The Cleator and Workington Junction Railway (C&WJR) was located in West

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

in Northern England, serving the towns of

Cleator Moor Cleator Moor is a town and civil parish in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. The parish was historically called Cleator. During the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, the new settlement of Cleator Moor was built on the moo ...

and

Workington Workington is a coastal town and civil parish in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. The town is at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast, south-west of Carlisle and north-east of Whitehaven. At the 2021 census the ...

and intermediate villages. It was mainly used for

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

and

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

traffic for the local industries.

History

The C&WJR was incorporated in 1876 and a bill presented to

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

in the same year. Construction began shortly after and the line between Workington and Cleator Moor was opened in 1879. The line continued northwards from Workington to a junction with the

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the LNWR was the largest joint stock company in the world. Dubbed the "Premier Line", the LNWR's main line connec ...

(LNWR) at Siddick, approximately two miles away. The principal station and company headquarters were in Central Square, Workington and the station soon became known as Workington Central. A second main line was built from a junction on the C&WJR main line at Calva Junction to Linefoot Junction, where it joined the

Maryport and Carlisle Railway The Maryport & Carlisle Railway (M&CR) was an English railway company formed in 1836 which built and operated a small but eventually highly profitable railway to connect Maryport and Carlisle, Cumberland, Carlisle in Cumberland, England. There ...

. This section was known as the Northern Extension. Several branch lines were built including that to

Rowrah Rowrah is a village in Cumbria, England, and spans the civil parishes of Arlecdon and Frizington and Lamplugh. The majority of Rowrah is within Arlecdon and Frizington. The parish boundaries are formed from the Windergill Beck and Colliergate B ...

, of which a short 300 yard section remained in use there as a backshunt until 1978. To the people of West Cumberland the line became affectionately known as the "Track of the Ironmasters." The C&WJR never ran its own services on the main lines: this was done on their behalf by the Furness Railway. In later years the C&WJR purchased its own engines to work its branch lines (see below). At the railway grouping of 1923, the line was incorporated into the

London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with London and North Eastern Railway, LNER, Great Western Railway, GWR and Southern Railway (UK), SR. The London, Midland an ...

network. The Northern Extension section that served the Broughton Moor Armaments Depot closed on 4 June 1992.

Accidents and incidents

*On 16 February 1900, an embankment was washed away at Moss Bay,

. A freight train on the Moss bay Branch was derailed with the locomotive coming to rest on its side. The 0-6-0ST locomotive was rescued shortly after the incident and was returned to traffic.

Route

Main line

- - - -
Route in Google Maps

Northern extension

- -
Route in Google Maps

Rowrah line

The Rowrah Line was branch line that left the mainline south of , accessing the mines and quarries near

. This branch line crossed over the main line from Workington to Cleator Moor to continue to Rowrah. The Company built a single road engine shed near the junction to house a C&WJR locomotive that worked the line. The much altered building exists today (2017) as an agricultural store.

Cleator & Workington Junction Railway locomotives

All the nameplates used on this company's locomotives were named after residences of C&WJR company directors. Until recently there was uncertainty about the name of No. 2 but the personal notebook of the Company Accountant shows otherwise. The engine never ran in service with the name ''"Ennerdale"''. * No. 1 Brigham Hill (1st) and Rothersyke (1st) An outside cylinder 0-4-0T Built in 1882 by Fletcher Jennings Ltd for C&WJR. Builders No. 187.
Nameplates carried: ''Brigham Hill'' (1882–1894) and ''Rothersyke'' (1894–1897)
Renumbered: No known renumbering of this engine.
Disposal: To West Stanley Colliery Coy. County Durham in 1897 * No. 2 Unnamed for fifteen years, then Rothersyke (2nd) An outside cylinder 0-4-0ST. Built circa 1875 by Barclay & Co. (not an Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. product). Built originally for Ward, Ross & Liddlelow, railway contractors to the C&WJR, No. 2 was purchased second hand in 1882. No. 2 was originally named ''Ennerdale'' but the nameplates were removed after acquisition by the C&WJR on the order of the Managing Director.
Nameplates Carried: None from 1882 to 1897. The redundant plates from engine No.1 ''Rothersyke'' were fitted when it was decided to sell the engine.
Renumbered: No known renumbering of this engine.
Disposal: To SD Coasdell of Workington in July 1898 for £150.Industrial Locomotive Society records * No. 3 South Lodge An outside cylinder 0-6-0ST of 1884, built by

