Brian Whittle MSP wants to see more being made of Ayrshire’s great industrial heritage after a visit to the Scottish Industrial Railway Centre.
The South Scotland MSP visited the museum at Dunaskin, between Patna and Dalmellington, and heard about its history as a hub of heavy industry. The site began life as an iron foundry before being transformed into a brickworks in the early 1920s. For many years, the railway line running along the site also played an important role in Ayrshire’s coal mining industry. The abundant supplies of coal meant that steam trains continued to run on the rails long after diesel locomotives became the norm.
Now the Ayrshire Rail Preservation Group operate the Industrial Railway centre from part of the site, preserving a small part of Ayrshire’s industrial history. The dedicated team, made up entirely of volunteers, work to restore old locomotives and carriages, including several built by Andrew Barclay & Sons in Kilmarnock. Visitors to the centre can learn more about the history of Dunaskin in the onsite museum and even have a steam powered trip along part of the railway line.
During his visit, the MSP was given a tour of the Centre and had the chance to ride in the cab of one of their locomotives while hearing more about the history of the site. Dunaskin is home to what’s believed to be the last steam locomotive shed built in the country. The shed houses examples of a number of steam and diesel powered locomotives that were the workhorses for famous Ayrshire businesses including Johnnie Walker and the explosives works at Ardeer.
The Centre is only open to visitors on a limited number of days during the year. More information can be found on their website – www.scottishindustrialrailwaycentre.org.uk or Facebook page.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“Ayrshire’s industrial history is something I think we should be making more of. It was wonderful to see this small part of it being brought back to life and learning some of Dunaskin’s fascinating history. It was great to be able to sit down with some of the volunteers and hear about their ambitions for the centre.
While the area might not be home to much mining or heavy industry now, I want it to leave behind a legacy of something more than just crumbling buildings and rusting iron hulks. Ayrshire has a great history of engineering and industry and it’s something we should do much more to celebrate and promote to tourists.
I’m grateful to the Ayrshire Rail Preservation Group for letting me visit and I look forward to supporting them in their efforts to bring this wonderful piece of Ayrshire’s history back to life.”
Archie Thom, ARPG Chairman, said:
“It was a great pleasure to welcome Brian Whittle MSP to the Scottish Industrial Railway Centre. He showed genuine interest in everything that we are doing, and also indicated great willingness to assist us in any way open to him to achieve our aims. We look forward to seeing him back again in the near future.”
