In the middle of the nineteenth century the counties of
Galloway,
Wigtownshire and
Kirkcudbrightshire (now all part of the administrative region of Dumfries and Galloway) were devoted to agriculture but lacked efficient land communications links with the rest of the United Kingdom. Mail from the northern part of England and Scotland to Ireland passed this way through the ports of
Portpatrick and
Donaghadee, but the poor roads made the passage difficult. The
Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway (GD&CR) was authorised in 1846, and the authorisation appears to have included a branch from Dumfries to
Kirkcudbright, but the shortage of money at that time led to abandonment of the plans for the branch. The line opened on 7 November 1859 and was immediately commercially successful; the preference share dividend was paid in full, and sufficient surplus enabled a 1% dividend to be paid on ordinary shares in the first full year. The line was operated from the outset by the G&SWR. but trains continued to pass the station until the line was substantially closed, under the
Beeching Axe, on 14 June 1965. The section between Maxwelltown and Dumfries remained open to serve an oil depot, but this section of line was subsequently closed and lifted and is a cycleway/footpath. The
Glasgow South Western Line now takes the longer line via
Kilmarnock railway station and
Ayr railway station to reach
Stranraer railway station, linking to ferries to
Larne Harbour and the
Port of Belfast. with a railtour to Maxwelltown under
British Rail. {{rail line ==References==