A PDF of information relating to the Cleator & Workington Junction Railway is now available. It contains original files from The National Archive of minutes of the railway and the Joint Committee that was formed between them and their near neighbour, the Furness Railway. The latter company had powers to operate the main line trains of the C&WJR who in turn operated the branches of the main system.

Also involved in the operation of the mineral lines in West Cumberland was the 'Joint Line' which was operated jointly between the Furness and the London & North Western Railways. This railway had started life as the independent Whitehaven, Cleator & Egremont Railway before it was jointly acquired in 1878.

To further complicate matters, there was also a tripartite agreement between the three companies mentioned above, though this grouping was mainly concerned with setting rates and tariffs for their traffic as well as for other local railways.

A summary of the file contents:

RAIL 119/1: C&WJR Board, Committee and General Meeting Minutes 1876 - 1882. Pages 1 to 210.

RAIL 119/2: C&WJR Board, Committee and General Meeting Minutes 1882 - 1889. Pages 211 to 621.

RAIL 119/3: C&WJR Board, Committee and General Meeting Minutes 1889 - 1897. Pages 622 to 1047.

RAIL 119/4: C&WJR Board, Committee and General Meeting Minutes 1897 - 1916. Pages 1048 to 1853.

RAIL 119/5: C&WJR Board, Committee and General Meeting Minutes 1916 - 1923. Pages 1854 to 2144.

The above documents were transcribed by Norman Gray and we owe him our gratitude for all his hard work. We must also thank Guy Wilson for his help in adding introductory notes.

The transcripts are listed below. The periods roughly equate to the periods covered by the original minute books.

Transcription of the above Minutes 1876 - 1882. Pages 2145 to 2338.

Transcription of the above Minutes 1883 - 1889. Pages 2339 to 2541.

Transcription of the above Minutes 1890 - 1897. Pages 2542 to 2751.

Transcription of the above Minutes 1898 - 1916. Pages 2752 to 3148.

Transcription of the above Minutes 1917 - 1923. Pages 3149 to 3266.

C&WJR & FRJC Minutes.

RAIL 119/6: C&WJR & FR Joint Committee Meetings 1878 - 1911. Pages 3267 to 3383.

RAIL 119/7: C&WJR & FR Joint Committee Meetings copy 1879 - 1886. Pages 3384 to 3497.

RAIL 119/8: C&WJR & FR Joint Committee Meetings copy 1879 - 1887. Pages 3498 to 3609.

Transcription of C&WJR & FR Joint Committee Meetings 1878 - 1911. Pages 3610 to 3676. Transcript by Peter Robinson.

The final pages contain a register of staff in the Traffic Department only, station staff, signalmen, yard staff and guards. No locomotive or engineering straff are included. Pages have been scanned in two halves which would be easier to decipher when printed and matched to mimic the original documents.

RAIL 119/13: C&WJR Staff Records from the staff register of Traffic department 1879-1923. Pages 3677 to 3828.