The story
Construction and early years
The city of Carlisle is located on the River Eden, which enters the Solway Firth about five miles north-west at Sandsfield. The river is not navigable, and the upper Solway is largely sandbanks, but the Eden gives a navigable channel which lies close to the English shore from Sandsfield almost to Bowness-on-Solway. The valley of the River Irthing, a tributary of the Eden, gives a low-level route via the Tyne Gap to the valley of the South Tyne and Carlisle thus stands at an important point for both north–south and east–west communications. The earliest proposals for an improved link from Carlisle to the sea were as part of a bigger project: a canal linking Newcastle-upon-Tyne with the Irish Sea proposed in the 1790s. This was originally intended to enter the sea at Sandsfield, but Maryport was later chosen as the planned western terminus in order to avoid the difficulties of navigation in the upper Solway.
The Newcastle–Maryport canal project was abandoned in 1797, and when talk of a canal was revived in 1807, it was a Carlisle-led project aimed at giving cheaper transport of raw materials into Carlisle (although the profitable possibility of the canal forming part of a Newcastle-Irish Sea link was never entirely forgotten). The project lapsed, but was revived in 1817 when lack of cheap water transport was thought to be stifling the development of industry in the city; a number of cotton mills had been established in Carlisle, and the owner of the biggest of these reported in 1817 that he was spending £10,000 a year on land transport (and hoped that a canal would halve his transport costs). By August 1818, the inhabitants of Carlisle had subscribed for £30,000 of shares; Lord Lonsdale observed that this was done more for the general benefit than for private gain (although it was predicted that the canal would be profitable). The promoters (amongst whom Carlisle's two MPs were prominent) had decided that – even if cost of construction were no object – Fisher's Cross (on the Solway just short of Bowness) was preferable to Maryport as the western terminus of the canal. The inhabitants of Wigton had urged instead the claims of a canal passing Wigton and ending at Silloth Bay 'a point of SOLWAY FIRTH, to which Vessels of very considerable Burthen can have Access at all Times, and Anchor in Safety' but this option was not pursued. Thomas Telford had been consulted in 1808 and concurred with the choice of Fisher's Cross as the western terminus: 'The shore is here well calculated for an entrance, and the general form of the shores of the Frith promises to keep this point always clear'
The canal company's act of Parliament, the Carlisle Canal Act 1819 (59 Geo. 3. c. xiii), was passed in April 1819, and on 12 March 1823 the finished canal opened. It was 11¼ miles long, running from a basin in Carlisle to the Solway Firth at Fisher's Cross, which was renamed Port Carlisle. The depth of water in the canal was 2.6 metres (8 ft 6inches, and at the entrance from the Solway there was 2.75 metres, 9 ft of water, even at neap low tides). A contemporary map shows the course of the canal, with six locks along it; these were 5.7 metres (18 ft 8inches) wide and 22.1 metres (72 ft 6inches) long: and sea-going vessels of up to 100 tons could use the canal to reach Carlisle. Whereas the promoters had projected 70,000 tons a year of merchandise to pass along the canal, and this to generate just under £8,000 annual revenue, about 13,000 tons of merchandise passed along the canal in its first year of operation, generating about £1400 revenue: furthermore it became evident that modifications were needed and £6,000 would have to be borrowed to pay for them. The design of the sea entrance was then found to be defective, and expensive remedial work necessary; by 1826 the company's borrowings were £23,000, and the shareholders authorised the borrowing of another £12,000.
The railways reach Carlisle
The frequently projected Newcastle-Carlisle canal was never built. Instead the engineer surveying for the best line for a canal recommended that a railway be built: the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway's act of Parliament, the Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Carlisle Railway Act 1829 (10 Geo. 4. c. lxxii), received royal assent in 1829, and the first stretch of railway at the western end (and the first passenger line in Cumbria) opened into Carlisle on 19 July 1836. The temporary eastern terminus of this line was at Greenhead; more accurately at Blenkinsopp Colliery. Coal from pits at Midgeholme and Blenkinsop could now be delivered to Carlisle by railway, and the import of coal to Carlisle by the canal (one of the initial reasons for its construction) was no longer economic. However an extension of the N&CR from London Road Junction to the canal basin opened on 9 March 1837, giving the possibility of using the canal for outward shipment of coal (including, after the completion of the N&CR as far as Gateshead in 1838, Tyneside coal and coke for Ireland and Irish Sea ports).
