The closure of many of Britain's most attractive country railways and branch lines was a sad process for railway enthusiasts. But not all the closed routes remained dead, nor did steam operation disappear forever. For in many parts of Britain steam fans and local people combined to take over favourite ...
In the early 1800s, Ayrshire was already established as a prosperous, mainly rural agricultural county. The realization that there was abundant coal and (to a lesser extent) iron ore deposits to be exploited, together with the coming of the Industrial Revolution, rendered the area wide open to the 'railway ...
Traces the history of the area's railway lines from their opening in the 19th century, their heyday at the turn of the century, and in many cases, their closure in the 20th century.
