Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway

Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway

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

The Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway, often known as the Port Road,^[1] 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.^[2]

Contents 1 History 1.1 The Portpatrick Railway 1.2 Places and towns served by the Portpatrick Railway 1.3 The Wigtownshire Railway 2 The line today 3 Connections to other lines 4 See also 5 References 5.1 Notes 5.2 Sources 6 External links

History

The line was a joint railway, being owned by the Caledonian, Glasgow and South Western, London and North Western and Midland railways.^[2] It was formed by Act of Parliament on 6 August 1885.^[3]

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.^[2]

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

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.^[4] 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.^[4]

The railway was authorised on 10 August 1857.^[3] By 12 March 1861, the line connected Stranraer to Castle Douglas, where it joined the newly constructed Castle Douglas and Dumfries railway.^[3] 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.^[3]

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.^[5] However Portpatrick railway station, which opened on 28 August 1862, remained open until 6 February 1950.^[5]

The section from Colfin to Portpatrick also closed in 1950; although Colfin to Stranraer remained open until 1959 for milk traffic.^[2] After that trains ran only to the north-western termini: Stranraer Town and Stranraer Harbour.

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.

Places and towns served by the Portpatrick Railway

In Kirkcudbrightshire:

• Castle Douglas
• Crossmichael
• Parton
• New Galloway
• Loch Skerrow
• Gatehouse of Fleet
• Creetown
• Palnure

and in Wigtownshire:

• Newton Stewart
• Kirkcowan
• Glenluce
• Castle Kennedy
• Stranraer Harbour - still open
• Stranraer
• Portpatrick

The Wigtownshire Railway

The Wigtownshire Railway was authorised on 18 July 1872.^[3] It ran for 19 miles from Newton Stewart to Whithorn.^[3] Whilst it was independent, it had its own locomotives.^[2]

There was a branch from Millisle to Garlieston station which opened on 3 August 1878.^[3] Regular passenger services ceased on this branch on 1 March 1903; Millisle was then renamed as Millisle for Garlieston.^[3][5] However, Garlieston had a good harbour from which there were occasional boat excursions to the Isle of Man (as indeed there still are (2008)).^[2] These were well patronised, so the railway continued to provide excursion trains to Garlieston until 1935.^[2]

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.^[6]

The line today

The former Wigtownshire Railway closed completely to passengers on 29 September 1950;^[3] 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.

Connections to other lines

• At Castle Douglas to the Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway
• At Castle Douglas to the Kirkcudbright Railway
• At Challoch Junction to the Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway

See also

• List of closed railway stations in Britain

References

Notes

Sources

• 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.

External links

• RAILSCOT on Portpatrick Railway
• RAILSCOT on Wigtownshire Railway
• The Portpatrick and Wigtonshire Railway (personal page)
• 360 degree panorama of Big water of fleet viaduct
• 360 degree panorama of Glenluce viaduct
• 360 degree panorama of the old railway bridge at Loch Ken

Historical Scottish railway companies Primary companies Caledonian Railway Glasgow and South Western Railway Great North of Scotland Railway Highland Railway North British Railway Caledonian Railway Aberdeen Railway Alloa Railway Alyth Arbroath and Forfar Busby Railway Cathcart District Clydesdale Junction Crieff Junction Crieff and Comrie Crieff and Methven Junction Dumfries, Lochmaben and Lockerbie Dunblane, Doune and 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 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 Lines built by the Caledonian Railway CR Cleland and Midcalder CR Main Line CR Douglas Branch CR Hamilton Branch CR Hamiltonhill Branch CR The Switchback Independent lines worked by the Caledonian Railway Callander and Oban Killin Railway Glasgow and South Western Railway 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 Railway 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 Railway 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 Railway Aberlady, Gullane and North Berwick Ballochney Bathgate and Coatbridge Blane Valley Border Counties Railway Border Union Railway Campsie Branch Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company Coatbridge Branch Dunfermline and Queensferry Edinburgh and Bathgate Edinburgh and Dalkeith Edinburgh and Glasgow Edinburgh and Hawick Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway Edinburgh, Loanhead and Roslin Railway Edinburgh and Northern Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Forth and Clyde Junction Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Glasgow City and District Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank Kelvin Valley Railway Kirkcaldy and District Railway Kincardine Line Leadburn, Linton and Dolphinton Monkland and Kirkintilloch Monkland Railways Mallaig Extension NBR North Berwick Branch 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 Darvel and Strathaven 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 Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway Denburn Valley Line Dundee and Arbroath Invergarry and Fort Augustus Lochaber Narrow Gauge Perth, Almond Valley and Methven Tranent to Cockenzie Waggonway

Constituent railway companies of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Constituent companies Caledonian Railway Furness Railway Glasgow and South Western Railway Highland Railway Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway London and North Western Railway Midland Railway North Staffordshire Railway Subsidiary companies Arbroath and Forfar Railway Brechin and Edzell District Railway Callander and Oban Railway Cathcart District Railway Charnwood Forest Railway Cleator and Workington Junction Railway Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway Dearne Valley Railway Dornoch Light Railway Dundee and Newtyle Railway Harborne Railway Killin Railway Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway Knott End Railway Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway Maryport and Carlisle Railway Mold and Denbigh Junction Railway North and South Western Junction Railway North London Railway Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company Solway Junction Railway Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway Wick and Lybster Light Railway Wirral Railway Yorkshire Dales Railway Former joint railways Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway Citadel Station Joint Committee Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway Furness and Midland Joint Railway Goods Traffic Committee Lancashire Union Railway North Union Railway Preston and Longridge Railway Preston and Wyre Joint Railway Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway (Full list of constituents)