Ampthill Tunnel

Ampthill tunnel is a railway tunnel at Ampthill on the Midland Main Line, being positioned between Bedford and Flitwick. It consists of two separate bores, each one accommodating double-track throughout.
The first Ampthill Tunnel was built during the 1860s; growing demand on the line led to the original double-track configuration being inadequate for further growth. Thus, during the 1890s, a second Ampthill Tunnel was constructed directly alongside, facilitating the Midland Railway's expansion plans of running a quadruple-track arrangement between Kettering and London wherever practical to do so. Both bores have remained active through to the present day. During mid 2012, Ampthill Tunnel was subject to a series of high speed evaluation runs, including a record maximum speed for the route of ; in the following year, the line speeds were increased to 125 mph along much of the Midland Main Line.
History.
The Ampthill Tunnel was constructed during the early 1860s on behalf of the Midland Railway to convey what would become the Midland Main Line. It was necessary to traverse a hill on the outskirts of the town of Ampthill, the summit of which was reported to be above the level of the railway. The local geology that the tunnel was bored through, which largely consisted of Oxford clay, was found to contain numerous fossils; a number of these were recovered during the excavations for the tunnel and subsequently studied.
By the 1890s, company officials had recognised that, due to a lack of free capacity for running further services, an expansion programme was required for the Midland Main Line, which primarily involved its widening from two tracks to four along much of the route between Kettering and London. In accordance with this policy, between June 1893 and 1895, a second Ampthill Tunnel was constructed alongside the first bore. As it was determined to be impracticable to drive a bore between the faces due to the lengthy cuttings on either side for the operating line, the additional tunnel was instead entirely excavated from three shafts that were sunk from above. The completed second tunnel had a length of ; this was slightly shorter than the original tunnel, which reportedly possessed a length of .
On 1 July 2012, a new record maximum speed for the Midland Main Line was established by a British Rail Class 222 diesel multiple unit (DMU), which traversed Ampthill Tunnel at a speed of ; the tunnel was closely monitored by engineers to evaluate the effects of the pressure waves generated by the train's speed run. Having found the conditions imposed acceptable, numerous stretches of the line were cleared for trains to regularly run at the elevated maximum speed of 125 mph, including Ampthill Tunnel.


