Coniston Railway
Encyclopedia
The Coniston Railway was a railway in Cumbria
, England, linking Coniston
and Broughton-in-Furness
, which ran for over 100 years between the middle of the 19th to the middle of the 20th century. It was originally designed for the transport of copper
ore
and slate
from the mines near Coniston to the coast and later developed into a line for tourists to the Lake District
. The line opened in 1859 and closed in 1962.
were mining cooper ore in the Coniston area 2000 years ago, and there is evidence that copper was being extracted from the area as long ago as the Bronze Age
. Green slate has also been quarried in the area for at least 500 years and there has been a tourist industry for some 200 years. By the middle of the 19th century the copper mines and the slate quarries at Coniston were flourishing, the mines employing 400 men and the quarries were producing an average of 2,000 tons of slate a month. Around this time the Coniston mines were the largest copper mines in the north of England.
Before the railway was built, materials had to be transported in horse-drawn carts to Coniston Water
, by barge on the lake, and then again by cart to Broughton-in-Furness. The public had to travel on a horse-drawn "omnibus". In 1848, hoping for an increase in tourism, J. G. Marshall demolished his inn at the head of the lake and replaced it with a "handsome hotel". The Furness Railway
had opened their line from Barrow-in-Furness
to Kirkby-in-Furness
in June 1846 and its extension to Broughton in February 1848. The Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway
opened its line from Whitehaven
in 1849 and this reached Broughton in October 1850. Also in 1849 the Furness Railway paid £550 (£ as of ), to improve the road from Ambleside
to Broughton (now the A593).
proposed building a railway with a gauge of 3ft. 3in. from the copper mines at Coniston to link with the Furness Railway at Broughton. John Robinson McClean, engineer of the Furness Railway, reported this to the Earl of Burlington
(later to be Duke of Devonshire), the company's chairman, recommending that the line should be of standard gauge. However no further action was taken at that time. Interest in the line revived in 1856, and the route was surveyed
by George Sanders to plans drawn up by McClean and his assistant, Frank Stileman.
The Coniston Railway Act received Royal Assent on 10 August 1857. The line was initially run as a separate business, although it was closely associated with the Furness Railway, having the same chairman (the Duke of Devonshire) and general manager (James Ramsden). A company was established with a capital
of £45,000 (£ as of ). Tenders were invited and the contract for building the line was awarded to Child & Pickles. Work on building the line started in January 1858, but the contractors became bankrupt in August of that year. The Furness Railway took over responsibility for completing the line. The line was inspected on 25 May 1859 and again on 14 June by Colonel Yolland
, the inspecting officer from the Railway Department
of the Board of Trade
. He identified a number of improvements to be made before he could sanction the opening of the line. The line was opened on 18 June 1859 although the buildings at Coniston railway station
were not completed until the end of the year. These buildings were designed by the Lancaster
architect E. G. Paley
in Swiss chalet style
. The extension of the line to the copper mines did not open until 1860. In 1862 the Coniston Railway was amalgamated with the Furness Railway
, the Act being placed on the Statute Book on 7 July.
where lines led in one direction towards the west coast of Cumberland
(as it then was) and in the other direction via the Furness Railway to Barrow-in-Furness
. There were stations at Coniston and Broughton-in-Furness, with intermediate stations at Torver
and Woodland
. An extension from Coniston to Copper House (for the copper mines) was opened in 1860. From Broughton-in-Furness the line rose steeply, initially up a gradient of 1 in 49, to Woodland. From Woodland it continued to rise, with a maximum gradient of 1 in 77, to Torver. Just after Torver station it reached its highest level and then descended towards Coniston, with a level section just before Coniston station.
. On weekdays there were four trains each way every weekday and two on Sundays. During the winter months there were only three trains on weekdays. By 1907 there were eight trains each day between Foxfield and Coniston. The "Fleetwood Boat Train" had a connection with the steamer service between Fleetwood
and Barrow. Towards the end of the First World War
workmen's trains ran between Coniston and the shipyards at Barrow. In August 1930 there were ten trains running each way on weekdays. In the summer of 1939 a direct train was introduced from Blackpool Central
to Coniston. After the Second World War
there continued to be about nine trains a day on weekdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays a through train travelled from Blackpool. Initially on Sundays there were usually two trains a day each way, although by 1922 there were four trains. After the Second World War there were usually only three trains each way on Sundays.
