"Little" North Western Railway
Template:For Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Little North Western Railway RDT
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 Template:Abbr was first leased, and later taken over, by the Midland Railway (MR). The Template:Abbr used part of the line for its London to Scotland Settle and Carlisle main line.
The Template:Abbr main line, which ran from Skipton in the West Riding of Yorkshire to Morecambe on the Lancashire coast, gave the Template:Abbr access to the west coast in an area dominated by the rival Template:Abbr.
Part of the line, between Lancaster and Morecambe, was used in the early twentieth century for pioneering overhead electrification.
Two-thirds of the line, in North Yorkshire, is still in use today, mainly for local services. Of the dismantled Lancashire section, two-thirds has been reused as a combined cyclepath and footpath.
FormationEdit
Template:Infobox UK legislation The North Western Railway was incorporated by the Template:Visible anchor (9 & 10 Vict. c. xcii) on 26 June 1846 to build a railway from Template:Stnlnk on the Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway to Template:Stnlnk on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, to carry Yorkshire-to-Scotland rail traffic.
There would be a branch at Clapham, Yorkshire to Lancaster,Template:Sfn to make an end-on connection with an associated company.
Morecambe Harbour and RailwayEdit
Template:Infobox UK legislation
The Morecambe Harbour and Railway Company was incorporated by the Template:Visible anchor (9 & 10 Vict. c. clxxxiv) on 16 July 1846 to build a harbour on Morecambe Bay, close to the village of Poulton-le-Sands, and Template:Convert of railway to a new station at Template:Stnlnk. The single-track line opened on Whit Monday 12 June 1848, a temporary station having been constructed at Morecambe which, it was reported, afforded "every possible accommodation"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> to passengers.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
On 18 December 1849 a short connecting curve opened between Lancaster Green Ayre and Template:Stnlnk on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway.Template:Sfn
The company amalgamated with the Template:Abbr within months of its incorporation, although technically it remained a separate company until absorption by the Midland Railway on 1 June 1871.Template:Sfn
The railway and harbour on Morecambe Bay led to the development of a settlement around them which absorbed Poulton-le-Sands, and later Bare and Torrisholme, and which eventually adopted the name of Morecambe.
ConstructionEdit
What was the original 'main line' opened between Template:Stnlnk and Ingleton, on 31 July 1849. However, due to economic recession, work on the Ingleton-to-Low Gill section was suspended, so the Template:Abbr was forced to concentrate on the branch to Lancaster.
Soon after, the line eastwards along the Lune valley from Template:Stnlnk to Template:Stnlnk opened on 17 November 1849. The line extended further east to Template:Stnlnk by 2 May 1850 and finally to Template:Stnlnk where it joined the already completed line from Skipton, a month later on 1 June 1850. A horse bus had been used to bridge the gap between Wennington and Clapham during construction.Template:Sfn
Upon completion of the Morecambe-to-Skipton line, the Clapham-to-Ingleton section was closed, just ten months after opening, as the prospect of completion of the partly built branch to Low Gill seemed remote.Template:Sfn
The whole line was originally single track. By 1850, the Template:Stnlnk-to-Template:Stnlnk section had been doubled, extending to Skipton by 1853. However, Morecambe-to-Lancaster remained single track until 1877, and Lancaster-to-Hornby until 1889. The curve between the two Lancaster stations was never doubled.Template:Sfn
From 1 June 1852, the Template:Abbr was worked by the Midland Railway (MR).Template:Sfn Later, on 1 January 1859, both the Template:Abbr and the Morecambe Harbour and Railway (MH&R) were leased to the Template:Abbr, and on 30 July 1874 the Template:Abbr was absorbed by the Template:Abbr.Template:Sfn
Connecting linesEdit
The Ingleton BranchEdit
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After considerable manoeuvring between rival companies, in 1857 it was the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, worked by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), that was authorised to take over construction of the abandoned Ingleton-to-Low Gill line. The line opened to passengers on 16 September 1861, but to the Template:Abbr's own station at Ingleton. The Midland and Template:Abbr stations were at opposite ends of a viaduct, and passengers had to walk between them. However, by 1862 the Template:Abbr trains ran through to the Midland station.Template:Sfn
The Settle-Carlisle LineEdit
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Due to continuing friction between the Template:Abbr and the Template:Abbr over the Ingleton Branch, the Template:Abbr resolved to build its own line from Settle to Template:Stnlnk, which opened to passengers on 1 May 1876.Template:Sfn This line formed part of the Template:Abbr's main line from Template:Stnlnk to Template:Stnlnk and on to Template:Stnlnk via the Glasgow and South Western Railway. Thus the Template:Abbr line between Skipton and Template:Stnlnk gained main line status. Even today, the line is occasionally used for inter-city diversions.
