Paisley and Renfrew Railway
Encyclopedia
The Paisley and Renfrew railway was a railway line from the town
of Paisley
to its neighbouring town Renfrew; and to the River Clyde
at Renfrew wharf
. The railway was built to the Scotch gauge
of . Its engineers were Grainger and Miller from Edinburgh
(Thomas Grainger
and John Miller
).
It was intended to both compete with the transportation of passengers and goods on the River Cart
, between Paisley and boats on the River Clyde
. The line was 3 miles (4.8 km) long on an almost level gradient throughout.
working from the start. The company bought three locomotives: The Paisley and The Renfrew, made by Messrs Murdock, Aikin and Co., Glasgow
; and the St. Rollox, originally made by Robert Stephenson and Company
for the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway and later sold to the Paisley and Renfrew Railway. The locomotives were used to give a speed advantage over the River Cart.
In 1842, to save money, it switched to horse
haulage. The original railway company never made a profit
and the line was leased out. In 1846 it agreed to be taken over by the Paisley, Barrhead and Hurlet Railway. The Paisley, Barrhead and Hurlet Railway never built their own railway and the Paisley and Renfrew Railway changed hands several times.
opened in 1840 between Glasgow Bridge Street railway station and Paisley Gilmour Street railway station
and this line removed much of the trade from the Paisley and Renfrew railway.
In 1847 the Paisley and Renfrew Railway was bought by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
. Horse haulage was retained until 1866.
On 1 January 1866 passenger services were suspended and the line was doubled
and regauged
, by the Glasgow and South Western Railway
, to standard gauge
. It was also connected, as a branch line, to the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway at Arkleston Junction
and it reopened on 1 May 1866 using locomotive haulage.
, but for passengers it was replaced by Abercorn
station when the line was regauged and became a branch line. The line then ran through three stations, to its terminus at Renfrew Wharf. A freight branch led off to the Cart Harbour in Paisley.
Freight branches were also built at Renfrew Wharf to serve the two shipbuilders William Simons & Company Ltd and Lobnitz & Company Ltd based on the River Clyde, at Renfrew. They later merged to become Simons-Lobnitz Ltd; and the ship yards closed in the early 1960s.
, and was closed to freight traffic in 1981, but the line was not lifted until 1986.
Much of the route of the line is now occupied by a cyclepath, or by a private road used by the Doosan Babcock (formerly the Babcock and Wilcox
) site in Renfrew. A DIY superstore operated by Tesco
was built on the site of the former Paisley Abercorn railway station
goods yard in the late 1970s. In the 1980s the store was sold to become a DIY superstore - "Great Mills".
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
to its neighbouring town Renfrew; and to the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
at Renfrew wharf
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
. The railway was built to the Scotch gauge
Scotch gauge
Scotch gauge was the name given to a track gauge, that was adopted by early 19th century railways mainly in the Lanarkshire area of Scotland. It differed from the gauge of that was used on some early lines in England; and from the standard gauge of...
of . Its engineers were Grainger and Miller from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
(Thomas Grainger
Thomas Grainger
Thomas Grainger FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer and surveyor. He was born in Ratho, outside Edinburgh, to Hugh Grainger and Helen Marshall. Educated at Edinburgh University, at sixteen he got a job with John Leslie, a land surveyor.He started his own practice in 1816. In 1825 he formed a...
and John Miller
John Miller (engineer)
John Miller was a civil engineer of the 19th century. He was born in Ayr and died in Edinburgh. He went into partnership with Thomas Grainger in 1825. The partnership was responsible for many of Scotland's great railway projects. Miller took the lead role in surveying the Edinburgh and Glasgow...
).
It was intended to both compete with the transportation of passengers and goods on the River Cart
River Cart
The River Cart is a tributary of the River Clyde, Scotland, which it joins from the west roughly midway between the towns of Erskine and Renfrew....
, between Paisley and boats on the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
. The line was 3 miles (4.8 km) long on an almost level gradient throughout.