, the Gondola. This was made by the Liverpool
firm of Jones, Quiggin and Company at a cost of £1,200 (£ as of ), transported in sections by rail, and assembled on the slipway close to Coniston Hall
. It was launched on 30 November 1859 and began to run a regular service the following June. Gondola was 84 feet (26 m) long and was registered to carry 200 passengers. In 1900 alterations were made at a cost of £35 (£ as of ), removing the smoking room and providing more accommodation for second-class passengers. The boat was taken out of service in 1936. Its engine was removed and sold in 1944, the boat itself was used as a houseboat
, and then sunk in the winter of 1963–64. It was later re-floated and acquired by the National Trust
in 1978. It was divided into sections and taken to Vicker's shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness for rebuilding. Gondola was reassembled at Coniston and resumed service in 1980.
of Southampton
in 1907 and was registered to carry 400 passengers. It cost £5,600 (£ as of ), was 97 in 6 in (29.72 m) long and had a maximum speed of 11.5 knots. The boat was taken out of service at the outset of the Second World War
and broken up for scrap in 1950.
locomotives built by Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy
, of which Copperknob
is an example, and 2-2-2 well tanks built by Sharp Brothers and Company. In the 1870s and 1880s the passenger trains were hauled by 2-4-0
locomotives built by Sharp, Stewart and Company, which were later replaced by 4-4-0
locomotives, which were later converted into 2-4-2T locomotives. For the purpose of economy, the railway developed a "steam rail motor car
" which ran between 1905 and 1915. Meanwhile the 2-4-2T locomotives were being helped out by 0-6-2T locomotives. In 1915 a 4-4-2T locomotive designed by Pettigrew was introduced.
From 1934 motor trains
were introduced, powered by L&YR Class 5
2-4-2T locomotives designed by Aspinall
. From 1935 Fowler
2-6-2T locomotives were used on the line. During the Second World War
the Aspinall tanks were replaced by Webb
2-4-2T tanks
. The final locomotives regularly used on the line were Ivatt 2-6-2T
locomotives. Trains on the Blackpool to Coniston service were usually hauled by a Stanier Class 5
locomotive, although on one occasion in July 1957, it was hauled by Jubilee
45678 De Robeck. In August 1954 an experimental three-car diesel
train was introduced but this was unsuccessful.
44347. Freight services ended on 30 April 1962 and the track was lifted and the other railway structures were removed. The Coniston footbridge was dismantled and re-built at Ravenglass for the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
. Most of the land was sold to farmers along the route. Part of the track bed was used for a new water main
constructed in 1974. Other parts of the track bed were converted into footpaths. Most of the bridges were demolished. The station buildings at Torver, Woodland and Broughton, and two of the crossing cottages, were sold to be used as private houses. Coniston station was demolished in 1968 and its site used for industrial units and houses. Gondola continues to run a service during summer months, calling at Coniston Pier, Brantwood
and Monk Coniston.
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England, linking Coniston
Coniston, Cumbria
Coniston is a village and civil parish in the Furness region of Cumbria, England. It is located in the southern part of the Lake District National Park, between Coniston Water, the third longest lake in the Lake District, and Coniston Old Man; about north east of Barrow-in-Furness.-Geography and...
and Broughton-in-Furness
Broughton-in-Furness
Broughton in Furness is a small town on the southern boundary of England's Lake District National Park. It is located in the Furness region of Cumbria, which was part of Lancashire before 1974...
, which ran for over 100 years between the middle of the 19th to the middle of the 20th century. It was originally designed for the transport of copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
and slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
from the mines near Coniston to the coast and later developed into a line for tourists to the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. The line opened in 1859 and closed in 1962.
Background
The RomansRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
were mining cooper ore in the Coniston area 2000 years ago, and there is evidence that copper was being extracted from the area as long ago as the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. Green slate has also been quarried in the area for at least 500 years and there has been a tourist industry for some 200 years. By the middle of the 19th century the copper mines and the slate quarries at Coniston were flourishing, the mines employing 400 men and the quarries were producing an average of 2,000 tons of slate a month. Around this time the Coniston mines were the largest copper mines in the north of England.
Before the railway was built, materials had to be transported in horse-drawn carts to Coniston Water
Coniston Water
Coniston Water in Cumbria, England is the third largest lake in the English Lake District. It is five miles long, half a mile wide, has a maximum depth of 184 feet , and covers an area of . The lake has an elevation of 143 feet above sea level...
