Lathe Mill Siding
Location type
SidingsName and dates
Lathe Mill SidingOpened on the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway.
Description
This siding was around mid-way between the former Drybridge (to the west) and Gatehead stations on the Kilmarnock and Troon railway.
The siding was on the north side of the line, making a trailing connection. Lave Mill was just to the north.
The location is interesting being where the original course of the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway was replaced, to the east, by a new route and the Laigh Milton Viaduct on the former route abandoned. This was during conversion from a 4ft 0in line into a standard gauge railway. The new route was to the south of the original.
Even the deviation was replaced, this also commencing close to the siding. The next alignment was further south again.
The siding was used as a headshunt to reach Fairlie Colliery No 3 Pit which was built on the former alignment of the western approaches to both earlier bridges. (The siding predated the colliery.)
A signal box, 'Lathe Mill Siding', opened in the 'V' between the main line and colliery line.
The box closed in 1936 when replaced with a ground frame.
The main line remains open, although it is now only a single track.
Tags
Siding signal box colliery deviation| Nearby stations Drybridge Gatehead Springside Dreghorn Crosshouse Cunninghamhead Riccarton and Craigie Kilmarnock (St Marnocks) Kilmarnock [1st] Kilmarnock Kilmaurs Gailes Irvine Bank Street Barassie Irvine | Fairlie Colliery No 3 Pit Laigh Milton Viaduct Milton Lye Craig Colliery Gatehead Colliery Coal Pit Colliery Coal Pit Gatehead Colliery Coal Pit Springside Colliery No 9 Pit Springside Colliery No 10 Pit Colliery Colliery Thornton Colliery Coal Pit Springside Colliery No 11 Pit Tourist/other Craig Colliery Signal Box |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
