Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway
The Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway was a railway in Galloway in the south west of Scotland which linked Castle Douglas in Kirkcudbrightshire to Dumfries.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Scotland |
| Dates of operation | 7 November 1859–1 August 1965 |
| Successor | Glasgow and South Western Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
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It opened in 1859. Other companies' lines extended westwards and southwards, and the CD&D line formed a key link in opening up the agricultural area of south-west Scotland. When Stranraer and Portpatrick were reached by the contiguous lines, the CD&D line was the eastern section of the Port Road, which provided an important route from English originating points to Northern Ireland by ferry between Portpatrick and Donaghadee. Much later the ferry route was from Stranraer to Larne.
The CD&DR was absorbed by the larger Glasgow and South Western Railway in 1865.
The line was one of the 1965 Beeching closures, except for a stub from Dumfries to Maxwelltown Oil Terminal which continued until 1994, although it was dormant in the latter years. Nothing now remains of the rail activity on the line.