Beckermet railway station

Beckermet
Beckermet railway station, 1961
Location
Place	Beckermet, Cumbria
Area	Copeland
Coordinates	54°26′42″N 3°31′11″W / 54.4450°N 3.5198°W / 54.4450; -3.5198Coordinates: 54°26′42″N 3°31′11″W / 54.4450°N 3.5198°W / 54.4450; -3.5198
Grid reference	NY015065
Operations
Original company	LNWR & FR Joint Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Platforms	2
History
2 August 1869	Opened
7 January 1935	Closed to passengers
11 March 1940	Reopened to workmen's trains
8 April 1940	Closed
6 May 1946	Reopened
16 June 1947	Closed
1953	Reopened for workmen's trains to Sellafield
6 September 1965	Workmen's trains ended
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

Tracks were laid southwards from Whitehaven and Moor Row as far as Egremont by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway, opening to passengers on 1 July 1857.

By the 1860s the company sought to extend southwards from Egremont to meet the coastal line at Sellafield, aiming for Millom, Barrow-in-Furness and beyond. The Furness opposed this, but the two companies came to an accommodation and built the Egremont to Sellafield extension as a joint line. Beckermet railway station was the sole intermediate passenger station on the extension.

The station was on the western edge of the village, in Cumbria, England.

The line to Egremont was one of the fruits of the rapid industrialisation of West Cumberland in the second half of the nineteenth century, opening to passengers on 1 July 1857. Egremont remained as the railway's southern terminus until 1869 when the company, in partnership with the Furness Railway, built a southern extension from Egremont to the coast line at Sellafield, with an intermediate station at Beckermet. This enabled traffic from the Cleator Moor and Rowrah areas, especially iron ore, to move much more readily southwards.

In 1922 five northbound passenger trains left Beckermet, two connected with trains to Whitehaven at Moor Row, all the others continued there without a change. A Saturdays Only evening train terminated at Moor Row. The southbound service was similar. There were no Sunday trains.

The LNWR and Furness Joint Railway divided traffic responsibilities so that passenger traffic through the station was usually worked by the Furness Railway.

Goods traffic was typical of an industrial area, sustaining sidings and goods depots long after passenger services were withdrawn.

Mineral traffic was the dominant flow, though this was subject to considerable fluctuation with trade cycles. A considerable amount of iron ore travelled south through Beckermet bound for the furnaces of Millom and Barrow-in-Furness.

Stations and signalling along the line south of Rowrah were changed during the Joint regime to conform to Furness Railway standards.

The station closed on 7 January 1935 when normal passenger traffic ended along the line.