Unable to compete in the face of road competition, the line was closed to passengers by British Railways in 1951 and completely in 1959.

A focus for the line was very much on visitors coming to see the natural beauty of the area, the Trossachs, and Loch Katrine, which had been popularised by Sir Walter Scott since the 1810s.

This route had originally been proposed in the plans for the Blane Valley Railway, but had not been pursued when money had fallen short.

Plans had also called for the railway to be extended along Loch Ard towards Inversnaid on Loch Lomond, but this was blocked by the objections of the major landowner in the area, the Duke of Montrose.

[citation needed] The line was closed to passengers the next year, on 1 October 1951.