Glasson Dock Branch Line
Overview
Locale	Lancashire, England
Service
Operator(s)	Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, British Rail
History
Opened	1883 (1883)
Closed	7 September 1964 (1964-09-07)
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map Glasson Branch Glasson Dock Conder Bridge Conder Green Ashton Hall Halt Bridge over Lune Road Lancaster Castle West Coast Main Line

The Glasson Dock Branch Line was a railway line in Lancashire, England. Opened in 1883, this 5-mile branch line connected Glasson Dock to the UK rail network at Lancaster, with stations at Glasson Dock, Conder Green and at a private halt, Ashton Hall railway station. Passenger and freight services were provided, and its success came from transporting goods from the dock at Glasson and from St Georges Quay in Lancaster.^[1]

History, operation and decline

Glasson Dock was taking in 10,000 tons a day by 1830, with ships from the Isle of Man and elsewhere. So, it was decided a branch line would be built so ship-brought cargo could be transported by rail. There was a goods shed after Lancaster, which was where a separate, shorter line (St George's Quay branch) joined the railway. Due to its low-lying nature, the line was prone to flooding. The dock slowly declined though, and the goods services finally stopped in September 1964. Passenger services left Lancaster Castle Station on the westside down-bay platform, but they ceased in July 1930.

The route today

The route is easily traceable, leaving the West Coast Main Line just before the Carlisle Bridge. It is now a much-used cycleway, starting at the Lune Millennium Bridge in Lancaster, that forms part of the larger Bay Cycle Way.^[2] Conder Green Station is still visible, as is the halt at Ashton Hall, though the one at Glasson Dock has been demolished.

References