Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway

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Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway
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- - Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway
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Castle Douglas
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Portpatrick Line Junction
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- -Kirkcudbright Railway
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Crossmichael
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Parton
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New Galloway
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Loch Skerrow Halt
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Water of Fleet Viaduct
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Gatehouse of Fleet
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Creetown
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Palnure
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Newton Stewart
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Newton Stewart Junction
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Causewayend
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Wigtown
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Kirkinner
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Whauphill
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Sorbie
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Millisle
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Millisle Junction
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Garlieston Goods Station
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Whithorn
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Kirkcowan
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Glenluce
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- - Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
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Challoch Junction
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Dunragit
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Castle Kennedy
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Cairnryan Junction
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- - Cairnryan Military Railway
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Stranraer Harbour Junction
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Stranraer Harbour
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Stranraer Town
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Colfin
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Portpatrick
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Portpatrick Harbour

The Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway was a railway in south-west Scotland, which linked Dumfries, via Castle Douglas, with the port towns of Portpatrick and Stranraer. It also formed part of an England-Scotland railway and sea route to Ireland.

The line, which was single track throughout, closed in 1965 apart from the short section from Stranraer Harbour to Challoch Junction.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The line was a joint railway, being owned by the Caledonian, Glasgow and South Western, London and North Western and Midland railways.[1] It was formed by Act of Parliament on 6 August 1885.[2]

The Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway was formed from the amalgamation of two railway companies: The Portpatrick Railway and the Wigtownshire Railway, which got into financial difficulties; they merged and were taken over.[1]

In the 1921 grouping it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS).

[edit] The Portpatrick Railway

The Portpatrick Railway was intended to be part of a trunk route linking London and Belfast by railway, via a short sea crossing.[3] The Portpatrick Railway was built to service twin ports: Portpatrick to provide the shortest sea crossing for mail and passengers; and Stranraer for goods and cattle.[3]

The railway was authorised on 10 August 1857.[2] By 12 March 1861, the line connected Stranraer to Castle Douglas, where it joined the newly constructed Castle Douglas and Dumfries railway.[2] The branch to Portpatrick opened the following year, on 28 August 1862, with the Stranraer Harbour branch, which opened on 1 October 1862; although building work continued on the line for another five years.[2]

Portpatrick's importance as a port declined almost before the Portpatrick branch was completed. Portpatrick Harbour railway station both opened and closed permanently in 1868: opening on 11 September and closing in November.[4] However Portpatrick railway station, which opened on 28 August 1862, remained open until 6 February 1950.[4]

The section from Colfin to Portpatrick also closed in 1950; although Colfin to Stranraer remained open until 1959 for milk traffic.[1] After that trains ran only to the north-western termini: Stranraer Town and Stranraer Harbour.

Loch Ken Viaduct
Loch Ken Viaduct
Glenluce Viaduct
Glenluce Viaduct

Major structures on the route include the Loch Ken viaduct, across the Dee, the Gatehouse viaduct across the Fleet, and the Glenluce viaduct, over the Water of Luce.

[edit] Places and towns served by the Portpatrick Railway

In Kirkcudbrightshire:

and in Wigtownshire:

[edit] The Wigtownshire Railway

The Wigtownshire Railway was authorised on 18 July 1872.[2] It ran for 19 miles from Newton Stewart to Whithorn.[2] Whilst it was independent, it had its own locomotives.[1]

There was a branch from Millisle to Garlieston which opened on 3 August 1878.[2] Regular passenger services ceased on this branch on 1 March 1903; Millisle was then renamed as Millisle for Garlieston.[2][4] However, Garlieston had a good harbour and it occasionally ran boat excursions to the Isle of Man.[1] These were well patronised, so the railway continued to provide excursion trains to Garlieston until 1935.[1]

Goods services ran from Newton Stewart to Whithorn until the line closed on 5 October 1964. By the 1960s, these services ran three days per week; with conditional working on the Garlieston branch, when required.[5]

[edit] The line today

The former Wigtownshire Railway closed completely to passengers on 29 September 1950;[2] and the Portpatrick to Stranraer Town section closed in stages in the 1950s.

The whole of the Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway and majority of the remaining Portpatrick Railway was closed by the Beeching Axe in 1965. Only the Stranraer Harbour to Challoch Junction section is open; and is now served by services on the Glasgow South Western Line.

