Clapham railway station
Encyclopedia
Clapham railway station serves the village of Clapham
in North Yorkshire
, England. The station is 48 miles (77 km) north west of Leeds on the Leeds to Morecambe Line towards Lancaster
and Morecambe
. It is managed by Northern Rail
who provide all passenger train services.
The station (which is unstaffed) is situated just over a mile outside of Clapham. Immediately to the east, the line crosses the River Wenning
on a tall five-arch bridge.
The station was formerly known in the national timetable as Clapham (Yorkshire), to distinguish it from Clapham (London), until the latter was renamed Clapham High Street
.
to Ingleton
and became a junction the following year when the link along the Wenning Valley from Bentham
was completed on 1 June 1850 to finish the route from Lancaster
to Skipton.
The Ingleton route was subsequently extended northwards through Kirkby Lonsdale
and Sedbergh
to join the West Coast Main Line
at (near Tebay
) by the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
(L&C) in 1861, but disagreements between the L&C's successor, the London and North Western Railway
, and the Midland Railway
(who had leased the NWR in 1859) over running rights and the subsequent construction of the Settle-Carlisle Line, meant that it never became the major Anglo-Scottish route that the NWR had originally intended.
The line to Low Gill was closed to passenger traffic on 1 February 1954 and completely in July 1966, although regular goods traffic had ended some months earlier. A sharp curve (with a permanent 35 mph speed restriction) marks the site of the former junction, immediately west of the station.
The station ceased to handle goods traffic in 1968, when the sidings were taken out of use and the signal box
closed.
Clapham, North Yorkshire
Clapham is a village in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It was previously in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies within the Yorkshire Dales National Park 6 miles north west of Settle just off the A65.-History:...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England. The station is 48 miles (77 km) north west of Leeds on the Leeds to Morecambe Line towards Lancaster
Lancaster railway station
Lancaster railway station is a railway station that serves the city of Lancaster in Lancashire, England...
and Morecambe
Morecambe railway station
Morecambe railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Morecambe in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Morecambe Branch Line from to Heysham. The current truncated two-platform station was opened in 1994 to replace the Midland Railway's earlier terminus situated some...
. It is managed 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.
The station (which is unstaffed) is situated just over a mile outside of Clapham. Immediately to the east, the line crosses the River Wenning
River Wenning
The River Wenning is a tributary of the River Lune, flowing through North Yorkshire and Lancashire. The Wenning rises at Clapham in Yorkshire and flows westwards through High Bentham, Low Bentham and Wennington....
on a tall five-arch bridge.
The station was formerly known in the national timetable as Clapham (Yorkshire), to distinguish it from Clapham (London), until the latter was renamed Clapham High Street
Clapham High Street railway station
Clapham High Street railway station is on the South London Line from London Victoria to .It is close to station and interchange between the two is counted as an Out of Station Interchange on Oyster, so journeys involving a change between the two are charged as through journeys and not two...
.
History
The station was opened by the "little" North Western Railway (NWR) on 30 July 1849 on their line from SkiptonSkipton railway station
Skipton railway station serves the town of Skipton in North Yorkshire, England on the Airedale Line. It is operated by Northern Rail and is situated north-west of Leeds....
to Ingleton
Ingleton, North Yorkshire
Ingleton is a village and civil parish in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is famous for walking, hiking and caving. Favourite walks are the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail and the climb up Ingleborough which is one of the famous Three Peaks. Directly from the village visitors can...
and became a junction the following year when the link along the Wenning Valley from Bentham
Bentham railway station
Bentham railway station serves the small town of High Bentham in North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Leeds to Morecambe Line, between Wennington and .-History:...
was completed on 1 June 1850 to finish the route from Lancaster
Lancaster Green Ayre railway station
Lancaster Green Ayre railway station was the Midland Railway's station in the city of Lancaster in England. The line between Green Ayre and Morecambe was used for pioneering experimental electrification via overhead cable....
to Skipton.
The Ingleton route was subsequently extended northwards through Kirkby Lonsdale
Kirkby Lonsdale
Kirkby Lonsdale is a small town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, on the River Lune. Historically within Westmorland, it is situated south east of Kendal along the A65. The parish had a population of 1,771 recorded in the 2001 census.Notable buildings include St...
and Sedbergh
Sedbergh
Sedbergh is a small town in Cumbria, England. It lies about east of Kendal and about north of Kirkby Lonsdale. The town sits just within the Yorkshire Dales National Park...
to join the West Coast Main Line
West 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...
at (near Tebay
Tebay railway station
Tebay railway station was situated on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway between Lancaster and Penrith. It served the village of Tebay, Cumbria, England. The station opened in 1852, and closed on 1 July 1968....
) by 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...
(L&C) in 1861, but disagreements between the L&C's successor, 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...
, and the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
(who had leased the NWR in 1859) over running rights and the subsequent construction of the Settle-Carlisle Line, meant that it never became the major Anglo-Scottish route that the NWR had originally intended.
The line to Low Gill was closed to passenger traffic on 1 February 1954 and completely in July 1966, although regular goods traffic had ended some months earlier. A sharp curve (with a permanent 35 mph speed restriction) marks the site of the former junction, immediately west of the station.
The station ceased to handle goods traffic in 1968, when the sidings were taken out of use and the signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
closed.