The Development
of
Carnforth Railway Station.

Work started on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Bolton Le Sands in September 1844, and the first permanent rail was laid at Carnforth in December 1844, by S.B.Worthington.

 22nd September 1846, the Lancaster Castle to Oxenholme line was opened by the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway Co.

There has been a lot of debate about the exact position of the original Carnforth Station. The Ordnance Survey 6 inch map (First edition), Lancashire Sheet 24, surveyed in 1845/6 and published in 1848 shows the Station as being in its current position, just to the South of the Warton Road Bridge.

This location is further confirmed in the 1848 Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, Time and Fare table where Carnforth is given as being 2.5 miles north of Bolton (le Sands) Station.

There is much uncertainty about the original name for Carnforth station. Harold Bowtell calls the early station "Carnforth Hall Gate". This was probably because of the map above.
"Hall Gate" was actually the farm, whose buildings (long since demolished) could be seen under the word "Hall". Later maps separate the words,"Carnforth Station" and "Hall Gate" to make it clearer.

Reputedly, Carnforth was soon called "Carnforth-Yealand" or possibly "Carnforth for Yealand". Yealand having a small halt, a short distance to the north of Carnforth Station. This small halt was only used on market days, at other times passengers for Yealand would have to use Carnforth station. Yealand halt didn't last long.   Carnforth, Yealand can be seen on the 1848 Lancaster and Carlisle Timetable, but this may have been because Carnforth station and Yealand Halt were reasonably close, and the time given, was intended as being the time for both stations.

It is probable, that the building used in later years, as the refreshment room, on Carnforth station, was the original 1846 station building, designed by Sir William Tite. A dark square on the 1845 map is in the correct position, and this building is of the same style as other buildings built at the same time on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway.

When built, Carnforth station was a "second class" roadside station, with a building to the west of the line. There may have been a platform on the south bound line, but this would have only been a simple wooden platform.

In the 1850's the Furness Railway had lines as far as Ulverston, but the vital rail link to London was missing.
The "Ulverstone and Lancaster Railway" was formed, and built a line from Ulverston to Carnforth, where in August 1857, it joined the lines of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway. The junction between the Ulverston and Lancaster, and the Lancaster and Carlisle Railways was some distance to the south of Carnforth station. This may have been because of the limited visibility to the north of Carnforth station. Having the junction further to the south, allowed the signal/points man a much better view of approaching trains, from both the north and the south.

A small engine shed  was built  to the east of the Ulverston and Lancaster line, just outside Carnforth station. Access to the station was  from Warton Road. Carnforth now had two or three platforms and had grown from a roadside, to a junction station.

April 1867 The line opens between Carnforth and Wennington
When the Carnforth - Wennington line was first opened, a temporary station was built, close to what eventually became "East Junction".

This temporary station was only in use for about a year, until a more permanent station was built close to Hagg Farm, and where a bridge crossed the river Keer. This second Carnforth Furness and Midland station was in use between 1868 and 1880. 

Carnforth Lancaster and Carlisle and Furness Railway joint station, developed into quite a large junction station, and by 1870 many of the current buildings, on the centre island platform were probably in place.

The small building, on the right hand platform, behind the lamp-post is the Post Office.

The eastern direct link between the Wennington line, and the main station wasn't built until circa 1880. The original Furness Railway depot having to be demolished, and re-built on the site of the current "Steamtown" site.

1880 A large new Station was completed at Carnforth, at a cost of �40,000 . The South bound main line platform had been roofed over, and a ticket office, passengers waiting rooms and a parcel's office had been built.

Carnforth station stayed very much in its 1880 form until 1938, when the London Midland and Scottish Railway, took advantage of Government grants, and rebuilt the station, knocking down the overall roof over the Furness platform, and adding a new down Furness platform.

This was the form the station was to remain in, until the post 1968 decay.

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