Lancaster Green Ayre | |||||
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 Old goods crane on the station site (2005) | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Lancaster,City of Lancaster England | ||||
| Coordinates | 54°03′09″N2°47′50″W / 54.0526°N 2.7973°W /54.0526; -2.7973 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Status | Disused | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Morecambe Harbour and Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Midland Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 12 June 1848 | Opened asLancaster | ||||
| 1 June 1850 | Incorrectly listed asLancaster Green Area | ||||
| 1 November 1870 | Listed asLancaster Green Ayre | ||||
| 3 January 1966 | Closed | ||||
| 1976 | Demolished | ||||
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Lancaster Green Ayre railway station was theMidland Railway's station in the city ofLancaster, England. The line between Green Ayre andMorecambe was used for pioneering experimental electrification via overhead wires.
The station closed to passengers in 1966 and no trace of it remain.
Lancaster's first two stations were theLancaster and Preston Junction Railway's atGreaves in 1840,[1] and theLancaster and Carlisle Railway'sLancaster Castle, which superseded it in 1846.[2]
The third station was opened by theMorecambe Harbour and Railway Company (MH&R) on 12 June 1848.[2][3] The station building was designed byEdmund Sharpe.[4][5] Originally calledLancaster,[6] it was soon renamedLancaster Green Ayre, although timetables incorrectly listed its name asLancaster Green Area until 1870.[3] The line originally ran from Lancaster toMorecambe Harbour. The MH&R soon amalgamated with the"little" North Western Railway, which continued the line eastward from 17 November 1849, reachingSkipton in 1850.[2] A connecting curve between Green Ayre and Castle opened on 18 December 1849.[2][3]
The station was on the southern bank of theRiver Lune, adjacent toSkerton Bridge and immediately north of the city centre. Immediately west of the station was the junction between the connecting curve to Castle and Green Ayre’s engine shed, and the main line, which then crossed the river viaGreyhound Bridge and continued along the north bank of the river, passing under the Lancaster and Carlisle'sCarlisle Bridge over the river. East of Green Ayre the line followed the south bank of the river.
The "little" North Western Railway was taken over in 1874 by the Midland Railway, which had previously operated and then leased the line,[7] and became a significant route for that company, giving access from its Yorkshire lines to the Lancashire coast in an area dominated by its major rival, theLondon and North Western Railway.
The Lancaster–Morecambe line was electrified in 1908. This was the first high-voltage overhead electrification in the United Kingdom and at 6,600 voltsAC, 25 Hz; it was the pioneer for such systems. It was intended to be a test bed for further mainline electrification by the Midland Railway. In 1952 the original rolling stock had reached the end of its service life and was withdrawn. Steam traction took over for a short while and then the power supply was upgraded to 50 Hz and some new stock provided; this was to act as a test-bed for further main-line electrification in the UK.[8] This section of line became particularly busy.
The line betweenWennington and Morecambe via Green Ayre fell victim to theBeeching Axe. It closed to passengers on 2 January 1966,[2][8][9] although freight services continued through the station until 16 March 1976.[2] The station was demolished that year.[10]
The Greyhound Bridge was converted for use by the A589 road from 1972.[10][11] The site of Green Ayre station is now a public park. Nothing remains of the station,[12] but a goods crane fromHornby goods shed has been erected in the park near the site.[10][13] The site of the adjacent locomotive shed is now occupied by a supermarket.
Citations
| Maps showing Lancaster Green Ayre Station |
| NPE Maps (1948) |
| Vision of Britain |
| OS 1:2500 Map onMARIO (about 1893) |
| Other maps |
54°03′09″N2°47′50″W / 54.0526°N 2.7973°W /54.0526; -2.7973 |
Sources
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halton | Midland Railway "Little" North Western Railway | Morecambe (Northumberland Street) until 1907 | ||
| Midland Railway North Western Branch | Morecambe Promenade 1907–1957 | |||
| London Midland Region North Western Branch | Scale Hall from 1957 | |||
| Halton | Midland Railway "Little" North Western Railway Castle Branch | Lancaster Castle | ||
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