Largs Branch
The Largs Branch is a railway line in Scotland, serving communities on the north Ayrshire Coast, as well as the deep water ocean terminal at Hunterston.
The twelfth Earl of Eglinton developed Ardrossan Harbour in the early years of the nineteenth century, intending it to be useful for the transport of minerals from Ayrshire by coastal shipping, and as an inwards port to serve Glasgow.
This too failed to reach its full extent, and was only constructed between Ardrossan and Kilwinning, with an eastward mineral branch to Perceton and Doura collieries, which he controlled.
This scheme became the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway (GPK&AR); it was authorised in 1837, and opened in stages between 1839 and 1840.
By now the antiquated technology of the Ardrossan Railway was obviously a problem, and in 1840 the line was altered to standard gauge and the track modernised for locomotive operation.
The railway had not so far been separated financially from the canal company, and the opportunity was now taken to do this; additional capital was raised for the upgrading works.
The GPK&AR had clear intentions at this stage of forming part of a through route between Glasgow and London, although achieving that was still far off.
The two companies completed the task on 28 October 1850 and on that day they merged, forming the Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR).
The hostility to a railway further north had waned, and the G&SWR was able to open an extension from West Kilbride to Fairlie on 1 June 1880.
Six passenger trains ran each way daily from St Enoch station in Glasgow to Fairlie Pier.
The extension from Fairlie Pier Junction to Largs was over flatter terrain, but there was a long section at the shore line requiring a sea wall.
[2][5] Some of the early rationale in building the line had been to pre-empt incursion into the area by the rival Caledonian Railway.
[6] Some remarkable accelerations in throughout (rail and steamer) journey times were advertised by both companies, and the G&SWR further responded by planning a shortening of its route to Fairlie to improve passenger journey times, by building a new line from Dalry, but an 1890 Parliamentary Bill was thrown out.
The G&SWR Largs station was in the centre of the town, not close to the pier, and its railway route from Glasgow was very indirect.
It was extended by the G&SWR from Ardrossan (Holm Junction) to West Kilbride in March 1878 for goods trains, and on 1 May 1878 for passengers.
Passenger trains ran to Ardrossan and reversed there to continue to West Kilbride until South Beach station was opened in 1883.
The deep water terminal at Hunterston provides a considerable volume of heavy mineral traffic on the line, some of which uses the Byrehill Junction spur to reverse at Barassie en route to English destinations.
