St Bees railway station

St Bees
Building, sign, and platform track
Location
Place	St Bees
Local authority	Copeland
Coordinates	54°29′35″N 3°35′28″W / 54.493°N 3.591°W / 54.493; -3.591Coordinates: 54°29′35″N 3°35′28″W / 54.493°N 3.591°W / 54.493; -3.591
Grid reference	NX970119
Operations
Station code	SBS
Managed by	Northern
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2010/11	49,410
2011/12	50,840
2012/13	49,186
2013/14	54,146
2014/15	61,174
History
Original company	Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway
Pre-grouping	Furness Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
21 July 1849	Station opened
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at St Bees from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

St Bees Railway Station, on the Cumbrian Coast Line, serves the village of St Bees in Cumbria, England. St Bees is one of the few mandatory stops on this section of the line (along with Askam, Sellafield, Ravenglass & Millom) and as a result all trains call here. It is the location of the only passing loop on the lengthy single track section between Whitehaven and Sellafield and trains are often scheduled to pass each other here.^[1] St Bees is famous for the rocky St. Bees Head, the starting point of the Coast to Coast Walk which runs from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. Many walkers alight at the station to start the walk.

The station has the distinction of being the most westerly station in Northern England.

History

The Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway, a line which would link the town of Whitehaven with the Furness Railway at Broughton-in-Furness, was authorised in 1847.^[2] It was opened in stages, and the first section, that between Whitehaven and Ravenglass opened on 1 June 1849;^[3] St Bees station opened on 21 July 1849.^[4]

In 1848 Canon Richard Parkinson, Vicar of St Bees and Principal of the Theological College, wrote in his diary: "November 8th., 1848. The Railway-whistle heard for the first time in this quiet valley. Its peace is gone!" Later, on 12 February 1849, he records, "Ash Wednesday. Good congregation. The first train of coal wagons on this day (dies cinerum) ["Day of Ashes"] went on the railway to Braystones".^[5] Despite deploring this shattering of the valley's peace, Parkinson travelled on the official train when the line was opened as far as Ravenglass in 1849. The imposing station buildings, consisting of station master's house, waiting rooms and ticket office, were built in 1860 by Mr J Townley of Whitehaven.^[6]

Derailment

At about 6:45 am on 30 August 2012 a two-carriage passenger train en route to Sellafield was derailed a mile south of St Bees following a landslide caused by heavy rain.^[7]

Extensive civil engineering repair work has now been carried out to prevent a recurrence. In addition the underbridge at Seamill Lane was replaced in 2013.

Description

The railway station is a stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line, 43 miles (70 km) south-west of Carlisle. It is operated by Northern who provide all passenger train services. The station master's house and ticket office, on the up (southbound) platform, date from 1860 and operate now as a popular restaurant with a railway theme. On the down (northbound) platform, the waiting room is still a period timbered Furness railway structure. To the east of the "up" platform is the site of the goods yard which was heavily used for the stone traffic from the sandstone quarries at St Bees in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It also handled the traffic from Walker's scone flour works and pickle factory, and the luggage traffic for St Bees School at the beginning and end of term.^[8] The yard is now a public car park which is subsidised for free public use by the Parish Council.^[9] Step-free access is available to both platforms via ramps from the road, though the low platforms can cause issues for mobility-impaired users.

Signal box

The Arts and Crafts signal box, showing its architectural features

The station has a 24 lever signal box, which was opened in 1891 to meet the heavy traffic demands of that time. In December 2013 this was designated a Grade 2 listed building, being one of the few in the UK built in the "Arts and Crafts" style.^[10] This is a Furness Railway type 3 design. The English Heritage listing recommendation report says:

"The Type 3 design is one of the most distinctive boxes ever erected, in an arts and crafts style, probably influenced by the stations that Austin & Paley were designing for the Furness Railway. It has a tall battered base in stone and a steeply pitched tiled hipped roof. Tall window frames are individually grouped. Unfortunately the survivors have all had their windows replaced but this has altered their character less than other boxes with larger expanses of window and more complicated patterns of glazing. Examples survive at Park South (1883) and St. Bees (1891), the latter in an attractive rural setting is worth consideration [for listing]."^[11]

The level crossing is controlled by the signalman, who is also responsible for delivering the key tokens for both single line sections to train crews.

Position

The station is in the centre of the village, and there are three pubs within easy walking distance: one, the Albert, formerly being noted for having warning of the approaching trains rung through from the signalbox in the evening. The station buildings are intact. Considerable refurbishment took place in 2012, with the erection of new passenger shelters and a "Harrington Hump" to allow easier access to trains from the "down" platform.

St Bees Golf Halt

For a while, the village of St Bees had the distinction of having two railway stations. The St Bees Golf Halt was provided about a mile south of the village to cater for golfers visiting the old course, which was then between St Bees and Coulderton. As from 7 April 1914 golfers could halt a train by operation of a signal provided. It was to be "held at 'Danger' by passengers when required".^[12] The halt ceased operation in 1918.^[13] The golf course is now on the sea brows adjoining St Bees Bay between Seamill and Seacote beaches.

Services

On Mondays to Saturdays there is a roughly hourly service (21 trains a day in total) northbound to Carlisle and southbound to Barrow-in-Furness, Lancaster and Preston. There is no late evening or Sunday service.^[14]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Bees railway station.

• Train times and station information for St Bees railway station from National Rail
• St Bees Village web site
• Video of loco-hauled stock on trial Sellafield train

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Corkickle		Northern Cumbrian Coast Line Mondays-Saturdays only		Nethertown