, by barge on the lake, and then again by cart to Broughton-in-Furness. The public had to travel on a horse-drawn "omnibus". In 1848, hoping for an increase in tourism, J. G. Marshall demolished his inn at the head of the lake and replaced it with a "handsome hotel". The Furness Railway
Furness Railway
The Furness Railway was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England.-History:The company was established on May 23, 1844 when the Furness Railway Act was passed by Parliament...
had opened their line from Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
to Kirkby-in-Furness
Kirkby-in-Furness
Kirkby-in-Furness is a village in the Furness area of Cumbria, England. It is about 5 km south of Broughton in Furness and 8 km northwest of Ulverston. It is one of the largest villages on the peninsula's north-western coast, looking out over the Duddon estuary and the mountains of the...
in June 1846 and its extension to Broughton in February 1848. The Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway
Furness Railway
The Furness Railway was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England.-History:The company was established on May 23, 1844 when the Furness Railway Act was passed by Parliament...
opened its line from Whitehaven
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a small town and port on the coast of Cumbria, England, which lies equidistant between the county's two largest settlements, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, and is served by the Cumbrian Coast Line and the A595 road...
in 1849 and this reached Broughton in October 1850. Also in 1849 the Furness Railway paid £550 (£ as of ), to improve the road from Ambleside
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
to Broughton (now the A593).
Planning and building
In November 1849 the railway engineer John Barraclough FellJohn Barraclough Fell
John Barraclough Fell , was a British railway engineer and inventor of the Fell mountain railway system.Fell spent the early part of his life in London, living with his parents. About 1835 he moved with them to the Lake District. In 1840, he married a 25-year-old woman named Martha in Kirkstall,...
proposed building a railway with a gauge of 3ft. 3in. from the copper mines at Coniston to link with the Furness Railway at Broughton. John Robinson McClean, engineer of the Furness Railway, reported this to the Earl of Burlington
William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire KG, PC , styled as Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1831 and 1834 and known as The Earl of Burlington between 1834 and 1858, was a British landowner, benefactor and politician.-Background and education:Cavendish was the son of William Cavendish, eldest...
(later to be Duke of Devonshire), the company's chairman, recommending that the line should be of standard gauge. However no further action was taken at that time. Interest in the line revived in 1856, and the route was surveyed
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
by George Sanders to plans drawn up by McClean and his assistant, Frank Stileman.
The Coniston Railway Act received Royal Assent on 10 August 1857. The line was initially run as a separate business, although it was closely associated with the Furness Railway, having the same chairman (the Duke of Devonshire) and general manager (James Ramsden). A company was established with a capital
Financial capital
Financial capital can refer to money used by entrepreneurs and businesses to buy what they need to make their products or provide their services or to that sector of the economy based on its operation, i.e. retail, corporate, investment banking, etc....
of £45,000 (£ as of ). Tenders were invited and the contract for building the line was awarded to Child & Pickles. Work on building the line started in January 1858, but the contractors became bankrupt in August of that year. The Furness Railway took over responsibility for completing the line. The line was inspected on 25 May 1859 and again on 14 June by Colonel Yolland
William Yolland
William Yolland CB, FRS was an English military surveyor, astronomer and engineer, and was Britain’s Chief Inspector of Railways from 1877 until his death...
, the inspecting officer from the Railway Department
Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate
Established in 1840, HM Railway Inspectorate was the British organisation responsible for overseeing safety on Britain's railways and tramways...
of the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
. He identified a number of improvements to be made before he could sanction the opening of the line. The line was opened on 18 June 1859 although the buildings at Coniston railway station
Coniston railway station
Coniston is a closed railway station at the terminus of a branch line in Coniston, Cumbria, England.- History :Authorised by Parliament in August 1857 the line to Coniston was open less than two years later in June 1859. The station building was designed by the Lancaster architect...
were not completed until the end of the year. These buildings were designed by the Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
architect E. G. Paley
Edward Graham Paley
Edward Graham Paley, usually known as E. G. Paley, , was an English architect who practised in Lancaster, Lancashire, in the second half of the 19th century.-Education and career:...
in Swiss chalet style
Swiss chalet style
Swiss chalet style is an architectural style inspired by the chalets of Switzerland. The style originated in Germany in the early 19th century and was popular in parts of Europe and North America, notably in the architecture of Norway, the country house architecture of Sweden, Cincinnati, Ohio,...
. The extension of the line to the copper mines did not open until 1860. In 1862 the Coniston Railway was amalgamated with the Furness Railway
Furness Railway
The Furness Railway was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England.-History:The company was established on May 23, 1844 when the Furness Railway Act was passed by Parliament...
, the Act being placed on the Statute Book on 7 July.
