Caton railway station served the village of Caton in the

City of Lancaster The City of Lancaster, or simply ''Lancaster'' (), is a non-metropolitan district, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Lancashire, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Lancaster, Lanca ...

district of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England. The station was located near Ball Lane and Station Road, with the latter crossing the railway on the level immediately to the east. It opened with the line in November 1849, being built by the

"Little" North Western Railway The North Western Railway (NWR) was an early British railway company in the north-west of England. It was commonly known as the "Little" North Western Railway, to distinguish it from the larger London and North Western Railway (LNWR). The was ...

. The route was initially constructed as single track, with a

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains o ...

here - the Lancaster to Hornby stretch eventually being doubled by the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had ...

in 1889. The station was closed in May 1961 by the

British Railways Board The British Railways Board (BRB) was a State ownership, nationalised industry in the United Kingdom that operated from 1963 to 2001. Until 1997, it was responsible for most railway services in History of rail transport in Great Britain 1995 to d ...

as an economy measure,Marshall, J (1981) ''Forgotten Railways North-West England'', David & Charles (Publishers) Ltd, ; p.158 though the line remained in use until closure to passengers in 1966 between Wennington and

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...

. Freight services finished the following year in 1967 and the track was subsequently dismantled. The line has since been converted into a footpath and cycleway westwards towards Lancaster, including the two old railway viaducts across the

River Lune The River Lune (archaically sometimes Loyne) is a river in length in Cumbria and Lancashire, England. Etymology Several elucidations for the origin of the name ''Lune'' exist. Firstly, it may be that the name is Brittonic languages, Brittonic ...

Crook o' Lune The Crook o' Lune or Crook of Lune, about north-east of Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster, Lancashire, is a horseshoe bend of the River Lune, which here meanders through meadows and low hills into a wooded gorge. It has long been noted for its ...

. The station house survives as a private residence, whilst the old goods shed is now a church. The old formation eastwards is still visible from nearby roads and can be traced via satellite photos.

References

{{City of Lancaster Disused railway stations in Lancaster Former Midland Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1849 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1961