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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

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News

Banavie Station

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Banavie station opened along with the Mallaig Extension Railway on 1 April 1901. It comprises a single platform on the north side of the line. To continue on to the next station at Corpach, trains must pass over the Caledonian Canal at Neptune's Staircase, a popular tourist attraction.
From the time of its opening in 1901, the Mallaig Extension Railway was worked throughout by the electric token system. A signal box, named "Banavie Canal Bridge", was located at the west end of the station, on the north side of the line. It did not become a token station until 4 February 1912, but originally existed to control the nearby level crossings and the adjacent swing bridge over the Caledonian Canal.

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Because of the continuing requirement to operate the swing bridge locally, Banavie was chosen as the location for the control centre for the West Highland Line's new radio signalling system. Banavie signalling centre opened on 14 June 1987 when it replaced the old Canal Bridge signal box. The Radio Electronic Token Block signalling was commissioned on 6 December 1987. The control centre covers train movements as far south as Helensburgh and Oban and Mallaig to the west. Local train movements in Fort William and the nearby freight yard at Inverlochy are controlled by the mechanical signal box at Fort William Junction.Full gallery below