Route
The line ran from Coniston to Broughton-in-Furness. At Broughton-in-Furness it joined the Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway to FoxfieldFoxfield railway station
Foxfield Railway Station serves the villages of Foxfield and Broughton-in-Furness in Cumbria, England. The railway station is a request stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line. Some through trains to the Furness Line stop here...
where lines led in one direction towards the west coast of Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
(as it then was) and in the other direction via the Furness Railway to Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
. There were stations at Coniston and Broughton-in-Furness, with intermediate stations at Torver
Torver railway station
Torver is a closed railway station that served the village of Torver, in Cumbria, England and was on the branch line to .- History :Authorised by Parliament in August 1857 the line to Conistion was open less than two years later in June 1859. The station was used for the shipment of slate and stone...
and Woodland
Woodland railway station
Woodland Railway Station is a closed railway station that served the hamlet of Woodland, in Cumbria, England and was on the branch line to .- History :...
. An extension from Coniston to Copper House (for the copper mines) was opened in 1860. From Broughton-in-Furness the line rose steeply, initially up a gradient of 1 in 49, to Woodland. From Woodland it continued to rise, with a maximum gradient of 1 in 77, to Torver. Just after Torver station it reached its highest level and then descended towards Coniston, with a level section just before Coniston station.
Subsequent development
From the outset trains ran from Coniston to Broughton-in-Furness and on to Foxfield and most trains went further, terminating at Kirkby-in-FurnessKirkby-in-Furness
Kirkby-in-Furness is a village in the Furness area of Cumbria, England. It is about 5 km south of Broughton in Furness and 8 km northwest of Ulverston. It is one of the largest villages on the peninsula's north-western coast, looking out over the Duddon estuary and the mountains of the...
. On weekdays there were four trains each way every weekday and two on Sundays. During the winter months there were only three trains on weekdays. By 1907 there were eight trains each day between Foxfield and Coniston. The "Fleetwood Boat Train" had a connection with the steamer service between Fleetwood
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
and Barrow. Towards the end of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
workmen's trains ran between Coniston and the shipyards at Barrow. In August 1930 there were ten trains running each way on weekdays. In the summer of 1939 a direct train was introduced from Blackpool Central
Blackpool Central railway station
Blackpool Central was the largest railway station in the town of Blackpool in the county of Lancashire, England. When it closed in 1964, it became the station with the highest number of platforms ever to close, comprising 14 platforms...
to Coniston. After the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
there continued to be about nine trains a day on weekdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays a through train travelled from Blackpool. Initially on Sundays there were usually two trains a day each way, although by 1922 there were four trains. After the Second World War there were usually only three trains each way on Sundays.
Gondola
From the outset of the railway the company were aware of its potential for tourism. In an attempt to attract more tourists to use the line it bought a steam yachtSteam yacht
A steam yacht is a class of luxury or commercial yacht with primary or secondary steam propulsion in addition to the sails usually carried by yachts.-Origin of the name:...
, the Gondola. This was made by the Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
firm of Jones, Quiggin and Company at a cost of £1,200 (£ as of ), transported in sections by rail, and assembled on the slipway close to Coniston Hall
Coniston Hall
Coniston Hall is a former house on the west bank of Coniston Water in the English Lake District . It is a Grade II* listed building.The house dates from the late 16th century, or possibly earlier. It is built in stone rubble with a slate roof...
. It was launched on 30 November 1859 and began to run a regular service the following June. Gondola was 84 feet (26 m) long and was registered to carry 200 passengers. In 1900 alterations were made at a cost of £35 (£ as of ), removing the smoking room and providing more accommodation for second-class passengers. The boat was taken out of service in 1936. Its engine was removed and sold in 1944, the boat itself was used as a houseboat
Houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...
, and then sunk in the winter of 1963–64. It was later re-floated and acquired by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
in 1978. It was divided into sections and taken to Vicker's shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness for rebuilding. Gondola was reassembled at Coniston and resumed service in 1980.
Lady of the Lake
Such was the success of Gondola that the company commissioned another boat, the Lady of the Lake. This was manufactured by ThorneycroftJohn I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm started by John Isaac Thornycroft in the 19th century.-History:...
of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
in 1907 and was registered to carry 400 passengers. It cost £5,600 (£ as of ), was 97 in 6 in (29.72 m) long and had a maximum speed of 11.5 knots. The boat was taken out of service at the outset of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and broken up for scrap in 1950.
Locomotives
From the start, locomotives were supplied by the Furness Railway. Originally these were of two types, 0-4-00-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
locomotives built by Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy
Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy
Bury, Curtis and Kennedy was a steam locomotive manufacturer in Liverpool, England.Edward Bury set up his works in 1826, under the name of Edward Bury and Company. He employed James Kennedy, who had gained experience of locomotive production under Robert Stephenson and Mather, Dixon and Company,...
