Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway

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Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway

Lancashire

Haverthwaite railway station MMB 10 Repulse.jpg
Repulse runs around its train at Haverthwaite
Gauge: standard
Location: 54°15’50"N, 2°59’18"W
No. of stations: 3
Track: 3.2 miles
Headquarters: Haverthwaite
Information
Operated by: Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway
Website: lakesiderailway.co.uk

The Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway is a 3¼-mile heritage railway in Lancashire North of the Sands, running from the foot of Windermere down to Haverthwaite, close to the head of the Leven Estuary, which divides the Furness peninsula from the Cartmel Peninsula.

Route

The railway runs a short line from Haverthwaite by the head of the estuary, the southern end of the line by way of Newby Bridge to Lakeside at the southern end of Windermere. Some services are timed to connect with sailings of the diesel excursion vessels or steam vessels on Windermere, sailing from Lakeside to Bowness and Ambleside.

The railway is a former branch line of the Furness Railway and was opened on 1 June 1869.[1] The line was served by local passenger trains which started their journey at Ulverston on the Furness Railway's mainline from Carnforth to Barrow-in-Furness. The Furness branch trains travelled east to the triangular junction at Plumpton and then turned north by way of Greenodd and on to stations at Haverthwaite, Newby Bridge halt and Lakeside. The Furness Railway's weekdays passenger service in July 1922 comprised eight trains in each direction, advertised train-to-boat connections that were established in 1869. During the summer season, excursion trains from Lancashire and elsewhere used the east-to-north side of Plumpton Junction to reach Lakeside, where their passengers joined the boat sailings on the lake.

Closure of the branch and re-opening by L&HR

British Railways closed the line to passengers on 6 September 1965, and to all traffic two years later.[2]

A group of enthusiasts chaired by Dr Peter Beet formed the Lakeside Railway Estates Company, with the idea of preserving both the line and the former LMS 10A locomotive shed at Carnforth, to provide a complete steam operating system. However, although backed by then transport minister Barbara Castle, the need to build a number of motorway bridges and re-routing of the A590 road from Haverthwaite via Greenodd to Plumpton Junction, meant that the complete vision was unsuccessful. Beet acquired the Carnforth shed in partnership with Sir William McAlpine, 6th Baronet, which became the visitor attraction 'Steamtown' from 1967. The venture folded as a public access visitor attraction in 1987, but the preserved site was taken over by businessman David Smith to become the base for his West Coast Railway Company.[3]

Resultantly, Austin Maher became chairman of the Lakeside Railway Estates Company, which then re-opened the truncated three and a half mile Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway as a heritage railway on 2 May 1973.[4] Maher and fellow L&HR director Jim Morris each bought one LMS 2-6-4T Class 4MT, Nos. 42073 (Maher) and 42085 (Morris), which eventually restored as L&HR Nos. 3 and 4 became the lines core steam power units.

In fiction

In Christopher Awdry's book "Thomas & Victoria", the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway is featured as the railway where Victoria worked before going to Sodor.

In the Thomas the Tank Engine television series, the railway was filmed for a series of short educational segments entitled "Down at the Station."

Steam Locomotives

Operational Steam Locomotives

  • Barclay 0-6-0T National Coal Board no. 1245 often known as "Thomas" by staff. Built in 1911. (Operational, painted in light blue lined out in white and black).
  • Bagnall 0-6-0ST no. 2682 Princess. Built in 1942. (Operational, boiler ticket expires in 2019, painted in dark blue lined out in black and red).
  • Bagnall 0-6-0ST no. 2996 "Victor". Built in 1951. (Operational, boiler ticket expires in 2024, painted in maroon lined out in black and yellow).
  • War Department 0-6-0ST WD Austerity Tank no. 3794 Repulse. Built in 1950. (Operational, boiler ticket expires in 2026, painted in lined black).
  • LMS 2-6-4T Class 4MT no. 42073 - BR Black, Late Crest (built in 1950, returned to service in 2014).

Steam Locomotives out of Action

  • Barclay 0-4-0ST Millom Ironworks no. 2333 David. Built in 1953. (Undergoing overhaul, painted in light green livery).
  • LMS 2-6-4T Class 4MT no. 42085 - BR Black, Early Emblem (built in 1951, undergoing overhaul).

Diesel Locomotives

  • BR 0-6-0 Class 03 no. D2117 (L&HR no. 8). (Operational).
  • BR 0-6-0 Class 03 no. D2072 (TOPS: 03 072). (Operational).
  • BR 0-6-0 Class 11 no. AD601 (ex-Industrial lookalike). (Operational).
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 20 no. 20 214. (Operational).
  • BR Bo-Bo Class 26 no. D5301 (Operational).
  • KL100 Jones 0-4-0 crane no. 20. (Operational).
  • Motor Rail & Tram car co. 0-4-0 Rachel. (On display, undergoing restoration).
  • BR Class 110 DMU unit 52071+52077. (Operational).

Rolling stock

  • 5 BR Mk. 1 Tourist Standard Open coaches
  • 2 BR Mk. 1 Second Corridor coaches
  • 2 BR Mk. 1 Brake Second Corridor coaches
  • 1 BR Mk. 1 Brake Standard Open coach
  • Selection of assorted goods vehicles

Former members of the L&H Fleet

  • Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST (1929) no. 1631, L&HR no. 5. Arrived in November 1970.
  • Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST (1919) no. 1366, L&HR no. 6 Renishaw Ironworks No. 6. Arrived in November 1970.
  • Hunslet 0-6-0ST Austerity 0-6-0ST|Austerity Tank no. 3794 Cumbria. Built in 1953. (Operational, boiler ticket expires in May 2025, painted in FR Red), now based at the Ribble Steam Railway in Preston.
  • LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 no. 44806 Magpie. Arrived in November 1970. Now based at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway with a plan to return to the mainline.
  • Peckett 0-4-0T (1936) no. 1900. Visited in Summer 1983.
  • Barclay 0-4-0FT (1917) no. 1550 Sir James. Now on static display at HM Factory, Gretna.

Pictures

  • Class 26, no. D5301 inside the shed at Haverthwaite on 31 March 2005. This was one of the final locomotives of its type in traffic, being withdrawn in late 1993.

  • 'Repulse' passes the up train at Haverthwaite Station.

  • Fairburn tank 42085 at Lakeside station.

  • Bagnall no. 2682 'Princess' stabled at Haverthwaite station.

  • Andrew Barclay no. 1245 arrives at Lakeside station.

Outside links

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 ("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway)

References

  1. ↑ Butt 1995, p. 109
  2. ↑ Butt 1995, p. 115
  3. ↑ "Obituray - Dr Peter Beet". The Guardian. 7 December 2005. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/dec/07/obituaries.mainsection. Retrieved 2 January 2011. 
  4. ↑ Butt 1995, p. 252
  • Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. 
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