passenger carryings on the line did not live up to early expectation, and in fact declined from 4,800 journeys in 1906 to 3,600 in 1913, 2,500 in 1918 and dropping to 1,000 in 1923. There was little goods traffic on the rural line. In 1921 the passenger operation was losing £1,600 annually, and from that time local bus operators started operating bus services which were more convenient, further worsening custom on the railway. Closure During the Second World War the need for economy was extreme and continuation of the passenger service was considered to be unviable; the last passenger train ran on 1 May 1943, with closure being reckoned from 3 May 1943. The sparse goods service continued, but it too was closed, on 4 July 1949. The following winter saw long stretches of the formation washed away during winter storms, and any realistic hope of reinstatement was done away with. Accident, 1911 There was a serious accident on 6 January 1911 at Irongray; a passenger train and a goods train were to cross at the station; the signalman (also the Station Master) operated the loop entry points prematurely as the goods train approached, and it collided with the other train. Signalling When constructed, the line had a novel signalling system, consisting of a modification of Sykes Lock and Block system for single lines, obviating train staffs, and elevated disc fixed signals. Treadles at stations verified the passage of trains and interlocked signals for conflicting moves; if a train operated the treadle at the entrance to the line to the next block post, it had to proceed, there being no method of cancelling the movement. The system was somewhat complicated, and it was removed in 1936, being then replaced by a conventional key token system between Cairn Valley Junction (on the main line) and Dunscore. The other passing places were abolished, and the line from Dunscore to Moniaive was operated under the One Engine in Steam arrangement, with a train staff. Topography The line was long and there were stations at Irongray, Newtonairds, Stepford, Dunscore, and Kirkland. Irongray, Newtonairds, Dunscore and Moniaive were considered to be "stations" and had passing facilities (until 1936), while Crossford, Kirkland and Stepford were designated "stopping places", and had a simple wooden platform and small shelter for passengers. There was originally planned to have been a station at Drumpark near Newtonairds, but the requirement was