Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway

Introduction

This line is open. The line is used by ScotRail to provide a service between Ayr and Stranraer. Services start from Glasgow (running down via Kilwinning) or Carlisle (running via Dumfries, Kilmarnock and Ayr). Much freight was carried until the early 1990s. The direct trains to Newcastle have been withdrawn.






Dates

  /  /1865Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Act receives Royal Assent for a line running from Girvan Junction (Maybole and Girvan Railway) to Challoch Junction (Portpatrick Railway).
  /  /1870Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Granted an extension of time to build line.
  /  /1872Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Construction begins.
  /  /1872Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway Portpatrick Railway
The Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway is authorised to use the Portpatrick Railway from Challoch Junction to Stranraer Harbour and Portpatrick.
  /  /1873Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Authorisation of more time to complete railway.
  /  /1877Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Authorised to use Stranraer Harbour Pier and Challoch Junction to Stranraer and Portpatrick
05/10/1877Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Line opened from Girvan Junction (Maybole and Girvan Railway) to Challoch Junction (Portpatrick Railway). Railway worked by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. (Alternative date 01/10/1877.)
07/02/1882Girvan and Portpatrick Junction RailwayPortpatrick Railway
Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway trains banned from Stranraer and Portpatrick by the Portpatrick Railway. Line closed temporarily from Girvan to Challoch Junction.
01/08/1883Girvan and Portpatrick Junction RailwayPortpatrick Railway
Lifting of ban of Girvan line trains from the Portpatrick Railway.
01/08/1885Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway Glasgow and South Western Railway
Agreement that the Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway be acquired by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. (Not proceeded with at this time.)
28/02/1886Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
The Glasgow and South Western Railway ceases to work the line on the 29th.
12/04/1886Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Line closed for two months due to financial problems.
18/06/1886Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Line re-opened.
02/09/1886Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Girvan closed.
  /  /1887Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway Ayrshire and Wigtownshire Railway
The Ayrshire and Wigtownshire Railway, created by James Hall Renton amongst others to refinance the Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway, is authorised to take over the company.
  /  /1892Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Ayr and Wigtownshire Railway bought by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. Girvan (Old) closed and reparations made to the Girvan and Portpatrick line.
01/04/1894Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Girvan (New) renamed Girvan.
  /02/1895Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Northbound train is snowed in at Chirmorie Summit, the passengers forced to stay in local cottages, and is only freed after a week.
  /  /1907Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Pinwherry signal box opened.
28/12/1908Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Southbound train becomes snowed in a mile south of Barrhill. Passengers are trapped in carriages for two nights.
15/11/1922Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Southbound freight train parts near Pinmore, the second portion catches up with the first portion and crashes into it.
  /  /1927Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Sunday trains, excursions, start on line.
22/07/1928Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Northbound freight train de-rails just north of Pinwherry loop, after passing through the tightly curved station at speed.
  /  /1935Portpatrick Railway
Stranraer to Portpatrick starts to be operated as one engine in steam. Portpatrick signal box is moved to Barrhill on the former Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway.
  /  /1937Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Second platform is added at Glenwhilly and the loop is extended to 12 carriages.
  /  /1939Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Due to wartime traffic, Pinmore, Pinwherry, Barrhill and New Luce loops lengthened to 12 carriages. Bryson tablet exchange introduced.
  /  /1947Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Southbound train becomes trapped in snow south of Glenwhilly. After two nights passengers are taken to Glenwhilly. The train was stuck for a further 3 days.
  /  /1959Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
DMUs introduced on Glasgow to Stranraer workings.
  /  /1964Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Pinmore signal box and loop closed.
06/06/1965Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Pinmore, Pinwherry, Glenwhilly and New Luce stations closed.
14/06/1965Ayr and Mauchline Line (Glasgow and South Western Railway)
Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Maybole and Girvan Railway
Annbank (Annbank Junction) to Mauchline re-opened to passengers (with the closure of the Port Road the trains are diverted). The number of trains between Challoch Junction, Girvan and Ayr increases after closure of the Portpatrick Railway.
  /  /1970Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Glenwhilly station demolished.
  /  /1971Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
New Luce station demolished.
  /  /1984Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Glasgow Central to Stranraer DMUs withdrawn and replaced with locomotive hauled SEALINK liveried slam-door stock.
03/10/1988Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway Portpatrick Railway
Class 156 Sprinters introduced.
  /  /1990Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway Portpatrick Railway Maybole and Girvan Railway
Stranraer to Euston sleeper withdrawn.
  /  /1992Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Pinwherry signal box and loop removed.
10/10/2000Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
The rear coach of a southbound Sprinter derails at Craig No 2 Level Crossing, between New Luce and Challoch Junction. There were no injuries although the coach ended up on its side. The cause was an embankment washout.
  /04/2010Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway
Sandstone bridge at Girvan replaced at a cost of £1M.

