Early proposals The
Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) fully opened its main line between Glasgow and Carlisle via Dumfries in 1850, revolutionising transport facilities at the places served. Communities that were by-passed began to feel disadvantages of not having a railway connection. As early as 1865 a branch railway to
Moniaive was proposed: the G&SWR paid two-thirds of the cost of a survey. In 1867 a determined effort was made to start construction. The cost of a line connecting Moniaive to the G&SWR was estimated at £66,000, but local promoters only got commitment to £20,150 in subscriptions. They approached the G&SWR with a request to subscribe the difference, but the G&SWR took the view that any advantages would come to the inhabitants themselves, and it was for them to put up the money. The scheme came to nothing. A further scheme was proposed in 1872, the '
from Auldgirth to Moniaive; this scheme obtained an act of Parliament authorising it, the ' (
35 & 36 Vict. c. clxxvi), but was unable to raise the needed capital. Another unsuccessful proposal followed in 1879. In 1896 two proposed lines were put forward; they planned different routes. One would strike east following the valley of the Shinnel Water to connect with the G&SWR main line at Thornhill; this was the shortest path to the main line, but would involve challenging gradients. The second proposed to descend south-south-east with the Cairn Water and the Cluden Water to join the G&SWR a short distance north of Dumfries, near Holywood. While also having significant gradients this route would be more moderate, and involved easier civil engineering, and had the advantage of reaching close to the County Burgh.
A viable scheme This time the G&SWR was persuaded of the advantage of having the railway constructed, and it adopted the Holywood scheme. The
Glasgow and South Western Railway Act 1897 (
60 & 61 Vict. c. clxxii) of 6 August 1897 authorised the construction (along with several other G&SWR proposals): the line was named the
Cairn Valley Railway, and its estimated cost was £165,840. The
Light Railways Act 1896 (
59 & 60 Vict. c. 48) had been enacted in order to permit the construction of local railways with some of the requirements for main line routes somewhat relaxed, to allow cheaper construction, and the G&SWR belatedly considered that the Cairn Valley line was well suited to the arrangement. Some changes to the route were suggested by them at this stage, but they were advised that the act authorising the line could not be varied without a further act of Parliament. Inaction followed until the board resolved to apply for a
light railway order (LRO) for the originally determined route, on 4 October 1898; the budget was reduced to £123,857. The official process of approving the LRO was not swift, and it was finally ratified on 29 December 1899. If the authorisation process had been slow, the construction was little better, and the permitted construction period expired on 6 August 1902; a provisional parliamentary order authorised an extension for two years, and this had to be repeated for a further extension on 1 August 1904. The contractor successfully claimed compensation for unforeseen difficult ground conditions and was awarded £40,000 (over a contract price of £100,000) at arbitration. These units were not mechanically successful, and after an unsuccessful experiment in which the steam engine of the railmotor was decoupled, operating as an ordinary steam engine, the railmotor operation was discontinued, from 1909, and conventional locomotive operation instituted. An 0-4-4T no 269 became the mainstay on the line.
Disappointing custom The passenger carryings on the line did not live up to early expectation, and in fact declined from 4,800 journeys in 1906 to 3,600 in 1913, 2,500 in 1918 and dropping to 1,000 in 1923. There was little goods traffic on the rural line. In 1921 the passenger operation was losing £1,600 annually, and from that time local bus operators started operating bus services which were more convenient, further worsening custom on the railway.
Closure During the Second World War the need for economy was extreme and continuation of the passenger service was considered to be unviable; the last passenger train ran on 1 May 1943, with closure being reckoned from 3 May 1943. The sparse goods service continued, but it too was closed, on 4 July 1949. The following winter saw long stretches of the formation washed away during winter storms, and any realistic hope of reinstatement was done away with. ==Accident, 1911==