The locomotives of the Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR). The G&SWR had its headquarters in Glasgow with its main locomotive works in Kilmarnock.
The G&SWR was formed in 1850 from a merger of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway (GPK&AR) and the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway (GD&CR). A number of other companies were absorbed by the G&SWR or its predecessors, including the Ardrossan Railway, the Paisley and Renfrew Railway and the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway.
One notable feature of the G&SWR’s locomotive stock was its aversion to tank engines. Until very late on in the company’s history these were used only when circumstances absolutely demanded it.
See Patrick Stirling
| Wheel Arrangement | Class | Date | Builder | No. built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-2-2 | 95 | 1855 | Neilson | 4 | |
| 2 | 1857-60 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 13 | ||
| 40 | 1860-4 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 10 | ||
| 45 | 1865-8 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 11 | ||
| 0-2-2-0 | 99 | 1855 | R & W Hawthorn | 4 | |
| 2-4-0 | 94 | 1854/5 | Neilson | 1 | |
| 109 | 1858 | Beyer-Peacock | 1 | ||
| 0-4-2 | 105 | 1856 | R & W Hawthorn | 4 | |
| 9 | 1857 | Neilson | 7 | ||
| 34 | 1858-9 | R & W Hawthorn | 10 | ||
| 23 | 1860-2 | Sharp Stewart | 20 | 8 rebuilt as tanks during 1881-5. | |
| 131 | 1864 | R & W Hawthorn | 10 | ||
| 141 | 1866 | Neilson | 10 | 4 rebuilt as tanks during 1886-7. | |
| 0-4-0 | 52 | 1864-6 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 6 | |
| 0-6-0 | 103 | 1855 | R & W Hawthorn | 2 | |
| 46 | 1862-3 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 6 | ||
| 58 | 1866-7 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 6 | ||
| 1867-9 | Neilson | 20 |
See James Stirling
| Wheel Arrangement | Class | Date | Builder | No. built | 1919 nos. | LMS power classification | LMS nos. | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-2-2WT | 159 | 1867 | Neilson | 1 | 1877 | ||||
| 2-4-0 | 8 | 1868-70 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 15 | 1900-17 | ||||
| 75 | 1870-1 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 10 | 726-7 | 1P | 14000 | 1900-23 | ||
| 0-4-2 | 187 | 1870-1 | Neilson | 20 | 1897-1917 | 8 rebuilt as 0-4-2T during 1888-89 (withdrawn 1906-13). 7 renewed as Manson 113 Class in 1900-01. | |||
| 208 | 1873 | Dübs | 10 | 651-5 | U | 17023-6 | 1904-23 | ||
| 221 | 1874-8 | Neilson | 50 | 635-50 | U | 17035-45 | 1901-29 | 30 renewed as Manson 224 Class in 1901-04, others withdrawn from 1911 onwards | |
| 1876 | Dübs | 10 | |||||||
| 4-4-0 | 6 | 1873-7 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 22 | 1895-1901 | 16 renewed as Manson 194 Class 1899-1901 | |||
| 0-4-0 | 65 | 1871-4 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 22 | 732-3 | before 1903 - 1922 | |||
| 0-4-0ST | 157 | 1867-70 | A.Barclay | 5 | 1881-unknown | ||||
| 218 | 1873 | Allen Andrews | 2 | after 1881 | |||||
| 220 | 1873 | A.Barclay | 1 | 1917 | Second Hand, purchased 1874 from Glamorgan Coal Co. | ||||
| 113 | 1875-6 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 6 | unknown | 2 withdrawn 1911, others unknown | ||||
| 0-6-0 | 13 | 1877-8 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 12 | 563-584 with gaps | 1F | 17103-11 | 1898-1928 | 1 wrecked in 1898, others withdrawn from 1914 onwards |
See Hugh Smellie
| Wheel Arrangement | Class | Date | Builder | No. built | 1919 nos. | LMS power classification | LMS nos. | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-4-0 | 157 | 1879-81 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 12 | 720-5 | 1P | 14001-2 | 1912-23 | |
| 4-4-0 | 119 | 1882-5 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 24 | 467-8, 700-719 | 1P | 14116-37 | 1914-31 (rebuilds 1930-34) | 2 withdrawn 1914-15, others from 1925 onwards. 14 rebuilt with Whitelegg "X3" boilers in 1921-2 to become class 2P |
