and four wheels. Designed by Bury, the 2-2-0 locomotives cost around £1,200 per engine were given the names Mazeppa, Mercury, Marmion and Cutty-sark. Two more of the same design were obtained in 1841 named Stuart and Bute. The six original locomotives were withdrawn between 1858 and 1860. In 1840-1841 twelve 2-2-2 locomotives (designed by company engineer J. Miller) were built and given names such as Bruce, Eglinton, Phoenix, Prince Albert and Loudoun. Bruce and Cutty Sark hauled the first special train from Glasgow to Ayr on 11 August 1840.

Early passenger carriages were of similar design to those used on railways in England at the time, holding eighteen passengers on first class carriages, and thirty on second class. Third class carriages originally had seats, but on 15 April 1840 a board decision declared that all future third class carriages were to be made without seats. All existing third class carriages also had their seats removed. A later board decision on 3 July 1840 ordered that third class carriages would be situated closest to the engine, followed by second class, with first class at the rear.

Stations opened / closed

Stations opened and closed during this period:

Date	Stations opened
5 August 1839	Ayr, Barassie, Irvine, Monkton, Prestwick, Troon
23 March 1840	Bogside, Dalry, Kilwinning
21 July 1840	Beith, Cochrane Mill, Elderslie, Glengarnock, Howood, Johnstone, Paisley Gilmour St
12 August 1840	Lochwinnoch
4 April 1843	Busby, Dalry Junction, Stewarton
28 May 1848	Dreghorn
9 August 1848	Auchinleck, Commondyke, Cronberry, Hurlfold, Lugar, Mauchline, Muirkirk
20 May 1850	Cumnock
Date	Stations closed
11 August 1840	Howood
22 May 1848	Stewarton
15 April 1850	Busby

1850 - 1923: Glasgow and South Western Railway

The Glasgow and South Western Railway emblem, originally used by the GPK&AR.

See also: Glasgow and South Western Railway

Under the control of the Glasgow and South Western Railway, the former GPK&AR had several of its stations closed, and several new ones opened. Some stations, such as Stewarton (later called Cunninghamhead) were closed and then later reopened. A new station in Ayr was built in 1857 by the Ayr and Dalmellington Railway (who were absorbed by the G&SWR the following year), which became the new terminus for trains in the town, and as a result the original Ayr station was closed to passengers, although it remained open for goods traffic.

Trains continued to run via the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway - now jointly managed by the G&SWR and the Caledonian Railway - to Bridge Street station, which remained the Glasgow terminus of both companies until 1883. The City of Glasgow Union Railway opened St Enoch railway station in 1876; in 1883 it became the headquarters of the G&SWR, and a result all G&SWR passenger services were moved to St Enoch railway station. From Shields Junction, G&SWR trains traversed the City of Glasgow Union Railway to reach St Enoch.

In 1892 a new Troon station was built nearer the centre of the town. The original Troon station was closed and its line became a means of bypassing the loop built for the new station. The line was closed on 18 April 1966, with Glasgow trains being forced to use the newer line to reach Ayr, and vice versa.

Extensions and additional lines were added to the former GPK&AR during the Glasgow and South Western era: a line between Ayr and Mauchline was opened on 1 July 1870, with a connecting line to Cronberry opening on 1 July 1882; a branch to Darvel was opened south-east of Kilmarnock on 1 June 1896, a short branch to Catrine from Mauchline was opened on 1 September 1903, and an alternate route from Johnstone was Dalry was opened on 1 June 1905.

In 1923, the Glasgow and South Western Railway merged with six other major companies and several other smaller companies to form the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.

Stations opened / closed

The site of the closed Gailes station in 2007

The site of the closed Monkton station in 2007

Stations opened and closed during this period:

Date	Stations opened
November 1850	Stewarton (later Cunninghamhead)
5 August 1859	Gailes, Monkton
1 September 1872	Crosshouse (previously Busby)
1 December 1876	Howwood (previously Howood)
1 February 1878	Montgreenan
1890	Springside
2 May 1892	Troon (new)
Date	Stations closed
1 July 1857	Ayr
2 January 1860	Dalry Junction
2 May 1892	Troon (old)

1923 - 1948: London, Midland and Scottish Railway

Main article: London, Midland and Scottish Railway

Stations closed

Stations closed during this period:

Date	Stations closed
28 October 1940	Monkton

1948 - 1994: Nationalisation and line closures

Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Diagram of the railway c. 1850 (stations with ✱ are presently open)
Paisley Gilmour St* Elderslie Johnstone* Cochrane Mill Lochwinnoch* Beith Glengarnock* Dalry* Dalry Junction Kilwinning* Bogside Irvine* Dreghorn Stewarton Busby Kilmarnock* Barassie* Troon Monkton Prestwick* Ayr Hurlford Auchinleck* Mauchline Cumnock Muirkirk Cronberry Commondyke Lugar

With nationalisation in 1948, ownership of the former Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway fell to British Railways. Two years later the first of several line closures began with the line between Auchinleck and Cronberry closing to passenger traffic on 3 July 1950. In 1951 services were reinstated for two weeks to accommodate trains travelling from Edinburgh to Ayr. The entire line from Auchinleck to Muirkirk then closed to regular passenger traffic on 1 October 1950; the line was used until 1976. Muirkirk station remained open on other lines until 5 October 1964, when it was closed as a result of the Beeching Axe.