Tramways in Plymouth

The tramways in Plymouth were originally constructed as four independent networks operated by three different companies to serve the adjacent towns of Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport in Devon, England. The merger of the 'Three Towns' into the new borough of Plymouth in 1914 was the catalyst for the three companies to join up under the auspices of the new Plymouth Corporation. The network was closed in 1945, partly as a result of bomb damage during World War II.
The earliest of the three companies, the Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport Tramway, was the first tramway in the United Kingdom to be constructed under the provisions of the Tramways Act 1870. Initially a gauge horse-worked line, it was later converted to gauge and electric power. The second was the Plymouth, Devonport and District Tramway (later the Plymouth Tramways Company), which was built to 3 feet 6 inch gauge and used both steam and horse power before electrification. The final company was the Devonport and District Tramway which also adopted the 3 feet 6 inch gauge but was electrified from the outset.
History.
Plymouth grew up around a natural harbour on the eastern side of the promontory now known as Plymouth Hoe, on the south Devon coast. Naval dockyards were established at Plymouth Dock (later known as Devonport), facing across the River Tamar to the north west of Plymouth; Stonehouse was sandwiched between the two and became the home for military barracks, hospitals and a victualling yard.
The South Devon Railway arrived at Plymouth in 1848 and a permanent station was established at Millbay the following year. This was on the western side of Plymouth Hoe and a new commercial dock was established on the shore opposite the station. Immediately north of the station the railway crossed Union Street on a viaduct. This was a road which had been built to link the centres of the Three Towns. The Cornwall Railway opened another line from Millbay through in 1859.
Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse.
The Tramways Act of 1870 was passed to enable the easier construction of street tramways, and the company promoting the line through Stonehouse was the first to take advantage of it. The tramway was opened on 18 March 1872. Starting from Derry's Clock by the Theatre Royal in Plymouth, it ran along Union Street and passed under the railway viaduct before entering Stonehouse. It then crossed over the "Halfpenny Bridge" (a toll bridge across a tidal creek) and entered Devonport. After climbing Devonport Hill it terminated at Cumberland Street. Two years later the line was extended beyond Cumberland Street along Chapel Street, Fore Street and Marlborough Street. This was a loop on which trams ran in an anti-clockwise direction.
The Stonehouse line was the only one in Plymouth to be built to the British standard gauge. Its trams were hauled by horses; two worked right through from Plymouth to Devonport but an additional pair were added to help across Stonehouse Bridge and one or two more were added to these for the journey up Devonport Hill. Once back on the level the extra horses were returned to Stonehouse to assist the next tram, but two more were added for the final hill along Chapel Street.
In 1901 the Stonehouse line was converted to electric traction. At the same time the line was narrowed to match the gauge of the Plymouth and Devonport lines. The electric trams ran around the loop at Devonport in a clockwise direction which removed a potential conflict between north and southbound trams at Cumberland Street. The tracks in Plymouth and Devonport were sold to the respective corporations and leased back to the tram company, but the section through Stonehouse remained in its ownership. The leases ran for 21 years, after which the Stonehouse company sold out to the Plymouth Corporation Tramways Department, which by then was operating all the other trams in the city. The Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse Tramway Company was a wholly owned subsidiary of The Provincial Tramways Company
Plymouth, Devonport and District.
The Plymouth, Devonport and District Tramways Company was established by Act of Parliament in 1882 to build a network in the Three Towns and as far east as Plympton. Of the seven routes authorised only two were built, one from West Hoe via Millbay to Hyde Park Corner at Mutley. This ran along Coburg Street and North Road to avoid the steep North Hill. The other route ran from the town centre to Southside Street in the Barbican. The tram cars (built by the Starbuck Car and Wagon Company) were kept in a depot at West Hoe and powered by 0-4-0 steam locomotives built by William Wilkinson of Wigan. The Board of Trade refused to allow the use of steam traction, nor trams to run along the track laid in Richmond Street and so trams from Mutley could not reach the town centre. The company pressed on, ignoring the Board of Trade ban on the use of steam, and inaugurated a regular service on 4 November.
Devonport Corporation obtained an injunction from the Chancery Division of the High Court on 14 November to prevent the company opening or operating any services until the whole of the system was complete. The company lost an appeal in the Court of Appeal, and this was the end of steam tramways in Plymouth. The actions of the company and the Board of Trade resulted in the Derry v Peek ruling in the House of Lords.
The company failed to raise sufficient capital to complete their schemes and so sold out to a new Plymouth Tramways Company in 1886. This company closed the line from the town centre to the Barbican and introduced horse power on the remaining routes. The steam engines were sold to the Swanscombe Colliery in Kent where they worked until 1922. The company operated the tramway until 1892 when it was sold to Plymouth Corporation for £12,500.
Devonport and District.
The last commercial tram operation to start up in Plymouth was the Devonport and District Tramways Company. Established in 1898 by the British Electric Traction Group (BET), it started to operate services in 1901. Trams started from two places in Devonport: Fore Street (close to the Stonehouse company's line) and Morice Town, which was closer to the main dockyards. From Fore Street one route ran eastwards along Paradise Road and Stuart Road to Pennycomequick, serving the LSWR station and terminating near North Road station in Plymouth. Another route ran north-eastwards to Milehouse where the main tram depot was established. From Morice Town one route ran eastwards to Milehouse, and another ran northwards to Camel's Head via Keyham. These routes totalled . Devonport Corporation provided the electricity from their power station at Stonehouse Creek near the Pennycomequick line.
The company's proposed routes were not comprehensive enough to meet the corporation's aspirations, so they built two further lines. One was an extension from Milehouse to Peverell, the other was a line from Camel's Head to Saltash Passage. This was not initially connected to the line from Morice Town as the wooden bridge across Camel's Head Creek was not able to accommodate tram lines, so a small depot was provided at Camel's Head. The corporation leased its lines to the Devonport and District company in 1903. The company opened a tea room at Little Ash near Saltash Passage and offered round-trip tickets, with the journey to the tea room being by tram in one direction and by boat in the other.
When the Three Towns merged into one in October 1914, the company sold out to the Plymouth Corporation.
Plymouth Corporation.
Plymouth Corporation's first venture into tramway operation was when it took over the failing Plymouth Tramways Company in 1892. Its new Tramway Department continued to operate the routes to Mutley and West Hoe with horse trams, new cars being delivered in 1894 and 1895. The West Hoe line was lengthened a short distance to Pier Street on 11 March 1893. From Mutley the line was extended north from Hyde Park Corner to Compton Lane on 3 April 1893. Next came a connection from Richmond Street along Old Town Street to Market Avenue to give the Mutley line a more convenient town centre terminus. In 1895 a new line was opened from Mutley Plain straight down North Hill, joining up with the flatter route via North Road at a place later known as Spear's Corner in Tavistock Road. The following year saw street widening that allowed the opening of the short section which the Board of Trade had previously refused to approve. 10 December 1896 a completely new line was opened eastwards from the junction at the bottom of Tavistock Road (now known as Drake's Circus) to Prince Rock.
Work started to convert the corporation's lines to electric power in 1898. The first to be done was from the Market Avenue to Prince Rock which was operated by electric trams from 22 January 1899. Electricity was supplied from the corporation's own power station at Cattewater (near the eastern end of the line) and a new tram depot was built in Elliot Road. The electrification was soon extended from Market Avenue to the Theatre. The first six electric cars were equipped to haul an old horse tram as a trailer, but this practice was discontinued after a derailment in Old Town Street. 4 April 1901 saw the route to Compton turned over to electric operation. A new electric route eastwards to Beaumont Road was opened on 2 April 1902. The horse trams to Peverell were replaced by electric on 13 January 1903, and those to Pennycomequick on 21 September 1905. This just left horse trams on the West Hoe route, which was converted on 22 June 1907.
In October 1914 the 'Three Towns' were merged under the auspices of Plymouth Corporation. The lines owned by Devonport Corporation came under the control of Plymouth Corporation, and at the same time the BET's Devonport and District company was sold to the corporation. The following year saw connections made between the two networks at Pennycomequick and Peverell. After World War I the old Plymouth tram depots started to be run down while the old Devonport depot at Milehouse was expanded and new offices built there. The facilities provided were capable of undertaking complete rebuilding and rebodying of old tram cars. The Stonehouse line remained independent but the portions of the line in both Plymouth and Devonport had been sold to the respective corporations in 1901 and leased back for 21 years, so when this lease expired in 1922 the company sold out to the Plymouth Corporation. This finally bought all the routes under one ownership. New connections from the Stonehouse line were laid between Derry's Clock with the adjacent Theatre terminus used by most of the Plymouth routes, and at Fore Street with the old Devonport network.
Closure.
By 1930 it was becoming necessary to renew much of the tramway rolling stock. Consideration was given to converting to trolleybuses, but instead it was decided to implement a ten-year programme to replace the trams by motor buses. The first line to be converted was the Devonport to St Budeaux line which was closed in October 1930 when six new double-deck buses replaced the trams. The line to West Hoe closed in 1931, the line to Compton closed in 1932, and regular services to the Royal Naval Barracks withdrawn in 1934. Further new buses were brought for these routes, and a few second hand tramcars from the now closed Exeter Tramway Company and Torquay Tramways allowed the oldest of the Plymouth cars to be withdrawn. In 1935 the Milehouse to Devonport line closed following the delivery of the city's first diesel-engined buses. More were needed in 1936 to allow the closure of the line to Prince Rock and in 1937 to allow the withdrawal of the two long circular routes. The plan to replace the remaining trams was put on hold following the outbreak of World War II in September 1942 as they were powered by electricity generated by British coal, whereas buses relied on imported fuel. The one remaining route, from Theatre to Peverell, was therefore kept running. However, following city centre bomb damage in April 1941 (when car 133 was destroyed) the service only operated between Drake's Circus and Peverell. Milehouse depot was also bombed in April 1941. The final tram operated in September 1945 once the war in Europe was finished.
In 2016, a section of the old Tramway trail was unearthed. Plym Valley Railway (PVR) recovered the 116-year-old artifact from a joinery workshop, situated between Bath Street and Martin Street, where it had been built-in prior to 1945.
Routes.
The connections made in 1915 between the Devonport and Plymouth networks gave the opportunity to revise the routes and offer through services between Devonport and the centre of Plymouth. In 1921 the service 9 to West Hoe was withdrawn and replaced by extending certain services on routes 4 and 5 from Beaumont Road and Prince Rock to West Hoe. The opening a new line from Pennycomequick to Milehouse via Alma Road allowed a short lived circular service via Peverell and Alma Road. The absorption of the Stonehouse route in 1922 allowed the introduction of a longer-lived circular route by extending routes 2 and 6 back to Theatre along Union Street.
Fleet.
The Plymouth Corporation electric tramcars were generally numbered in order of delivery until 1927. The next deliveries (in 1931) saw the series restarted at number 1 as the oldest cars had been withdrawn by then.
Although most cars were bought from the usual engineering companies, the larger depots carried out significant rebuilding work and Milehouse is even credited with building new cars. The first was car 91 in 1920, which had a completely new body built on the truck from Devonport car 22. Similar work was carried out on car 24 which emerged as a new number 93 in 1922. A third new car emerged the same year and was given the number 112. Some engineering cars were also built, or rebuilt, at the various depots. Most notable being a rail grinder built at Crompton depot in 1915, and car 42 which was converted to a welding car in 1924.
The Stonehouse line opened with eight horse trams but replaced these with a larger fleet of 12 in about 1888. Its electric fleet of 1901 comprised 14 cars numbered 1 to 12, 14 and 15. A car 16 was added to the fleet in 1916 and they became Plymouth cars 113 to 127 in 1922.
The Plymouth, Devonport and District steam trams were numbered 1 to 5, and eight trailers were available. When Plymouth Tramways took over they used twelve horse cars, all of which passed to the corporation in 1892. By 1898 their horse trams numbered 29, additional cars having been purchased from Milnes and Bristol Tramways.
Devonport's initial fleet of electric cars in 1901 comprised 20 cars from the Brill company, and 5 cars built by Brush that came secondhand from a tramway in Birmingham. In 1911 8 more were delivered, half from Brush and half from Birmingham.
Liveries.
The Plymoth, Stonehouse and Devonport trams were painted light green and white.
The Plymouth, Devonport and District steam trams had brown ends and underframes with white sides.
The Devonport and District company painted their trams in chocolate and cream, but by 1914 were changing this to dark green and cream.
Plymouth Corporation used a vermillion scheme from 1892 until 1922, when a new primrose yellow and white livery was introduced.
Depots.
The largest depot on the system was at Milehouse. This had been opened in 1901 by the Devonport company. After the merger with the Plymouth Corporation it was developed as the principal depot for the combined fleets. Connections at Pennycomequick and Peverell allowed cars from Milehouse to reach the Plymouth routes, and a new route along Alma Road opened in May 1922 which gave a direct route from Milehouse to Pennycomequick and the Theatre. At around this time the facilities at the depot were expanded. Two new sheds containing a total of six tracks were built at the east end of the original sheds, a new entrance was laid to the Milhouse Road/Alma Road junction, and new offices for the Tramways Department were opened. By 1936 all the other depots had been closed and all trams were kept at Milehouse. The depot also maintained the growing fleet of motor buses. This work has continued since the withdrawal of the last trams, and the offices are still the home for Plymouth Citybus
The two depots for the original Plymouth electric trams were at Lower Compton Road in Compton (opened in 1893) and in Elliott Road, Prince Rock (1899). They closed in 1934 and 1936 respectively. Horse trams had been kept in depots at Belgrave Mews (Mutley) and West Hoe Road. The Stonehouse company's horse tram depot had been in Manor Lane, but when the route was electrified in 1901 a new depot was established in Market Street. The Devonport company also had a small depot in Harford Place at Camels Head for the two cars on the route to St Budeaux. The depot was retained after this was connected to the line from Morice Town until 1930.


