Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway
Encyclopedia
The Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway was an early British railway company, in Lancashire
, England. It later merged with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
.
. The company planned to build its Preston terminus at Dock Street (off Pitt Street), near the Lancaster Canal
, in the expectation that the rival North Union Railway
(NUR) line from Wigan
would have its terminus close by. In fact, the North Union built its station 200 yard away, just south of Fishergate, in what seems to have been a tactical move to get the L&PJR to contribute towards the cost of a short tunnel and connecting line between the two railways. This marked the start of protracted feuding between the two companies for years to come. Eventually a deal was struck for the L&PJR to use the North Union station.
The Lancaster terminus was on the modern-day South Road, just south of the Lancaster Canal and the southern end of Penny Street.
The line was twenty miles (32 km) long and built by Joseph Locke
. It opened on 25 June 1840, with a passenger service from the following day.
, which lowered the fares on its packet boats. The canal passed much closer to the town of Garstang
than the railway.
The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Railway, which was already supplying the L&PJR's locomotives, agreed to work the line. This would have allowed direct trains from Manchester
to Lancaster, in competition with the NUR line. The NUR retaliated by charging a toll to use the connecting line between the L&PJR and NUR. The L&PJR refused to pay a toll to use a line that it had partly paid for. Instead, it struck a deal with the Bolton and Preston Railway (BPR) to use its Maxwell House Station near Dock Street, from 1 January 1842 (some 18 months prior to completion of the BPR's own line).
Through trains between Lancaster and the south were levied a toll of 6d
per passenger. Most passengers refused to pay, preferring to walk between the Maxwell House and North Union stations. The NUR refused to hold connections to allow time for passengers to walk and rebook, and advised northbound passengers to use the Lancaster Canal instead of the Lancaster railway.
The L&PJR, in increasing financial difficulties and unable to interest other railway companies, took the unprecedented step of leasing its line to a canal company, namely the Lancaster Canal
. This occurred on 1 September 1842, after which the canal company withdrew its packet boat service.
In 1844, the Bolton and Preston Railway was amalgamated into the North Union Railway. Maxwell House Station thus came under the control of the NUR, and the L&PJR were denied access. Hapless passengers had to alight on the trackside at Dock Street, until later that year when L&PJR trains were allowed, once more, to use the North Union station in Preston. Maxwell House Station continued to be used for excursions.
(L&CR) would lease the line from 1 July 1846. However, shareholders reversed this decision, resulting in the mass resignation of all the directors. In the resulting confusion the L&CR and the canal company both ran their trains on the L&PJR line. The competition forced the canal company to reduce its train fares. The L&CR had its own station at and its line joined the L&PJR line a short distance south of the L&PJR station.
In 1847, the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) tried to lease the line, but was unable to establish the legality of any agreement in the absence of a board of directors.
On 21 August 1848 a to Glasgow
express train ran into the back of a stationary train at Bay Horse Station
, resulting in one death and several serious injuries. The subsequent enquiry laid part of the blame on the uncertainty over the ownership of the line. Eventually the canal company accepted compensation to relinquish its use of the line. A struggle ensued between the L&CR and ELR, resulting in the L&CR leasing the line from 1 August 1849.
The L&PJR was amalgamated into the L&CR in 1859 and the L&CR was leased to the London and North Western Railway
(LNWR), which later absorbed it in 1879.
between Preston and Lancaster. It was electrified by overhead gantry in the early 1970s.
The North Union station at Preston is now Preston railway station
. The L&CR Lancaster Castle railway station is now known as Lancaster station. None of the intervening stations have survived.
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. It later merged with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was a British railway company authorised on 6 June 1844 to build a line between Lancaster and Carlisle in North-West England...
.
Construction
The Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway Company (L&PJR) was created by Act of Parliament on 5 May 1837, to link the towns of Preston and LancasterLancaster, 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...
. The company planned to build its Preston terminus at Dock Street (off Pitt Street), near the Lancaster Canal
Lancaster Canal
The Lancaster Canal is a canal in the north of England, originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in south Cumbria...
, in the expectation that the rival North Union Railway
North Union Railway
The North Union Railway was an early British railway company, formed in 1834.-Origins:The North Union Railway resulted from the first railway amalgamation in British history. The two companies were the Wigan Branch Railway and the Wigan and Preston Junction Railway...
