adrock1976
Established Member
As a further expansion of whether Carlisle - Glasgow via Dumfries trains could be diverted to Ayr due to engineering works (which was split from the Barrhead/East Kilbride electrification thread), I have had a go at designing a clockface timetable which I have attached below (in .xlsx, I can convert to PDF if need be).
As the Carlisle - Glasgow via Dumfries runs broadly on a 2 hourly frequency, with short workings Carlisle - Dumfries, it is these short workings I have extended to Ayr along the shortcut line via Annbank. Obviously, this would need the Blackhouse and Hawkhill Junctions reinstated which the space still exists to do so (see later para below for a simple way to reuse track for it). Mauchline - Ayr can be done in circa 27 minutes, based on the Daventry - Mossend freight train timings (see https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:H31476/2023-05-13/detailed and https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:H31471/2023-05-13/detailed for details).
Ayr Station - Carlisle Station via the A76 and A75 (which follows the railway south of Auchinleck) has a journey time of 2h 12m according to the Automobile Association website (see https://www.theaa.com/route-planner...lway station&toPlace=Carlisle railway station for details), with me having worked out the rail journey as 2h 2 or 3m, therefore a bit but not much of a time saving (although if driving Ayr - Carlisle then train south, additional time would be required to find a parking space at Carlisle station car park and pay a fee to do so, plus 8 minutes minimum interchange time).
I have taken into consideration the possible reopening of Thornhill and Mauchline stations, and have included them. Furthermore, one I am not sure about is Annbank (reopened as Annbank & Mossblown, as the two settlements are next door to each other with the railway line marking the boundary between them) bearing in mind it would be a 2 hourly frequency there. Perhaps a pop up platform could be used to try to see if it generates passengers greater than the likes of Breich, Scotscalder, Locheilside, etc, and if it does not do so, the platform can easily be dismantled and reused elsewhere? (I remember reading somewhere a while ago that Greengauge or a similar organisation suggested the notion of pop up platforms that could be dismantled again for stations in locations that are not served or something like that).
Mauchline station would require three platforms (2 for Kilmarnock direction, one for the diverging line) due to the track layout as the Annbank/Newton Jct line diverges from the mainline at the Carlisle end. I have based the platforms sited at its original location as there is a Station Road there (see Google Maps satellite view at https://www.google.com/maps/@55.509698,-4.382305,302m/data=!3m1!1e3). Although not shown on Google Maps, according to the Scotland Sectional Appendix (see page 261 (PDF), footer October 2009, SCO31, Seq 11, Updated 30/01/2016) there is a crossover from the Annbank/Newton Jct line to the Carlisle track south of the signalbox.
Regarding the third side of the triangle that has missing track Blackhouse Jct - Hawkhill Jct, the track could be reused from Girvan - Stranraer with the line mothballed and dismantled. Although I have not focused on south of Ayr, my view in the Stranraer specific thread a while ago remains in that the line south of Girvan is mothballed, but replaced with a bus service integrated with the railway ticketing system (both Barrhill and Stranraer could still retain the three letter codes, but they would be resited to the main road in Barrhill (reducing a 20 minute hike up the hill) and the town centre of Stranraer (better public transport interchange), and could also have places like Pinmore, Pinwherry, etc added to the railway database. When the tunnel and viaduct between Girvan and Barrhill starts to crumble, that would be the ideal time to mothball that section of line.
As the Carlisle - Glasgow via Dumfries runs broadly on a 2 hourly frequency, with short workings Carlisle - Dumfries, it is these short workings I have extended to Ayr along the shortcut line via Annbank. Obviously, this would need the Blackhouse and Hawkhill Junctions reinstated which the space still exists to do so (see later para below for a simple way to reuse track for it). Mauchline - Ayr can be done in circa 27 minutes, based on the Daventry - Mossend freight train timings (see https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:H31476/2023-05-13/detailed and https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:H31471/2023-05-13/detailed for details).
Ayr Station - Carlisle Station via the A76 and A75 (which follows the railway south of Auchinleck) has a journey time of 2h 12m according to the Automobile Association website (see https://www.theaa.com/route-planner...lway station&toPlace=Carlisle railway station for details), with me having worked out the rail journey as 2h 2 or 3m, therefore a bit but not much of a time saving (although if driving Ayr - Carlisle then train south, additional time would be required to find a parking space at Carlisle station car park and pay a fee to do so, plus 8 minutes minimum interchange time).
I have taken into consideration the possible reopening of Thornhill and Mauchline stations, and have included them. Furthermore, one I am not sure about is Annbank (reopened as Annbank & Mossblown, as the two settlements are next door to each other with the railway line marking the boundary between them) bearing in mind it would be a 2 hourly frequency there. Perhaps a pop up platform could be used to try to see if it generates passengers greater than the likes of Breich, Scotscalder, Locheilside, etc, and if it does not do so, the platform can easily be dismantled and reused elsewhere? (I remember reading somewhere a while ago that Greengauge or a similar organisation suggested the notion of pop up platforms that could be dismantled again for stations in locations that are not served or something like that).
Mauchline station would require three platforms (2 for Kilmarnock direction, one for the diverging line) due to the track layout as the Annbank/Newton Jct line diverges from the mainline at the Carlisle end. I have based the platforms sited at its original location as there is a Station Road there (see Google Maps satellite view at https://www.google.com/maps/@55.509698,-4.382305,302m/data=!3m1!1e3). Although not shown on Google Maps, according to the Scotland Sectional Appendix (see page 261 (PDF), footer October 2009, SCO31, Seq 11, Updated 30/01/2016) there is a crossover from the Annbank/Newton Jct line to the Carlisle track south of the signalbox.
Regarding the third side of the triangle that has missing track Blackhouse Jct - Hawkhill Jct, the track could be reused from Girvan - Stranraer with the line mothballed and dismantled. Although I have not focused on south of Ayr, my view in the Stranraer specific thread a while ago remains in that the line south of Girvan is mothballed, but replaced with a bus service integrated with the railway ticketing system (both Barrhill and Stranraer could still retain the three letter codes, but they would be resited to the main road in Barrhill (reducing a 20 minute hike up the hill) and the town centre of Stranraer (better public transport interchange), and could also have places like Pinmore, Pinwherry, etc added to the railway database. When the tunnel and viaduct between Girvan and Barrhill starts to crumble, that would be the ideal time to mothball that section of line.
