RailwaysinCumbria
Asnapshotfromthefiftiesandsixties
RailwaysinCumbria
CompiledbyDavidSpaven
9.StrictlyspeakingthisdelightfulsceneisnotinCumbria,butthetrainisenroutetothecounty,atAlston!Veteranex-NorthEasternRailwayClassG5No.67241 tacklesthegradientoutofLambleystationinanundatedshotpriortothisloco's1955withdrawalfromservice,afteraworkinglifeofalmost61years.Lambley station(openedin1852)wasinamagnificentsettingwithafineviewofthesandstoneviaducttakingtherailwayacrosstheSouthTyneRiver.Thestation buildingandtheviaductsurvivetothisday,andtheSouthTynedaleRailwayhopestoextendthelinefromitscurrentterminusatSlaggyfordthroughLambleyto aHaltwhistleinterchangewiththeNewcastle-Carlislerailway. NevilleSteadCollection
24.CarlisleUpperbybasedex-MidlandRailwayClass2P4-4-0No.40356gentlysimmersintheeveningsunshineatPenrithengineshed,sometimebetween Upperbybeingcoded12Ainmid-1950andthetransferofthelocotoDerbyinearly1957.ThislocowasbuilttoaJohnsondesignof1883buthavingbeen rebuilttwicebytheMRthereislittleoftheoriginal(exceptforthetender)tobeseenhere.Surprisingly,thehandfulof2P4-4-0satUpperby,including40356, couldstillbefoundonWCMLdutieswellintothe1950s,typicallypilotingoverloadedorailingclass6locomotives(‘Jubilees’and‘Clans’)overShap,andit ispossiblethatthelocoisonstandbydutyatPenrithratherthanhavingbroughtinalocaltrainfromCarlisle. NevilleSteadCollection
27.‘Black5’No.44802driftsdownthe1in178gradientthroughOxenholmewitha southboundfreighttrainon14thMarch1964.BuiltbytheLMSatDerbyWorksin1944, 44802wasoneofthelastBRsteamlocosinservice,beingwithdrawnatBoltonshed in1968andsubsequentlyscrapped.Muchhaschangedatthisscenetoday-goneare theplatformawning,watercolumn,semaphoresignals(includingtheshort-armed startersignals),telegraphpolesandthecrossoverfromtheWCMLtotheWindermere branch,whileoverheadwiresframethedoubletrackofthemainlineandtheDown platformhasbeenextendednorthwards.ButOxenholmeremainsanimportant railhead,aswellasthejunctionforthelastremainingbranchinCumbria,andthe WCMLisoneofBritain'skeyarteriesforfreighttraffic. LarryFullwood
33.NotinCumbria,butcontrollingasliverofitsterritory:theCaledonianRailway'sGretnaJunctionsignalboxcontrolledtheWCMLandtheGlasgow&South WesternRailway'smainlinewheretheyconvergedjustafewyardsinsideScotland.Theboxseenhere(westofthemainline)cameintoserviceaslateas 1915,takingoverfromboththeformerjunctionboxnearbyandtheformerGretnaBorderUnionJunctionboxtothesouth,wheretheNBchordtoLongtown ontheWaverleyRoutediverged.TheNBlineclosedtopassengersasearlyas1915,andGretnaboxitselfclosedin1973,withitsfunctionstakenoverby CarlislePowerBox.The1915structurewasaclassicCaledoniandesignwithbigoverhangingeavessupportedbycurvedbrackets,andtallslenderwindows. NorrisForrest
44.Ex-LNERClassK4No.3442TheGreatMarquesshaulsarailtourreturningfromRavenglasstoLeedspastCarnforthEastboxon10thSeptember1966. Introducedin1938forworkontheWestHighlandLine,itbeganitslongcareerinpreservation-workingonheritagerailwaysandthemainline-asearlyas 1961.Aftertheexpiryofitsboilercertificate,TheGreatMarquesswasdisplayedintheMuseumofScottishRailwaysatBo'ness,andwilleventuallymoveto amuseuminFife,alongwithJohnCameron'sotherengine,UnionofSouthAfrica.Thechordoverwhichthetrainistravellinghereisnolongerinuse,while thesurvivingdouble-trackoftheCarnforth-SettleJunctionline(foreground)isnowcontrolledbyCarnforthStationJunctionbox. W.A.C.Smith
easttoFrizington,RowrahandMarronJunctionontheWorkington-Keswickline;north-westtoMirehouseJunction(Corkickle)andsouthtoEgremontand Sellafield(thisthroughroutebeingthe1946-47revival).Interestingly,however,bothMoorRowandEgremontwereintheBeechingReport'slistofstations forclosure-beingservedbyworkmen'strainstoSellafield,whichweredulywithdrawnin1965.52499–liketherestoftheclass–wasfittedwithvacuum brakesandsteamheatingwhichpermittedittobeusedonrailtours. NevilleSteadCollection
66.BythetimethattheSLS/MLS'WestCumberlandRailTour'visitedMoorRow,hauledbyre-boilered0-6-0No.52501,on5thSeptember1954,three decadeshadelapsed(apartfromabriefrevivalin1946-47)sincethestationlastsawregularpublicpassengerservices:northtoSiddickJunction;north-
71.AclassicruralrailwaysceneatKirkandrewsinthesummerof1953.Thefirsttrainscalledherein1854,aspartoftheCarlisle-PortCarlisleoperation,but from1856theCarlisle&SillothBayRailway&DockCompany'snewrailwaytoSillothprovidedthetrainservice.Alargeseedwarehousecanbeseenbythe platform,andanothernoteworthysightisthesharptrackcurvature(withcheckrail),reflectingtherailway'suseoftheformerCarlisleCanalcut,leadingtoa permanentspeedrestrictionof25mph.Evidently,incommonwithotherstationsontheline,ithaditsnamepickedoutinseashellsonaraisedarea oppositethestationbuilding,thelattersurvivingtoday-albeitmuchmodified-asaprivateresidence. NevilleSteadCollection
Inthe1950sand60sCumbriaofferedamicrocosmofwhatBritain’srailwaysdid,shapedastheregionwasby adistinctivegeographyandthemajoreconomicforcesofmasstourismandconcentratedindustrial development. Inthisalbum,photosfromthesubstantialTransportTreasuryarchiveillustratethecharacterofmanyofthe lineswhichserved(andthosewhichstillserve)theLakeCounties.Aswellascoveringallthekeyrailroutes ofthatera,wehavesoughttoprovidesomeunusualimagesfromlocationswhichhaveoftenbeenbypassed inthe(literalandmetaphorical)rushalongtheWestCoastMainLineoverShap.Butthelatterhasnotbeen neglectedeither.Andweshowcasethesheervarietyofrailwayequipmentandinfrastructureinacompactbut scenicallydiversegeographicalarea. AlthoughmostoftheCumbrianrailnetworksurvivedtheBeechingAxe,muchhaschangedintherailway scene,andthealbumthereforeallowsustoindulgeinnostalgiaforpasttimesonroutesbothlostandretained. ISBN978-1-913893-20-0