Know your News - 1974

The railway to Wemyss Bay opened 150 years ago in May 1865, in order to provide a quicker journey to Glasgow from Bute and other places on the Clyde and Loch Fyne.

Four trains ran between Glasgow and Wemyss Bay each day, except Sundays. A return trip from Wemyss Bay to Glasgow cost 2s 9d third class, which is equivalent to about �6 today. Steamers sailed from Wemyss Bay as far as Ardrishaig and Arran. It was also possible to take a steamer from Wemyss Bay to Largs, which did not have its own railway until 1885.

The railway and pier were built by the Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway Company, but were operated by the Caledonian Railway, which owned the line from Paisley to Greenock. The railway is quite steeply-graded and includes two large viaducts, over the Daff Burn and Kip Water, and a tunnel at Inverkip.

The original station at Wemyss Bay had one platform inside a stone building. Photographs suggest that it was a rather gloomy place. The pier was entirely open, giving no shelter for passengers awaiting the steamer. However, when the line opened, Wemyss Bay was the only place on the Firth where the railway station was adjacent to the steamer pier. A small goods shed was located between the railway and the shore, where the railway crossed the coast road. A siding ran down onto the pier, mainly for delivering coal to the steamers. The engine shed was north of the Wemyss Bay Hotel. Other stations on the line were Inverkip, Ravenscraig (which closed in 1944) and Upper Greenock.

Even before the line was opened there were suggestions that it should be continued to Largs. This never happened, because of the cost and difficulty of doing so. There was no space for a railway along the shore through Skelmorlie and the line would have had to run on higher ground Wemyss Bay station became inadequate for the number of passengers transferring from train to ship, so it was entirely rebuilt and the pier was extended. The present splendid buildings were completed in 1903. There was now ample space for passengers to queue for the steamers under cover, but the traffic was very seasonal. There were huge crowds during the summer, when people flocked to Rothesay, but far fewer passengers in the winter. The station tea room closed during the winter from 1906, because of lack of custom, though it is open throughout the year now! The station became famed for the floral displays on its spacious concourse, a tradition revived by the Friends of Wemyss Bay Station.

Other improvements were carried out at the same time as the rebuilding at Wemyss Bay station. The railway had been built with a single track, but a second was added from Port Glasgow to Upper Greenock and from Dunrod to Wemyss Bay. This required Inverkip and Upper Greenock stations to be rebuilt and a second tunnel was bored at Inverkip.

Many railway staff worked at Wemyss Bay in steam days; porters, booking clerks, cleaners, ticket collectors and signalmen, plus the drivers and firemen at the engine shed. In charge of all these was the Station Master, who was a figure of some importance in the community.

Not many people lived at Wemyss Bay and Skelmorlie when the line opened. The railway encouraged development in the area, requiring more goods of all kinds to come by train.

These were delivered from the station by horse and cart, with sturdy Clydesdales to cope with the hills. Most goods to and from the islands went by ‘puffer’ from Glasgow, but livestock, fish and other perishables were carried by steamer and train. For many years, fishing boats landed their catches at the pier. One of the strangest trains ever from Wemyss Bay ran in 1958, conveying an entire farm to Cornwall. All of the farm machinery, 76 cows and nine calves required 19 wagons, together with a carriage for the farmer and his family.

The line to Wemyss Bay was among the last in Scotland to be worked by steam trains, but after a short diesel interlude, electric trains took over in 1967. In connection with electrification the line reverted to single track, with a passing loop at Dunrod, and all the signalling was replaced. The electric trains ran hourly, instead of the previous rather irregular service.

An unusual feature of the line is that all of the current stations between Port Glasgow and Inverkip have opened within the last fifty years. Branchton replaced Upper Greenock when the railway was electrified. The halt at IBM opened in 1978, though it was only to be used by IBM staff and it did not appear in public timetables until 1986. Whinhill station opened in 1990 and Drumfrochar in 1998.

There is no longer any goods traffic and there are tracks in only two of the four platforms at Wemyss Bay, but the modern electric trains provide an efficient way of getting to Paisley and Glasgow. Most journeys take about 50 minutes, with seven intermediate stops. Approximately fortnightly during the summer the station is visited by the Royal Scotsman luxury train, which brings tourists en route to Mount Stuart.

Wemyss Bay station is listed Grade A and is among the finest in Scotland. It was renovated in 1993/94. In 2009 the Friends of Wemyss Bay Station was established, a group of volunteers formed to support the station. The Friends operate a second hand bookshop and a gallery in the former first class waiting rooms. As part of ScotRail’s Adopt a Station scheme, they also care for containers of plants, a continuation of a long-standing tradition at Wemyss Bay.

Further extensive refurbishment is currently under way. Network Rail is repairing and repainting the platform canopies and concourse roof. Caledonian Maritime Assets is renovating the walkway on the pier. These projects restore the station and pier to their Caledonian Railway colour scheme – so for the first time in over twenty years both will be painted to match. The station will continue to be a source of pride and pleasure to the community.

Classic postcard picture of the floral arrangements at the station