Robert Stephenson and Company Robert Stephenson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing company founded in 1823 in Forth Street, Newcastle upon Tyne in England. It was the first company in the world created specifically to build Steam locomotive, railway engines. Famou ...

for the C&WJR. Builders No. 2553. The saddle tank did not cover the smokebox.
Nameplates carried: ''South Lodge.'' (1884 to 1920)
Renumbered: No known renumbering of this engine.
Disposal: To J.F. Wake Ltd., Dealers, Darlington, County Durham, July 1920 * No. 4 Harecroft An outside cylinder 0-6-0ST built in 1885 by the Lowca Engineering Co. Ltd. for the C&WJR. Builders No. 196. Similar in appearance to No. 3 and the saddle tank did not cover the smokebox.
Nameplates carried: ''Harecroft'' (1885 to 1915)
Renumbered: After disposal by new owner to 46
Disposal: Withdrawn September 1915 and sold to Workington Iron & Steel Company. * No. 5 Moresby Hall An outside cylinder 0-6-0ST built in 1890 by

for the C&WJR. Builders No. 2692. The saddle tank did not cover the smokebox.
Nameplates carried: '' Moresby Hall'' (1890 to 1919)
Renumbered: No known renumbering of this engine.
Disposal: Withdrawn and scrapped 1919. * No. 6 Brigham Hall An outside cylinder 0-6-0ST built in 1894 by

for the C&WJR. Builders No. 2813. The saddle tank did not cover the smokebox.
Nameplates carried: '' Brigham Hall'' (1894 to 1920)
Renumbered: Allocated 11564 by the LMS in 1923 after the grouping, but not known if it was repainted into LMS colours.
Disposal: Withdrawn 11/12/1926 and scrapped by the LM&SR * No. 7 Ponsonby Hall An outside cylinder 0-6-0ST built in 1896 by

for the C&WJR. Builders No. 2846. The saddle tank did not cover the smokebox.
Nameplates carried: ''Ponsonby Hall'' (1886 to 1926)
Renumbered: Allocated 11565 by the LMS in 1923 after the grouping, but not known if it was repainted into LMS colours.
Disposal: Withdrawn 18/12/1926 and scrapped by the LM&SR * No. 8 Hutton Hall An 0-6-0ST built in 1907 by Peckett and Sons for the C&WJR. Builders No. 1134.
Nameplates carried: ''Hutton Hall'' (1907 to 1927)
Renumbered: Allocated 11566 by the LMS in 1923 after the grouping, and repainted into early LMS black goods livery.
Disposal: Withdrawn 3/12/1927 and scrapped by the LM&SR * No. 9 Millgrove An outside cylinder 0-6-0ST built in 1919 by Peckett and Sons for the C&WJR. Builders No. 1340.
Nameplates carried: ''Millgrove'' (1919 to 1928)
Renumbered: Allocated 11567 by the LMS in 1923 after the grouping, and repainted into early LMS black goods livery.
Disposal: Withdrawn 5/12/1928 and scrapped by the LM&SR * No. 10 Skiddaw Lodge An outside cylinder 0-6-0ST built in 1920 by

Hudswell Clarke Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. History The company was founded as Hudswell and Clarke in 1860. In 1870 the name was changed to Hu ...

& Co. for the C&WJR. Builders No. 1400.
Nameplates carried: ''Skiddaw Lodge'' (1920 to 1932)
Renumbered: Allocated 11568 by the LMS in 1923 after the grouping, and repainted into early LMS black goods livery.
Disposal: Withdrawn 1932 by LM&SR and sold to Hartley main Collieries Northumberland, via Robert frazer & Sons Ltd., Hebburn, County Durham.

Other railways in the Workington area

Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway

References

External links

Map
{{LMSconstituents Rail transport in Cumbria Pre-grouping British railway companies Railway companies established in 1876 Railway lines opened in 1879 Railway companies disestablished in 1923 London, Midland and Scottish Railway constituents 1876 establishments in England British companies established in 1876