Carlisle railway history

Carlisle, in North West England, formed the focus for a number of railway routes because of the geography of the area. At first each railway company had its own passenger and goods station, but in 1847 passenger terminal facilities were concentrated at Citadel station, which is in use today. Goods facilities remained dispersed, and goods wagons passing through were remarshalled, incurring delay and expense.
Congestion at the station increased over the years until in 1877 by-pass lines for goods traffic were provided, although the dispersed terminal facilities largely remained. The passenger station itself, although imposing, remained confined and inadequate.
Carlisle Kingmoor Marshalling Yard opened in 1963, but wagonload traffic was already near the end of its commercial life, and the costly yard facilities were soon reduced as demand declined.
Today Carlisle is an important point on the West Coast main line railway, and a junction for radiating secondary routes. Passenger traffic is buoyant, and long distance freight trains pass through.
Carlisle Canal.
The city of Carlisle is in Cumbria in north-west England, at a strategic transport location at the crossing of the River Eden (of which it was the lowest bridging point). The Eden flows westward into the Solway Firth, a wide body of water that forms a natural barrier. Transport by shipping could not be brought to Carlisle due to shoaling in the Solway and Eden. Hilly ground surrounds Carlisle on the landward sides, and land transport routes must either follow river valleys, or cross very high ground. The Tyne Gap eased transport across the country to and from the east coast.
Its location led to Carlisle becoming an important point on transport routes, and as industry developed, the need for cheaper transport of raw materials into Carlisle was a constant theme. In August 1818 £30,000 was subscribed for shares in a "Carlisle Canal", connecting a basin in Carlisle to Fisher's Cross, on the channel of the River Eden and accessible to the Solway Firth. The Carlisle Canal obtained its authorising Act of Parliament on 6 April 1819, and it was completed and opened on 12 March 1823.
Newcastle and Carlisle Railway.
The land route between Newcastle upon Tyne and Carlisle had long been used for the transport of goods, and there was considerable trade on the east-west route. However, the road was inconvenient and the transit was slow, and a canal connecting Newcastle and Carlisle was proposed. The engineer William Chapman had earlier surveyed a route for such a canal, and he was brought back in 1824 to update his plans; this time he found that while a canal would be practicable, a railway would be cheaper. Chapman's recommendation was subject to considerable controversy over the details of the route and the possible use of steam traction, and it was not until 22 May 1829 that the "Newcastle and Carlisle Railway" was authorised by Act of Parliament, with capital of £300,000. The early priority for construction was at the eastern parts of the line, but at the western end the line from Greenhead to the Carlisle station at London Road was opened on 19 July 1836. The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway adopted right-hand running on double track sections.
The original intention had been to connect directly to the Carlisle Canal, but this was delayed, and the connection to the canal became a "branch"; the first traffic was grain, which passed on the branch on 25 February 1837, and it was fully opened on 9 March 1837.
Maryport and Carlisle Railway.
Maryport had been a significant port further west on the Cumberland coast, and was also in an important area of coal extraction. Following local interest, the Maryport and Carlisle Railway was incorporated on 12 July 1837. It was constructed from the Maryport end at first; then a section at the Carlisle end was opened on 10 May 1843. For the time being there was a gap at the centre of the route, only closed when the line was completed in early 1845.
The Carlisle section of the line formed a junction with the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway at Bog Junction, or Bogfield. (Contemporary reports are inconsistent in nomenclature.)
The Maryport and Carlisle passenger station was at Water Lane, close to the present day St Nicholas Street. It was described by the "Carlisle Journal" as "nearly on the site of the ancient hospital of Saint Nicholas". The M&CR and the Port Carlisle extension of the N&CR ran alongside one another at this point, and they joined a little to the east; some M&CR trains continued to the N&CR London Road station. All M&CR goods traffic was handled at the London Road station.
The London Road terminus faced eastwards, so that use of it by M&CR trains involved a backshunt. The cramped Water Lane station was only a temporary measure, and the M&CR had acquired land at Crown Street for their intended permanent terminus. Unfortunately the Parliamentary Bill for that was rejected on a technicality in the 1843 session. When it was resubmitted in 1844, it was considered together with the Bill for the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway; both Bills were passed (on 6 June 1844), and serious difficulties later arose. The L&CR and the M&CR schemes both required facilities for a terminus, and for some time it proved impossible to negotiate a mutually acceptable arrangement.
Linking England and Scotland.
By 1840 it was obvious that the disconnected local railways in Great Britain must eventually link to form a network; this was already taking shape in England, and much thought was given to connecting the cities of central Scotland with the growing English network. The topography of the intervening land was challenging, with high ground of the Cumbrian Mountains and the Southern Uplands forming natural barriers. The locomotives of the day were not considered capable of hauling trains on a trunk railway over the steep gradients thought to be unavoidable, and many creative schemes were put forward to route round the hilly country. Not all of these schemes were well designed, but the best connected important population centres at the expense of considerable extra mileage. In addition, any route running close to the North Sea coast would have to make the difficult crossings of the River Tyne and the River Tweed.
Carlisle was an obvious routing point for some Anglo-Scottish routes, but Newcastle was strongly advanced by promoters of an east-coast route. For some time it was assumed that only a single Anglo-Scottish route was commercially supportable, and a Government appointed commission was established to select the best route, but its findings failed to quell the enthusiasm of investors, and in the end its report was ignored.
Two factions were able to build Anglo-Scottish routes at this period: although multiple companies were involved in each, the necessary co-operation formed natural alliances, and these became known as the "East Coast Route" (through Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed) and the "West Coast Route" (through Carlisle).
Lancaster and Carlisle Railway.
The "West Coast Route" was gradually taking shape, from the origins of the London and Birmingham Railway and the Grand Junction Railway (from Birmingham to Manchester and Liverpool). The northward push was supported by the North Union Railway and the Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway.
The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was incorporated on 6 June 1844, and it opened its line as far as Carlisle on 17 December 1846, from which date a continuous line between London and Carlisle was available. The issue of the L&CR station at Carlisle was not yet settled, so the first L&CR trains used the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway's London Road station, reached by a sharp south-to-east curve that had been authorised on 21 June 1845, and which (as for the M&CR trains) required a backshunt to enter the station. The train service was not intensive so for the time being this was not a great operating difficulty. However, this was far from convenient for the future Anglo-Scottish trunk route that was clearly forming, and the question of the station at Carlisle was to create a serious difficulty.
Caledonian Railway.
The rivalry to operate the principal route from Central Scotland to the English railway network had resulted in two winners. The North British Railway opened from Edinburgh to Berwick on 1 July 1847, linking there with the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway. The East Coast Route was the first to be able to advertise a through route between Edinburgh and London, although rail bridges over the Tweed and the Tyne were not yet ready, and for some time the journey involved a foot (or omnibus) crossing of the rivers.
The Caledonian Railway had delayed a year in seeking authorisation, only obtaining its Act of Parliament on 31 July 1845. It was to form a Y-shape, connecting Glasgow and Edinburgh with Carlisle, and at the 122 miles in extent, was one of the largest railway projects authorised up to this date. In fact the southern end of its system was the first to open, between Carlisle and Beattock, on 10 September 1847. The line northwards to Glasgow was not ready until 15 February 1848, and to Edinburgh on 1 April 1848. However, before the first opening the question of the Carlisle station had to be settled.
Citadel station.
As the prime mover in forming a trunk route from the south to Carlisle, the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway hoped to build a Carlisle station, at Court Square. The intention was that all the railways at Carlisle would use it, sharing the construction cost. The companies already in Carlisle, the N&CR and the M&CR, were sore at having spent money on their own terminus (in the case of the N&CR) or the land acquisition for one (in the case of the M&CR), and they demanded that they should be responsible for a reduced share of the cost of the new station. Negotiation over the issue dragged on. On 20 June 1846 the Maryport Company agreed to contribute, and to give up its Crown Street site, which was required for the approach route to the new station and for goods sidings; the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway declined to participate in the new station at all.
The L&CR persevered and obtained an Act of Parliament for the station at Court Square, "Citadel Station", on 27 July 1846. In concert with the Caledonian Railway, the L&CR pressed on with the construction of the station, and it opened early in September 1847.
The station was built in a grand style, designed by the architect William Tite, and it remained "quite unrivalled in the whole of the North West. Victorian Tudor in style, its clock tower and lantern had on one side the nine-bay entrance arcade with elaborate buttressing and mullioned windows".
The cost of the Citadel station was supposed to be equally borne by the L&CR and the Caledonian, but the latter had seriously over-reached itself financially in search of expanding its network in Scotland, and the initial opening cost of £60,000 had been entirely funded by the L&CR. By 1854, the total cost had escalated to £178,324, and by this time the Caledonian had almost made up its fair contribution. The station had a single through platform and two bays.
On 10 May 1857 a management committee was formed, the Citadel Station Committee, jointly controlled by the Caledonian Railway and the L&CR; the station and approach track became joint property.
George Hudson and Crown Street station.
George Hudson, known as the "Railway King", was for long a successful businessman who acquired personal control of a wide network of railways. His methods were aggressive and brutal, and were eventually exposed as shady and worse, leading to his sudden downfall in 1849. However, he managed to take a lease of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway from 1 August 1848 and of the Maryport and Carlisle Railway from 1 October 1848.
