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 RailwayGlasgow and South Western RailwayGreat North of Scotland RailwayHighland RailwayNorth British Railway
|
Caledonian Railway
|
Aberdeen RailwayAlloa RailwayAlythArbroath and ForfarBusby RailwayCathcart DistrictClydesdale JunctionCrieff JunctionCrieff and ComrieCrieff and Methven JunctionDumfries, Lochmaben and LockerbieDunblane, Doune and CallanderDundee and PerthDundee and Perth and AberdeenForfar and BrechinGeneral Terminus and Glasgow HarbourGarnkirk and GlasgowGlasgow Central RailwayGlasgow, Paisley and GreenockGreenock and Wemyss BayHamilton and StrathavenLanarkshire and AyrshireLanarkshire and DumbartonshireLeadhills and WanlockheadLesmahgow RailwayLochearnhead, St Fillans and ComriePaisley and Barrhead DistrictPerth, Almond Valley and MethvenPolloc and GovanRutherglen and CoatbridgeScottish CentralScottish Midland JunctionScottish North EasternSolway JunctionSymington, Biggar and BroughtonTalla RailwayWishaw and Coltness Lines built by the Caledonian Railway:-Balerno lineCR Cleland and MidcalderCR Main LineCR Douglas BranchCR Hamilton BranchCR Hamiltonhill BranchCR The Switchback Independent lines worked by the Caledonian Railway:-Callander and ObanKillin Railway
|
Glasgow and South Western Railway
|
Ardrossan RailwayArdrossan and JohnstoneAyr and DalmellingtonAyr and Maybole JunctionAyr to MauchlineAyrshire and WigtownshireBarrhead BranchBridge of Weir RailwayCairn ValleyCaledonian and Dumbartonshire JunctionCastle Douglas and DumfriesDalry and North JohnstoneDarvel BranchGirvan and Portpatrick JunctionGlasgow, Dumfries and CarlisleGlasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and AyrGreenock and AyrshireKilmarnock and TroonLargs BranchMaidens and DunureMaybole and GirvanPaisley and RenfrewPaisley Canal Line
|
Great North of Scotland Railway
|
Aberdeen and TurriffAboyne and BraemarAlford ValleyBanff, Macduff and Turriff JunctionBanff, Portsoy and StrathislaBoddam BranchDeesideDenburn ValleyFormartine and BuchanInverury and Old Meldrum JunctionKeith and DufftownMoray CoastMorayshireSt Combs Light RailwayStrathspey Railway
|
Highland Railway
|
Buckie and Portessie BranchDingwall and SkyeDuke of SutherlandFindhorn RailwayFortrose BranchInverness and Aberdeen JunctionInverness and Aviemore DirectInverness and NairnInverness and Perth JunctionInverness and Ross-shireKyle of Lochalsh ExtensionPerth and DunkeldSutherland and CaithnessSutherland Railway Independent lines worked by the Highland Railway:-Dornoch Light RailwayWick and Lybster Light Railway
|
North British Railway
|
Aberlady, Gullane and North BerwickBallochneyBathgate and CoatbridgeBlane ValleyBorder Counties RailwayBorder Union RailwayCampsie BranchCarlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock CompanyCoatbridge BranchDevon Valley RailwayDunfermline and QueensferryEdinburgh and BathgateEdinburgh and DalkeithEdinburgh and GlasgowEdinburgh and HawickEdinburgh, Leith and Newhaven RailwayEdinburgh, Loanhead and Roslin RailwayEdinburgh and NorthernEdinburgh Suburban and Southside JunctionEsk ValleyEyemouth RailwayForth and Clyde JunctionGifford and GarvaldGlasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and CoatbridgeGlasgow City and DistrictGlasgow, Dumbarton and HelensburghGlasgow and Milngavie JunctionGlasgow, Yoker and ClydebankKelvin Valley RailwayKirkcaldy and District RailwayKincardine LineLeadburn, Linton and DolphintonNBR Macmerry BranchMonkland and KirkintillochMonkland RailwaysMontrose and BervieMallaig ExtensionNBR North Berwick BranchNorth British, Arbroath and MontrosePeebles RailwayStirling and DunfermlineStrathendrick and AberfoyleSlamannanSlamannan and BorrowstounnessWest Highland RailwayWilsontown, Morningside and Coltness
|
Joint lines
|
Caledonian and Dumbartonshire JunctionCity UnionDundee and ArbroathDarvel and StrathavenGlasgow and Paisley JointGlasgow and Renfrew DistrictGlasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock JointKilsyth and BonnybridgePortpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint
|
Other lines
|
Brechin and Edzell DistrictCampbeltown and Machrihanish Light RailwayCromarty and Dingwall Light RailwayDenburn Valley LineDundee and ArbroathHagdale Chromate RailwayInvergarry and Fort AugustusLealt Valley Diatomite RailwayLochaber Narrow GaugePerth, Almond Valley and MethvenRothesay and Ettrick Bay Light RailwaySkye Marble RailwayTranent to Cockenzie Waggonway
|