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Bridgefoot railway station

Coordinates: 54°39′01″N 3°27′44″W / 54.6503°N 3.4623°W / 54.6503; -3.4623
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Bridgefoot
Site of station in 1961
General information
LocationBridgefoot, Allerdale
England
Coordinates54°39′01″N 3°27′44″W / 54.6503°N 3.4623°W / 54.6503; -3.4623
Grid referenceNY057293
Platforms2[1]
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyWhitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway
Pre-groupingLNWR & FR Joint Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
2 April 1866[2]Opened
13 April 1931Closed[3]
A 1904 Railway Clearing House Junction Diagram showing (right) railways in the vicinity of the station site

Bridgefoot railway station was built by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway. It served the village of Bridgefoot, Cumbria, England.[4][5]

History

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The station opened on 2 April 1866. The owning company was taken over by the LNWR and Furness Railway in 1879 as a Joint Line, whereafter the northern section through Bridgefoot was usually worked by the LNWR.[6]

Passenger traffic consisted of three trains a day in each direction, with an extra on Whitehaven market day and none on Sundays.[7] From opening, northbound passenger trains terminated at Marron Junction station where passengers changed for destinations beyond. In 1897 Marron Junction station closed, with trains running west through to Workington Main thereafter, a much better arrangement for most passengers. Passengers who would otherwise have changed at Marron Junction to head east to Brigham or beyond simply changed at the first stop after Marron Junction - Camerton.

Goods traffic typically consisted of a two daily turns Up and Down.

Mineral traffic was the dominant flow, typically six loaded and six empty through to Workington, though this was subject to considerable fluctuation with trade cycles. Stations and signalling along the line north of Rowrah were changed during the Joint regime to conform to LNWR standards.[8][9]

The station closed on 13 April 1931 when normal passenger traffic ended along the line. Goods trains continued to pass through the station until 1954.[10] An enthusiasts' special ran through on 5 September 1954. After scant occasional use the line was abandoned in 1960 and subsequently lifted.

Afterlife

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In 2013 the course of the line through the village was clear to see and the trackbed to the south had been made into a public footpath.


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Marron Junction
Line and station closed
  Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway   Branthwaite
Line and station closed

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Suggitt 2008, p. 58.
  2. ^ Robinson 2002, p. 28.
  3. ^ Butt 1995, p. 43.
  4. ^ Smith & Turner 2012, Map 26.
  5. ^ Jowett 1989, Map 36.
  6. ^ McGowan Gradon 2004, p. 12.
  7. ^ Bradshaw 1985, p. 510.
  8. ^ "W McGowan Gradon's 1942 Furness Railway study, via cumberlandarchives.co.uk". Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  9. ^ Atterbury 2009, p. 207.
  10. ^ Marshall 1981, p. 163.

Sources

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Further reading

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