 The Little Eaton Waggonway in 1908 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Ayr and Craigie, South Ayrshire |
| Dates of operation | 1855 circa–1865 circa |
| Successor | Abandoned |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | Unknown |
| Length | 1.3 miles (2.1 km) |
The Craigie Waggonway was a short lived mineral railway or 'Bogey line' of just over a mile in length that transported coal from five or more coal pits on the Craigie Estate to Ayr where it was either used locally or was taken to the harbour in carts for export, mainly to Ireland. [1]
The waggonway had a lot in common with the Towerlands Tram Road in Irvine that carried coal from local coal pits and delivered it to an area close to the historic town centre. In 1855 Robert Brown is recorded as the owner of the first Craigie Pit and by 1857 Nos. 2 & 3 were operating. [2] Although once owned by the Wallace family who had been involved in coal mining the estate had passed to James Campbell by 1855. [3] The surrounding estates of Newton-on-Ayr, Wallacetwon, Blackhouse, Auchincruive and Holmiston were all also involved in coal mining and related activities. [4]
Craigie Pits Nos 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 lay on the route of the waggonway [5] and the OS maps shows three of them linked to the 'main line' by single or double track branches. [6] The pits lay on or in the vicinity of the Ayr Racecourse. In 1861 six coal pits were in operation on the Craigie Estates with five at least served by the waggonway. [7]
It is known that various sorts of sleepers were in use at the time on waggonways or tram roads, however on the nearby and contemporary Auchincruive Waggonway wood and also stone blocks have been found, square or oblong stone blocks being favoured on many horse-worked lines as they did not interfere with the centre of the track. The waggonway gauge is not known. The 'main line' was single track without passing loops. [8] No indication of formal signalling is recorded and it is not clear what sort of rails and chairs were used.
In keeping with other such waggonways the line was probably worked by horses with some manual handling. The waggonway did not reach the quayside however and coal may have been delivered to the town from here and a short distance away at the Ayr north quay stood the wooden and later steel 'hurries' where coal was tipped into the holds of the fleet of colliers [9] and most transported to Ireland. In 1857 four hurries are shown on the OS map, connected to the Auchincruive or Whitletts Waggonway. [10] [11] A horse could haul between 5 and 7 coal waggons carrying 26 cwt each. [12]
The Craigie Waggonway reached as far as the rear of buildings that faced on to Content Street (named after a local farm) and on the OS map of 1857 a smithy is marked, possibly also indicating stables as both would be required for a horse draw line. [13]
The line started at Craigie Pit No.1 that also had a road connection with the Braehead to Mainholm Road close to Dalmelling and then curved down past Craigie Pits Nos 2 and 3 before passing one of the Craigie House lodges and crossing the railway before terminating at Content Street. The route was nearly level and was not unduly encumbered by drifting sand from the dunes that lay further west.
Described as a 'Tram Road' on the OS maps the line was mostly on the level and no earthworks of any significance were required. Nothing survives at many of the various pits and associated spoil heaps, however a bridge crossed the Glasgow and South Western Railway line into Ayr close to the waggonway termination at Content Street [14] and the remnants of this can be discerned. [15]
Other contemporary waggonways existed locally such as the Auchincruive Waggonway [16] and the nearby Holmiston Waggonway [17] with sections of trackbed traceable on the south side of the River Ayr near the Holmiston lime kiln above Wallace's Heel Well. A very short waggonway appears to have existed at Wallacetown as far back as 1775. [18]
A short tramway existed at the nearby Ayr Sawmills that lay next to the River Ayr. [19]
The poet Robert Burns would have been familiar with the waggonways in Ayr however he never commented on them. [20]
Ayr is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population of 46,982, Ayr is the 15th largest settlement in Scotland and second largest town in Ayrshire by population. The town is contiguous with the smaller town of Prestwick to the north.
Kerelaw Castle is a castle ruin. It is situated on the coast of North Ayrshire, Scotland in the town of Stevenston.
The Dalry and North Johnstone Line was a branch of the Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting the stations in Elderslie and Dalry via a route running parallel to the existing line built by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway. This provided additional line capacity for Ayrshire Coast and Kilmarnock services. The loop line was used for passenger services until the mid-1960s, when it was closed by the Beeching Axe. The majority of the line's trackbed has since been absorbed into the Sustrans National Cycle Network.
The Kilmarnock and Troon Railway was an early railway line in Ayrshire, Scotland. It was constructed to bring coal from pits around Kilmarnock to coastal shipping at Troon Harbour, and passengers were carried.