, of which Copperknob
Furness Railway No. 3
Furness Railway No.3, "Old Coppernob", is a preserved English steam locomotive. It acquired its nickname because of the copper cladding to its dome-shaped "haystack" firebox....
is an example, and 2-2-2 well tanks built by Sharp Brothers and Company. In the 1870s and 1880s the passenger trains were hauled by 2-4-0
2-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels....
locomotives built by Sharp, Stewart and Company, which were later replaced by 4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
locomotives, which were later converted into 2-4-2T locomotives. For the purpose of economy, the railway developed a "steam rail motor car
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
" which ran between 1905 and 1915. Meanwhile the 2-4-2T locomotives were being helped out by 0-6-2T locomotives. In 1915 a 4-4-2T locomotive designed by Pettigrew was introduced.
From 1934 motor trains
Autotrain
Autotrain may refer to:* Autotrain, a type of push-pull train incorporating a steam locomotive and specially fitted passenger coaches* Auto Train, a specific Amtrak passenger service* Auto-Train Corporation...
were introduced, powered by L&YR Class 5
L&YR Class 5
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Class 5 and Class 6 were two related classes of 2-4-2T steam locomotives.- Class 5 :The class began as a John Aspinall design of 1889. The first locomotives had 18"×26" cylinders for a tractive effort of 18,955 lb and power class 2P...
2-4-2T locomotives designed by Aspinall
John Aspinall (engineer)
Sir John Audley Frederick Aspinall was a British mechanical engineer who served as Locomotive Superintendent of the Great Southern and Western and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways. He introduced vacuum brakes to his locomotives in Ireland, a trend which was followed in Britain, and designed...
. From 1935 Fowler
Henry Fowler (engineer)
Sir Henry Fowler, KBE was a Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Midland Railway and subsequently the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.- Biography :...
2-6-2T locomotives were used on the line. During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Aspinall tanks were replaced by Webb
Francis Webb (engineer)
Francis William Webb was a British engineer responsible for the design and manufacture of locomotives for the London and North Western Railway .- Biography :...
2-4-2T tanks
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
. The final locomotives regularly used on the line were Ivatt 2-6-2T
LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2T
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2T is a class of light 'mixed-traffic' steam locomotive introduced in 1946.- Background :...
locomotives. Trains on the Blackpool to Coniston service were usually hauled by a Stanier Class 5
LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0
The London Midland and Scottish Railway's Class 5 4-6-0, almost universally known as the Black Five, is a class of steam locomotive. It was introduced by William Stanier in 1934 and 842 were built between then and 1951...
locomotive, although on one occasion in July 1957, it was hauled by Jubilee
LMS Jubilee Class
The London Midland and Scottish Railway Jubilee Class is a class of steam locomotive designed for mainline passenger work. 191 locomotives were built between 1934 and 1936...
45678 De Robeck. In August 1954 an experimental three-car diesel
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
train was introduced but this was unsuccessful.
Closure and today
In 1957 there were eight trains each day and a survey showed that an average of only 18 passengers were carried on each of these trips. It was estimated that if the line were closed about £17,000 (£ as of ), would be saved each year. The line was closed for passenger trains on 6 October 1958. On 27 August 1961 an enthusiast's train ran on the line pulled by Fowler 4FLMS Fowler Class 4F
The London Midland and Scottish Railway Fowler 4F is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed for medium freight work. They represent the ultimate development of Midland Railway's six coupled tender engines.- Background :...
44347. Freight services ended on 30 April 1962 and the track was lifted and the other railway structures were removed. The Coniston footbridge was dismantled and re-built at Ravenglass for the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a minimum gauge heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the valley of Eskdale, in the Lake District...
. Most of the land was sold to farmers along the route. Part of the track bed was used for a new water main
Water supply network
A water supply system or water supply network is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components which provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes:# A drainage basin ;...
constructed in 1974. Other parts of the track bed were converted into footpaths. Most of the bridges were demolished. The station buildings at Torver, Woodland and Broughton, and two of the crossing cottages, were sold to be used as private houses. Coniston station was demolished in 1968 and its site used for industrial units and houses. Gondola continues to run a service during summer months, calling at Coniston Pier, Brantwood
Brantwood
Brantwood is a country house in Cumbria, England, overlooking Coniston Water. It has been the home of a number of prominent people, including John Ruskin. The house and grounds are administered by a charitable trust, the house being a museum dedicated to Ruskin...
and Monk Coniston.