Maryport to Carlisle Railway

The Maryport and Carlisle Railway (M&CR) was incorporated in 1837 to serve the Cumbrian coal mining industry, connecting it with the national railway network to the east and the shipping trade to Ireland from Maryport. The primary purpose of the railway was to transport coal from local collieries to the port but it also ran a passenger service between Maryport and Carlisle.
In August 1836 George Stephenson, the great railway engineer visited Maryport and met with Maryport worthies, Edward Tyson and Robert Adair in the Golden Lion, Maryport to discuss the proposed Maryport to Carlisle Railway Line. Stephenson surveyed the route and following its approval by Parliament, the construction of the railway began in 1836. The line was built in sections, with the western end from Maryport to Aspatria completed in 1843, after which the Carlisle to Wigton section was commenced and completed in 1845. In due course the total length of railway was 42.75 miles.
A new station was built in the centre of Maryport in 1860, which led to the opening up both Station Street and Curzon Street. The building was constructed from red sandstone and contained the M&CR headquarters, its boardrooms and waiting rooms with clock tower. The building was demolished in the 1970s.
The considerable resources of coal, and later iron ore, carried by the railway made it especially profitable. After 1918, the industries on which the line was dependent declined steeply, and the railway declined accordingly. It was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company in 1923. The original main line is still open today and forms part of the Cumbrian Coast Line between Carlisle and Barrow in Furness.