portroadlogoslim

The Port Road

The Port Road. This website is dedicated to The Port Road which is the collective name for the "Portpatrick Railway", "Wigtownshire Railway" and "Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway". The Portpatrick and Wigtonshire railways were amalgamated in 1885 and in combination with Castle Douglas to Dumfries became known as "The Port Road".

At time of writing 27th April 2015 this is still the beginning of a long term project to learn and understand the history of The Port Road, for now you will see a series of expanding photographic galleries in the menu structure as I visit and photograph specific sites on the line and its branch lines. In addition to study on "The Port Road" you can also now find some Galleries on the still active West Highland Line which will be updated from time to time

This page and many others will be updated and evolve over time but I hope to turn it into a general reference point for for those interested in studying a once vibrant enterprise which was both about life and crucially "full of life"

For now the inspiration for the project comes from the following link, namely a film shot by enthusiasts in the closing days of the Port Road in 1965. It shows many landmarks which can still be seen today, you can view the video via the NLS Library website by clicking this link

Read also about The Railway That Went The Wrong Way from Alistair Livingston

DSC06043

TonglandViaduct

DSC06096

 

 

StanleyHollowayandflower

7051 19690

tt3

7303 4

fgbgfgfbgfh

7006 19690

b2223 Titfield Thunderbolt 1953

yzkvXgSpqVKj30Fo7nBcFkYLTqf

News

Southwick Halt

There is not much left to see of Southwick Halt just east of Dalbeattie, the original station buildings were demolished some years ago and access to the site is now difficult. The stationmasters cottage located adjacent to the station does however still exist and a couple of pictures of this and the site as it is now can be seen in the gallery, immediately below you can see a picture of Southwick Halt as it was many years ago

southwick halt

Southwick Halt (closed 25 September 1939; reopened 3 February 1941; closed to passengers 3 May 1965)

Southwick Halt began its operational career as a minor passenger and goods stop for farms and hamlets along the valley of the Southwick Burn down as far as the estate of Southwick and the village of Caulkerbush(often referred to as Southwick), seven miles distant on the Solway Coast. It is probable that its main traffic was of milk and other farm produce, together with coal for a merchant who supplied the area.

All this was to change in 1939, when the Halt became a major passenger station for staff working in Unit 1 Southwick, the north-eastern half of the Ministry of Supply Factory Dalbeattie, which produced nitroglycerine and cordite explosive products. When the factory closed in 1945, the Halt reverted to its pre-war quiet, the closure of the Halt in 1974 ending the railway era. The old Statin Masters House is now a private dwelling and the roofless ruins of the Factory gatehouse mark the north-eastern extension of the old Factory and its sidings. The area has been used on occasion for Police training exercises, but otherwise it has been abandoned to nature.