Scottish Railways in Cumbria

The West Coast main line was extended north from Carlisle by the Caledonian Railway in September 1847 and completed through to Glasgow and Edinburgh on 15th February 1848. From August 1848 the Dumfries line, to become part of the Glasgow & South Western Railway from 1850, made a junction with the Caledonian right on the Scottish border at Gretna, its trains travelling over the latter into Carlisle.

However, the railway which was to most effectively occupy the northern fringe of Cumbria was the North British. The NBR had opened a branch south from Edinburgh to Hawick by 1847. It was to spend much of the 1850s in a battle with the Caledonian over who should build a line onwards to Carlisle. Eventually the North British won powers to construct the Border Union Railway in 1858, and completed what became known as “The Waverley Line” in June 1862, Waverley coming from the associations of the Scottish border counties with the novels of Sir Walter Scott.

When planning its Carlisle extension the NBR found two small local railways struggling to maintain their existence. They had origins dating back to the Carlisle Canal which had opened in 1823 between Carlisle and sea at Port Carlisle. After the opening in the mid 1840s of the Maryport and Lancaster lines, the latter providing access to Liverpool, traffic on the canal had dwindled rapidly and in an attempt to revive their fortunes the proprietors sought and won powers to convert the canal into a railway, opening in 1854. Port Carlisle, however, at the head of the Solway Firth was inadequate as a port for Carlisle to compete with Maryport, let alone Liverpool. A new company was formed to extend the railway from Drumburgh to Silloth, opened in 1856, and a new harbour constructed. To encourage more traffic the company began to develop Silloth as a resort, but soon found itself deep in debt, rescue only arriving in the form of a lease to the North British Railway in 1862.

The final Scottish incursion into Cumberland was by the Solway Junction Railway, conceived to shorten the haul of iron ore from West Cumberland to the blast furnaces of Lanarkshire by means of a cut-off across the Solway Firth, cutting the haul through Carlisle by 25 miles. Completed in 1870, it soon had to face the end of the iron ore boom, and, reduced to an impecunious state, the Solway Junction Railway was taken over by the Caledonian in 1895.

Openings and Closures

Note: All dates relate to passenger traffic only; goods traffic may have been worked from an earlier date and may have continued after closure to passengers, in some cases for many years. Not all stations were opened with the original opening of the line and some stations may have been moved from their original locations. Not all detail of minor changes is included.

CALEDONIAN RAILWAY

LineOpenedClosed
Carlisle to Beattock10 September 1847Open
Beattock to Glasgow/Edinburgh15 February 1848Open

Stations in Cumbria

StationOpenedClosed
Rockcliffe17 July 1950#
Floriston17 July 1950
Gretna10 September 1951

GLASGOW DUMFRIES & CARLISLE RAILWAY

LineOpenedClosed
Gretna Junction to Dumfries23 August 1848Open
Amalgamated with the Glasgow Paisley Kilmarnock & Ayr Railway
to form the Glasgow & South Western Railway28 October 1850

PORT CARLISLE AND SILLOTH BAY DOCKS & RAILWAYS

LineOpenedClosed
Carlisle Canal to Port Carlisle22 June 1854
Drumburgh Junction to Silloth28 August 1856
Leased to the North British Railway1862
Drumburgh Junction to Port Carlisle1 June 1932
Carlisle to SillothSeptember 1964

Stations

StationOpenedClosed
Kirkandrews7 September 1964
Burgh-by-Sands7 September 1964
Drumburgh4 July 1955
Glasson1 June 1932
Port Carlisle1 June 1932
Kirkbride7 September 1964
Abbey Junction10 May 1921
Abbey Town7 September 1964
Blackdyke Halt7 September 1964
Silloth7 September 1964

NORTH BRITISH RAILWAY

LineOpenedClosed
Carlisle to Scotch Dyke29 October 1861
Scotch Dyke to Hawick1 July 1862
Longtown to Gretna1 November 1869 August 1915
Edinburgh to Carlisle6 January 1969

Stations on Border Union Railway (south of Hawick)

StationOpenedClosed
Harker1 November 1929#
Lyneside1 November 1929
Longtown6 January 1969
Gretna9 August 1915
Scotch Dyke2 May 1949
Riddings Junction15 June 1964
Penton6 January 1969
Kershopefoot6 January 1969
Newcastleton6 January 1969
Steele Road6 January 1969
Riccarton Junction6 January 1969
Shankend6 January 1969
Stobs6 January 1969

SOLWAY JUNCTION RAILWAY

LineOpenedClosed
Kirtlebridge to Bowness8 March 1870
Annan (Shawhill) to Brayton10 May 1921

Stations

StationOpenedClosed
Annan (Shawhill)10 May 1921
Bowness10 May 1921
Whitrigg10 May 1921
Bromfield10 May 1921
# – later use for work people’s services only