Britannia railway station

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Template other Britannia railway station served Britannia near Bacup, Lancashire, England, from 1881 until closure in 1917. The station was just to the west of the summit of the line, which was also the highest point on the entire Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) system.

History

The LYR branch line from Rochdale to Facit had opened for goods on 5 October 1870, and to passengers on 1 November 1870.Template:Sfn On 18 July 1872 the LYR was authorised to extend the line to Bacup.Template:Sfn There were to be two intermediate stations: one was at Shawforth;Template:Sfn the other, from Rochdale,Template:Sfn was named Britannia after a nearby public house,Template:Sfn the Britannia Inn, which was built in 1821 at the junction of the old and new roads from Bacup.Template:Sfn The station was built by Samuel Warburton, who was contracted for the work on 28 July 1880;Template:Sfn it had an island platform.Template:Sfn The line opened on 1 December 1881, and with it, Britannia station.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The station was situated above sea level, and just to the east of the station was the summit of the line, which at above sea level was also the highest point on the entire LYR system.Template:Sfn

To the west of the station was a skew arch bridge built to carry the Lee Moor Colliery tramway over the railway line.Template:Sfn

On 29 August 1891 a goods train of 24 wagons carrying stone from Britannia ran away on the falling gradient of 1 in 34 (3%) and collided with a passenger train at Facit station. Three passengers died and six were injured.Template:Sfn

In 1940 a passenger train became stuck in snow for five days at Britannia.Template:Sfn

The station closed on 2 April 1917 as an economy measure,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn although passenger services on the line continued until 16 June 1947.Template:Sfn Goods traffic between Facit and Bacup ceased around the same time, but the line was not lifted until at least August 1963.Template:Sfn

External links

• Site of Britannia Station on navigable 1947 O.S. map

Template:Routemap Template:Disused Rail Start |- | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align:center; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 1px #aaa solid; border-top: 1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;"| Shawforth
Line and station closed | style="background:#Template:LYR colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-left: 1px #aaa solid; border-right: 1px #aaa solid; border-top:solid 1px #aaa; border-bottom:0px none;" | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Rochdale to Bacup Line | style="background:#Template:LYR colour; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" |   | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align:center; border-left: 1px #aaa solid; border-right: 0px none; border-top: 1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;"|Bacup
Line and station closed |}