Lamplugh railway station

Lamplugh
General information
LocationWright Green, Lamplugh, Copeland
England
Coordinates54°34′53″N 3°26′49″W / 54.5814°N 3.4470°W / 54.5814; -3.4470
Grid referenceNY065216
Platforms2
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 1866Opened as "Wright Green"
14 August 1901Renamed "Lamplugh"[1]
13 April 1931Closed[2]

Lamplugh railway station was built by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway. It served the scattered community of Lamplugh, Cumbria, England.[3][4]

History

The station opened on 2 April 1866 as "Wright Green", the hamlet in which it was located. The owning company was taken over by the LNWR and Furness Railway in 1879 as a Joint Line, whereafter the northern section through the station was usually worked by the LNWR.[5]

Passenger traffic consisted of three trains a day in each direction, with an extra on Whitehaven market day and none on Sundays.[6] 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.[7]

In 1879, at the height of West Cumberland's ironworks expansion, a new line was built from just north of Ullock through Distington to Whitehaven via Parton. This line's dominant purposes were to carry ore to Distington and metal beyond. This line became known as the Gilgarron Branch.[8]

The station was renamed "Lamplugh" on 14 August 1901 and closed on 13 April 1931 when normal passenger traffic ended along the line. Goods trains continued to pass through the station until 1954.[9] An enthusiasts' special ran through on 5 September 1954. After scant occasional use the line was abandoned in 1960 and subsequently lifted.

Afterlife

In 2008 the station house was a holiday let.[10] In 2013 the course of the line through the station site was a public footpath.[11]


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Ullock
Line and station closed 		  Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway   Rowrah
Line and station closed

See also

References

  1. ^ Butt 1995, p. 256.
  2. ^ Butt 1995, p. 138.
  3. ^ Smith & Turner 2012, Map 26.
  4. ^ Jowett 1989, Map 36.
  5. ^ McGowan Gradon 2004, p. 12.
  6. ^ Bradshaw 1985, p. 510.
  7. ^ W McGowan Gradon's 1942 Furness Railway study, via cumberlandarchives.co.uk
  8. ^ Anderson 2002, p. 310.
  9. ^ Marshall 1981, p. 163.
  10. ^ Suggitt 2008, p. 60.
  11. ^ Atterbury 2009, p. 208.

Sources

  • Anderson, Paul (April 2002). Hawkins, Chris (ed.). "Dog in the Manger? The Track of the Ironmasters". British Railways Illustrated. 11 (7). Clophill: Irwell Press Ltd. ISSN 0961-8244.
  • Atterbury, Paul (2009). Along Lost Lines. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-2706-7.
  • Bradshaw, George (1985) [July 1922]. Bradshaw's General Railway and Steam Navigation guide for Great Britain and Ireland: A reprint of the July 1922 issue. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-8708-5. OCLC 12500436.
  • Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  • Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
  • Marshall, John (1981). Forgotten Railways: North West England. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-8003-1.
  • McGowan Gradon, William (2004) [1952]. The Track of the Ironmasters: A History of the Cleator and Workington Junction Railway. Grange-over-Sands: Cumbrian Railways Association. ISBN 978-0-9540232-2-5.
  • Smith, Paul; Turner, Keith (2012). Railway Atlas Then and Now. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7110-3695-6.
  • Suggitt, Gordon (2008). Lost Railways of Cumbria (Railway Series). Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-84674-107-4.

Further reading