station that was built was actually originally designed for Millom, by Paley and Austin. The chalet-style station was opened on 1 April 1868. Along with the station, sliding sheds were built next to the station. These were to store a banking locomotive, to aid trains with more than 16 wagons with the difficult climb to Lindal summit. As well as carrying ore, there were dozens of smaller lines to practically every mine, furnace and factory in the area. For example, the Askam brick works had a 2 ft gauge line to transport clay. This line was operational until 1968. Operational Opened by the Furness Railway, it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The station then passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways, until the Privatisation of British Railways. Facilities The station is not staffed, but now has a ticket machine in place so intending travellers can buy tickets or a permit to travel before boarding the train. The main building is grade II listed, but is not in railway use. The platforms are linked by means of a barrier level crossing, controlled by a stone Furness Railway signal box on the northbound side. Train running announcements are provided by telephone, information screens and posters. Step-free access is only available to the southbound platform (as the opposite one is reached by a short flight of steps). Services Askam is one of the few mandatory stops on this section of the line (along with Corkickle, St Bees, Sellafield, Seascale, Ravenglass, Millom and Foxfield) and as a result all trains call here. There is an approximately hourly service in each direction from the station on Monday to Saturdays – southwards to Barrow-in-Furness and northwards to Millom. Most northbound ones run through to and from Whitehaven and Carlisle though one runs only as far as Sellafield. A few southbound trains continue beyond Barrow to Lancaster or to . A Sunday service was introduced at the May 2018 timetable change – the first for more than forty years. Gallery References Sources External links Furness Railway stations in Cumbria DfT Category F2 stations Former Furness Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1846 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1857 Railway stations in Great Britain