Ravenscraig and Jameston Railway

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Ravenscraig and Jameston Railway
Country

Scotland

County

North Ayrshire

Length
1.3 miles (2 km)



The railway embankment and trackbed.

The Ravenscraig and Jameston Railway was a narrow gauge freight or mineral railway or 'Bogey line' that ran the 1.25 miles (2 km) between two freestone quarries near Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland.

History

The Ravenscraig Quarry (55.695026 -4.668213) to Jameston Quarry (55.683808 -4.678430) line was a 'Bogey Line' using 'bogeys' or small waggons that transported freestone (sandstone) to another freestone quarry at Jameston near Auchenskeith for transfer into standard gauge waggons and onward transport via the standard gauge Glasgow and South-Western Railway's Dalry to Kilmarnock line. Probably mainly worked by gravity, manually and by horses, the width of the fairly substantial surviving embankments and some vague cuttings suggests that it was a narrow gauge rather than a standard gauge line. The Ordnance Survey maps of the time show that it existed after 1856 and was abandoned by 1895. Jameston Quarry was also disused by 1895 and has since been infilled. Old maps show that prior to the railways construction stone could be taken away via North Lissens farm or across the Gorbie Glen and away via Asseyfaulds Cottage.

Infrastructure

Typical narrow gauge railway bogey waggons for carrying stone

The 1.25 mile or 2 kilometers long line ran roughly north from Jameston Quarry with low embankments until it crossed the Lissens to Blair Mill road from where it cut across the field on a low embankment at first, progressing as quite a substantial embanked trackbed and at the end of the line branching into two sidings, again on embankments that ran to the western side of the quarry workings.

The Railway and quarries today

The final section of embankments leading to Ravenscraig Quarry are largely untouched whilst they have been ploughed out in the field facing South Lissens Farm, but a section of cutting remains below South Lissens Farm and the trackbed survives as a farm track as far as the site of the infilled Jameston Quarry. Ravenscraig Quarry is now flooded but otherwise unchanged and is known locally as the 'Blue Waters' or 'Blue Hole' because the light shining off the dark vertical faces of the quarry workings once embued the floodwater with a striking blue colour. The site was at one time a popular swimming hole however a drowning incident ended that and although rich in water plants such as the marestail (Hippuris) and pondweeds (Potamogeton the water has lost its blue colour and serves as an unofficial wildlife preserve. No rails or sleepers remain at the site.

Ravenscraig Quarry or the 'Blue Water'


External links

Historical Scottish Railway Companies

Primary Companies

Caledonian Railway
Glasgow and South Western Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
Highland Railway
North British Railway

Caledonian Railway

Aberdeen Railway
Alloa Railway
Alyth
Arbroath and Forfar
Busby RailwayCathcart District
Clydesdale Junction
Crieff Junction
Crieff and Comrie
Crieff and Methven Junction
Dumfries, Lochmaben and Lockerbie
Dunblane, Doune and Callander
Dundee and Perth
Dundee and Perth and Aberdeen
Forfar and Brechin
General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour
Garnkirk and Glasgow
Glasgow Central Railway
Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock
Greenock and Wemyss Bay
Hamilton and Strathaven
Lanarkshire and Ayrshire
Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire
Leadhills and Wanlockhead
Lesmahgow Railway
Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Comrie
Paisley and Barrhead District
Perth, Almond Valley and Methven
Polloc and Govan
Rutherglen and Coatbridge
Scottish Central
Scottish Midland Junction
Scottish North Eastern
Solway Junction
Symington, Biggar and Broughton
Talla Railway
Wishaw and Coltness
Lines built by the Caledonian Railway:-Balerno line
CR Cleland and Midcalder
CR Main Line
CR Douglas Branch
CR Hamilton Branch
CR Hamiltonhill Branch
CR The Switchback
Independent lines worked by the Caledonian Railway:-Callander and Oban
Killin Railway

Glasgow and South
Western Railway

Ardrossan Railway
Ardrossan and Johnstone
Ayr and Dalmellington
Ayr and Maybole Junction
Ayr to Mauchline
Ayrshire and Wigtownshire
Barrhead Branch
Bridge of Weir Railway
Cairn Valley
Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction
Castle Douglas and Dumfries
Dalry and North Johnstone
Darvel Branch
Girvan and Portpatrick Junction
Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr
Greenock and Ayrshire
Kilmarnock and Troon
Largs Branch
Maidens and Dunure
Maybole and Girvan
Paisley and Renfrew
Paisley Canal Line

Great North of
Scotland Railway

Aberdeen and Turriff
Aboyne and Braemar
Alford Valley
Banff, Macduff and Turriff Junction
Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla
Boddam Branch
Deeside
Denburn Valley
Formartine and Buchan
Inverury and Old Meldrum Junction
Keith and Dufftown
Moray Coast
Morayshire
St Combs Light Railway
Strathspey Railway

Highland Railway

Buckie and Portessie Branch
Dingwall and Skye
Duke of Sutherland
Findhorn Railway
Fortrose Branch
Inverness and Aberdeen Junction
Inverness and Aviemore Direct
Inverness and Nairn
Inverness and Perth Junction
Inverness and Ross-shire
Kyle of Lochalsh Extension
Perth and Dunkeld
Sutherland and Caithness
Sutherland Railway
Independent lines worked by the Highland Railway:-Dornoch Light Railway
Wick and Lybster Light Railway

North British Railway

Aberlady, Gullane and North Berwick
Ballochney
Bathgate and Coatbridge
Blane Valley
Border Counties Railway
Border Union Railway
Campsie Branch
Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company
Coatbridge Branch
Devon Valley Railway
Dunfermline and Queensferry
Edinburgh and Bathgate
Edinburgh and Dalkeith
Edinburgh and Glasgow
Edinburgh and Hawick
Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
Edinburgh, Loanhead and Roslin Railway
Edinburgh and Northern
Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction
Esk Valley
Eyemouth Railway
Forth and Clyde Junction
Gifford and Garvald
Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge
Glasgow City and District
Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh
Glasgow and Milngavie Junction
Glasgow, Yoker and Clydebank
Kelvin Valley Railway
Kirkcaldy and District Railway
Kincardine Line
Leadburn, Linton and Dolphinton
NBR Macmerry Branch
Monkland and Kirkintilloch
Monkland Railways
Montrose and Bervie
Mallaig Extension
NBR North Berwick Branch
North British, Arbroath and Montrose
Peebles Railway
Stirling and Dunfermline
Strathendrick and Aberfoyle
Slamannan
Slamannan and Borrowstounness
West Highland Railway
Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness

Joint lines

Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction
City Union
Dundee and Arbroath
Darvel and Strathaven
Glasgow and Paisley Joint
Glasgow and Renfrew District
Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint
Kilsyth and Bonnybridge
Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint

Other lines

Brechin and Edzell District
Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway
Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway
Denburn Valley Line
Dundee and Arbroath
Hagdale Chromate Railway
Invergarry and Fort Augustus
Lealt Valley Diatomite Railway
Lochaber Narrow Gauge
Perth, Almond Valley and Methven
Rothesay and Ettrick Bay Light Railway
Skye Marble Railway
Tranent to Cockenzie Waggonway