Bootle railway station

Bootle
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Bootle Add→{{rail-interchange}}
General information
Location	Copeland
Coordinates	54°17′24″N 3°23′42″W / 54.290°N 3.395°W
Managed by	Northern
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	BOC
History
Original company	Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway
Pre-grouping	Furness Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
8 July 1850	Station opened

Bootle railway station, situated in the hamlet of Hycemoor, serves the village of Bootle and the neighbouring hamlet of Eskmeals in Cumbria, England. The railway station is a request stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line 24 miles (39 km) north of Barrow-in-Furness. It is operated by Northern who provide all passenger train services.

History

The Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway was authorised in 1847 for a line which would link the town of Whitehaven with the Furness Railway at Broughton-in-Furness.^[1] It was opened in stages, and the section between Ravenglass and Bootle opened on 8 July 1850.^[2]^[3] The last section between Bootle and Broughton-in-Furness was opened for passenger services 1 November 1850:^[4] trains carrying Lord Lonsdale and invited guests had travelled over the section on at least two occasions in October.

Facilities

It has retained its main buildings, being the stationmaster’s house waiting rooms and restrooms but these are now two private residences and the station is unstaffed.The station clock is original and still works.

The buildings are built from red granite and sandstone. Originally the design was used on many of the stations on the Cumbrian Coast Line but today only three exist. This one, Drigg and Ravenglass.

There are no ticket facilities, so these must be bought prior to travel or from the conductor on the train.

Shelters are present on both platforms, with the wooden one on the northbound side being the more substantial of the two.

A level crossing with hand-operated gates (and supervising signal box) links the platforms, which both have step-free access from the road.

The signal box c. 1874 is a Furness Railway Type 1 design and retains a London Midland Region lever frame of 15 levers installed in 1977. and was listed in November 2013 under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Train running information can be obtained by telephone or from timetable posters.^[5]

Services

Monday to Saturdays there is generally an hourly (with some longer gaps in the early morning and afternoon) request service southbound to Barrow and northbound towards Whitehaven and Carlisle. Some services continue beyond Barrow via the Furness Line to Lancaster & Preston.^[6] The timetable now operates later into the evening than before since the summer 2018 timetable came into effect.

A Sunday service (broadly hourly each way from late morning until 19:00) now operates - this was introduced at the May 2018 timetable change

Explosion on 22 March 1945

At about 22:17 on 22 March 1945 a wagon containing depth charges in a southbound freight train caught fire on approaching Bootle. The train crew, driver H. Goodall and fireman H.N. Stubbs, on becoming aware of the fire, stopped the train south of Bootle station. Despite the fierce fire, the crew isolated the burning wagon by uncoupling the rear portion of the train, then drawing it forward to before uncoupling the burning wagon. With the wagon isolated, the fireman went forward to protect the northbound line while the driver went back in a possible attempt to fight the fire. At this point the depth charges violently exploded, killing the driver and creating a crater 105 feet long to a depth of 50 feet. The line was closed for three days whilst the crater was filled in and the track relaid.

References

^ Rush, Robert W. (1973). The Furness Railway 1843-1923. The Oakwood Library of Railway History. Lingfield: Oakwood Press. pp. 33–34. OL35. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 39. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
^ "Opening of the Railway to Bootle". Cumberland Pacquet, and Ware's Whitehaven Advertiser. 9 July 1850. p. 3.
^ "Local Intelligence". Carlisle Patriot. 2 November 1850. p. 2.
^ Bootle (Cumbria) station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 2 December 2016
^ Table 100 National Rail timetable, May 2018

External links

Train times and station information for Bootle railway station from National Rail
"Report on the Explosion that occurred at Bootle on 22nd March 1945" (PDF). Retrieved 5 September 2010.

Preceding station	National Rail	Following station
Ravenglass	Northern Cumbrian Coast Line Mondays-Saturdays only	Silecroft
Historical railways
Eskmeals Line open, station closed	Furness Railway Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway	Silecroft Line and station open

[1] Rush, Robert W. (1973). The Furness Railway 1843-1923. The Oakwood Library of Railway History. Lingfield: Oakwood Press. pp. 33–34. OL35. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

[2] Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 39. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

[3] "Opening of the Railway to Bootle". Cumberland Pacquet, and Ware's Whitehaven Advertiser. 9 July 1850. p. 3.

[4] "Local Intelligence". Carlisle Patriot. 2 November 1850. p. 2.

[5] Bootle (Cumbria) station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 2 December 2016

[6] Table 100 National Rail timetable, May 2018

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