Greenock
The coast of Greenock formed a broad bay with three smaller indentations: the Bay of Quick was known as a safe anchorage as far back as 1164. To its east, a sandy bay ran eastwards from the Old Kirk and the West Burn as far as Wester Greenock castle. The fishing village of Greenock developed along this bay, and around 1635 Sir John Schaw had a jetty built into the bay which became known as Sir John's Bay. In that year he obtained a Charter raising Greenock to a Burgh of Barony with rights to a weekly market. Further east, Saint Laurence Bay curved round past the Crawfurd Barony of Easter Greenock to Garvel (or Gravel) Point. When a pier (or dyke) was built making the bay an important harbour, the fishing village of Cartsburn gained the alternative name of Crawfurdsdyke. In 1642 it was made into the Burgh of Barony of Crawfurdsdyke, and part of the ill-fated Darien Scheme set out from this pier in 1697. This town was later renamed Cartsdyke.
Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway
The year 1865 saw a more ominous development, when the Greenock and Ayrshire Railway (G&AR) was authorised. It was to join with the Glasgow and South Western Railway and would form a directly competing line for Glasgow to Greenock traffic. The Greenock and Ayrshire line opened to passenger traffic on 23 December 1869, after several weeks running goods trains only. Its Greenock terminus was at Albert Harbour, and the trains ran directly to the berths. Immediately aggressive price competition started, resulting in impossibly cheap fares. The G&AR had an advantage in throughout journey times to Firth of Clyde destinations, and abstracted a large share of the business from the Caledonian. At that time both the Caledonian trains and the G&SWR trains were using Bridge Street station in Glasgow; that station became very congested.