(NUR) line from Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
would have its terminus close by. In fact, the North Union built its station 200 yard away, just south of Fishergate, in what seems to have been a tactical move to get the L&PJR to contribute towards the cost of a short tunnel and connecting line between the two railways. This marked the start of protracted feuding between the two companies for years to come. Eventually a deal was struck for the L&PJR to use the North Union station.
The Lancaster terminus was on the modern-day South Road, just south of the Lancaster Canal and the southern end of Penny Street.
The line was twenty miles (32 km) long and built by Joseph Locke
Joseph Locke
Joseph Locke was a notable English civil engineer of the 19th century, particularly associated with railway projects...
. It opened on 25 June 1840, with a passenger service from the following day.
Chaos at Preston
Traffic was at first disappointing, due to competition from the parallel Lancaster CanalLancaster Canal
The Lancaster Canal is a canal in the north of England, originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in south Cumbria...
, which lowered the fares on its packet boats. The canal passed much closer to the town of Garstang
Garstang
Garstang is a town and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It is ten miles north-northwest of the city of Preston and eleven miles south of Lancaster, and had a total resident population of 4,074 in 2001....
than the railway.
The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Railway, which was already supplying the L&PJR's locomotives, agreed to work the line. This would have allowed direct trains from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to Lancaster, in competition with the NUR line. The NUR retaliated by charging a toll to use the connecting line between the L&PJR and NUR. The L&PJR refused to pay a toll to use a line that it had partly paid for. Instead, it struck a deal with the Bolton and Preston Railway (BPR) to use its Maxwell House Station near Dock Street, from 1 January 1842 (some 18 months prior to completion of the BPR's own line).
Through trains between Lancaster and the south were levied a toll of 6d
Penny
A penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
per passenger. Most passengers refused to pay, preferring to walk between the Maxwell House and North Union stations. The NUR refused to hold connections to allow time for passengers to walk and rebook, and advised northbound passengers to use the Lancaster Canal instead of the Lancaster railway.
The L&PJR, in increasing financial difficulties and unable to interest other railway companies, took the unprecedented step of leasing its line to a canal company, namely the Lancaster Canal
Lancaster Canal
The Lancaster Canal is a canal in the north of England, originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in south Cumbria...
. This occurred on 1 September 1842, after which the canal company withdrew its packet boat service.
In 1844, the Bolton and Preston Railway was amalgamated into the North Union Railway. Maxwell House Station thus came under the control of the NUR, and the L&PJR were denied access. Hapless passengers had to alight on the trackside at Dock Street, until later that year when L&PJR trains were allowed, once more, to use the North Union station in Preston. Maxwell House Station continued to be used for excursions.
Management vacuum
A dispute between the L&PJR and the Lancaster Canal Company led to an agreement that the Lancaster and Carlisle RailwayLancaster and Carlisle Railway
The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was a British railway company authorised on 6 June 1844 to build a line between Lancaster and Carlisle in North-West England...
(L&CR) would lease the line from 1 July 1846. However, shareholders reversed this decision, resulting in the mass resignation of all the directors. In the resulting confusion the L&CR and the canal company both ran their trains on the L&PJR line. The competition forced the canal company to reduce its train fares. The L&CR had its own station at and its line joined the L&PJR line a short distance south of the L&PJR station.
In 1847, the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) tried to lease the line, but was unable to establish the legality of any agreement in the absence of a board of directors.
On 21 August 1848 a to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
express train ran into the back of a stationary train at Bay Horse Station
Bay Horse railway station
Bay Horse railway station was a rural station in Lancashire, England. It was named after the nearby Bay Horse Inn, and later the small hamlet of Bay Horse developed around the station....
, resulting in one death and several serious injuries. The subsequent enquiry laid part of the blame on the uncertainty over the ownership of the line. Eventually the canal company accepted compensation to relinquish its use of the line. A struggle ensued between the L&CR and ELR, resulting in the L&CR leasing the line from 1 August 1849.
The L&PJR was amalgamated into the L&CR in 1859 and the L&CR was leased to the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
(LNWR), which later absorbed it in 1879.
Today
Today the line is the part of the West Coast Main LineWest Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
between Preston and Lancaster. It was electrified by overhead gantry in the early 1970s.
The North Union station at Preston is now Preston railway station
Preston railway station
Preston railway station serves the city of Preston in Lancashire, England and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line.It is served by Northern Rail, Virgin Trains, and TransPennine Express services, plus First ScotRail overnight sleeper services between London and Scotland.-Station layout...
. The L&CR Lancaster Castle railway station is now known as Lancaster station. None of the intervening stations have survived.