| 153 | 1886-9 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 20 | 448-466 | 1P | 14138-56 | 1898-1930 (rebuilds 1929-35) | One locomotive wrecked in 1898, others withdrawn from 1925 onwards. 11 rebuilt with Whitelegg "X3" boilers in 1922-3 to become class 2P | |
| 0-4-4T | 1 | 1879-81 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 4 | 728-31 | 1P | 15241-4 | 1925-26 | |
| 0-4-0T | 291 | 1883 | A.Barclay | 1 | 734 | U | 16042 | 1925 | Second hand, purchased 1885, Works shunter |
| 0-4-0ST | 218 | 1881 | Andrews, Barr & Co | 2 | 658-9 | U | 16040-1 | 1928-32 | |
| 0-6-0 | 22 | 1881-92 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 44 | 135-9, 560-616 with gaps | 1F | 17112-64 | 1915-31 (rebuilds 1932-35) | 10 renewed as 281 class in 1911-12 and one more withdrawn in 1915. Others withdrawn from 1924 onwards. 10 rebuilt with Whitelegg "X3" boilers in 1923-5 to become class 2F |
| 1883 | Neilson | 10 | |||||||
| 1889 | Dübs | 10 |
See James Manson
| Wheel Arrangement | Class | Date | Builder | No. built | 1919 nos. | LMS power classification | LMS nos. | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-4-0 | 8 | 1892-1904 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 57 | 377, 396-447 | 1P | 14157-202, 14244-5, 14249-53 | 1911-32 (rebuilds 1927-33) | Four renewed as 18 or 240 classes in 1911-12, others withdrawn from 1925 onwards. 17 rebuilt with Whitelegg "X1" boilers in 1920-1 to become class 2P |
| 336 | 1895-99 | Dübs | 25 | 350-74 | 2P | 14203-27 | 1926-32 (rebuilds 1930-32) | 6 rebuilt with Whitelegg "X1" boilers in 1920-21 | |
| 194 | 1899-1901 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 16 | 469-484 | 1P | 14228-43 | 1925-30 | Renewals of Stirling 6 Class | |
| 240 | 1904-11 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 17 | 375, 378-93 | 2P | 14246-8, 14254-67 | 1925-32 (rebuilds 1932-34) | 2 rebuilt with Whitelegg "X1" boilers in 1920 | |
| 18 | 1907-12 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 15 | 337-49, 376, 395 | 2P | 14268-9, 14366-78 | 1925-32 | ||
| 11 | 1897 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 1 | 394 | 3P | 14509 | 1934 | first 4-cylinder simple locomotive in the British Isles. Rebuilt by Drummond in 1915 and again more extensively by Whitelegg in 1922, when named "Lord Glenarthur" | |
| 4-6-0 | 381 | 1903 | North British | 10 | 495-504 | 3P | 14656-65 | 1927-33 | |
| 1910-11 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 7 | 505-11 | 14666-72 | |||||
| 128 | 1911 | North British | 2 | 512-3 | 3P | 14673-4 | 1933-34 | ||
| 0-4-4T | 326 | 1893 | Neilson | 10 | 520-529 | 1P | 15245-54 | 1930-32 | |
| 266 | 1906 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 6 | 305-10 | U | 16080-5 | 1925-32 | ||
| 0-4-0T | 272 | 1907-09 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 6 | 316-21 | U | 16044-9 | 1930-31 | |
| 0-6-0T | 14 | 1896-1914 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 15 | 275-89 | 1F | 16103-17 | 1928-32 | |
| 0-4-2 | 113 | 1900-01 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 7 | 268-74 | 1F | 17028-34 | 1926-30 | Renewals of Stirling 187 Class |
| 224 | 1901-04 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 30 | 238-267 | 1F | 17046-75 | 1925-31 | Renewals of Stirling 221 Class | |
| 0-6-0 | 306 | 1892-93 | Dübs | 20 | 178-197 | 1F | 17165-84 | 1925-32 (rebuilds 1931-32) | 3 rebuilt with Whitelegg "X3" boilers in 1925 to become class 2F |
| 160 | 1897-99 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 18 | 160-177 | 1F | 17185-202 | 1925-33 (rebuilds 1929-32) | 4 rebuilt with Whitelegg "X3" boilers in 1925-6 to become class 2F | |
| 281 | 1911-2 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 10 | 140-9 | 2F | 17203-12 | 1927-30 | Renewals of Smellie 22 Class | |
| 361 | 1900 | Neilson | 20 | 115-34 | 2F | 17474-93 | 1928-35 (rebuilds 1931-37) | 21 rebuilt with Whitelegg "X2" boilers in 1920-4 to become class 3F | |
| 1907 | North British | 12 | 103-114 | 17494-505 | |||||
| 1910 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 2 | 101-2 | 17506-7 | |||||
| 17 | 1910 | North British | 15 | 86-100 | 2F | 17508-22 | 1930-37 (rebuild 1934) | 1 rebuilt with Whitelegg "X2" boiler in 1920 to become class 3F | |