The L&CR main line approaching Carlisle crossed the M&CR line on the level three times; the L&CR laid it out to main line standards, and understood that the Crown Street line was to be removed, and that it was in any case without legal authorisation. M&CR trains crossed the L&CR main line three times approaching Crown Street; if they ran on to London Road station, there was a fourth crossing, and the engine returning to Crown Street for servicing made a fifth crossing. This was hardly tenable in the long term and the L&CR agreed compensation of £7,005 for the M&CR to vacate Crown Street; this seemed to be acceptable to the M&CR directors. On Hudson taking control, however, he demanded £100,000, also threatening to build his own joint station near the site, further obstructing the L&CR. This went to a court of law, and the jury awarded the M&CR £7,171 for the Crown Street site, which the L&CR swiftly paid. Hudson held out and declined to hand over the site. The L&CR had the law on its side and decided not to allow further delay, and decided to take possession.
At 10 am on 17 March 1849, the Under-Sheriff of Cumberland accompanied by the L&CR solicitor, presented himself at Crown Street station and informed the M&CR clerks, that he was giving possession of the station to the L&CR. He then signalled to
a strong force of at least 100 men, armed with crow-bars, pick-axes, shovels, &c., [who] rushed from the goods yard of the Lancaster company, to which they had been brought from all parts of the line, to the ground of the Maryport Company, and, without further ceremony, commenced operation by tearing up the rails. This was the work of a few minutes only, as the men were particularly expert. They next pulled down the sheds of the coal and lime depots; and lastly, having allowed the clerks of the Maryport Company sufficient time carry off the books, they gutted the station, which was certainly only a temporary one, and carried away the building.
The dismantling of the station "was accomplished so quickly that when the next train from Maryport arrived, the driver was informed by a Lancaster Company's policeman, that it was impossible for it to back into the station. It therefore went forward to London Road [station]."
M&CR trains now all ran to London Road station only. Hudson's lease of the M&CR and the N&CR needed to be authorised by Act of Parliament, and this was applied for in the 1849 Parliamentary session. However, at this time Hudson's improper methods were being laid bare, and matters turned against him. His Bill to authorise the lease was rejected, and the lease was void from 1 January 1850, when the N&CR and the M&CR reverted to their independent status. The M&CR continued to use London Road as its Carlisle terminus, paying the N&CR £250 per annum as rent. The Lancaster and Carlisle had got its way, although the M&CR trains (and M&CR trains to the Canal terminal) continued to cross the L&CR main line on the level, but now only once per journey.
Glasgow and South Western Railway.
A third trunk route was promoted at this time: its supporters noted that the Caledonian Railway route crossed the heights of the Southern Uplands and passed through few centres of population. A better route between Glasgow and Carlisle, they argued, would take a railway west of the Southern Uplands, and pass through the important towns of Paisley, Kilmarnock and Dumfries as well as several other towns, and such a route could have much easier gradients. This would be at the expense of greater mileage, and inferior connection to Edinburgh. The Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway was incorporated on 16 July 1846. From the outset the company was desperately short of money, and the earlier intention of building through to Carlisle had been abandoned. Now the route was to join the Caledonian Railway at Gretna, and Dumfries trains would run over the Caledonian line into Carlisle. Commitment to this from the hostile Caledonian had not been secured, and the GD&CR position was weak in the extreme.
The GD&CR was also unable to build the northern section of its intended route, but that was taken up by another concern. The Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway had opened its main line between Glasgow and Ayr in 1839–1840. It had always intended to act co-operatively with the Dumfries company, and the Ayr company was earning good profits while the Dumfries company was penniless. It was agreed that the two companies would form an end-on junction at Horsecleugh, near Cumnock, and the GD&CR would build the southern part of the route only; on completion of the through route the two companies would merge. The GD&CR opened from a temporary station at Dumfries to Gretna on 23 August 1848, but its trains could not yet run through, so a change to a Caledonian train was necessary there.
Finally on 28 October 1850 the through route was completed and the GD&CR and the Paisley company merged, forming the Glasgow and South Western Railway on the same day. It was not until 1 March 1851 that G&SWR trains were granted running powers to run through to Carlisle Citadel station, as a tenant there on a 999-year agreement. The Caledonian Railway made life as difficult as possible for the unwelcome interloper, and the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway and the Caledonian Railway together ensured that any traffic from England to central Scotland was forwarded over the Caledonian line.
Maryport and Carlisle changes.
The Maryport and Carlisle use of London Road station was not convenient to it, and it made sense to transfer its passenger trains to Citadel station; it finalised an agreement to do so on 2 April 1851; a north-to-"east" spur to enable the trains to get access was laid, and from 1 June 1851 they used Citadel. This involved approaching the flat crossing of the L&CR main line and backing into the station. This was the fourth Carlisle station the M&CR had used in seven years. For the time being M&CR goods traffic continued to use London Road, but the M&CR constructed a new independent goods station, known as Bog Goods Station, in use from 1 January 1852. It was also known as Crown Street, but the site was not the same as the former terminus.
On 8 August 1852 the Maryport and Carlisle Railway opened a "west"-to-north curve from Forks Junction to Citadel, enabling direct access to Carlisle without reversal; from this time goods traffic also used this new connection. The new approach crossed the Canal line on the level; the M&CR were required to appoint a person to make signals at the passage of trains.
Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company.
By 1850 the superiority of railways over canals was obvious, and railways that had been constructed to Maryport and Whitehaven took away the Carlisle Canal's trade. The proprietors decided to take advantage of the technological progress. The Carlisle Canal was reincorporated as the "Port Carlisle Railway" on 4 August 1853, with powers to convert the canal to a railway. The N&CR Canal terminus had adjoined the canal basin, and the new railway now made an end-on connection with the N&CR line. The Port Carlisle Railway opened to goods traffic on 22 May 1854; it established a Canal Goods Station on the site of the canal basin; the N&CR goods depot on their section of line became sidings, and exchange traffic now used the Port Carlisle Railway sidings. The Port Carlisle Railway was opened to passenger traffic from 22 June 1854 and its Canal passenger station was located just north of the junction with the N&CR. At this stage there was no passenger service eastward from the Canal station.
Unfortunately the anticipated transformation of profitability as the canal was converted to a railway failed to materialise, and the Port Carlisle Railway lost money from the outset. Part of the problem was that Port Carlisle itself was not free of navigation hazards, being so far up the river, and in view of the increasing size of shipping; moreover there was a serious problem of silting there. The solution appeared to be the creation of another rail connected harbour further west, at Silloth. Accordingly, the "Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway" was incorporated on 16 July 1855 and opened 28 August 1856.
The Caledonian hoped to acquire control of the Silloth lines and on 28 June 1858 obtained Parliamentary authority for a connecting line from its main line to Port Carlisle to get access. The short line ran from a junction later named Port Carlisle Branch Junction on the Caledonian to Port Carlisle Junction. The takeover of the Silloth lines did not take place, but the connecting line later had a strategic role.
Citadel station committee.
The cost of construction and maintenance of Citadel station, of operating it and the approach lines, was considerable and allocation of it to users was contentious. On 10 May 1857 the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway and the Caledonian Railway formed a Citadel Station Committee, in effect establishing a joint railway. As other users were becoming involved and as traffic increased, this arrangement was formalised by Act of Parliament of 22 July 1861. In 1859 the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was leased by the London and North Western Railway, (effective from 22 December 1859,) and that company became the joint member of the Committee. (In 1879 the L&CR was fully absorbed by the LNWR.)
North British Railway.
The North British Railway had been the first (by a few months) to start a passenger service from Edinburgh to connect with the English railway network at Berwick, part of the East Coast Route. The trade potential of Carlisle and its connections to west coast ports and the mineral reserves of Cumberland were attractive, and from the earliest times the NBR directors had harboured an aspiration to reach Carlisle. The NBR had reached Hawick in 1849, but 43 miles of thinly populated terrain lay between that town and Carlisle.
A difficulty had always been the actual access to Carlisle itself, as the Caledonian Railway and the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) were hostile to the incursion. The NBR had agreed a takeover arrangement with the moribund Port Carlisle Dock and Railway Company and the Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company. These two lines had a Carlisle station; a connecting line to the Caledonian Railway at Carlisle Citadel station was planned, and they had a west coast port, at Silloth. On 21 July 1859 the Border Union (North British Railway) Act authorising the Carlisle Extension (now named the Border Union Railway) and permitting the acquisition of the Carlisle minor railways received the Royal Assent. It specified that the line "should not be used for the purposes of undue competition with the Caledonian Railway in respect of traffic between Edinburgh and Carlisle", but it did give the NBR power to enter Citadel station, over the short connecting line to the Caledonian, authorised the previous year.
It was to be a long and lonely route from Hawick to Carlisle. The short section from Scotch Dyke (two miles north of Longtown) to Citadel station at Carlisle was ready early in October 1861. The Port Carlisle Junction connecting line had been opened on 30 June 1860 as a single line for goods transfer purposes. At this stage it emerged that the Board of Trade would not sanction opening of the NBR service unless the Caledonian Railway gave a guarantee that they would double the connecting line. This was not instantly forthcoming, and the NBR opened a goods service only from 15 October 1861; there was also a connecting goods service from Longtown to Gretna, for transfer to the G&SWR there. On 29 October 1861 the required BoT sanction was given and the passenger service started operating, worked at first by the Caledonian Railway.
The whole line between Carlisle and Edinburgh was opened for goods trains on 23 June 1862 and for passengers on 1 July 1862. With an eye to marketing, the route was named "The Waverley Route". The Caledonian Railway frustrated attempts by the NBR to arrange through workings, or even through bookings, for passengers, and goods traffic was diverted away from the NBR as far as possible. However, the NBR was able to make use of its connection to Silloth to forward goods by coastal shipping.
The Port Carlisle and Silloth Bay railways were leased by the NBR by Act of Parliament dated 3 June 1862; they were fully absorbed in 1880. A station named Port Carlisle Junction was opened in July 1863; located at the convergence of the Silloth line and the Waverley route, it was designed to enable passenger connections between the two systems. At this stage the Silloth trains were not permitted to use Citadel station; however agreement was reached for this and from 1 July 1864 the Silloth trains used Citadel station; both Port Carlisle Junction station and Canal station closed to passengers.
