Cockermouth and Workington Railway

Cockermouth and Workington Railway
Legend
Cumbrian Coast Line Workington Main Cleator and Workington Junction Railway Workington Central Workington Bridge River Derwent (three crossings) Camerton River Derwent (two crossings) Marron Junction Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway River Marron Broughton Cross Brigham Maryport and Carlisle Railway Cockermouth (C&W) later Cockermouth goods station Cockermouth(CK&P) Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway

The Cockermouth & Workington Railway was a railway between the towns of Workington and Cockermouth established by Act of Parliament in 1845. A single-tracked line of eight and a half miles length, it was built primarily to carry coals from the pits of West Cumberland to the port at Workington for shipment by sea. It opened for service in 1847, its western terminus being the Whitehaven Junction Railway station in Workington, while the eastern terminus lay at Cockermouth (C&W) railway station. Approximately three fifths of the former line now forms part of the A66 Road. This is approximately the two and a half miles from the start of a straight section of road near to Broughton Cross and the next roundabout.

Route

Cockermouth - Brigham - Broughton Cross - Camerton - Workington Bridge - Workington LNWR Not until the grouping of 1923 did the station became known as Workington Main

Mergers

After nineteen years of independent service the company was bought out by the London and North Western Railway in 1866. In the same year the Whitehaven Junction railway also became part of the L&NWR empire. Being the remotest part of the LNWR and not connected to the main network it relied on the Maryport & Carlisle railway to have motive power and rolling stock transferred to and from the West Cumberland outpost, under whose management it remained until absorbed on 1 January 1923 into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LM&SR) and in 1948 into the nationalised British Railways. Goods traffic ceased in 1964 and the line closed to passenger traffic in 1966.

See also

• Cumbrian Coast Line (history)
• Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway

References

External links

• Cockermouth Keswick & Penrith Railway information website
• Map