| 0-4-0WT Railmotor | G&SWR Railmotor | 1904-05 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 3 | 1916 |
See Peter Drummond
| Wheel Arrangement | Class | Date | Builder | No. built | 1919 nos. | LMS power classification | LMS nos. | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-4-0 | 131 | 1913 | North British | 6 | 331-336 | 3P | 14510-5 | 1934-37 | |
| 137 | 1915 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 6 | 325-330 | 3P | 14516-21 | 1934-37 | ||
| 0-6-0T | 5 | 1917 | North British | 3 | 322-324 | 2F | 16377-9 | 1934 | |
| 0-6-2T | 45 | 1915-17 | North British | 18 | 11-28 | 3F | 16410-27 (later 16910-27) | 1936-47 | |
| 0-6-0 | 279 | 1913 | North British | 15 | 71-85 | 4F | 17750-64 | 1930-33 | |
| 2-6-0 | 403 | 1915 | North British | 11 | 51-61 | 4F | 17820-30 | 1935-47 | "Austrian Goods" |
| Wheel Arrangement | Class | Date | Builder | No. built | G&SWR nos. | LMS power classification | LMS nos. | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-4-0 | 485 | 1921 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 1 | 485 | 2P | 14270 | 1933 | Same as rebuilds of Manson's "8" class |
| 4-6-4T | 540 | 1922 | North British | 6 | 540-545 | 5P | 15400-5 | 1935-36 | |
| 0-4-0ST | 735 | 1904 | Peckett | 1 | 735 | U | 16043 | 1930 | Acquired secondhand from Ayr Harbour in 1919 |
| 0-6-2T | 1 | 1919 | North British | 10 | 1-10 | 3F | 16400-9 (later 16900-9) | 1936-48 | Similar to Drummond "45" class. |
| 0-6-0 | 150 | 1921 | G&SWR Kilmarnock | 2 | 150-1 | 3F | 17523-4 | 1931-35 | Same as rebuilds of Manson's "361" class |
The very first engines of the GPK&AR were named but soon after received numbers. As the GD&CR was always intended to merge with the former its engines were allocated numbers following on from the GPK&AR sequence.
From 1851 new engines were given the numbers of older engines that had been withdrawn from service. Eventually new engines were being allocated the numbers of old engines that were intended for withdrawal but which were still running and so two engines would be running with the same number. In 1878 Hugh Smellie introduced an ‘R’ list to cater for older engines whose number had been allocated to a newer one. Later on Manson used an ‘A’ list system, where the older engine had an ‘A’ added to its number. By 1919 the system was so complicated that there was a complete renumbering of all engines.
Class numbers were the number of the first engine built in the class. Given the policy on numbering this meant that classes with lower numbers could frequently be newer than higher numbered classes.
Various shades of green provided the basic colour of the locomotives, with lining in black and white or black and yellow.
The G&SWR locomotive stock fell foul of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway policy of standardisation following the grouping. Within ten years nearly 80% had been withdrawn from service and only a single 1 Class 0-6-2T engine remained by nationalisation in 1948.
| Image | GNSR No. | GNSR Class | Type | Manufacturer | Serial No. | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 9 | 5 Class | 0-6-0T | North British Locomotive Company | 21521 | November 1917 | Sold by the LMS in 1934 to a colliery in Denbighshire, and subsequently passing into National Coal Board ownership, it was from that location that it was acquired for preservation. [1] It is now on display in the Riverside Museum. |
The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) was a railway company in Scotland. It served a triangular area of south-west Scotland between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle. It was formed on 28 October 1850 by the merger of two earlier railways, the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway and the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway. Already established in Ayrshire, it consolidated its position there and extended southwards, eventually reaching Stranraer. Its main business was mineral traffic, especially coal, and passengers, but its more southerly territory was very thinly populated and local traffic, passenger and goods, was limited, while operationally parts of its network were difficult.
