Papcastle railway station

Papcastle railway station was on the single track Derwent Branch of the Maryport and Carlisle Railway (M&CR) in the then county of Cumberland, now Cumbria, England.

Papcastle railway station
Papcastle station, remains 20 March 1952
LocationPapcastle, Allerdale
England
Coordinates54.6706°N 3.4111°W / 54.6706; -3.4111
Grid referenceNY090315
Platforms1[1][2]
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyMaryport & Carlisle Railway
Post-groupingLondon Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 June 1867Opened
1 July 1921Station closed to passengers[3]
After May 1922Unadvertised use by quarrymen ended[4]
29 April 1935Line closed and subsequently lifted[5]

The station was opened in 1867, situated over a mile from the village of Papcastle. Sidings to the substantial Broughtoncraggs Quarry led off the line opposite the station.

Passenger services

Until 1914 all passenger trains along the branch called at Papcastle, from 1887, by request.

The initial service in August 1867 consisted of two trains each way between Bullgill (written then as "Bull Gill") and Brigham calling at Dearham and Papcastle, Monday to Saturday. By November of that year this had been doubled, with all trains reversing at Brigham to run to and from Cockermouth.

By June 1876 this pattern continued, with two trains added each way on Sundays between Cockermouth and Bullgill.

From 1887 to 1914 five trains started from Maryport with a sixth from Bullgill, all with balancing services, Monday to Saturday. It is not clear whether passengers had to change at Bullgill or whether a reversal took place there as well as at Brigham. Two trains from Maryport and one Bullgill, with balancing services, ran on Sundays. Dearham Bridge and Papcastle were shown as "Signal Stops" where intending passengers had to inform railway staff who would stop the train accordingly. In the case of Papcastle this meant alerting a platelayer's wife living nearby.

Much was made locally of the fact that it was quicker to use the through coach from Carlisle to Cockermouth via the branch than to go via Penrith or Workington.

In 1914 Sunday trains were withdrawn.[6]

Sources differ when Papcastle closed. One says it lost even its Signal Stop status (by implication, closed) in 1914[7] whilst others give its closure date as 1921.[3][8] Unadvertised calls were made for quarrymen until at least May 1922.[9]

The journey time from Cockermouth to Bullgill averaged 25 minutes.

In 1922 six trains passed through the station in each direction, Monday to Saturday, with no Sunday service.[10]

The service through the station survived until 1935, with trains running from Maryport to Cockermouth, with reversals at Bullgill and Brigham. Much was made locally of the fact that it was quicker to use the through coach from Carlisle to Cockermouth via the branch than to go via Penrith or Workington. This was theoretical for the residents of Papcastle for two reasons, first, the trains didn't stop at "their" station and second, they could walk to Cockermouth more quickly than they could walk to Papcastle station.

Unusually for those times the tracks were lifted not long after closure, with a tragic consequence, when a bridge was being demolished a girder fell on two men and killed them.[11]

Afterlife

In 2020 the station was in use as a dwelling.[8]

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Dovenby Lodge
Line and station closed		   Maryport & Carlisle Railway
Derwent Branch		   Brigham
Line and station closed

See also

References
  1. Images of the station, via Cumbria Railways Association
  2. Suggitt 2008, p. 95.
  3. Quick 2009, p. 304.
  4. Croughton, Kidner & Young 1982, p. 110.
  5. Robinson 2002, p. 14.
  6. Colman 1982, pp. 10–12.
  7. Colman 1982, p. 12.
  8. Jones 2020, pp. 288–301.
  9. Suggitt 2008, pp. 94–97.
  10. Bradshaw 1985, p. 511.
  11. Suggitt 2008, p. 97.

Sources
  • Bradshaw, George (1985) [July 1922]. Bradshaw's General Railway and Steam Navigation guide for Great Britain and Ireland: A reprint of the July 1922 issue. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-8708-5. OCLC 12500436.
  • Colman, C. V. (January 1982). Peascod, Michael (ed.). "Passenger Services on the Bolton and Derwent Branches". Cumbrian Railways. Pinner: Cumbrian Railways Association. 2 (9). ISSN 1466-6812.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Croughton, Godfrey; Kidner, R. W.; Young, Alan (1982). Private and Untimetabled Railway Stations, Halts and Stopping Places. The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-281-0. OCLC 10507501.
  • Jones, Allan (October 2020). Peascod, Michael (ed.). "The Derwent Branch of the Maryport and Carlisle Railway". Cumbrian Railways. Pinner: Cumbrian Railways Association. 13 (8). ISSN 1466-6812.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
  • Robinson, Peter W. (2002). Cumbria's Lost Railways. Catrine: Stenlake Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84033-205-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Suggitt, Gordon (2008). Lost Railways of Cumbria (Railway Series). Newbury, Berkshire: Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-84674-107-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Further reading
  • Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
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