North Eastern Railway.
The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway was amalgamated with (in effect absorbed by) the North Eastern Railway, ratified by Parliamentary Act of 17 July 1862. The NER negotiated access to the Citadel station at Carlisle at the same time.
New lines at Carlisle.
The alignment of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway route approaching Carlisle Citadel was unsatisfactory for the increasing volume and speed of main line trains, and Parliamentary powers were obtained on 13 August 1859 to construct a new, more direct, route to the west of the original line, from Upperby Junction northwards. It was opened for traffic on 24 January 1862. The opportunity was not taken to separate the levels, and the new line had a flat crossing with the NER Canal line at St Nicholas. The increasing traffic also resulted in serious congestion in Citadel station itself; the station handled passenger and goods traffic and was by now overwhelmed. Goods lines passing on the west side of the station (but within the station precincts) were authorised on 22 July 1861. The new goods lines were brought into use in 1862.
There was an earlier east-to-north curve at St Nicholas that had been provided for M&CR trains to back into Citadel station in 1851. From the provision of the Forks Junction curve in 1852 M&CR trains ran in direct, and the curve had been used only for turning M&CR engines on the triangle it formed. The spur needed to be relocated to make way for the new main line, and a new east-to-north curve east of the new main line was opened for use by goods traffic on 30 April 1862. It was a single line at first, and was approved for doubling on 13 June 1864.
Meanwhile, North Eastern Railway trains from the Newcastle line used it to enter Citadel station from 1 January 1863, London Road being closed to passengers at this date.
The increasing volume of traffic demanded increased accommodation for goods traffic; the North British Railway obtained powers for a goods yard at Dentonholme, on the west side of the northwards main line, on 5 July 1865. This was part of a NBR attempt to force general expansion of Citadel station's facilities in the face of the owning committee's obstruction. The wider scheme failed completely, but the goods depot, accessed from the Port Carlisle Branch, was duly opened. The following year the NBR concluded an agreement with the Midland Railway for its use of the Dentonholme site.
On 25 May 1867 the LNWR opened a new goods station on the site of the old M&CR Crown Street station; the short connecting line involved a flat crossing of the 1862 east-to-north curve now used for NER trains approaching Citadel station. The cramped St Nicholas goods station was closed at this time, but in 1871 the LNWR opened a new cattle depot on the site of the former St Nicholas goods depot, that had closed in 1867.
Solway Junction Railway.
The congestion in passing through Carlisle was a long running difficulty, especially during the passage of heavy and slow mineral trains. The iron ore of Cumberland was increasingly being conveyed to the Lanarkshire iron smelting industries, and considerable volumes of this traffic were passing through Carlisle.
An independent Company was formed to construct a railway crossing the Solway Firth from Bowness to Annan, and connecting lines to form a short cut route from near Aspatria to Kirtlebridge on the Caledonian Railway main line. This remarkable scheme required a viaduct over a mile long crossing the Solway, and the company was authorised on 30 June 1864, with capital of £320,000. The line opened for mineral traffic on 13 September 1869. Some relief was provided to the Carlisle congestion, but by this time the iron industry had gone into a temporary decline, and this ruined the financial viability of the railway company.
On 30 January 1881 ice floes on the Solway at the end of an exceptionally cold spell, seriously damaged the viaduct structure, which was out of use until repairs were completed in 1884. The traffic never revived and when heavy maintenance was overdue, the viaduct and the line were closed, in 1921.
Settle and Carlisle line.
The Midland Railway had a large network further south, and for some time had hoped to reach Carlisle. In 1857 it reached Ingleton, and intended to run to Carlisle from there, but the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway obstructed that intention. At the same time both the North British Railway and the Glasgow and South Western Railway were expressing discontent at the obstruction at Carlisle. Both had built expensive trunk routes from the north to Carlisle, but found that the L&CR and the Caledonian Railway prevented them from operating freely through Carlisle.
The key to this eventually emerged as the Settle and Carlisle Railway, which was authorised by a Midland Railway Act on 16 July 1866. The 72-mile line was to run through mountainous and thinly populated terrain, from Settle, north of Keighley, to Carlisle. The construction was to be fearsomely difficult, crossing a summit level 1,025 feet above sea level; the Midland was to raise £1,650,000 in additional capital to pay for it. The scheme had been brought forward at a time of cheap money, but there was a slump in the financial sector, and at the end of 1867 the Midland Railway directors responded to massive shareholder disquiet, and ordered suspension of work on the new line. In the 1869 Parliamentary session the Midland promoted a Bill to abandon the construction, but the abandonment was opposed by other interests, and the Bill was lost. The Midland had to construct an expensive railway which it now wished to abandon.
On 2 (or 3) August 1875 the Settle and Carlisle line opened to goods traffic; it entered Carlisle by joining the Newcastle line at Durran Hill Junction near London Road. The following year, on 1 May 1876, the Settle and Carlisle line was fully open.
Major improvements at Carlisle.
Segregating passenger and goods traffic.
The opening of the Settle and Carlisle Railway heralded an increase of through passenger traffic at Carlisle, and the already inadequate facilities were to be under severe strain. The Act authorising the construction of the Settle and Carlisle line had required the owners of Citadel station to apply to an arbitrator to determine what enlargement of the station was necessary for the additional traffic, and to submit a Bill for the authorisation of the necessary works. The arbitrator was also to determine the allocation of the costs for the construction and maintenance, in the event of difficulty.
During the period between 1866 and the opening of the Settle and Carlisle line, there were abortive proposals to proceed with the improvement of Citadel station area, and the "difficulty" foreseen in the S&C Bill took the form of persistent obstruction by the LNWR and the Caledonian, and the Board of Trade itself finally appointed an arbitrator, Joseph Cubitt, to make the necessary determination. Unfortunately the arbitrator died before completing his work, and the situation proved so frustrating that the Midland presented its own Citadel Station Bill in an attempt to get a proper allocation fixed. The Bill failed, but the LNWR and Caledonian were motivated to negotiate with the Midland and they made a voluntary agreement, on 16 December 1872. This resulted in the Citadel Station Act of 21 July 1873.
This was a far-reaching project: a new route taking goods traffic away from Citadel was to be constructed, and the existing goods lines at Citadel were to be removed, the space being used for improved passenger train accommodation.
The passenger station.
The £334,000 cost of the project was to be paid for by the Midland Railway and the Citadel Committee jointly. The passenger station was massively expanded with a long new island platform and five bay platforms; the glass roof covered acres, and there was an elegant end screen in a gothic style. However, this only provided three through platforms, a fact that limited express passenger train operation, especially in an era when many trains attached and detached portions for multiple destinations, in some cases changing from vacuum to Westinghouse braking on the trains. It was at one time commonplace for a succession of down trains to be held up outside waiting platforms when no up trains were in evidence. Although not fully complete, the new station was inaugurated on 4 July 1880 for the Carlisle Royal Show.
Although the three through platforms were long, they were a limitation on traffic. In 1907 R E Charlewood recorded that
"To accommodate all [the] traffic, the space at Carlisle is very limited ... There are only three main line platform faces... Fortunately, the main platforms are long enough to admit of two trains being dealt with simultaneously."
The start of the grouse season in 1900 occasioned exceptional traffic flows:
On the night of August 10th, thirteen Scotch expresses left Euston and over 300 beds were made up in the trains for first class tourists only. The first portion of the 7.45 pm was filled with first class passengers, all for the Highland Railway via Dunkeld. The second portion was also for the Highland line only. Next train to leave was the first portion of the 8 pm, all of which was for Aberdeen. This express created a record by reaching Carlisle at 2.12 am, exactly at time – a feat never before accomplished on any August 10th. The second portion of the same train was for Aberdeen and Oban. Ten minutes later followed the Stranraer boat [train] express, close on the heels of which ran the special horse and carriage train for all parts of Scotland. The express leaving at 8.50 pm was for Glasgow (Central) only. Ten minutes afterwards followed a heavy train for Edinburgh only, with a second portion labelled for the north. Last of all came the fastest train on the West Coast route: the 11.50 pm in two portions, the first bound for Glasgow and the second for Edinburgh and the north. Nearly all these trains were made up equal to vehicles, but although the weight was so great and the time between each none too long, wonderful time was kept to Carlisle.
The ordinary passenger train service was described:
"Under ordinary circumstances and exclusive of special trains the number of trains dealt with each weekday at the Citadel station is as follows:
Goods routes.
The goods by-pass lines were to be controlled by a new Carlisle Goods Traffic Committee, consisting of members of the LNWR, the Caledonian Railway, the Midland Railway, and the G&SWR. (The G&SWR did not fully participate in the controlling committee for some time.)
The Caledonian Railway goods depot was modernised and fully relocated to the west of the realigned northward main line, and new engine sheds were built at Kingmoor.
The G&SWR and the North British Railway saw themselves as allies of the Midland Railway, and they aligned their operating facilities at Carlisle to that company. The G&SWR used new goods facilities and engine accommodation at Petteril, opposite London Road, from the beginning of 1875, but some through goods traffic from the Midland was exchanged at Gretna Green (G&SWR). A new connection was made from London Road through to the M&CR and the Canal line, by lowering and realigning the old N&CR Canal branch; this enabled NBR, NER and Midland goods traffic to run through, and incidentally forming a triangular junction, available from 7 July 1877. The former L&CR main line was again realigned and elevated to pass over these lines, so that full grade separation was at last achieved, and all the companies had access to and from the new goods route, from 6 August 1877.
The new goods lines were primarily through routes, and thought now turned to joint goods terminal facilities. In 1866 the NBR had established its Dentonholme goods depot and opened it to the Midland Railway, although the Settle and Carlisle Line was not yet nearing readiness. On 13 July 1876 the NBR obtained an Act of Parliament authorising both the Midland Railway and the G&SWR to use the site, which was to be enlarged; the new goods by-pass lines now passed alongside. The much enlarged joint goods depot at Dentonholme was opened on 1 October 1883. In fact the NBR continued to use Canal as its primary goods depot, and the G&SWR was the chief beneficiary of the new facility. The multiple goods depot locations in the city resulted in a huge volume of inefficient transfer trip working traffic.
