The Glasgow South Western Railway

Tracing the history of one of Scotland's most significant railways, this book explores the political and economic factors that led to its creation, as well as its impact on the surrounding communities. Filled with fascinating anecdotes and colorful characters, this is a must-read for railway enthusiasts and history buffs alike. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This volume has been researched using original sources and is full referenced, making it ideal for anybody wishing to study the development of railways in south-west Scotland.

The 1840s had seen a rapid expansion of railways in Britain. Some were more likely to succeed than others. The Glasgow & South Western found itself always in the shadow of its competitors; its route from Glasgow to Carlisle lacked the direct approach taken by the rival Caledonian Railway. The G&SWR trains from Glasgow meandered through Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, calling at Paisley, Johnstone, Lochwinnoch, Beith, Kilbirnie and Dalry before heading to Ayr or Kilmarnock, Mauchline, Cumnock then south into Dumfriesshire, through Sanquhar, Thornhill, Closeburn, Auldgirth and Dumfries. Completed in 1850, and lightly populated for most of the route, the line needed to attract additional traffic. This guide, published in 1852, is an attempt to tempt visitors by describing the highlights to be seen along the route. Guides of this nature were not uncommon as the railways sought to capitalise on what was to become an expanding tourist market. However, this didn't prevent the Company offering early commuters First Class Annual Season Tickets for the 184-mile round trip from Dumfries to Glasgow!