Hincaster branch line | |
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Overview | |
Locale | Cumbria, England |
History | |
Opened | 1876 |
Closed | 1966 |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Hincaster branch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Hincaster branch was a single-track railway branch line of the Furness Railway which ran from Arnside on the Furness main line to a junction with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway (later the London and North Western Railway) at Hincaster. [1] Intermediate stations were provided at Sandside and Heversham, with the main engineering work being a substantial 26-arch viaduct over the River Bela near Sandside. [2]
It was built primarily for use by mineral trains carrying coke and iron ore from County Durham to various ironworks in and around Barrow-in-Furness which had previously had to travel (and reverse) via the busy junction at Carnforth. [3] The branch was opened in 1876 and also carried a passenger service between Grange-over-Sands and Kendal known locally as the Kendal Tommy. [4]
The passenger service ended on 4 May 1942 and the track between Sandside and Hincaster Junction was lifted in 1966 (through traffic having ceased three years earlier). A short stub from Arnside to Sandside lasted until 1972 to serve local quarries.
Sections of the old trackbed survive and are used as a footpath and cycleway, though the viaduct and both intermediate stations have been demolished.
The Furness Railway (Furness) was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England.
Arnside is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, historically part of Westmorland, near the border with Lancashire, England. The Lake District National Park is located a few miles North. Travelling by road, Arnside is 22 miles (35 km) to the south of Kendal, 25.3 miles (40.7 km) to the east of Ulverston, 35.2 miles (56.6 km) to the east of Barrow-in-Furness, 15.7 miles (25.3 km) to the west of Lancaster and 14.3 miles (23.0 km) to the east of Grange-over-Sands. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,301, increasing at the 2011 census to 2,334.
The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was a main line railway opened between those cities in 1846. With its Scottish counterpart, the Caledonian Railway, the Company launched the first continuous railway connection between the English railway network and the emerging network in central Scotland. The selection of its route was controversial, and strong arguments were put forward in favour of alternatives, in some cases avoiding the steep gradients, or connecting more population centres. Generating financial support for such a long railway was a challenge, and induced the engineer Joseph Locke to make a last-minute change to the route: in the interests of economy and speed of construction, he eliminated a summit tunnel at the expense of steeper gradients.
Arnside is a railway station on the Furness Line, which runs between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster. The station, situated 12+1⁄4 miles (20 km) north-west of Lancaster, serves the village of Arnside in Cumbria. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
The Furness and Midland Joint Railway was a joint railway in England owned by the Furness Railway and the Midland Railway. Construction was agreed in 1862 for a line from Carnforth, on the Furness system, to Wennington, on the Midland Railway line from Yorkshire to Morecambe. Royal assent was received in June 1863 and the contract for the route was let to Benton & Woodiwiss soon after at a cost of some £102,850.
Hincaster is a small hamlet and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, located between Kendal and Milnthorpe. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 195, increasing at the 2011 census to 209.
The River Bela is a short river in the county of Cumbria, England. It is in the ancient county of Westmorland.
Workington Central railway station was opened by the Cleator and Workington Junction Railway (C&WJR) in 1879 to serve the town of Workington in Cumberland, England. It was situated almost half a mile nearer the town centre than its rival Workington station.
Sandside was a railway station situated on the Hincaster Branch of the Furness Railway serving the hamlet and quarries of Sandside. The following station was Heversham, which was the last on the branch before the line joined what is now known as the West Coast Main Line at Hincaster Junction, south of Oxenholme.
High Harrington railway station was opened by the Cleator and Workington Junction Railway (C&WJR) in 1879. It was situated half a mile south of Harrington Junction on the company's main line. and served what was then the eastern extremity of Harrington in Cumbria, England. The station is not to be confused with the current Harrington station a kilometre away on the coastal line.
Great Broughton railway station briefly served the village of Great Broughton, near Cockermouth in Cumberland, England.
Rowrah railway station was built by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway. It served the village of Rowrah, Cumbria, England.
Sandside is a hamlet near Storth in Beetham parish, South Lakeland, Cumbria, England. Historically in Westmorland, it lies on the south shore of the estuary of the River Kent, between Arnside and Milnthorpe. There is one pub, The Ship, which is believed to date from 1671, one restaurant, The Kingfisher, under current ownership since 1999, and several commercial businesses.
Ullock railway station was built by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway. It served the village of Ullock, Cumbria, England.
Lamplugh railway station was built by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway. It served the scattered community of Lamplugh, Cumbria, England.
Beckermet Mines railway station was situated at Pit No.1 of the mine of the same name. It was used by workmen's trains which travelled along a branch which curved eastwards off the Moor Row to Sellafield line, primarily to handle the iron ore lifted at the site.
Keekle Colliers' Platform railway station was opened by the Cleator and Workington Junction Railway (C&WJR) in July 1910, closed the following January, reopened in June 1913 then closed for good on 1 October 1923. The halt was provided to enable residents of the isolated Keekle Terrace, less than 100 yds from the track, to get to and from work at the equally isolated Walkmill Colliery and coke ovens in Cumbria, England. The Platform is not shown by Jowett.
Linefoot railway station, sometimes referred to as Linefoot Junction and sometimes as Linefoot Goods, briefly served the scattered community around the crossroads at Linefoot, near Cockermouth in Cumberland, England.
Oatlands railway station served the village of Pica and Oatlands Colliery in the former English county of Cumberland, now part of Cumbria.
Heversham railway station served the village of Heversham, near Carnforth, with trains to Kendal and Grange over Sands along the Hincaster branch line.