[edit] Connections to other lines

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Casserley
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Awdry
  3. ^ a b Thomas
  4. ^ a b c Butt (1995).
  5. ^ Gammell, C.J. (1978). Scottish Branch Lines 1955 - 1965. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 0-86093-005-X.
  • Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing.
  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford. ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
  • Casserley, H.C.(1968). Britain's Joint Lines. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0024-7.
  • Jowett, Alan. (1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain & Ireland. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1.
  • Thomas, John (1976). Forgotten Railways: Scotland. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-8193-8.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links



v • d • e
Historical Scottish railway companies:
Primary companies: Caledonian Railway • Glasgow and South Western Railway • Great North of Scotland Railway

Highland Railway • North British Railway
Caledonian lines: Aberdeen Railway • Alloa Railway • Alyth • Arbroath and Forfar • Busby Railway • Callander and Oban • Cathcart District • Cleland and Midcalder • Clydesdale Junction • CR Main Line • CR Douglas Branch • CR Hamilton Branch • CR Hamiltonhill Branch • Crieff Junction • Crieff and Comrie • Crieff and Methven Junction • Dunblane, Doune & Callander • Dundee and Perth • Dundee and Perth and Aberdeen • Forfar and Brechin • General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour • Glasgow and Garnkirk • Glasgow Central Railway • Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock • Greenock and Wemyss Bay • Hamilton and Strathaven • Killin Railway • Lanarkshire and Ayrshire • Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire • Leadhills and Wanlockhead • Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Comrie • Paisley and Barrhead District • Perth, Almond Valley and Methven • Polloc and Govan • Rutherglen and Coatbridge • Scottish Central • Scottish Midland Junction • Scottish North Eastern • Solway Junction • Symington, Biggar and Broughton • Talla Railway • Wishaw and Coltness
Glasgow and South Western lines: Ardrossan Railway • Ardrossan and Johnstone • Ayr and Dalmellington • Ayr and Maybole Junction • Ayr to Mauchline • Ayrshire and Wigtownshire • Barrhead Branch • Bridge of Weir Railway • Cairn Valley • Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction • Castle Douglas and Dumfries • Dalry and North Johnstone • Darvel Branch • Girvan and Portpatrick Junction • Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle • Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr • Greenock and Ayrshire • Kilmarnock and Troon • Largs Branch • Maidens and Dunure • Maybole and Girvan • Paisley and Renfrew • Paisley Canal Line
Great North of Scotland lines: Aberdeen and Turriff • Aboyne and Braemar • Alford Valley • Banff, Macduff and Turriff Junction • Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla • Boddam Branch • Deeside Railway • Denburn Valley • Formartine and Buchan • Inverury and Old Meldrum Junction • Keith and Dufftown • Moray Coast • Morayshire Railway • St Combs Light Railway • Strathspey Railway
Highland lines: Buckie and Portessie Branch • Dingwall and Skye • Duke of Sutherland • Findhorn Railway • Fortrose Branch • Inverness and Aberdeen Junction • Inverness and Aviemore Direct • Inverness and Nairn • Inverness and Perth Junction • Inverness and Ross-shire • Kyle of Lochalsh Extension • Perth and Dunkeld • Sutherland and Caithness • Sutherland Railway

Independent lines worked by the Highland Railway
Dornoch Light Railway • Wick and Lybster Light Railway
North British lines: Ballochney • Bathgate and Coatbridge • Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company • Coatbridge Branch • Edinburgh and Bathgate • Edinburgh and Dalkeith • Edinburgh and Glasgow • Edinburgh and Hawick • Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction • Forth and Clyde Junction • Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh • Glasgow and Milngavie Junction • Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank • Kincardine Line • Leadburn, Linton and Dolphinton • Monkland and Kirkintilloch • Monkland Railways • Mallaig Extension • North British, Arbroath and Montrose • Stirling and Dunfermline • Strathendrick and Aberfoyle • Slamannan • Slamannan and Borrowstounness • West Highland Railway • Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness
Joint lines: Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction • City Union • Dundee and Arbroath • Glasgow and Paisley Joint • Glasgow and Renfrew District • Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint • Kilsyth and Bonnybridge • Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint
Other lines: Brechin and Edzell District • Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway • Denburn Valley Line • Dundee and Arbroath • Glasgow City and District • Invergarry and Fort Augustus • Lochaber Narrow Gauge • Perth, Almond Valley & Methven • Tranent to Cockenzie Waggonway