Silloth

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Silloth (1856-1964)

Opened on the Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock.

Description

This terminus had a single very long platform with a station building at its west end. It was located to the east of the Marshall Dock and New Dock. From the docks the North British Railway operated steamer services to locations such as Dublin. In addition to being a port and packet station it was hoped that Silloth could be developed as a resort (indeed the Silloth Sanatorium opened to guests with the railway opening).

The platform was on the north side of the lines. Goods lines were to the south, fanning out from the east end of the station to serve north and south sides of each dock and east end of the New Dock. The rail served Silloth Corn Mills were on the north side of the New Dock. A road bridge crossed over the station throat.

The two road locomotive shed, Silloth Shed, was to the south of station and goods line, approached from the east.

East of the bridge were the Border Counties Chemical and Manure Works and Solway Chemical and Manure Works, both south of the line and approached by sidings from the east.

The signal box (1904) was on the south side of the line east of the road bridge. The railway was single track and there were token exchange platforms.

The station, line and signal box closed in 1964.

Around half of the station platform remains, the west end. The much modified station building survived for some time. A new (or very substantially rebuilt) building now occupies the site. The two arch road bridge over the east of the site remains standing. Silloth Docks are still in use and corn mill is still open.

The North British Railway created the North British Steam Packet Company to operate steamers from Silloth. Passengers, goods and livestock were carried from Silloth to Liverpool, Dublin and Belfast. The PS Waverley [I] was added to the fleet, being built for the service in 1864. It was faulty and was replaced with PS Waverley [II] in 1865, built at the Pointhouse Shipbuilding Yard, Partick, by Inglis. The name Waverley was a direct reference to Sir Walter Scott's Waverley Novels for which the Waverley Route and Edinburgh Waverley are named. The present PS Waverley [IV] is the fourth, the third PS Waverley [III] being lost during the Second World War evacuation at Dunkirk.
PS Carham was built for the Silloth to Annan and Dumfries service in 1864.

Tags

Station terminus
03/05/2022




Chronology Dates

22/08/1856Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock
Line opened. The service to Port Carlisle from Carlisle is stopped and a 'Dandy' introduced running from Port Carlisle to Drumburgh to connect with the Silloth trains.
  /05/1864North British Steam Packet Company
SS Silloth and PS Ariel in operation from Silloth to Douglas [IoM] and Dublin. Doddington in operation as a lighter and from Silloth to Dumfrees and Annan. Tug PS Arabian also in operation.
01/07/1864Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock
The North British Railway starts running Silloth and Port Carlisle trains to Carlisle Citadel.
  /08/1864North British Steam Packet Company
Newly built PS Waverley [I] introduced on Silloth to Dublin service, but returned to builder again shortly afterwards due to an engine defect and several breakdowns.
31/08/1864North British Steam Packet Company
PS Carham built by A & J Inglis at the Pointhouse Shipbuilding Yard to operate the Silloth to Dumfries and Annan service. This was the first vessel the NB ordered from Inglis.
  /07/1865North British Steam Packet Company
New A & J Inglis built PS Waverley [II] introduced on Silloth to Dublin service. Services also reached Belfast and Liverpool.
  /  /1866North British Steam Packet Company
SS Kittiwake built by Wingate of Whiteinch for the Silloth to Liverpool service (particularly carrying goods from Dundee).
13/02/1866North British Steam Packet Company
SS Dunlop and SS Black Dwarf launched by A & J Inglis for the Silloth services.
  /  /1878North British Steam Packet Company
SS Albatross, built in Leith, added to the Silloth fleet for the Liverpool traffic. By this date the Ardrossan Shipping Company had, by arrangement, taken over the Dublin traffic.
  /  /1879Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock
Collapse of dock wall at Silloth.
06/07/1895Solway Junction Railway
Act passed to merge the remainder of the Solway Junction Railway into the Caledonian Railway. Confirmation of running powers over North British Railway's Silloth line.

News items

13/03/2021Readers have their say on railway idea [News and Star]
12/03/2021Mark Jenkinson MP calls for Silloth to Carlisle railway to open [News and Star]