Construction Kilmarnock and Troon Railway

design route, 1807

jessop s estimate construction of line £38,167 10s 0d. exception of laigh milton viaduct @ gatehead, , soft ground @ shewalton moss, engineering works on line light.

the line engineered plateway @ time when other scottish lines using edge rail .

the choice of older technology may due employment of william jessop engineer. had built surrey iron railway, plateway. wrought iron rails l-shaped, , upstand guided wagons; wagon wheels did not have flanges, enabled them moved around terminal areas there hard standing, , and locations further railway. plates 3 feet long, four-inch width , three-inch upstand (920 mm long 100 mm 76 mm). highet says, these plates or rails joined square joint , nailed foundation stones through small square holes formed half-way in each end of rail. plates carried on sleeper blocks; nails refers pins fastened timber plugs in holes drilled in stone blocks. gauge of line (i.e. dimension on upstands) 4 ft (1,219 mm). route 9 miles 6 furlongs (15.7 km) in length.

carter describes line laid wooden plateway, ... wooden rails replaced iron ones in 1815 , seems diverge other accounts.

in january 1812, scots magazine described line, not quite finished; double track frequent crossovers:

the road double, or 2 distinct roads of 4 feet in width each, , laid 4 feet distance each other, frequent communications 1 road other, not admit of carriages going both ways, allow 1 carriage pass when both travelling in 1 direction.

it have gentle gradient of 1 in 660 (0.15%) falling towards troon:

the total rise of ground, troon harbour kilmarnock, 80 or 84 feet, equally divided on whole course of road, form inclined plane, having declivity of 8 feet, every mile.

the track described in more detail:

the iron rails 3 feet in length, , 40 lbs in weight each. horizontal base, on carriage wheels run, 4 inches in breadth, , ledge or parapet, rising perpendicular in inner side of rail, 4 inches in height, raised in centre, , declining @ both ends of each rail, add strength. [the rails] not laid on sleepers of wood; on solid blocks of stone, 9 12 inches in thickness, , more foot square (in base , surface). ground, on these blocks laid, beat solid, , stones beat down, after being laid, give them solidity possible. iron rails bedded level on blocks, , hole inch , quarter diameter, in centre of each, 6 inches deep, filled plug of oak; , square niche being formed in centre, @ both ends of each of rails, half inch above, , narrower below, , when ends of 2 of these rails put together, niches in each of 2 rails, form 1 hole inch in length, , more half inch in breadth, contracting little below; , these being placed on plug of wood, in centre of block of stone, nail fixed it, head of fills holes in ends of 2 rails, , holes , heads of nails, being broader above below, keep rails solid , firm on beds. space of 4 feet between rails filled road metal horse, near top of ledges of rails, , outside sole of rails.

the majority of rails constructing line made glenbuck iron company; 1813 had been paid £13,345 72,000 rails; third of entire engineering cost of building line.