Maryport and Carlisle Railway - Construction and Extent

Construction and Extent

George Stephenson was the engineer of the line. The Act of Parliament (obtained in 1837) required the railway to be built in alternating sections from the two ends. The line from Maryport to Arkleby (1 1/4 miles short of Aspatria) was opened in July 1840 and extended to Aspatria in April 1841; the section from Carlisle to Wigton followed (May 1843); the intervening gap was then narrowed by minor extensions, the line being finally open throughout on 10 February 1845. The line was originally single track, but was soon doubled (Maryport to Arkleby by 1847, to Carlisle by 1861) to accommodate the volume of mineral traffic (340,000 tons of coal were shipped through Maryport in 1857). In due course the total length of railway was 42.75 miles, consequent on the opening of a loop line (1866), known as the Bolton loop, through Mealsgate and Baggrow (to serve collieries in the area, but with a passenger service known locally as the 'Baggra bus'), and a branch (1867) from Bullgill to Brigham to take haematite traffic . The Brigham branch connected with the Cockermouth and Workington branch of the LNWR; from Brigham the M&CR had running powers to Cockermouth. The Great Depression hit West Cumberland industries badly (the unemployment rate in Maryport reached 76.7% in 1931); in response to this the Bolton loop was closed in 1930, and the Brigham branch in 1935.