Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 2, 2009

The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway (GPK&AR) 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 north to Cumnock and Ayr in the south. The section between Paisley and Glasgow was jointly owned by the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway. The GPK&AR merged with the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway to form the Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) in 1850, which was in turn incorporated into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923, and later nationalised to become part of British Railways in 1948. Since nationalisation the line has suffered numerous cutbacks and closures, mostly due to the Beeching Axe. As a result over half of the stations on the line are now closed. Most of the line and remaining stations are still in use as part of the Ayrshire Coast Line and Glasgow South Western Line.