The line
The line was authorised in 1835 and opened in April 1837, with locomotiveLocomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
working from the start. The company bought three locomotives: The Paisley and The Renfrew, made by Messrs Murdock, Aikin and Co., Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
; and the St. Rollox, originally made by Robert Stephenson and Company
Robert Stephenson and Company
Robert Stephenson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing company founded in 1823. It was the first company set up specifically to build railway engines.- Foundation and early success :...
for the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway and later sold to the Paisley and Renfrew Railway. The locomotives were used to give a speed advantage over the River Cart.
In 1842, to save money, it switched to horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
haulage. The original railway company never made a profit
Profit (economics)
In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total opportunity costs of a venture to an entrepreneur or investor, whilst economic profit In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total...
and the line was leased out. In 1846 it agreed to be taken over by the Paisley, Barrhead and Hurlet Railway. The Paisley, Barrhead and Hurlet Railway never built their own railway and the Paisley and Renfrew Railway changed hands several times.
Connection to the railway network
The Glasgow and Paisley Joint RailwayGlasgow and Paisley Joint Railway
The Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway company was formed in 1837 to provide a railway link between Glasgow and Paisley, Scotland. It was promoted jointly by the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway and the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway....
opened in 1840 between Glasgow Bridge Street railway station and Paisley Gilmour Street railway station
Paisley Gilmour Street railway station
Paisley Gilmour Street railway station is one of four stations serving the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland . The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line, 12 km west of...
and this line removed much of the trade from the Paisley and Renfrew railway.
In 1847 the Paisley and Renfrew Railway was bought by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway
The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway was a railway in Scotland that provided train services between Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Ayr. For a short period, it also provided West Coast services between Glasgow and London. Opened in stages between 1839 and 1848, the line ran from Paisley in the...
. Horse haulage was retained until 1866.
On 1 January 1866 passenger services were suspended and the line was doubled
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
and regauged
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
, by the Glasgow and South Western Railway
Glasgow and South Western Railway
The Glasgow and South Western Railway , one of the pre-grouping railway companies, served a triangular area of south-west Scotland, between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle...
, to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. It was also connected, as a branch line, to the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway at Arkleston Junction
Arkleston Junction
Arkleston Junction is a railway junction east of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The junction is one mile from Paisley Gilmour Street railway station and is heavily used by both passenger and freight traffic.-Post 1967-electrification:...
and it reopened on 1 May 1866 using locomotive haulage.
The route
The original terminus station in Paisley was Hamilton StreetPaisley Hamilton Street railway station
Paisley railway station was an early railway station in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. It was built in 1837 by the Paisley and Renfrew Railway; and, together with the station at Renfrew Wharf, was one of two terminal stations on the line...
, but for passengers it was replaced by Abercorn
Paisley Abercorn railway station
Paisley Abercorn railway station was a railway station in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The station was built by the Glasgow and South Western railway when the former Scotch gauge Paisley and Renfrew Railway was converted to Standard Gauge and was joined to the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway...
station when the line was regauged and became a branch line. The line then ran through three stations, to its terminus at Renfrew Wharf. A freight branch led off to the Cart Harbour in Paisley.
Freight branches were also built at Renfrew Wharf to serve the two shipbuilders William Simons & Company Ltd and Lobnitz & Company Ltd based on the River Clyde, at Renfrew. They later merged to become Simons-Lobnitz Ltd; and the ship yards closed in the early 1960s.
Closure
The line was closed to passengers on the 5 June 1967, as part of the Beeching AxeBeeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, and was closed to freight traffic in 1981, but the line was not lifted until 1986.
Much of the route of the line is now occupied by a cyclepath, or by a private road used by the Doosan Babcock (formerly the Babcock and Wilcox
Babcock and Wilcox
The Babcock & Wilcox Company is a U.S.-based company that provides design, engineering, manufacturing, construction and facilities management services to nuclear, renewable, fossil power, industrial and government customers worldwide. B&W's boilers supply more than 300,000 megawatts of installed...
) site in Renfrew. A DIY superstore operated by Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
was built on the site of the former Paisley Abercorn railway station
Paisley Abercorn railway station
Paisley Abercorn railway station was a railway station in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The station was built by the Glasgow and South Western railway when the former Scotch gauge Paisley and Renfrew Railway was converted to Standard Gauge and was joined to the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway...
goods yard in the late 1970s. In the 1980s the store was sold to become a DIY superstore - "Great Mills".