The Darvel and Strathaven Railway linked, with the
Darvel Branch to the former
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway (GPK&AR) was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. It opened its first line, between Glasgow and Ayr, in stages from 1839 to 1840. The section b ...
in Scotland to allow trains to travel between
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of MernĂ³c", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...
and
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...
.
History
On 4 July 1905 the line opened, connecting with the
Darvel Branch, which became a through line to
Strathaven
Strathaven ( ; from ) is a historic market town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is the largest settlement in Avondale. It is south of Hamilton. The Powmillon Burn runs through the town centre, and joins the Avon Water to the east of the to ...
which was a jointly run line between the
Glasgow and South Western Railway
The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) was the third biggest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping. It served a triangular area of south-west Scotland between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle, Cumbria, Ca ...
and the
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway (CR) was one of the two biggest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping. It was formed in 1845 with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively ex ...
.
[Wham, page 47] However, despite being a through line, no trains ever ran between Kilmarnock and Strathaven;
[Stansfield, page 20] instead, the two companies took it in turns to run the line between Darvel and Strathaven every six months.
The line was never successful and closed in 1939.
Evidence of the line still exists today in the form of many embankment, bridges and cuttings along the route.
Connections to other lines
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Darvel Branch west of Darvel
*
Mid Lanarks Lines of the
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway (CR) was one of the two biggest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping. It was formed in 1845 with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively ex ...
at Strathaven
*
Hamilton and Strathaven Railway
The Hamilton and Strathaven Railway was a historic railway in Scotland. It ran from a junction with the Hamilton Branch (railway), Hamilton Branch of the Caledonian Railway to a terminus at Strathaven. The railway was worked from the start by the ...
at Strathaven
References
Notes
Sources
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RAILSCOT on Darvel and Strathaven Railway
Pre-grouping British railway companies
Early Scottish railway companies
Railway lines opened in 1905
1905 establishments in Scotland
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