Solway Junction Railway
Encyclopedia
The Solway Junction Railway ran between the Caledonian Railway
near Kirtlebridge
and the Brayton
station of the Maryport and Carlisle Railway
. The Act of Parliament
was granted on 30 June 1864 and the line was opened in 1869. It involved a 1 miles (1.60934 km) iron girder
viaduct
between Bowness-on-Solway
and Annan
across the Solway Firth
in Scotland. It was built to carry iron ore from West Cumberland
to Scotland, without having to pass through Carlisle.
, took 3½ years to build and cost about £100,000. It had 193 spans with 2,892 tons of cast iron
for the piles and 1,807 tons of wrought iron
. It was first used by freight traffic on 13 September 1869, and opened to passengers on 8 August 1870. In 1875 and 1881 the viaduct was damaged by ice, and by altering sediment-carrying currents it caused nearby Port Carlisle
to silt
up and lose trade. In turn this resulted in the abandonment of the Port Carlisle to Carlisle railway.
The first chairman of the company was Alexander Brogden
.
Alexander Brogden was effectively head of John Brogden and Sons
, who had already successfully promoted and completed the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway
, also with James Brunlees as engineer.
This railway was absorbed by the Caledonian Railway
in 1896.
By 1910 there were only three return crossings per day and a 20 mph speed limit was in force. In 1914 the railway was restricted to carrying freight only. On 1 September 1921 the viaduct was closed entirely. Coal imports from overseas had reduced the demand for the route. After it closed, the viaduct had a guard's hut and gates installed to prevent its use on Sundays by pedestrians crossing from Scotland into England, where the alcohol licensing laws were less strict.
In 1934-35 it was demolished. The section of line between Annan and Kirtlebridge remained in use until 1931. The remains of the viaduct can still be seen.
, to Annan (where a new station, Annan Shawhill
, was built), and a connection with the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway
was made. After crossing the Solway, it passed through Bowness-on-Solway and Whitrigg, before connecting with the Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company and finally to the Maryport and Carlisle Railway
near Brayton.
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
near Kirtlebridge
Kirtlebridge
Kirtlebridge is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, southern Scotland. It is located north-east of Annan, north-west of Kirkpatrick-Fleming, and south of Eaglesfield...
and the Brayton
Brayton
Brayton is a small village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated just south of Selby.The United Kingdom Census 2001 states the population of Brayton to be 5,514...
station of the Maryport and Carlisle Railway
Maryport and Carlisle Railway
The Maryport & Carlisle Railway was a small but highly profitable railway formed in 1836 to connect the town of Maryport to the county town of Carlisle and to allow the output of collieries inland of Maryport to be more cheaply transported to Maryport for oward movement by sea. Its headquarters...
. The Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
was granted on 30 June 1864 and the line was opened in 1869. It involved a 1 miles (1.60934 km) iron girder
Girder
A girder is a support beam used in construction. Girders often have an I-beam cross section for strength, but may also have a box shape, Z shape or other forms. Girder is the term used to denote the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams...
viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
between Bowness-on-Solway
Bowness-on-Solway
Bowness-on-Solway is a small village of less than 100 houses on the Solway Firth separating England and Scotland. It falls in North-West Cumbria to the west of Carlisle on the English side. The western end of Hadrian's Wall is a major tourist attraction, along with beaches and wading birds...
and Annan
Annan, Dumfries and Galloway
The royal burgh of Annan is a well-built town, red sandstone being the material mainly used. Each year in July, Annan celebrates the Royal Charter and the boundaries of the Royal Burgh are confirmed when a mounted cavalcade undertakes the Riding of the Marches. Entertainment includes a...
across the Solway Firth
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...
in Scotland. It was built to carry iron ore from West Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
to Scotland, without having to pass through Carlisle.
History
The viaduct was designed by Sir James BrunleesJames Brunlees
Sir James Brunlees was a Scottish civil engineer. He was born in Kelso in the Scottish Borders in 1816.In 1850, Brunlees worked on the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway...
