I am going to attempt a real world route, albeit most of the track was lifted in the 1960's.
The Port Road, as it was known, was the mainline and direct route to Stranraer Harbour from Carlisle and Dumfries in the southwest of Scotland.
This was seen as an important artery for connection to Irish Sea ferries to and from Northern Ireland.
After closure (a casualty of the Beeching Report) in 1965, boat trains from Euston were forced to run via Ayrshire, adding considerable time and milage to the journey.
The line was constructed in stages, the first of which, Dumfries to Castle Douglas via Dalbeattie was completed in 1859 - connections to Kircudbridge and Stranraer and Portpatrick followed.
I intend to build the 20 mile Dumfries and Castle Douglas Railway, the only stretch of the Port Road to be double track, as it was just prior to closure in the 1960's.
Click the image to zoom in
For the purposes of the Challenge I will simply do as much as I can in the time.
The route will start in Dumfries and include all of the yards and depot facilities which were in existence in the early 60's.
I may need to reinstate some of the intermediate stations between Dumfries and Dalbeattie which didn't reopen following closure during WWII - so as I meet the criteria for the Challenge.
The large ICI complex on the outskirts of Dumfries will be included. This rail connection was maintained until the 1990's. Recently, this truncated remnant of the Port Road has also been lifted and transformed into a cycleway.
I've not attemped a steam route before and may need a bit of guidance as we go along. However, I do intend to include some fantasy scenarios involving kettle-free operation in the early 70's!!
