Bowness railway station

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Bowness railway station
Bowness-on-Solway Station (converted) 1868182 c14d22bb.jpg
The former Bowness railway station pictured in 1961
Location
Place Bowness-on-Solway
Area Allerdale
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Grid reference NY213623
Operations
Original company Solway Junction Railway
Pre-grouping Caledonian Railway
Platforms 2
History
8 August 1870[1] Opened
1 September 1921[2] Station closed to all traffic
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
UK Railways portal
Solway Junction Railway
Solway Viaduct - Solway Junction Railway
Solway Viaduct - Solway Junction Railway
Map of the Solway Junction Railway(Aston & Barrie, 1932; p.28)
Map of the Solway Junction Railway
(Aston & Barrie, 1932; p.28)
Locale Scotland
Dates of operation 13 September 1869 – 27 April 1931
Successor Caledonian Railway
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
Caledonian Railway Main Line
Kirtlebridge
Annan Shawhill
Annan
Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway
Solway Viaduct over Solway Firth
Bowness
Whitrigg
Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway
Kirkbride Junction
Abbey Junction
Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway
Bromfield
Maryport and Carlisle Railway
Brayton(M&CR)
Maryport and Carlisle Railway

Bowness was a station which served Bowness-on-Solway, a village in Cumbria on the English side of the Solway Firth. The station opened on 8 August 1870 by the Caledonian Railway on a line constructed from the Caledonian Railway Main Line at Kirtlebridge across the Glasgow South Western Line, then forming the Solway Junction Railway over the Solway Viaduct to Brayton. The line opened in 1869 and freight had run since 13 September 1869.

History

Bowness was opened by the Solway Junction Railway, then part of the Caledonian Railway The passenger service was never well patronised and reduced to being just one carriage at the front of an occasional goods train and in September 1917 this was suspended,[3] but was reinstated in 1920.[4] Passenger services were finally withdrawn in 1921 and the line south of Annan over the Solway Viaduct was closed completely.

The station was only built as an afterthought following a petition from local people.[5] It had two platforms, a signal box, cattle pens and an overbridge at the northern end. Old photographs show a carriage body on one platform as a shelter, etc.[6] In 1910 a watertank was located next to the overbridge and the platform beside the signal box had no buildings, not even a passenger shelter.[7] In 1915 the signalbox was open from 4 am to 8:30 pm.

Disused, the station became the property of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923 until sold together with the viaduct.[8]

The Solway railway viaduct

Beyond Bowness station the railway ran along an embankment and then crossed the estuary of the Solway upon an iron girder viaduct, one mile 176 yards in length.[9] The local people's frustration at the delay in reopening the Solway Viaduct after it was damaged in 1881 is recorded in the newspapers of the day.[7]


Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Annan Shawhill   Caledonian Railway
Solway Junction Railway
  Whitrigg

The site today

The station house is now a private dwelling.[4]

References

Notes
  1. Quick 2009, p. 95.
  2. Edgar & Sinton 1990, p. 59.
  3. Edgar & Sinton 1990, p. 58.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Mullay 1990, p. 137.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Mullay 1990, p. 139.
  8. Edgar & Sinton 1990, p. 57.
  9. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Sources
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Further reading