Currock engine shed G&SWR.
The G&SWR had been provided with engine shed facilities at Petteril by its ally, the Midland Railway. In December 1894 it opened a new engine shed of its own at Currock, opposite the Maryport and Carlisle shed. It needed running powers over the M&CR to reach it, and these were formalised on 6 July 1895.
World War I and the Grouping.
The advent of World War I (1914–1918) resulted in a huge upsurge in goods traffic at Carlisle, and the dispersed goods depots of the individual companies resulted in heavy traffic in trip workings between them. Some beneficial co-ordination was achieved by a (goods traffic) Joint Control Committee from 1916.
After the war, the main line railways of Great Britain were "grouped" following the Railways Act 1921. At the beginning of 1923, four large companies were established and most of the prior independent companies were allocated into one of the groups. The London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) was the dominant group at Carlisle, and the LNWR, the Caledonian Railway, the Midland and the G&SWR were constituents of it. The Maryport and Carlisle Railway became part of the LMS as a subsidiary. The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was dominant on the East Coast Main Line, and the NER and North British Railway were constituents of the LNER, and the Carlisle and Silloth Bay lines followed.
A divided control at Carlisle therefore continued, but some limited rationalisation was possible. The M&CR engine shed at Currock closed in 1923, with that line's engines being serviced at the 1894 G&SWR shed; this in turn was closed in 1924, with Kingmoor and Upperby engine sheds taking over the role. London Road engine shed continued to serve the Newcastle line until 1933 when that role was transferred to Canal shed, and the Midland Railway engine shed at Durran Hill (at the convergence of the Settle and Carlisle line with the Newcastle line) closed on 16 February 1936.
World War II and nationalisation.
World War II (1939–1945) again brought a massive upsurge in goods traffic, and the unmodernised network of routes at Carlisle again brought serious operational difficulties. The Durran Hill engine shed, closed in 1936, was reopened, later closing finally on 2 December 1959.
Carlisle Kingmoor Marshalling Yard for up trains had developed at Kingmoor, north of Carlisle, and together with the traffic from the Canal lines there was intensive and congested train working at the northern end of Carlisle station complex. In 1943 quadruple track was provided from Kingmoor, where an up marshalling yard had been established, to Port Carlisle branch junction, from where there was already quadruple track to Caldew Junction.
In 1948 the main line railways of Great Britain were nationalised, following the Transport Act 1947. A "Scottish Region" was created, managing most of the lines in Scotland, as well as a London Midland Region covering the English (and Welsh) parts of the LMS, and an Eastern Region for the former LNER in England. In fact the apparently simple geographical split brought numerous management inconsistencies, and a number of adjustments were subsequently made. Nevertheless, Carlisle remained a border railway location for some time.
Modernisation.
Kingmoor Yard.
The return of peace and the enthusiasm of state ownership focused attention on the goods train working at Carlisle. The multiple goods stations persisted, and goods wagons passing through Carlisle were remarshalled at least once in the transit at primitive depots not much changed since 1877; in most cases through wagons were tripped between goods yards laid out by the pre-1923 companies. 30,000 wagons were passing through every week at this period.
In 1956 funding was allocated for a new integrated marshalling yard at Kingmoor, north of Carlisle. Considerable land acquisition—420 acres—took place and in 1959 actual construction started. The scheme was to cost £4.5 million, and 56 track miles of sidings were laid out. The site was miles long. Separate up and down hump yards were provided and a new power signal box was built, as well as a new motive power depot.
The marshalling yard was located north of Carlisle on the west (up) side of the main line, and special arrangements were built to route goods trains to and from the yard.
Quadruple track already existed approaching Rockcliffe, at the north end of the site, and a new flyover was built to carry the up goods line (from the Gretna direction) over the main line to enter the yard. The Waverley Route crossed the former Caledonian Railway main line south of the yard, so approaching goods trains on that line were brought to the former Caledonian line over the old Gretna branch. This line, from Longtown to Gretna, originally intended to give the NBR access to the G&SWR, had been closed to passenger trains on 8 August 1915 and only carried occasional goods traffic to ordnance depots. It was altered to operate in the up direction only, and the north facing connection at Gretna was altered to be south facing, joining at Mossband Junction, from where up Waverly Line goods trains could continue on the up goods line to Kingmoor.
Southbound trains leaving the new yard entered the Dentonholme route at Caldew Junction, giving access to all southward routes.
Northbound goods trains could enter the yard by the same route, and could leave it by joining the former Caledonian main line at the north end of Kingmoor yard. The access towards the Waverley route was more complex. Trains drew southward from the yard to a reversing loop at Stainton Junction, alongside the NBR route; after the engine ran round, the train could proceed directly on the NBR line, crossing the Caledonian main line by the original bridge.
These works were completed in 1963.
Citadel station retrenchment.
In 1958 the cost of maintenance of the elegant and extensive roof at Citadel station was a cause for concern, and much of the roof, and also the Gothic end screens, were removed.
The Beeching report.
In 1963 the Beeching report was published, "The Reshaping of British Railways". The industry had been incurring mounting losses, considered by Government to be unsustainable, and the report indicated how matters might be got under control. Many rural branch lines, and many stations on main lines, were stated to be unremunerative, and were to be closed. Wagonload goods traffic over the whole system was considered to be heavily loss-making and was to be reduced in extent. Sundries traffic was especially unremunerative. Investment was to be concentrated on certain main routes, on accelerating the transition to modern traction and signalling systems, and the introduction of "liner trains" capable of fast transits carrying maritime containers.
Many sections of the public objected to the implications of the proposals as they emerged, but Government was generally insistent on implementing the changes. Wagonload goods had been conveyed in traditional ten-feet wheelbase wagons, in many cases without a continuous brake, and staged from one marshalling yard to another. The improving road network in the country, and the regulated railway freight charges, encouraged effective competition for the business from road hauliers; railway wagonload goods had been declining since the 1930s, and now declined steeply, due not to the Beeching report, but to customers' abandonment of the railway.
Closures.
The steep decline of wagonload goods traffic meant that Kingmoor Yard never worked at peak volume. The multiple goods terminals at Carlisle, still not rationalised, began to be closed due to loss of business. On 2 August 1965 Viaduct goods, the former Caledonian Railway goods depot, was closed, followed in July 1965 by Crown Street goods. On 1 February 1966 the Midland Railway yard at Petteril Bridge goods closed, although some private sidings were retained there.
On 7 September 1964 the Silloth branch closed completely. In 1968 the southward spur from Forks Junction to Bog Junction was closed.
On 6 January 1969 the Waverley Route closed to through traffic, together with the connecting spur from Port Carlisle Branch Junction to Canal Junction, and the line to the reversing siding at Stainton Junction for trains from Kingmoor Yard; the last named was only six years old. The portion of the Waverley route as far as Longtown was retained until 31 August 1970, when the line was shortened to serve only RAF Brunthill, just north of the bridge where the Waverley Route had crossing the Caledonian, main line. The line between Mossband Junction and Bush-on-Esk, on the old Longtown to Gretna line, was retained for the time being to serve an ordnance depot, reverting to two-way working for the purpose.
In addition in 1970 the Canal branch closed, Canal goods having closed on 31 May 1969; the M&CR yard at Bog goods closed on 5 October 1970; on 7 December 1970 the LNWRcattle depot at the Crown Street site closed.
Resignalling.
If the "modernisation" seemed to concentrate on closing facilities, a major step forward was the resignalling of the Carlisle station area with a modern power signal box early in 1973. 74 route miles of the West Coast Main Line were taken into its control area, together with stubs to fringe signal boxes on many branches. The Bog Junction to Forks Junction route was reinstated as part of this work, to handle steel block trains between Workington and Tyne Yard.
Electrification.
A major positive element of modernisation was electrification of the main line. This was completed in 1974, on the 25 kV ac overhead system. Considerable improvements in journey times were achieved.
All wiring north of Oxenholme was completed by June 1973; from 7 January 1974 freight trains were electrically hauled between Kingmoor Yard and Mossend Yard, in central Scotland. The line south of Carlisle was energised on 25 March 1974, and some passenger trains were electrically hauled throughout from London to Glasgow from 22 April 1974. The full electric service started on 6 May 1974.
Kingmoor yard: further decline.
In 1973 Kingmoor Down Yard closed. In 1977 British Rail introduced a new wagonload network named Speedlink. Modern wagons capable of 75 mph running worked in a timetabled network, but the network was much reduced; the traditional wagons were phased out, and in 1981 hump shunting at the remaining yard was discontinued.
Derailment and closure of the goods route.
Early in the morning of 1 May 1984 a freightliner train was descending from Shap on the main line, and became divided. The front portion of the train continued, but the rear portion slowed but then also continued by gravity. Entering the Carlisle complex it was diverted on to the goods avoiding lines. These were sharply curved and the train portion became derailed, causing considerable damage in the process. The route was closed by the damage caused, and in December 1985 the decision was taken not to restore the route, and accordingly it was permanently closed. Signalling changes at Citadel station were made to facilitate all traffic passing through it.
Passenger revival.
In the period following publication of the Beeching report, passenger train services were in constant decline for many years. The process was reversed from about 1990, and intercity and medium distance passenger services have seen a renaissance. Avanti West Coast operate services from London Euston to Edinburgh and Glasgow, while TransPennine Express operates services from Manchester Airport to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Abellio ScotRail operates an approximately two-hourly service on the former G&SWR route to Glasgow via Dumfries and Kilmarnock. Northern Trains operate an approximately hourly service from Carlisle to Newcastle; some of the services are actually operated by Abellio ScotRail as through services from the Dumfries route. Northern operate an irregular but about 90-minutely service from Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness via Maryport and Whitehaven.
Further reading.
Denis Perriam and David Ramshaw, "Carlisle Citadel Station", P3 Publications, Carlisle, 1998,