Other connecting linesEdit
The Furness and Midland Joint Railway built a line from Template:Stnlnk on the Template:Abbr to Template:Stnlnk, where there was already a junction between the Furness Railway and the Template:Abbr's Lancaster and Carlisle Railway. The line opened to passengers on 6 June 1867.Template:Sfn
The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway also built a branch from Hest Bank on its main line to meet the Template:Abbr just before Morecambe station, opening on 13 August 1864. However, Template:Abbr passenger trains had their own station, initially at Template:Stnlnk and, from 1886, at Template:Stnlnk.Template:Sfn
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway extended its line through Template:Stnlnk to a junction with the Template:Abbr at Template:Stnlnk on 1 June 1880.Template:Sfn
Extension to HeyshamEdit
Heysham Harbour was opened by the Midland Railway in 1904, to replace the same company's harbour in Morecambe. A branch line from the Template:Abbr line had already opened for contractors on 12 November 1898 but was opened to passengers on 1 September 1904. The new line made a triangular junction with the existing Template:Abbr line a very short distance east of the junction with the Template:Abbr line from Hest Bank.Template:Sfn
ElectrificationEdit
The line between Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham pioneered the use of overhead cables for electrification. Heysham-to-Morecambe was electrified on 13 April 1908, extending to Template:Stnlnk on 1 July and to Template:Stnlnk on 14 September. The system used 6.6 kV at 25 Hz, with the electricity provided by a power station at Heysham,Template:Sfn supplied via cables suspended from overhead steel archways.<ref name="RM797">Railway Magazine, p.797</ref>
After 11 February 1951, steam trains temporarily took over while the system was upgraded to 6.6 kV at 50 Hz. Full electric service resumed on 17 August 1953, with power supplied from a new substation at Green Ayre.Template:Sfn On a Template:Convert section of track, the overhead arches were replaced by experimental cantilever structures, separate for each of the two tracks.<ref name="RM797"/>
ClosuresEdit
The Ingleton Branch closed to passengers on 30 January 1954, but was still used for goods and occasional excursions until closure on 26 July 1966, after which the tracks were lifted.Template:Sfn
The Wennington-to-Morecambe section of the line was closed under the Beeching Axe. Passenger traffic ceased on 2 January 1966.Template:Sfn However, an alternative Wennington-to-Morecambe connection has been maintained using the former Furness and Midland Joint Railway to Template:Stnlnk and thence the former Template:Abbr Morecambe Branch Line, a route still in use today by the Leeds to Morecambe Line.Template:Sfn
Goods traffic via the Lune Valley line ceased on 4 June 1967, except for a short single-track spur from the Heysham line towards Lancaster which closed on 31 January 1970, and another single-track spur from Lancaster Castle to a power station which closed on 16 March 1976.Template:Sfn
Almost all of the route of the dismantled line between Caton and Morecambe has been preserved as a combined cyclepath and footpath, except for a short section near Lancaster city centre. Here the line's Greyhound Bridge over the River Lune was converted for use as a road bridge.Template:Sfn
The Morecambe-to-Heysham branch closed to passengers on 4 October 1975, but reopened on 11 May 1987 for sailings to the Isle of Man.Template:Sfn The branch has been single track since Morecambe station was relocated in 1994. The branch now connects only to Morecambe's platform 2.Template:Sfn