Locations along the line

These locations are along the line.

A 101 runs north past Girvan Junction. The train is approaching from Girvan (New) station on the line to Stranraer. The original terminus was to the ...
Ewan Crawford //
DMU passing Girvan goods branch. ...
Ian Dinmore //
Looking south at Girvan Junction. The line in the distance to the right ran to the original Girvan terminus. ...
Ewan Crawford 19/03/1988
3 of 3 images.


This is a double track viaduct north of Girvan station and south of the former Girvan Junction. The double track Girvan Loop, which extends north from the south end of the station to the former junction, passes over the viaduct.
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BR Standard class 5 no 73102 leaving Girvan in the summer of 1960 with a train for St Enoch. ...
G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 24/07/1960
1 of 1 images.


This is a two platform station with a Streamline Moderne (Art Deco) styled building on the up platform. Platforms are linked by a subway.
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This is the 13.54 for Ayr at Girvan, (13.02 ex Stranraer) on 11th August 2022. I counted five passengers for this service. The now-deleted 11.59 ...
Colin Miller 11/08/2022
The 13.59 to Stranraer departing Girvan on 6th April 2021. No crossing movement was required, hence the use of the main platform.
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Colin Miller 06/04/2021
The South West Scotland Community Rail Partnership are holding a fundraising for Macmillan on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 November at Girvan Station, ...
South West Scotland Community Rail Partnership 01/11/2019
The entrance to Art-Deco styed Girvan station in September 2020, shrouded in scaffolding while work takes place to repair the leaking roof.
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John Yellowlees 25/09/2020
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Glasgow-Stranraer train in Glendoune Cutting. C.R. 4-6-0 14507. Circa 1934. ...
G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow //1934
1 of 1 images.


This summit, of 394 ft, is at the northern portal of the Pinmore Tunnel. It is the end of a long climb south from Girvan station up the Glendoune Bank (and Glendoune Cutting).
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This is a single track tunnel of 543 yards (469 metres). Pinmore Summit is at the tunnel's northern portal.
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This was a single platform station with a passing loop. The goods yard was on the west side, approached from the north, and passenger platform on the east side with a two storey station building. The signal box was at the north end, east side of the line, and south of the road bridge.
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See also
Pinmore and Tormitchell Quarry Railway
The two storey former station building at Pinmore viewed from the north in 1998. ...
Ewan Crawford //1998
From Pinmore station looking south. ...
G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow /02/1941
Northbound train passing the former Pinmore station and approaching the tunnel. ...
Ewan Crawford 19/03/1988
4 of 4 images.


This is an eleven arch gently curved single track masonry viaduct south of Pinmore, it is also known as Pinmore Viaduct or Kinclaer Viaduct. The viaduct is reinforced with old rails.
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Sulzer Type 2 diesels D7612 and D7614 double-head Scottish Region's Grand Tour No.2 across Kinclair viaduct, on the way back to Ayr after visiting ...
Robin McGregor 27/05/1967
Kinclair Viaduct south of the former Pinmore station. ...
Ewan Crawford //
Part of the 11-arch Kinclair Viaduct on the Ayr - Stranraer line, four miles south of Girvan. Photographed in the spring of 2007, looking east from a ...
John Furnevel 31/05/2007
Looking east at Kinclair Viaduct, south of Girvan, on 31 May 2007. ...
John Furnevel 31/05/2007
4 of 4 images.






