Memories of the The 'Caley' Railway Line

[Mitchy]

Do any members remember much about the 'Caley' Railway line that ran from Ardrossan Montgomerie Pier? I have a video entitled 'Ardrossan Montgomerie Pier Railway Line Closure'. It was made via a number of cine films shot in the mid to late sixties and shows the line in its last years of operation, and the subsequent 'lifting' of the line. Part of the film is where the cameraman is on board a diesel locomotive pulling a train of oil tankers from the Shell Mex plant in Ardrossan. The camera stays on the train until it reaches the junction at Stevenston near the ICI Nylon Works. Do any members know where the oil tanker trains final destination was? Do any members have other memories of the Caley line they would like to share? I can still vaguely remember some traffic on this line in 1967 when I was in Primary 1. I can also remember walking over the railway footbridge at Parkend Road in Saltcoats around 1970 when men were working below lifting the tracks.

[Hughie]

Do any members have other memories of the Caley line they would like to share?

Hi Mitchy,

The Caley line was reasonably busy when I was a kid in Ardrossan, from what I gather it never reached its full potential owing to the competition from the Glasgow & South Western Railway line which was there first.

There wouldn't a snotty nosed kid in Ardrossan who didn't at one time play around the Caley Railway line at one time or other. The favourite place was the turn table just beyond the end of Paisley Street and just before the line went under the Montgomerie Street bridge to the Shell Mex and Montgomerie Pier. It was a great place to catch frogs and play on the turntable if the railway polis weren't around. I seem to remember one of the boys losing a toe there - I'm sure George Fleming would remember playing there.

There was also a siding that ended at the top of Kilmahew Street where McDowall had their potato storage sheds. That area through from Glasgow Street to Mongomerie Street was known as the coal-ree, but I cant remember the coalmen working from there. They were in the GSW siding in Hill Street across from the Castlehill Vaults and the back end of the Lyric picture house.

Looking back it's mind boggling just thinking how the navvies must have worked with pick and shovel to excavate that area from the top of Glasgow Street right through to about Sorbie Road. At the top end of Barrie Terrace the line goes so far down, I reckon you'd get a four or five storie building in it. Used to slide down there on cardboard but I'm wondering if I dreamt it 'cause it's so steep.

I believe the route of the line under the top of Glasgow Street was initially meant for the Earl of Eglinton's Ardrossan - Paisley - Glasgow canal that never eventuated.

I can remember in the 1950s the Belfast boat trains to Glasgow using the line in the Summer evenings.

[Scott McCallum]

I grew up on Canal Street next to the Caly line and remember the boat trains that used to go by - really fast. They were always different colours from the GSW trains down by the shore.
When I went to my dentist - Mr Buchanan in Argyle Road - you sat at a window looking down onto what remained of Saltcoats North railway station. You could make out the old kiosk where they sold papers - I think it shut in the mid thirties.
Somewhere on this site there are two pictures of the train crash in 1939 when a train came down the embankment into the Miners' Home just after Canal Street - now Arran View Nursing Home - the same wall it crashed into is there to this day and you can see the line of the repair on it. My father in law told me that an Boxing champion was among the dead from the crash.

Scott McCallum - Glasgow

[Hughie]

Belfast boat train from Ardrossan Montgomerie Pier 1956 passing the closed Saltcoats North Station

The following is taken in part from: Ayrshire & Renfrewshire's Lost Railways by Gordon Stansfield ISBN1840330779:

The railway line was first authorised as a section of the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway in 1884. It provided a three mile shorter route between Ardrossan and Glasgow than did the Glasgow & South Western.

The line was fully opened in 1888 and was taken over and run by the Caledonian Railway. In competition with the Glasgow & South Western, the stations on the route did not fare well as they were situated on the outskirts of the towns they served rather than at central locations within the towns.

Local passenger services were discontinued in 1932. In 1947 a short spur line was installed in Stevenston in order that boat trains destined for Montgomerie Pier could leave the Glasgow & South Western line and join the Caledonian line. The last train ran in September 1965 though the official closing date was in April 1966.

Ardrossan North, Saltcoats North and Stevenston Moorpark were all closed in 1932, but when the Caledonian introduced its 'Evening Breathers' services the following year and offered a special return fare of half the single fare, there was such demand by 1934 that these stations had to be reopened to handle the extra traffic.


Hope you find this interesting.

[georgeflemingard]

Hugh your dead right i do remember the Turntable on the old Callie railway, we had lots of fun on that thing. all the gang would push the tyrntable untill we had it spinning as fast as possable then jump on.as it slowed down we would jump off and start pushing it back up to speed. Thats when the accident happened one of the biys was not quick enough and got his foot caught under the moving rail, I don`nt remember who it was But the name MacBlane comes to mind. anther memory of the Callie line is the Station on montgomery street, even to my young eyes at that time i was a Lovely Building, would have made a great PUB. The railway line heading into Montgomery pier was always thick with black oil spilled while going from the pier to Shell mex. I have heard there going to build houses on this land???
all the best George

[Hughie]

My father in law told me that an Boxing champion was among the dead from the crash.
Scott McCallum - Glasgow

Hi Scott.
I don't mean it as a pun but that rings a bell. I also remember seeing that photo of the train that crashed down the embackment beside the Miner's Home before crossover at Canal Street. I seem to recall it being mentioned that someone placed a sleeper across the line, but I could be mistaken. Can't remember where I seen the photo so I'm not much help there - it perhaps was in one of the books available on the three towns.

[mcgrattan]

Caledonian Station, Montgomerie Street, Ardrossan. The station was demolished in 1966.

Tom McGrattan

[Jimbo]

Hiy'all
I remember the Caley turn table, one memory was jumping into the pit and finding myself "up to my knees in "Puddocks" [toads] Stephen King could not have portrayed a more nightmarish scenario! I jumped as high as my scream! The bloody things kept breeding in there, but couldnt get out. I also remember sitting on the fence across from turntable and watching Hugh Roddens grandfather shoe horses in the smithy in Paisley street All that smoke rising from the horses hoofs, and they didnt even squeal,,, amazing!
The Macblane who got his foot injured on the turntable, was wee Davie who got drowned down the inches

Jim.

[Mitchy]

Interesting photo Hughie. The crazy thing is nowadays the location of Saltcoats North would be an ideal place for a Railway Station, due to all the housing development that has taken place. It was located next to the bridge at the bottom of Jacks Road in Saltcoats. The bridge is still there. The only bridges that have been removed are the bridge at the bottom of the Laighdykes playing fields, the hump back bridge and adjacent footbridge at Parkend Road, and the 'over' bridge at New Street in Stevenston. The other 'over' bridge at Saltcoats Canal Street was removed but replaced by a footbridge.

[Mitchy]

Some info on the Lanarkshire & Ayrshire Railway, of which the three towns Caley line was part, can be found at the link below.


http://130.209.236.149/ewan/chronology/dates.asp

[Mitchy]

Sorry folks that link doesn't work. Go to http://www.railscot.co.uk and type Lanark and Ayrshire in the search box.

[Scott McCallum]

This is one of the photos of the Caly line accident.

Scott McCallum - Glasgow