Lowca railway station

Lowca
Location
Place	Lowca, Cumbria
Area	Copeland
Coordinates
Grid reference	NX979218
Operations
Original company	Lowca Light Railway
Post-grouping	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
UK Railways portal

Lowca Light Railway and Gilgarran Branch
Legend
Key Open line Gilgarran Branch Lowca Light Railway Other lines ---------- ----------- Cumbrian Coast Line                      to Maryport Flimby MCR to Dearham Siddick Junction Linefoot Linefoot Jct St Helens Colliery Great Broughton Dock Jct Seaton Dock Calva Jct Derwent Jct             Cloffocks Jct To Marron Junction Workington Main Workington Central Solway Colliery Derwent Ironworks Moss Bay Cart Siding Moss Bay Ironworks Harrington Jct High Harrington  Harrington  (Church Rd Halt) Harrington Harrington Harbour  Rosehill  (Archer St Halt) Rose Hill Platform Rose Hill Junction Copperas Hill Micklam To Marron Junction Lowca Bain's Siding Wythemoor Colliery USC Workmen's Halt Distington Parton Halt Ullock Jct Parton Distington Ironworks Cumbrian Coast Line                 to Whitehaven Ullock WCER to Rowrah Oatlands CWJR to Rowrah CWJR to Cleator Moor West ---------- -----------
1972 Key Open line Gilgarran Branch Lowca Light Railway Closed and lifted lines ---------- ----------- Cumbrian Coast Line                      to Maryport Flimby Formerly to Dearham Siddick Junction Linefoot Jct St Helens Colliery Armaments Depot Calva Jct Derwent Jct             Cloffocks Jct Formerly to Marron Junction Workington Main Workington Central Solway Colliery Moss Bay Ironworks Harrington Jct High Harrington  Harrington  (Church Rd Halt) Harrington Harrington Harbour  Rosehill  (Archer St Halt) Rose Hill Platform Rose Hill Junction Copperas Hill Micklam Formerly to Marron Junction Lowca Bain's Siding USC Workmen's Halt Distington Parton Halt Ullock Jct Parton Cumbrian Coast Line                 to Whitehaven Ullock WCER to Rowrah Oatlands CWJR to Rowrah CWJR to Cleator Moor West

Lowca railway station served the village of Lowca in the former county of Cumberland, England, which is now part of Cumbria.

A public passenger service ran from the station between 2 June 1913 and May 1926, though unadvertised workmen's trains had started in April 1912 and continued until April 1929, after which all forms of passenger service 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 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, Maryport (during the First World War), Workington Central and Seaton (Cumbria). Public passenger trains ran to these last two only.

Freight services

The railway through Lowca was first and foremost a mineral railway, with the short-lived workmen's and passenger services an afterthought. Lines first reached Lowca at the end of the Nineteenth Century, eventually running northwards towards Workington and northeastwards to meet the Gilgarran Branch at Bain's Siding. The driving forces were coal, fireclay at nearby Micklam, coke and coking bi-products. Centrepiece for over fifty years was Harrington No. 10 Colliery which, confusingly, was not in Harrington, but in Lowca.

Between them these industrial concerns sustained the railway through Lowca until final closure to all traffic in May 1973.

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Micklam Line and station closed		Lowca Light Railway		Terminus

See also

• Gilgarran Branch
• Cleator and Workington Junction Railway

External links

• The closed station on an inter-war OS map, via National Library of Scotland
• The station, via Rail Map Online
• Latterday steam at Lowca, via flickr
• Latterday steam at Lowca, via flickr
• Industrial relics at Lowca, via flickr
• The line, via railwaycodes
• The Harrington collieries, via Haig Pit Mining Museum