The Ardrossan Railway was a railway company in Scotland, whose line was built in the mid-19th century. It primarily ran services between Kilwinning and Ardrossan, as well as freight services to and from collieries between Kilwinning and Perceton. The line was later merged with the Glasgow and South Western Railway, and is today part of the Ayrshire Coast Line.
Laigh Milton Viaduct is a railway viaduct near Laigh Milton mill to the west of Gatehead in East Ayrshire, Scotland, about five miles west of Kilmarnock. It is probably the world's earliest surviving railway viaduct on a public railway, and the earliest known survivor of a type of multi-span railway structure subsequently adopted universally.
The Tranent to Cockenzie Waggonway was an early waggonway, possibly the first in Scotland, opened in 1722. It was 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) miles long and connected coal pits at Tranent with the salt pans at Cockenzie and harbour at Port Seton in East Lothian, Scotland. The track was wooden, and wagons were drawn by horses. The Battle of Prestonpans in 1745 was fought across the line.
Benslie is a small village in North Ayrshire, in the parish of Kilwinning, Scotland. Map reference NS 336 429.
Fergushill is a small community in North Ayrshire, Parish of Kilwinning, Scotland. The Barony of Fergushill was held by the Fergushill family of that Ilk and the area has a complex history.
Montgreenan is an estate in North Ayrshire, Parish of Kilwinning, Scotland. The Lugton Water runs through the policies and farmland of Montgreenan. Nearby are the hamlets of Torranyard and Auchentiber.
Monkton is a small village in the parish of Monkton and Prestwick in South Ayrshire, Scotland. The town of Prestwick is around 1+1⁄2 miles south of the village, and it borders upon Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
The Eglinton Castle estate was situated at Irvine, on the outskirts of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland in the former district of Cunninghame. Eglinton Castle, was once home to the Montgomeries, Earls of Eglinton and chiefs of the Clan Montgomery. Eglinton Country Park now occupies part of the site.
Littlestane Loch, was situated in the mid-Ayrshire clayland near Stanecastle, Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is nowadays (2011) only visible as an area of permanent water in the Scottish Wildlife Trust Sourlie Nature Reserve. The loch was natural, sitting in a hollow created by glaciation. The loch waters outflow was via the Red Burn that flows into the River Garnock. The site of Littlestane Loch site is partly built over and much of the site is now public open space lying within the Parish of Girdle Toll.
The Stevenston Canal was a waterway in North Ayrshire, Scotland, built for Robert Reid Cunningham of Seabank and Patrick Warner of the Ardeer Estate, which ran to the port of Saltcoats from Ardeer, and Stevenston with a number of short branches to coal pits along the length of the cut. The canal opened on 19 September 1772, the first commercial canal in Scotland. It closed in the 1830s, when it was abandoned following the exhaustion of the coal mines and the rise of importance of Ardrossan as a harbour. At the time of its construction it was said to be the "most complete water system of colliery transport ever devised in Britain."
Newton Loch was situated in a low-lying area near Newton-on-Ayr, South Ayrshire, just south of the old South and West Sanquhar Farms. It is now (2016) only visible as remnant heath land and surface darkening in pastureland, situated mainly in the Parish of Ayr and partly in St Quivox, South Ayrshire, Scotland.
The Auchincruive Waggonway or Whitletts Waggonway was a mineral railway or 'Bogey line' that transported mainly coal, eventually running from the north side of Ayr harbour at Newton to Blackhouse, Whitletts, Dalmilling, Gibbsyard, Auchincruive Holm, Annbank and Enterkine. Apart from carrying coal to the harbour, lime kilns, quarries and a salt works were also served.
Killochan railway station was located in a rural part of South Ayrshire, Scotland and mainly served the nearby Killochan Castle estate. The Killochan bank is the name given to this section of the line, running from Girvan on an uphill gradient to just north of the old station site. Maybole is around nine miles away and Girvan two miles.
The Blacksyke Tower, Blacksyke Engine House, Caprington Colliery Engine House or even Lusk's Folly is a Scheduled Monument associated with a double lime kiln complex in the Parish of Riccarton and is a building of national importance. The Blacksyke site is a significant survival of early coal and lime industries. The engine house's mock Gothic tower house style is very unusual and rare survival of its type. This late-18th-century engine house would be one of the oldest surviving examples of its kind in the United Kingdom. The track bed of the wagonway and several sidings that linked the complex with the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway can still be clearly made out.
Earlston is a hamlet in Riccarton, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The habitation dates from at least the early 18th century and is near Caprington Castle and Todrigs Mill. It was for many years the site of a large sawmill and a mine pumping engine, and had sidings of the Glasgow and South-Western Railway's Fairlie Branch.
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