Furness and Midland Joint Railway

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.
Opening and operation.
The 9½ mile line opened in April 1867 for freight, with passengers services beginning on 6 June of that year. These initially ran to a temporary depot near "Furness & Midland Junction" where the two lines met, as the connecting curve to the main Carnforth Joint station was not completed until 1880. The two companies agreed from the outset, that the Midland would work all traffic over the line and operate the stations; whilst the Furness would maintain the track and structures from its Engineer's Office in Barrow. But as the Midland had their own "in-house" Signalling Department, the Midland installed and maintained the signalling on the line. Soon after opening, the Midland transferred its existing Irish & Isle of Man steamer services from Morecambe (where the harbour was prone to silting and difficult to reach at low tide) to the newly extended dock facilities at Piel Pier, near Barrow and began running connecting trains over the Joint line to serve it. The line also carried significant quantities of freight - mainly minerals from the Barrow area headed for West & South Yorkshire and worked by the F.R as far as the exchange yards at Carnforth, where Midland locos would take over. The Midland also built its own locomotive depot near Carnforth East Junction (some distance east of the station) to service the locos that worked the route - this still stands today, although it is no longer in railway use.
The boat trains were transferred to a new station adjacent to the deep water Ramsden Dock at Barrow-in-Furness in 1881 but would end altogether in 1904 when the Midland opened its new rail-served port at Heysham and moved its ferry routes there also. The line though remained a busy freight and passenger route right up until the 1923 Grouping (when the London Midland and Scottish Railway took over) and beyond.
Stations and structures.
Stations on the route were located at Melling, Arkholme and Borwick. Other notable structures include the 1230yd (1118m) Melling tunnel, a bridge over the Lancaster Canal at Capernwray and two viaducts near Arkholme, one of which takes the line across the River Lune.
The line today.
The line is still in use today as part of the Leeds to Morecambe Line, although there are no stops - Melling station was closed as an economy measure in 1952, whilst the other two suffered the same fate when the local stopping service over the line was withdrawn by the British Transport Commission in September 1960. All three station houses survive and are still used as private dwellings. Trains continue from Wennington to Leeds over former "little" North Western Railway metals. The original connection along the northern side of the triangular junction between the Joint line and the Furness Line at Carnforth was removed in 1998 after several years of disuse, meaning that any through trains using the route to reach destinations toward Barrow now have to reverse at Carnforth station.


