Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway - History - 1836 - 1850: Early Days - Planning and Construction

Planning and Construction

The idea of a railway connecting Glasgow and Paisley with the towns of Ayrshire had been proposed for years, and in April 1836 a few individuals created a subscription for the creation of the railway. Soon, after several large monetary figures were received, a committee was formed and design work on the line began. The committee consisted of several Glasgow business men and others, who hired Grainger & Miller, civil engineers from Edinburgh, to elaborate the proposal. The proposal was met with general enthusiasm except from the residents of Kilmarnock, who desired a line that passed through the town rather than a branch from elsewhere. With the help of engineers Scott, Stephen & Gale, they countered the Grainger & Miller proposal with their own, which envisioned a line that would head south past Paisley and Johnstone, and then head further south east from Beith towards Kilmarnock before heading to Ayr via Troon and Monkton. Although this line was shorter than the first proposal it had more severe gradients, and when both ideas were submitted to George Stephenson he eventually chose the Grainger & Miller scheme.

Raising capital proved no problem for the committee, and by autumn 1836 the railway proposal had been forwarded to Parliament. As a result, the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway Company was incorporated by an Act of Parliament, given Royal Assent on 15 July 1837, the same day on which the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway (GP&GR) also received Royal Assent. The two companies agreed to share the line from Glasgow to Paisley, where the GP&GR would branch off to the north west towards Greenock, and the GPK&AR would head south west to Ayrshire. A separate committee was arranged to manage the joint line, chosen from board members of the parent companies. The Act gave the GPK&AR the power to raise a capital in joint stock of £625,000, with an additional £208,300 by loan.

The line, constructed by Grainger & Miller, opened in stages, the first being on 5 August 1839 between Ayr and Irvine. Later it would extend to Kilwinning on 23 March 1840, and to Beith on 21 July 1840. On the same day the joint line and part of the GPK&AR opened between Glasgow and Howwood opened, with the line opening fully between Ayr and Glasgow on 12 August 1840. A temporary terminus station at Howwood (or Howood) which had opened in July closed when the line fully opened. The joint line between Paisley and Glasgow was known as the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway, via which trains terminated at Bridge Street in Glasgow. The GPK&AR moved their head offices to Bridge Street from Gordon Street in March 1841.

The line between Dalry and Kilmarnock opened on 4 April 1843, and on 28 May 1848 a line opened between Irvine and Crosshouse allowing more direct passenger services from Kilmarnock to Ardrossan (via the Ardrossan Railway). On 16 July 1846 the GPK&AR took over control of the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway, and in 1847 the company bought the Paisley and Renfrew Railway, however the sale would not be completed until 31 July 1852.

The last line to open by the original company was a branch to Muirkirk from Auchinleck on 9 August 1848. The railway amalgamated with the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway (GD&CR) on 28 October 1850 to form the Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR).