Glasgow and South Western Railway
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The Glasgow and South Western Railway, (G&SWR), one of the pre-grouping railway companies, served a triangular area of south-west Scotland, between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle. The G&SWR became a constituent of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at the 1923 grouping of the railways.
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[edit] History
- The first railway in Scotland authorised by Act of Parliament (27 May 1808), which was to become part of the G&SWR, was the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway, opened in 6 July 1812, built to carry coal; it was not taken over by the G&SWR until July 1899.
- The main line between Glasgow and Carlisle was opened in stages:
- 12 August 1840 - Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway (GPK&AR) opened between Glasgow and Ayr, with a branch to Kilmarnock. The eastern end, the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway, was jointly owned with the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway[1].
On that latter date the GPK&AR amalgamated with the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway (GD&CR), to form what became the Glasgow and South Western Railway. Services could now operate between Glasgow, Bridge Street station, and Carlisle.
[edit] Other lines
- Ardrossan: The Ardrossan Railway was built by the Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal company. The canal, opened in 1810, was intended to connect Glasgow to Ardrossan by canal, but linked Glasgow and Paisley only as far as Johnstone. The final link was to be made by the canal-owned Ardrossan to Johnstone Railway, incorporated on 14 June 1827. Work started at Ardrossan but it reached only Kilwinning, in 1831, when the company ran out of money. In 1840 the railway was separated from canal company ownership and on 20 August 1840 it reopened as a standard gauge, double-track, line connected to the GPK&AR at Kilwinning. Ardrossan henceforth developed as a shipping port; later the line was extended to Largs.
- Paisley Canal Line: The Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal was bought in 1869 by the G&SWR. In 1881 an Act of Parliament closed the canal and much of the route was used to construct the Paisley Canal Line.
- Renfrew: in 1847 the 4ft 6in gauge Paisley and Renfrew railway was bought by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway and was regauged. It was then linked to the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway at Arkleston; but ownership was retained by the Glasgow and South Western Railway.
- The Kilbarchan Loop Line was built to provide additional capacity between Elderslie and Dalry.
- The Ayr main line was extended southwards as follows:
- The Firth of Clyde line, consisting of two lines, the Bridge of Weir Railway and the Greenock and Ayrshire Railway was opened in 1869, to meet demand for connections to Clyde steamers. The G&SWR built their lines, via Kilmacolm, to Greenock (Princes Pier); where they built a large and imposing terminus. Later this quay was extended, providing a landing-stage nearly 1,400 ft (420 m) long[2].
- Direct railway via Kilmarnock: the Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway, opened on 26 June 1873, and operated as a joint line with the Caledonian Railway (CR); it had been the Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilson Direct Railway, with a Kilmarnock "extension"[1].
- Glasgow, St Enoch Station was opened by the City of Glasgow Union Railway in 1876[1]. On 29 June 1883 it was taken over by the G&SWR; St Enoch Station became the headquarters of the G&SWR[1]. The St Enoch Hotel was opened in 1879.
- Later lines opened:
- 1902: Paisley - Barrhead
- 1903: the Catrine branch
- 1903: the Glasgow & Renfrew District Railway: nominally owned by the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway.
- 1 March 1905: the Cairn Valley Light Railway to Moniaive. Closed to passenger traffic on 3 May 1943.
- 1906: the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway, via Turnberry. The golf links and the G&SWR hotel were also opened. The line closed to passenger traffic on 1 December 1930.
[edit] Closures
St Enoch Station no longer exists, it closed in 1966 and it became a car park; the roof was demolished in 1975. In the mid 1980s, the site was redeveloped as the St Enoch Centre, opening in May 1989.
The Paisley Canal Line to Greenock Prince's Pier was closed between Prince's Pier and Kilmacolm in 1966. However, in 1971 the Prince's Pier stub was connected to the Inverclyde Line, at Cartsburn junction, in order to serve the Clyde Port Authority container terminal. The Paisley Canal line closed completely in 1983, and the original Paisley Canal station, on the east side of Causeyside Street, became a steak house. In the 1980s / 1990s the course of the line beyond Paisley was made into a footpath and cycle path. This connects Lady Octavia Park in Greenock, through upper Port Glasgow, Kilmacolm, past Quarrier's Village, and on to Paisley. It forms a section of the Sustrans scheduled National Cycle Route from Edinburgh to Gourock[3].
The G&SWR Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway closed, as did the joint G&SWR / Caledonian Railway owned line between Castle Douglas and Gleluce.
[edit] The G&SWR today
In 1990 the Paisley Canal Line reopened from Glasgow Central station as far as a new Paisley Canal railway station on the west side of Causeyside Street.
The various lines of the G&SWR still operate today out of the former Caledonian Railway's Glasgow Central station. They are the Paisley Canal Line (now truncated at Paisley Canal railway station) and the Ayrshire Coast Lines of the SPT network; the Glasgow South Western Line to Dumfries and Carlisle; and to Stranraer.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Railway Year Book 1912, Railway Publishing Company, London - for historical notes
- ^ a b c d John Thomas (1971). A regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Volume 6 Scotland: The Lowlands and the Borders. David and Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5408-6.
- ^ Greenock. Encyclopedia Britannica (1911).
- ^ Leisure - Sports. Inverclyde Council.
[edit] External links
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The "Big Four" pre-nationalisation British railway companies
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Great Western • London Midland & Scottish • London & North Eastern • Southern |
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GWR constituents: Great Western Railway • Cambrian Railways • Taff Vale Railway |
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See also: History of rail transport in Great Britain 1923 - 1947 • List of companies involved in the grouping |
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