, took 3½ years to build and cost about £100,000. It had 193 spans with 2,892 tons of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
for the piles and 1,807 tons of wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
. It was first used by freight traffic on 13 September 1869, and opened to passengers on 8 August 1870. In 1875 and 1881 the viaduct was damaged by ice, and by altering sediment-carrying currents it caused nearby Port Carlisle
Port Carlisle
Port Carlisle is a fishing village at Carlisle, Cumbria, England, one mile from Bowness-on-Solway—.Historically within Cumberland, its original name was Fishers Cross, and the port was built in 1819. Four years later, a canal link was added to take goods to Carlisle Basin. The canal was...
to silt
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
up and lose trade. In turn this resulted in the abandonment of the Port Carlisle to Carlisle railway.
The first chairman of the company was Alexander Brogden
Alexander Brogden
Alexander Brogden was born in Manchester on 3 November 1825, the second son of John Brogden and educated at Blackburn, New College Manchester and King's College London, where he read mathematics. He married Anne Garstang on 6 September 1848 at Manchester Cathedral. He joined his father’s...
.
Alexander Brogden was effectively head of John Brogden and Sons
John Brogden and Sons
John Brogden and Sons was a firm of Railway Contractors, Iron and Coal Miners and Iron Smelters operating from roughly 1837 to the bankruptcy in 1883. However the business essentially started when John Brogden moved from his father's farm near Clitheroe to set up in business in the rapidly...
, who had already successfully promoted and completed the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway
Ulverston and Lancaster Railway
The “Ulverstone” and Lancaster Railway Company was short-lived as a business but the line that it built is still in daily use. The line runs from Lindal-in-Furness to Carnforth where it joins what was then the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway...
, also with James Brunlees as engineer.
This railway was absorbed by the Caledonian Railway
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
in 1896.
By 1910 there were only three return crossings per day and a 20 mph speed limit was in force. In 1914 the railway was restricted to carrying freight only. On 1 September 1921 the viaduct was closed entirely. Coal imports from overseas had reduced the demand for the route. After it closed, the viaduct had a guard's hut and gates installed to prevent its use on Sundays by pedestrians crossing from Scotland into England, where the alcohol licensing laws were less strict.
In 1934-35 it was demolished. The section of line between Annan and Kirtlebridge remained in use until 1931. The remains of the viaduct can still be seen.
The route
The line ran from Kirtlebridge on the Caledonian Railway Main LineCaledonian Railway Main Line
The Caledonian Main Line represents most of the original route of the Caledonian Railway: a major Scottish railway company. The company was formed in 1830 and was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways...
, to Annan (where a new station, Annan Shawhill
Annan Shawhill railway station
Annan Shawhill was a station which served Annan, in the Scottish county of Dumfries and Galloway. It was served by trains on a line which ran between from a junction with the Caledonian Railway Main Line at across the Glasgow South Western Line, then forming the Solway Junction Railway over the...
, was built), and a connection with the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway
Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway
The Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway was a company in Scotland, which built and ran what is now known as the Glasgow South Western Line. The line was authorised on 13 August 1846 and was constructed between 1846 and 1850...
was made. After crossing the Solway, it passed through Bowness-on-Solway and Whitrigg, before connecting with the Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company and finally to the Maryport and Carlisle Railway
Maryport and Carlisle Railway
The Maryport & Carlisle Railway was a small but highly profitable railway formed in 1836 to connect the town of Maryport to the county town of Carlisle and to allow the output of collieries inland of Maryport to be more cheaply transported to Maryport for oward movement by sea. Its headquarters...
near Brayton.
Connections to other lines
- Caledonian Railway Main Line at Kirtlebridge
- Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle RailwayGlasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle RailwayThe Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway was a company in Scotland, which built and ran what is now known as the Glasgow South Western Line. The line was authorised on 13 August 1846 and was constructed between 1846 and 1850...
at - Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company at
- Maryport and Carlisle RailwayMaryport and Carlisle RailwayThe Maryport & Carlisle Railway was a small but highly profitable railway formed in 1836 to connect the town of Maryport to the county town of Carlisle and to allow the output of collieries inland of Maryport to be more cheaply transported to Maryport for oward movement by sea. Its headquarters...
at
Sources
- Aston, G.J. and Barrie, D.S. (1932) "The Solway Junction Railway", Railway Magazine, 70 (415), p. 26–34