West Cumberland Railway Museum and Swansong trip along the Beckermet to Sellafield track bed of the WC&ER

This completed the visits to the track of the WC&ER which started in March 2011 visiting the Moor Row and Cleator areas, March 2013 visiting the Bigrigg area and November 2014 visiting Egremont and the area south of there.

The trip visited the trackbed from Beckermet to Sellafield, noting the start of work reinstating the stub of the branch at the Sellafield end. This trackbed will be within the boundaries of the Moorside project, and the Sellafield end will be reinstated to provide rail access into the site, hence visiting it while that is still possible.

Several relics were still visible, including the 8 ½ mile post (from Moor Row) and the bridges which all seemed to have been built for double track, although the line and its embankments was only ever single track.

Following lunch, the trip then visited the recently opened West Cumberland Railway Museum in St Bees which houses a large and fascinating collection of Cumbrian railway artefacts.