A History of Britain’s Railways
Ardrossan Railway
This page
Introduction
Local area
Chronology
Locations
Kilwinning
Perceton Colliery
Doura
Eglinton
Byrehill Junction
Dubbs Junction
Stevenston Number 1
Stevenston
Saltcoats Harbour
Saltcoats
Ardrossan South Beach
Holm Junction
Ardrossan Shed
Castlehill Junction
Ardrossan Town
Ardrossan Harbour Junction?
Ardrossan Harbour
Ardrossan Winton Pier
This site
Glasgow
and Ardrossan Canal
Glasgow,
Paisley, Ayr and Kilmarnock Railway
Largs
Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
Lanarkshire
and Ayrshire Railway
Oher sites
| Ardrossan Railway
This line is open. The line was also known as the "Ardrossan and Johnstone Railway". The line was built to connect the Ardrossan Canal (Glasgow to Ardrossan) which had only been built from Glasgow (Eglinton Basin) to Johnstone to the port at Ardrossan with a railway from Johnstone to Ardrossan. The section of line from Ardrossan to Kilwinning and an extension to Doura were opened. The line was not extended to Johnstone. |
|
|
This line runs through a district which formerly had ironworks, coal mines and explosives factories and associated ports. The port at Ardrossan later became a harbour for Isle of Man steamers.
This line replaced the Kilwinning Tramway and the Ardrossan Tramway. It later became a branch from the Glasgow, Paisley, Ayr and Kilmarnock Railway.
This line was built as the continuation of the Glasgow and Ardrossan Canal from Johnstone to Ardrossan. After the building of the Glasgow, Paisley, Ayr and Kilmarnock Railway it became a branch from Kilwinning to Ardrossan.
The section from Kilwinning to Eglinton, Doura and Perceton (opened to serve the Eglinton Ironworks and various collieries) is now closed.
The line is electrified.
This is a station and north facing junction with the Glasgow, Paisley, Ayr and Kilmarnock Railway.
The line was extended south from Doura to Perceton Colliery. This was the southern limit of the line. The colliery was also served by the Irvine to Kilmarnock Line. The line here is now closed.
The line was extended from Kilwinning to Doura and Fergushill in 1834. The line here is now closed.
The original eastern end of the line was at Eglinton, south of Kilwinning. This served the Eglinton Ironworks (opened after the line) and Eglinton Colliery. The line here is now closed. The 'Dirrans' station was located here.
South facing junction with the Glasgow, Paisley, Ayr and Kilmarnock Railway.
Here the line splits, two tracks running north to Kilwinning (and formerly the Kilwinning Iron Works and Doura branch) and one south toward Ayr (formerly used by Kilmarnock to Ardrossan trains).
Here the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway line was joined to the line by the London and Midland and Scottish Railway.
There is also a branch to the Nobel Ardeer Works. This branch formerly ran to the Ardeer Iron Works, various coal mines and explosives factories. There was a private passenger station, Ardeer, at the works.
| Stevenston | Opened:27/7/1840 |
| Top |
This station has two platforms.
There was a branch to Saltcoats harbour which ran from a west facing junction to the east of Saltcoats station. This branch may have been a remaining part of the early Ardrossan Waggonway.
| Saltcoats | Opened:27/7/1840 Re-sited:1/7/1858 Re-sited:1882 Re-named:30/6/1952 as Saltcoats Central Re-named:4/2/1965 as Saltcoats |
| Top |
This station has two platforms and a sandstone building. The station has been re-sited three times; the second station was further west than the first and the third is between the two earlier ones. The goods yard has been lifted and replaced with a car-park.
| Ardrossan South Beach | Opened:1/1/1883 |
| Top |
This station formerly had two platforms, but only one is in use now (the former westbound one). There are still two tracks here, one in use only for freight.
East facing junction with the Largs Branch. There is a turnback siding between the Ardrossan Town and Largs routes.
This locomotive shed was located within the triangle of lines between Ardrossan Town and Ardrossan South Beach. The shed opened in 1895 and closed in 1965, remaining in use as a signing-on point until 1967.
A west facing junction between the main line and the Largs Branch. Some lines branched off here to access Ardrossan shed. The lines running to Largs have been lifted, the branch now being approached from South Beach.
| Ardrossan Town | Opened:1831 as Ardrossan Re-named:2/3/1953 as Ardrossan Town Closed:1/1/1968 Re-opened:19/1/1987 |
| Top |
This was the original terminus for the Largs Branch, a change of train was necessary. The station had a glass roof and two terminal platforms for trains from the east as well as two through platforms for trains running to the harbour.
Here a link line to the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway branched to the north and then east. This line was in use until the 1980s to gain access to a Bitumen works. The junction faced east. Further lines branched off the passenger lines to run to quaysides.
| Ardrossan Harbour | Opened:1987? |
| Top |
This is the present terminus of the line. The facilities are somewhat basic. The station was built on the cut-back line from Ardrossan Winton Pier.
| Ardrossan Winton Pier | Opened:27/7/1840 as Ardrossan Pier Re-named:2/6/1924 as Ardrossan Winton Pier Closed:1987? |
| Top |
This was a large station with a long island platform. The station had a timber roof. One portion of the entrance remained standing until the late 1980s along with the disused platform. The Harbour Box survived the closure of most signalboxes in Ayrshire and also survived the closure of the Winton Pier station.