A number of different numbering and classification schemes were used for the locomotives owned by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and its constituent companies.
The Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway was a railway company in Scotland, which constructed the line from near Cumnock to Gretna Junction, forming the route from Glasgow to Carlisle via Dumfries, in association with other lines. Its promoters hoped it would form the only railway between central Scotland and England, but it lost out to rival companies.
The Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway was the section of railway line between Glasgow Bridge Street railway station and Paisley, in the west of Scotland. It was constructed and operated jointly by two competing railway companies as the stem of their lines to Greenock and Ayr respectively, and it opened in 1840. The Joint Committee, which controlled the line, built a branch to Govan and later to Cessnock Dock, and then Prince's Dock.
The Paisley and Renfrew railway was an early Scottish railway company that constructed and operated a line between Paisley and the River Clyde at Renfrew Wharf, enabling journeys between Glasgow and Paisley by connecting river boat. The railway was built to the track gauge of 4 ft 6 in on stone block sleepers.
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 Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway (GPK&AR) was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. It opened its first line, between Glasgow and Ayr, in stages from 1839 to 1840. The section between Glasgow and Paisley was made jointly with the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway. Later it built a line from Dalry via Kilmarnock to Cumnock, linking there with the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway, and together forming a through route from Glasgow to Carlisle. The two companies merged to form the Glasgow and South Western Railway.
The Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway was a railway jointly owned by the Caledonian Railway and the Glasgow and South Western Railway, completed in 1873, and giving the latter a shorter access to its Carlisle main line. A branch to Beith was also built.
Catrine railway station served the village of Catrine in East Ayrshire, Scotland. Open 1903–1943, except for a temporary closure, the station was the only one on the Catrine branch line of the Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR).
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. It branches from the Glasgow to Ayr line at Kilwinning.
The Ayr and Dalmellington Railway was a railway company in Scotland, which connected the growing ironworks community around Dalmellington with Ayr, in Ayrshire, Scotland. Its route was originally planned by the Ayrshire and Galloway Railway as part of a scheme to link Ayr with Castle Douglas, but lack of funds limited the construction to a very short section connecting the iron and coal pits of the Dalmellington Iron Company with its iron works, opening in 1849.
Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway (G&PJR) was a railway company in Scotland. It opened in 1877 between Girvan and Challoch Junction, where it joined the Portpatrick Railway, which had already reached Stranraer from Castle Douglas. Portpatrick had been an important ferry terminal for traffic to and from the north of Ireland, but its significance was waning and Stranraer assumed greater importance. The new line formed part of a route between Glasgow, Ayr and Stranraer.
The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) 128 class was a class of two 4-6-0 steam locomotives designed by James Manson as a development of his 381 Class 4-6-0s, and were his final locomotive design before he retired. They were built in 1911 by the North British Locomotive Company at its Queens Park works and were considered both good looking and excellent performers.
Muirkirk railway station was a railway station serving the village of Muirkirk, East Ayrshire, Scotland.
The G&SWR 45 Class were 0-6-2T steam locomotives designed by Peter Drummond for the Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) of which 18 were built in 1915-1917, followed by a further 10 of a slightly modified design in 1919 after Robert Whitelegg took over as Chief Mechanical Engineer.
The Glasgow and South Western Railway (GSWR) 6 class were a class of twenty-two 4-4-0 steam locomotives built in 1873. They were designed by James Stirling to handle express passenger trains taken over from the Midland Railway at Carlisle between there and Glasgow on the newly opened Glasgow and Kilmarnock Joint Railway.
The Glasgow and South Western Railway operated a number of cross-country lines in Ayrshire.
The Glasgow and South Western Railway 540 Class were 4-6-4T steam tank locomotives designed by Robert Whitelegg and built in 1922, shortly before the G&SWR was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). They were referred to in official G&SWR publicity as the Baltic Class, although they were also known more prosaically to enginemen as the 'Big Pugs'.
The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) 279 class was a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed by Peter Drummond, of which 15 were built in 1913 by the North British Locomotive Company at its Queen's Park works. Originally built as the 279 class, as a result of renumbering they became known as the 71 class in 1919, before passing to the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) on its formation in 1923, where they were given power classification 4F.
The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) 131 Class and 137 Class were two closely related classes of 4-4-0 steam locomotives designed by Peter Drummond. A total of 12 locomotives were built between 1913 and 1915, with some constructed by the North British Locomotive Company (NBL) at its Queens Park works and others by the G&SWR at its Kilmarnock works.