some of the requirements for main line routes somewhat relaxed, to allow cheaper construction, and the G&SWR belatedly considered that the Cairn Valley line was well suited to the arrangement. Some changes to the route were suggested by them at this stage, but they were advised that the Act authorising the line could not be varied without a further Act of Parliament. Inaction followed until the Board resolved to apply for a Light Railway Order (LRO) for the originally determined route, on 4 October 1898; the budget was reduced to £123,857. The official process of approving the LRO was not swift, and it was finally ratified on 29 December 1899. If the authorisation process had been slow, the construction was little better, and the permitted construction period expired on 6 August 1902; a Provisional Parliamentary Order authorised an extension for two years, and this had to be repeated for a further extension on 1 August 1904. The contractor successfully claimed compensation for unforeseen difficult ground conditions and was awarded £40,000 (over a contract price of £100,000) at arbitration. Opening at last The Directors planned an official opening of the line for 31 December 1904, but this proved impossible as the Board of Trade Inspecting Officer was unable to schedule his visit to approve the opening; a celebratory dinner took place nonetheless. In fact the ceremonial opening took place on 28 February 1905 and the full public opening of the line followed the next day, 1 March 1905. There were three passenger trains each way daily, four on Wednesdays an Saturdays, and none on the Sabbath. At this time the main line railways were introducing railmotors, light vehicles in which a small steam engine is closely coupled to a passenger coach with through driving controls, as an economic means of operating lightly used lines. The G&SWR decided to operate the Cairn Valley line with such a vehicle, and one was built at Kilmarnock Works for the purpose. Two more followed from November 1905. Railmotor no. 3 is shown at Dumfries in a photograph following page 56 of Smith's Tales. These units were not mechanically successful, and after an unsuccessful experiment in which the steam engine of the railmotor was decoupled, operating as an ordinary steam engine, the railmotor operation was discontinued, from 1909, and conventional locomotive operation instituted. An 0-4-4T no 269 became the mainstay on the line. Disappointing custom The