Canklow engine shed

Canklow Engine Shed was a Traction Maintenance Depot located in Canklow, Rotherham, England. The depot opened in 1900 and was situated on the Midland Main Line, south of Rotherham Masborough station. The depot area had six lines; three of these fed into just one line that went through the shed, whilst the other three were sidings, one of which had the coal stage.
The shed closed in 1965 and was later demolished with a housing estate erected on the site in 1990.
History.
From 1963 to 1967, Class 25, 37 and 46 locomotives could be seen at the depot.


Beeston Tor

Beeston Tor () is a limestone cliff in Staffordshire. It overlooks the confluence of the River Hamps with the River Manifold, and is a popular venue for rock climbing (seasonal restrictions for rock climbing apply).
There was a small station here, of the same name, opened by the narrow gauge (2' 6") Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway on 27 June 1904, whilst being entirely operated by the North Staffordshire Railway. The station had no siding – unlike most of the stations on the line – but there was a refreshment room.
The line closed in 1934, and the route of the railway past the station is now designated the Manifold Way, an 8-mile walk- and cycle-path which runs from Waterhouses to Hulme End.


Walton on the Hill engine shed


Somerset Central Railway


Cheddington to Aylesbury Line

The Cheddington to Aylesbury Line was an early railway branch line, opening in 1839. It was promoted by local people who formed the Aylesbury Railway to construct it, and it made a junction with the London and Birmingham Railway at Cheddington. That company worked the branch line, and when the L&BR merged with others in 1846 to form the London and North Western Railway, the line was in effect the Aylesbury branch of the LNWR.
It was important to Aylesbury, securing it a cheaper way of bringing in essentials and sending out its agricultural produce, as well as greatly improving passenger communication. The early terminus at Aylesbury was relocated and expanded in 1889. However other railways were built serving Aylesbury, and in time these offered easier communication: the inconvenience of passenger travel involving changing trains at Cheddington made the branch line unattractive.
The passenger service was discontinued in 1953 and the line was closed completely in 1963.
Origins.
The London and Birmingham Railway opened in stages, through Cheddington on 9 April 1838, and throughout on 17 September 1838. It formed, with the Grand Junction Railway, the backbone of early railways in Great Britain.
As the London and Birmingham line was being built, business interests in Aylesbury were already thinking of how a railway connection might be made between their town and the new railway. In 1815 the town had ensured its connection to the canal network for the transport to market of its agricultural produce, and now wished to do the same with a railway. In these early times, goods traffic was the dominant commercial force. Serious discussions took place over the construction of a branch line and a scheme went to the 1836 session of Parliament. The Aylesbury Railway Act obtained the Royal Assent on 19 May 1836, without opposition in Parliament.
All seemed to be going well, until a local bank, William Medley, Son and Company, of Aylesbury, failed in January 1837. The bank had been strong supporters of the line, and many local businesspeople were embarrassed, causing a local financial panic, and the loss of promised subscriptions to the railway. After urgent reflection, the Aylesbury Railway Company decided to proceed with its branch line, but any ideas it may have harboured regarding an extension on to Oxford, were now dismissed.
Construction and opening.
The first sod was cut in July 1838. The delay in starting was due to the banking crisis, but also to reconsideration as to the advisability of proceeding with a line to Oxford, and to the problem in negotiating a working arrangement with the London and Birmingham Railway. It was not until 14 December 1837 that the working agreement was finalised. Construction was easy, as the line was almost entirely straight and level, with no road or river bridges. Space was made for double track, but only a single line was laid. The work had been estimated at £50,000 and the actual cost was £59,000. This included land acquisition and Parliamentary expenses.
The construction was under the general direction of Robert Stephenson.
Whishaw described the line further:
The rails are chiefly of the parallel form [as opposed to fish-bellied]... they are in 16 feet lengths, and fixed in chairs by means of wooden keys; the chairs are placed 4 feet from centre to centre along the line of railway; the sleepers are from 9 to 10 feet in length, and of full scantling...
The station at Aylesbury is conveniently laid out: a triple way, connected, at a convenient distance from the offices, with the main line, runs into a railway-dock 33 feet wide at its entrance, and 12 feet at its connexion with the terminal turn-table, the side space of which is 4 feet 10 inches;... the quay [loading dock] on either side is about 10 feet in width. There is a carriage-dock 10 feet 8 inches in length, and 8 feet 10 inches wide, furnished at its entrance with a proper turn-table, and abutting on the yard, conveniently situate for the arrival of common-road vehicles... The booking-office and general waiting-room are in one; there is, however, a separate room for ladies. This is, upon the whole, one of the best-arranged stations for a short line of railway that we have any where met with. There is a locomotive engine-house at each end of the line; that at Aylesbury is about 100 feet in length, and 16 feet in clear width. On the top of this building is a capacious tank for water, for the supply of the locomotives.
The London and Birmingham Railway undertook to lease the line from 15 January 1840 for £2,500 per annum, that is to say 5% on the estimated construction cost. At the outset the L&BR had intended simply to own the track, and permit independent hauliers to operate on the line on a toll basis; however on reflection it was realised that this arrangement would hardly work for an intercity line like the L&BR, and the Company decided to operate its own trains.
The Aylesbury Railway opened on 10 June 1839.
It was stated at a celebratory dinner later that "Prior to the railway opening the only means of travelling to London had been by coach which left Aylesbury at 6 o'clock in the morning arriving in London at 10 o'clock in the evening, 14 hours travelling. By use of the Aylesbury Railway this will now be two hours."
In operation.
An ordinary train service started the following day, 1 June; there were three trains on each weekday and two on Sundays, connecting with London trains at Cheddington. Goods trains began regular operation in November 1839.
On 15 January 1845 the lease of the Aylesbury Railway expired, and on 16 July 1846 the London and Birmingham Railway became part of the new London and North Western Railway; the new company purchased the Aylesbury company for £60,000.
When the line was opened there were no intermediate stations, but a new stopping place at Marston Crossing was in use as a station as early as 1857; nevertheless it was not until 1863 that it was recognised as a station proper and included in local timetables.
Quick adds detail about the early days of Cheddington: it was referred to in company timetables of 20 June 1839 as "the Aylesbury Junction"; then as Cheddington early in 1840. It was not shown in Bradshaw until 1844, when only southbound main line trains were shown. Some Aylesbury trains operated to and from Tring.
A form of absolute block working was brought into use on the branch on 18 November 1880.
An improved terminus.
The original terminus at Aylesbury was cramped and unsuitable for the growing volume of traffic; a new station fronting High Street at Aylesbury was opened on Sunday 16 June 1889; the old station (at Station Street) was transferred to use as a goods station.
The new passenger station did not have a run-round loop, and arriving passenger trains were generally run round by propelling them to the goods yard points to release the engine, and gravitating the coaches back to the platform under the control of the guard. In 1950 this procedure was rendered unnecessary with the introduction of push-and-pull trains, which did not require the engine to run round the train. Bletchley depot had three LMS push-and-pull sets, one for the Aylesbury line and one each for the Dunstable and Newport Pagnell lines.
After nationalisation of the railways in 1948, the other stations at Aylesbury came under British Railways management as well as the Cheddington line station, and a distinction in names was considered necessary. The goods station was renamed Aylesbury High Street from 1 July 1950, and the passenger station was similarly renamed from 25 September the same year.
Decline.
Throughout the twentieth century, the line had gradually lost business to more convenient railway routes; London could be reached direct by either of two other routes, and northward journeys were convenient by the Great Central Railway. In the winter of 1952-3 only four passenger trains ran each way on the branch, supplemented by one on Wednesdays and two on Saturdays. Except on Wednesdays and Saturdays the last train for Cheddington left Aylesbury at the early hour of 13:25 and made no London connection, for the branch had long ceased to be a useful route from Aylesbury to London.
The line closed 2 February 1953 to passengers. It continued in use for goods traffic until 2 December 1963.


Knowlesands Tunnel