This was a two platform station with a passing loop on the single track line. The two storey station building was on the southbound platform. To the south, on the west side of the line, was the signal box. The goods yard was on the east side, south of the station, accessed from the south end of the southbound line. There was a goods shed at the south end of the yard, at Drumspillan close to the ...

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The site of Pinwherry station seen from the signal box steps in 1989. The station building had survived in use as a house. The box later closed and ...
Ewan Crawford //1989
North end of Pinwherry loop showing semphore signals. ...
Ewan Crawford //
Looking south at Pinwherry. The loop line (new looking ballast to left) was lifted in the 1980s. The building was the station building. ...
Ewan Crawford //
In the loop; a trolley out from Stranraer waits for a southbound Sprinter to pass the closed station. The signalman swaps hoops with the driver. This ...
Ewan Crawford //1989
4 of 6 images. more








This is a two platform station with a loop which breaks the single track section between Girvan and Pinwherry. The station building is on the southbound platform and there is a wooden waiting room on the northbound platform. Crossing between the platforms is by a walkway crossing at the south end of the station.
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An evening at Barrhill in December 1993. The view looks south. ...
Ewan Crawford /12/1993
View approaching Barrhill in August 1964, taken from a southbound DMU. ...
Brian Haslehust 28/08/1964
The cabin on the southbound platform at Barrhill in July 1998. ...
David Panton /07/1998
Small but perfectly formed ..the attractive SB at Barrhill on 31 May 2007. ...
John Furnevel 31/05/2007
4 of 31 images. more




This halt was to the north of Chirmorie Summit, with steps built with old sleepers. Trains halted here for railwaymen and their families at the Chirmorie surfacemen's cottages, just to the east. The cottages are now derelict.
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This summit, between Barrhill (to the north) and Glenwhilly (to the south) is at 690 ft. It is the summit of the line between Girvan and Stranraer. The line crosses high exposed moorland here with drifting snow a problem in winter.
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Or Miltonish. A level crossing between Chirmorie Summit and Glenwhilly. There were surfacemen's cottages here and a private halt for families living at the cottages.
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Glenwhilly was a station at a remote location in farmed moorland. Glenwhilly Farm, for which it is named, is to the north.
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Thanks to an unfortunate change of wind direction,the smoke from LNER B1 No.1264 and Black 5 No.44871 almost hides the coaches of 'The Great Britain ...
John Gray 02/05/2019
B1 No.1264 and Black 5 No.44871 are making quite a racket as they battle the curves and the gradient of the Swan's Neck near Glenwhilly with the Great ...
John Gray 02/05/2019
South signalpost at Glenwhilly lit by moonlight. ...
Ewan Crawford //
After a stop at Glenwhilly on 30 April, Black Fives 44871 and 45407 set off for Stranraer with the Great Britain VII. ...
John Gray 30/04/2014
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The Scottish Rambler climbing the Swan's Neck curves between New Luce and Glenwhilly. ...
John Robin 15/04/1963
1 of 1 images.


Or Bloody Wheel Viaduct.
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This was a two platform station. The main building was on the southbound platform. Platforms were slightly staggered, the northbound platform being slightly to the north.
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Former site of New Luce station, looking north, a station which had a passing loop. The single storey main station building was on the right with the ...
Ewan Crawford 26/04/1997
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This junction was formed in 1877 between the Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway and the 1861 Portpatrick Railway.
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See also
Portpatrick Railway
View west at Challoch Junction in 1997. The line from Dumfries was to the left and the line from Ayr is in the foreground. The junction was in the ...
Ewan Crawford //1997
View from the rear of a Stranraer-bound Swindon-built DMU approaching Challoch Junction in 1962. The 'Port Road' to Dumfries (closed 1965) is on the ...
R Sillitto/A Renfrew Collection (Courtesy Bruce McCartney) //1962
Challoch Junction looking east. The line from Girvan is in the foreground and the closed line from Dumfries is further away running parallel. ...
Ewan Crawford //
Challoch Junction looking west. The line from Dumfries (closed) is on the left and the line from Girvan (open) is on the right. ...
Ewan Crawford //
4 of 4 images.