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This article describes the history of three railway companies in Scotland: * the Portpatrick Railway (PPR), which connected Castle Douglas and Portpatrick, opened in 1861 and 1862; the PPR was intended to revive the transit to the north of Ireland through Portpatrick, although Stranraer actually became the dominant port; * the Wigtownshire Railway (WR), which connected Newton Stewart and Whithorn, opened from 1875; * the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railways,〔The final word is in the plural.〕 a jointly owned railway company which took over both the other lines in 1885, and which was itself owned by four other larger railway companies. The railways served sparsely populated areas of south west Scotland; the PPR and the Joint Railway, often known as the ''Port Road'', linked Dumfries, via Castle Douglas, with the port towns of Portpatrick and Stranraer. It also formed part of a route by rail and sea from England and Scotland to the north of Ireland.〔Christopher Awdry, ''Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies'', Patrick Stephens Limited, Wellingborough, 1990, ISBN 1 85260 049 7〕 The line was single track throughout, serving a region of very low population density, but it achieved significance by carrying heavy traffic, both passenger and goods, to and from northern Irish destinations through Portpatrick and Stranraer. The line closed in 1965 apart from the short section from to Challoch Junction, which continues in use as part of the Glasgow - Ayr - Stranraer route.〔Casserley〕 ==History: beginnings== As early as 1620 Portpatrick had been established as the port for the short sea route between south-west Scotland and the north of Ireland, at Donaghadee in County Down. Irish cattle and horses were a dominant traffic early on, and Post Office mails developed later: by 1838 8,000 to 10,000 letters passed through the port daily, brought by road coach from Dumfries, and from Glasgow. A barracks was erected in the town to facilitate troop movements. However the limitations of the little harbour became serious disadvantages as other more efficient rail-connected routes, via Liverpool, and later Holyhead became dominant. Portpatrick's nearest railhead was Ayr, 60 miles (96 km) away, and the Post Office discontinued use of Portpatrick for mails from 30 September 1849; much of the livestock traffic had already moved to other routes.〔Smith, David L, ''The Little Railways of South West Scotland'', David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1969, ISBN 0-7153-4652-0〕〔R R Cunningham, ''Portpatrick Through the Ages'', Wigtown Free Press, Stranraer, 1977〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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