Portpatrick
Location type
StationName and dates
Portpatrick (1862-1950)Opened on the Portpatrick Railway.
Description
This station was the terminus of the line, although until 1868/1870, by reversal at the north end of the station, a train could continue on to Portpatrick Harbour station.
The lure of the short sea crossing of 21 miles from Portpatrick in south west Scotland to Donaghadee (served by the Belfast and County Down Railway from 1861) in the east of Northern Ireland was the driving factor behind the Portpatrick Railway.
This was a single platform station with two loops, sidings and a locomotive shed. After closure of the harbour line the platform was extended north onto the former trackbed.
Although Portpatrick was intended to be a port for Ireland the harbour proved unsuitable and from an early date ships operated preferentially to Stranraer Harbour. In addition the Portpatrick station was inconvenient for the harbour even with the steeply graded line from Portpatrick which reached Portpatrick Harbour by reversal.
The harbour line closed in 1868.
A signal box opened in 1908.
After being replaced with a ground frame in 1934, the signal box was relocated to Barrhill (opening in 1935).
The railway west of Stranraer Town closed to passengers in 1950 and the line was cut back to Colfin.
The station yard is now housing and the station building has not survived, however two station cottages remain.
Local
Tags
Station terminusExternal links
Canmore site recordNLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
| Nearby stations Portpatrick Harbour Colfin Stranraer Town Stranraer Transit (London Road [Stranraer]) Castle Kennedy Innermessan YMCA Dunragit Cairn Point Challoch Junction Golfers Platform New Luce Glenluce Glenwhilly Ballantrae | Colfin Creamery Piltanton Viaduct Stranraer Shed Stranraer Harbour Junction Stockton Haulage Depot [Stranraer] Cairnryan Junction Yard Cairnryan Junction Construction Junction Innermessan Sidings Tourist/other Castle of St John [Stranraer] Kirkmadrine Stones Castle Kennedy Gardens Castle Kennedy [Castle] Castle Kennedy House Lochinch Castle |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Chronology Dates
| 17/08/1857 | Portpatrick Railway Act receives Royal assent for line from Castle Douglas to Stranraer Town with branches to Stranraer Harbour and Portpatrick. |
| 28/08/1862 | Portpatrick Railway Portpatrick to Stranraer opened. New stations at; Colfin and Portpatrick. |
| / /1868 | Portpatrick Railway Portpatrick to Donaghadee Boat starts running. |
| / /1872 | Girvan 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. |
| / /1874 | Portpatrick Railway Portpatrick to Donaghadee boat stops running. This is in part due to the unsuitability of Portpatrick Harbour. The Stranraer Harbour to Larne Harbour [1st] service replaces the abandoned service. Portpatrick to Stranraer remains open. |
| / /1877 | Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway Authorised to use Stranraer Harbour Pier and Challoch Junction to Stranraer and Portpatrick |
| 07/02/1882 | Girvan 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. |
| / /1892 | Girvan 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. |
| / /1901 | International Engineering Congress, Glasgow Three tunnel routes considered from Scotland/Wales to Ireland: Mull of Kintyre to Antrim (revival of the 1868 proposal, rejected due to remoteness of Kintyre), Holyhead to Howth (rejected due to length), Wigtownshire to Larne/Donaghadee (passing north round the deep trench of the Beaufort's Dyke). Latter considered most suitable with a route from north of Portpatrick to Whitehead. |
| / /1934 | Portpatrick Railway
Carrickfergus and Larne Railway Further consideration of the tunnel from Portpatrick, Scotland, to Whitehead, Northern Ireland. |
| / /1935 | Portpatrick 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. |
| 06/02/1950 | Portpatrick Railway Portpatrick to Stranraer closed to passengers. Portpatrick and Colfin stations closed. Portpatrick to Colfin (excluded) closed to all traffic. |
News items
Books
 Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Railways (Library of Railway History) | Rails to Portpatrick (Local History Series) |  The Port Road: Dumfries to Stranraer, Portpatrick, Kirkcudbright and Whithorn |
