Lowca railway station

Lowca
Lowca's 1stt station in the colliery yard, probably on 2 June 1913
Location
Place	Lowca, Cumbria
Area	Copeland
Coordinates	54°34′54″N 3°34′51″W / 54.5817°N 3.5808°W / 54.5817; -3.5808Coordinates: 54°34′54″N 3°34′51″W / 54.5817°N 3.5808°W / 54.5817; -3.5808
Grid reference	NX979218
Operations
Original company	Bain's Mineral Railway
Pre-grouping	Harrington & Lowca Light Railway
Post-grouping	Harrington & Lowca Light Railway
Platforms	1
History
15 April 1912	Workmen's service commenced
2 June 1913	Public passenger service
31 May 1926	Public passenger service ended
1 April 1929	Workmen's service 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

Lowca had two railway stations that served the village of Lowca in the former county of Cumberland, England, which is now part of Cumbria.

The line was originally a waggonway that conveyed coal from a drift mine at Lowca to Harrington Harbour and later to Harrington Iron Works. As the demand for greater quantities of coal to feed the ironworks was most important new mines with vertical shafts were sunk. These were named after the parent Ironworks and took the name of Harrington with a shaft number to identify them. Vis; Harrington No.4, Harrington No.9, etc.

A public passenger service ran from the 1st station between 2 June 1913 and when the 2nd Lowca Station was completed in August 1913 public services ran until they ceased in May 1926. Unadvertised workmen's trains had started in April 1912 and ran between Moss bay cart Sidings to the colliery station in the pit yard. After the Light Railway order ended the private workmens service continued until April 1929, after which the workmens trains ceased.

By 1922 the service had settled down to three trains each way between Lowca and Workington Central, with an extra on Saturdays. There never was a public Sunday service.

The fist station at Lowca was built by Bain & Co. who owned the colliery and Harrington Ironworks. It was situated in the colliery yard and was closed to public passenger use when the second station at Lowca was opened in August 1913

The second station was on the Harrington and Lowca Light Railway which connected with the Cleator & Workington Junction Railway (CWJR) at Rosehill Junction south of Harrington Village. Workmen's services to and from Lowca variously ran from Moss Bay Cart Siding, Moss Bay (during the First World War), Workington Central and Seaton (Cumbria). Public passenger trains ran to these last two only.

For many years there has been confusion regarding the stations at Lowca. Railway historians who did not do a full historical undertaking into the railway thought as many do today there was only one station but research into the two stations by members of the Cumbrian Railways Association proved that there were two stations at Lowca and the first official passenger service terminated in the Colliery yard as shown in the photo. The 1st station continued in use until 1929 for workmen's trains but for passenger use the 2ns Lowca Station was the terminus.