The Windermere branch line, also called the Lakes line is a branch railway line which runs from Oxenholme on the West Coast Main Line to Windermere via Kendal in the county of Cumbria, North West England. The line has a loading gauge of W6. History The 10 mile (16 km) long line, which opened on 20 April 1847, was originally built as the Kendal and Windermere Railway and at its southern end connected into the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway. In 1859 it became part of the London and North Western Railway, then the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at the 1923 Grouping. Upon nationalisation in 1948, it was managed by the London Midland Region of British Railways. On privatisation in 1994, it was initially operated by First North Western, then First TransPennine Express from 2005 and since April 2016 by Northern. Originally built as a double-track main line, with through links to destinations including , , and London Euston, it was reduced to a single line branch in May 1973 when the West Coast Main Line (which it joins at Oxenholme) was re-signalled & electrified. Freight traffic to the last active depot at had previously ceased in 1972. There are no passing loops or sidings on the route, which is operated under "One Train Working with Train Staff" regulations, with only one train allowed on the line at any time. Entry to and exit from the branch is controlled by the signalling centre at and before a service can proceed beyond the branch platform at Oxenholme, the driver must collect the train staff from a cabinet on the platform, which is electrically released by the Carlisle signaller. Once the train has made its journey to the terminus and back again, the staff must be returned to the cabinet before the train can either leave for the south or make another return trip along the single line. Due to the lack of a run round loop at the terminus all services need to be operated by Diesel Multiple Units, or locomotive-hauled trains operating in top and tail mode. In BR days, the service was operated as a self-contained shuttle and passengers were forced to change at but since privatisation, some through trains to , and have been operated. Train services Passenger services are operated by Northern using Class 185s and more recently by Class 153 and Class 156 diesel multiple units.