Bootle Railway Station, situated in the hamlet of Bootle Station, serves the village of Bootle

Bootle, Cumbria

Bootle is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Copeland in Cumbria, England. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 745. Historically within Cumberland, the village is in the Lake District National Park, and is close to the Irish Sea coast...

 and the neighbouring hamlet of Hycemoor

Hycemoor

Hycemoor is a hamlet in Copeland borough of the county of Cumbria, in North west England.- Location :It is located on a minor road about a mile away from the village of Bootle and the A595 road. The nearest Post Office is in the neighbouring hamlet of Bootle Station - as is Bootle railway station.-...

 in Cumbria

Cumbria

Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

, England. The railway station

Train station

A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...

 is a request stop

Request stop

In public transport, a request stop or flag stop describes a stopping point at which trains or buses stop only on an as-need or request basis; that is, only if there are passengers to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, infrequently used stopping points can be served efficiently.Trains save...

 on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line

Cumbrian Coast Line

The Cumbrian Coast Line is a rail route in North West England, running from Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness via Workington and Whitehaven. The line forms part of Network Rail route NW 4033, which continues via Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands to Carnforth, where it connects with the West Coast Main...

 39 kilometres (24.2 mi) north of Barrow-in-Furness

Barrow-in-Furness railway station

Barrow-in-Furness railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, England. It is located on the Furness Line to Lancaster and the Cumbrian Coast Line to Workington and Carlisle...

. It is operated by Northern Rail

Northern Rail

Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...

 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

Whitehaven

Whitehaven is a small town and port on the coast of Cumbria, England, which lies equidistant between the county's two largest settlements, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, and is served by the Cumbrian Coast Line and the A595 road...

 with the Furness Railway

Furness Railway

The Furness Railway was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England.-History:The company was established on May 23, 1844 when the Furness Railway Act was passed by Parliament...

 at . It was opened in stages, and the section between and Bootle opened either on 19 July 1850 or on 8 July 1850. On 28 October 1850 the last section between Bootle and Broughton-in-Furness was formally opened.

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

Whitehaven railway station

Whitehaven Railway Station serves the town of Whitehaven in Cumbria, England. The railway station is a stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line south west of Carlisle....

 and Carlisle

Carlisle railway station

Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...

. Some services continue beyond Barrow via the Furness Line

Furness Line

The Furness Line, in North West England, runs from Barrow-in-Furness to Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands, connecting with the West Coast Main Line at Carnforth...

.

There is no evening or Sunday service.

Explosion on 22 March 1945

At about 1017 pm on 22 March 1945 a wagon containing depth charges in 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.

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