The Railways of the Cleator Moor area of West Cumbria.

Cleator & Workington Junction Railway
Whitehaven, Cleator & Egremont Railway
Rowrah & Kelton Fell Mineral Railway

Whitehaven, Cleator & Egremont Railway

In the first part of the 19th Century big deposits of haematite (iron ore) were discovered in the Cleator Moor and Egremont districts of West Cumberland, and by the 1840's they were being rapidly exploited.

Railway lines were constructed by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway running from Whitehaven to Cleator, with branches to Sellafield and Distington to carry the ore. In 1878 a viaduct was built across the Keekle River at Cleator. The railway line was opened in 1861 by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway Company to carry iron-ore and coal from the nearby mines. It later carried passengers, and the line was extended to meet the Cockermouth and Workington Railway at Marron Junction.

When the Whitehaven, Cleator & Egremont Railway Company was taken over in February 1878 by the London & North-Western and Furness Companies, the W. C. & E. Comprised 22 miles and 46 chains of railway (reduced to single track). The stations between Whitehaven (Corkickle ) and Marron Junction were Moor Row, Cleator Moor, Frizington, Eskett, Winder, Rowrah, Wright Green, Ullock, Branthwaite and Bridgfoot. Later the names of Eskett and Wright Green were changed to Yeathouse and Lamplugh respectively. Between Moor Row and Sellafield the intermediate stations were Woodend, Egremont and Beckermet. Between Corkickle and Rowrah and between Woodend and Egremont, the line was double track.

The line closed in 1954 and the track was lifted in 1964.

The now-closed railway lines were incorporated into the C2C cycle network.

The railway passing through Moor Row - from Whitehaven (top) to
Cleator Moor (bottom right) and to Egremont (bottom left)

The railway passing through Cleator Moor - Phoenix bridge (left centre) Birks Rd bridge (top right).

Phoenix bridge (and site of Cleator Moor East Station)

The line from Workington via Keekle (lower centre) joins the line from Whitehaven and
Moor Row (lower right) at Birks Rd Bridge, (site of Heathcotes iron foundry that made
railway engines).

At Birks Rd bridge - looking towards Parkside, and Ennerdale.

Railway cyclepath at Winder.

Railway at Arlecdon
At Arlecdon the line from Frizington went under the line from Distington and Pica,
to meet at Rowrah Station.

Route - Whitehaven Mirehouse junction, Moor Row, Cleator Moor East, Frizington, Yeathouse, Winder, Rowrah. From Rowrah, there as a line via Arlecdon and Pica to Distington.

Cleator & Workington Junction Railway

The Cleator & Workington Junction Railway (C&WJR) served the towns of Cleator Moor and Workington and intermediate villages. It was mainly used for coal, limestone and iron ore traffic for the local industries. The line continued from Workington to Siddick Junction, just north of Workington. It opened in 1879.

The principal station and company headquarters were in Central Square, Workington and the station soon became known as Workington Central.

To the people of West Cumberland the line became affectionately known as the "Track of the Ironmasters".

Keekle Viaduct (with keekle Terrace in the background)

In 1877, work began on the Keekle Viaduct. It was an impressive seven-arched viaduct which was built to span the river Keekle. The use of the viaduct for regular passenger travel came to an end in 1931, then it was closed to freight trains by 1963. The viaduct has now fallen into a sorry state and is overgrown with weeds.

Route - Workington Central, Harrington, Distington, Moresby Parks, Keekle viaduct, Cleator Moor West.

Rowrah & Kelton Fell Mineral Railway

When the mining of iron ore in West Cumberland was at its height, rich haematite deposits were discovered in the fells a few miles to the east of Rowrah. A railway was constructed from Rowrah, that served several mines and quarries on the way to the end of the line at Knockmurton.

Route - Rowrah, Kirkland, Kelton Fell (Knockmurton mines).

Railway cyclepath at Rowrah
From the railway end at Rowrah, the cyclepath continues past the old Rowrah Quarry
to Sherrif's Gate, by Lamplugh School. (You can just see the old line to Kirkland
and Kelton Head beside it).

Between Sherrif's Gate at Rowrah, and Kirkland

The railway passes Kirkland, heading for Kelton Fell (top left)

The end of the line at Knockmurton Mines, Kelton Fell

Aerial photos by Simon Ledingham.