The Dalry DSM factory railway sidings.

Muirkirk was not the only casualty on this line from the Beeching Axe: the link between Irvine and Crosshouse, which had provided a direct link to Kilmarnock from Ardrossan (via a loop at Byrehill Junction) was closed to local passenger traffic on 6 April 1964, and closed completely 11 October 1965. The loop between Byrehill Junction and Dubbs Junction, which allowed Ardrossan trains to bypass Kilwinning, was also closed on 6 April 1964, but remained open to passenger traffic until June 1977. During AyrLine electrification, this link was electrified.

The Dalry to Kilmarnock line had provided the G&SWR with a link between Kilmarnock and Glasgow (via the Paisley Canal Line) without having to use lines that were jointly operated with the Caledonian Railway. Again as a result of the Beeching Axe, the line was closed to local passenger traffic on 18 April 1966. Despite this, the line remained open for long distance passenger services such as an overnight train from Glasgow to London via Paisley. The line closed to all traffic on 23 October 1973, was singled and later removed.

During the mid-1980s the line between Paisley and Ayr was electrified, with full electric passenger services beginning on 19 January 1987. The line between Kilmarnock and Cumnock was not electrified, and remains so to this day.

Stations opened / closed

A viaduct on the closed Dalry to Kilmarnock line in 2007

The line near the site of the closed Beith station in 2007

Stations closed and reopened during this period:

Date	Stations closed
3 July 1950	Commondyke, Lugar
4 June 1951	Beith North (previously Beith)
10 December 1951	Cronberry
1 January 1955	Cunninghamhead
7 March 1955	Howwood, Hurlford, Montgreenan
6 April 1964	Dreghorn, Springside
5 October 1964	Muirkirk
6 December 1965	Auchinleck, Cumnock, Mauchline
14 February 1966	Elderslie
18 April 1966	Crosshouse, Milliken Park (previously Cochrane Mill)
2 January 1967	Bogside, Gailes
Date	Stations reopened
28 October 1988	Howwood
15 May 1989	Milliken Park

1994 - present: Privatisation and current operations

Further information: Ayrshire Coast Line and Glasgow South Western Line

Privatisation resulted in the former GPK&AR being under the ownership of Railtrack, and then from 2002, Network Rail. The line between Paisley and Ayr is now part of the Ayrshire Coast Line (which also incorporates the former Ardrossan Railway), and the remaining line from Kilmarnock to Cumnock is part of the Glasgow South Western Line. Local services are now run by First ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

Stations opened

Stations opened during this period:

Date	Stations opened
5 September 1994	Prestwick International Airport

Connections to other lines

• Ardrossan Railway at Kilwinning and Dubbs Junction
• Ayr and Dalmellington Railway at Falkland Junction
• Ayr to Mauchline Branch and associated lines at Prestwick, Falkland Junction, (near Newton-on-Ayr station) and Mauchline
• Bridge of Weir Railway at Elderslie
• Dalry and North Johnstone Line at Brownhill Junction, north east of Dalry
• Darvel Branch at Hurlford Junction, south east of Kilmarnock
• Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway at Kilmarnock
• Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway at Cumnock
• Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway at Paisley Gilmour Street
• Kilmarnock and Troon Railway at Barassie and Kilmarnock
• Paisley Canal Line at Elderslie and at Shields Junction

Notes

Sources

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. CN 8983.
• British Rail (ScotRail) (1987). "The Rebirth of AyrLine: Electrification to Ayr / Ardrossan / Largs - 1986/1987". British Rail (ScotRail) (hosted by Railwaysarchive.co.uk). Retrieved 2008-05-15.
• Butt, R. V. J. (October 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 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Hurst, Geoffrey (1992). Register of Closed Railways: 1948-1991. Worksop, Nottinghamshire: Milepost Publications. ISBN 0-9477-9618-5.

• Ellis, (Cuthbert) Hamilton (1954). British Railway History: An Outline from the Accession of William IV to the Nationalisation of the Railways. Volume 1: 1830-1876. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. OCLC 25208298.

• Lewin, Henry Grote (1925). Early British Railways. A short history of their origin & development 1801-1844. London: The Locomotive Publishing Co Ltd. OCLC 11064369.

• Robertson, C. J. A. (1983). The Origins of the Scottish Railway System: 1722-1844 (1st ed.). Edinburgh: John Donald Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0-8597-6088-X.
• Stansfield, G. (1999). Ayrshire & Renfrewshire's Lost Railways. Ochiltree: Stenlake Publishing. ISBN 1-8403-3077-5.
• Stephenson Locomotive Society (1950). The Glasgow and South Western Railway 1850–1923. London: Stephenson Locomotive Society. OCLC 12241057.

• Warden, John (1842). The Glasgow and Ayr and Glasgow and Greenock Railway Companion. Glasgow: John Morrison. OCLC 181873832.

• Wham, Alasdair (1997). The Lost Railway Lines of Ayrshire : Ayrshire Railway Walks. Wigtown: G.C. Book Publishers. ISBN 1-8723-5027-5. OCLC 38356283.

• Whishaw, Francis (1842) [1840]. The Railways of Great Britain and Ireland practically described and illustrated (2nd ed.). London: John Weale (1840 publisher - Simpkin, Marshall & Co.). OCLC 36383414.

External links

• Railscot on Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
• Template:Bradshaw