Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway.html |
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The Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway (L&AR) was a railway company in Scotland built in the late 19th century that provided services between Ardrossan and Glasgow, with branches to Irvine and Kilbirnie. The line was operated by the Caledonian Railway with an aim to compete with the Glasgow and South Western Railway (GSW&R).[1] The line was extended in 1905 from Giffen to Newton,[2] and in 1923 the line was merged, along with its GSW&R counterpart, into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LM&SR).
As a result of a single company now owning two lines travelling to the same locations, the L&AR lines were closed off in stages, starting with the branches to Irvine and Kilbirnie in 1930.[3][4] The last section of the line to close was from Stevenston to Ardrossan in the late 1960s. Only the line north of Neilston is still open today, as part of the Cathcart Circle Lines. Although the rest of the L&AR has long since been lifted, various embankments, viaducts, former station houses and abandoned platforms mark the route on which train passengers were once carried.[5]
Contents |
History
1883-1897: Early days
The Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway began life as the Barrmill and Kilwinning Railway, which was to be a 6.5 mile line running from Barrmill station on the Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway to a junction just north of Kilwinning station on the former Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.[6] To this effect, the 'Barrmill and Kilwinning Railway Act' received Royal Assent on 20 August 1883.[6] However a year later a heavily modified act was submitted to Parliament, including extensions to Ardrossan, Irvine, Ardeer Ironworks, Eglinton Ironworks and Kilbirnie. A change of name for the company was also approved, and so the 'Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway Act' received Royal Assent on 28 August 1884.[7] Robert McAlpine was chosen as contractor for the construction of the line.[8]
The opening ceremony for the railway took place on 3 September 1888 at the Ardrossan station, with a special train service running to Glasgow that day. Full passenger services began on 4 September 1888.[8] The branch to Kilbirnie was opened on 1 November 1889 for goods traffic and opened to passengers on 2 December 1889,[9] and the branch to Irvine was opened the following year on 2 June 1890. Ardrossan Montgomerie Pier station opened on 30 May 1890.[9]
| Date | Stations opened |
|---|---|
| 3 September 1888 | Ardrossan, Auchenmade, Kilbirnie Junction (later Giffen), Kilwinning, Saltcoats, Stevenston |
| 2 December 1889 | Glengarnock, Kilbirnie |
| 2 June 1890 | Irvine |
| 30 May 1890 | Ardrossan Pier |
1898-1923: Further extensions
Fierce rivalry with the Glasgow and South Western Railway meant that in 1898 construction began on a further extension of the line from