Lost Railways of West Cumbria

Lost Railways of West Cumbria. . West Cumbria was blessed with substantial deposits of coal, limestone and iron ore - all essential raw materials for the production of iron and steel. The availability of these materials led to the development of the iron and steel industry in West Cumbria in the 1850s and 1860s. The poor condition of the local road network and the tonnages involved meant that the only practical way to haul these materials to the ironworks was by rail. Consequently, an extensive network of railways was built and operated by several companies. The principal traffic carried by these railway companies was freight with passenger traffic very much a secondary consideration, at least in those early days., Cockermouth and Workington Railway , This line running along the Derwent Valley opened on 28th Apr 1847. This little railway was taken over by the Euston-based London and North Western Railway in 1865. The original station in Cockermouth is now the site of the 'Lakes Homestore'., Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway , This line was opened in 1864 to carry coke suitable for iron-making from the North East to West Cumbria., Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway , Opened in 1857 this line ran from a junction with the Cumbrian Coast line at Mirehouse (Whitehaven) to Frizington via Moor Row opening up the iron ore field around Cleator for exploitation, the ore being particularly suitable for the Bessemer process used at Workington., The line was extended from Frizington to Wright Green (Lamplugh) in 1862 to reach further deposits of iron ore and limestone. In 1866 a further extension via Ullock, Branthwaite and Bridgefoot was made to a junction with the Cockermouth and Workington Line at Marron Junction., Cleator and Workington Junction Railway , Increased haulage charges by the Whitehaven Cleator and Egremont Railway caused much annoyance to the owners of the local ironworks who decided to build their own line connecting the Cleator iron ore field with the ironworks at Harington, Workington and Maryport. Opened in 1879 this 'Track of the Ironmasters' ran from Cleator via Workington Central to Siddick, where it formed a junction with the London and North Western Railway., Other branches were built including Distington to Rowrah in 1882 and in 1887, Calva Junction to Linefoot where there was a junction with the Maryport and Carlisle Railways line from Bullgill to Brigham., Loss of Passenger Services , Sweeping changes made in 1931 resulted in the withdrawal of most passenger services and the closure of many stations. The Cumbrian Coast line from Barrow to Carlisle via Workington survived. Sadly the Workington to Keswick line closed in 1966 and the Keswick to Penrith line in 1972., The line from Whitehaven to Barrow narrowly escaped the closure proposed by Dr Beeching probably due to Sellafield's freight traffic., The only other line (but with no passenger service) which remained open after the Beeching cuts of the 1960s ran from Siddick to Broughton Moor via Calva Junction to serve the Royal Naval Armaments Depot (the 'Dump'). This branch line remained open until 4th June 1992., Map and photos courtesy of the Cumbrian Railways Association, a Registered Charity formed in 1976 to foster an interest in both historical and current aspects of the railways in Cumbria. Membership is open to all and further details can be found on their website: www.cumbrianrailways.org.uk