There was a greater depth of water at the entrance to the canal than at the entrance to Maryport harbour, but the problems of navigation in the upper Solway meant that sailing ships were more dependent on favourable winds to reach Port Carlisle. The annual shareholders' meeting in 1826 was told that "it often happened that the navigation was stopped for six, seven, or nine weeks together by the prevalence of adverse winds"; this problem had held back the use of the canal for valuable goods (where the cost of adequate buffer stocks would be prohibitive) but was now obviated by a weekly steam packet service to and from Liverpool. This was not a complete solution: the canal had not been designed to take steamships, there was not enough depth of water at low tide at the harbour mouth to keep large steamships afloat, and the heavy machinery in steamships made them much less tolerant of grounding when the tide went out. The company therefore sought an act of Parliament authorising the construction of a 'floating dock' (i.e. not a dock that floated, but a wet dock with lock gates to retain sufficient depth of water that ships in the dock remained afloat) at the canal mouth. The prospect of this (and the fact that some canal company directors were also directors of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway) helped the N&CR to decide against active involvement in the promotion of a railway from Carlisle to Maryport. Although the act of Parliament, the Port Carlisle Dock Act 1836 (6 & 7 Will. 4. c. lx) was obtained (royal assent 7 June 1836) the 'floating dock' at Port Carlisle was never built.
For the time being the canal profited from the railway connection (in July 1838 a dividend of 3% was declared, receipts July 1837–June 1838 being 33% higher than the previous year; in July 1839 a further 24% increase in revenue and a dividend of 4% was announced), The subsequent arrival of other railways in Carlisle, however, was bad news for the canal. The completion of the Maryport and Carlisle Railway in 1845 gave an alternative outlet for Tyne coal via the port of Maryport. After the completion of the Whitehaven Junction Railway in 1847 the West Cumbrian ports had the advantage of offering a return cargo: Tyne coal could be shipped via Whitehaven and the emptied waggons used to carry Cumberland iron ore back to Tyneside. In 1848-9 both the Newcastle and Carlisle and the Maryport and Carlisle were under the control of George Hudson, and Tyne coal was accordingly routed to West Cumbrian ports. The arrival in Carlisle of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway in 1846 gave the possibility of reliable rail transport of high-value goods from Liverpool to Carlisle (with the L&C offering a substantial rebate for exclusivity). For passenger transport to Liverpool, steamers were still cheaper than railways, but travel via Maryport was four hours quicker than via Port Carlisle, and the fare was the same. The opening of the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway between Dumfries and Carlisle in August 1848 meant that for this traffic Port Carlisle was also competing with Annan Waterfoot, a superior Solway anchorage now easily reached by rail.
The channel of the Eden moved away from the canal entrance; from May 1849 the Liverpool steamers were unable to approach the port but had to land their passengers at Annan. and there were concerns that even the small boats which could use the canal would soon be unable to enter it from the Solway. The canal company thought the problem was caused by a jetty erected by Lord Lonsdale at Raven Bank, about 2 km upstream of the canal entrance, but it took time to convince Lord Lonsdale of this and persuade him to remove the jetty at the company's expense; not until the autumn of 1851 was this done, the Carlisle Journal reporting 'the most rapid and beneficial results', but not until April 1852 were large steamers again able to use Port Carlisle harbour.
Because of capital expenditure on remedial engineering, the canal company had accumulated considerable debts; by the 1840s each £50 canal share had associated with it £52 of borrowings, interest on which had to be paid at 4½% before there was any question of a dividend being paid. By 1848, the canal had to reduce its charges to compete with the railways; however once interest was paid, the canal was barely profitable, and its bankers asked for a lien on company property. In 1849 and again in 1850 only 4% could be paid on the company's borrowings. in 1851 only 3%, in 1852 1%.
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Conversion to a railway
At the height of the canal's prosperity in 1847 (when the gross revenue of the canal was over £9,200) the canal company directors were already investigating the possibility of converting the canal to a railway, and leasing it to the Newcastle and Carlisle: the Caledonian Railway and the Lancaster and Carlisle were also approached as possible lessees. Nothing came of this, but in 1852 (when revenues had dropped to £3,600) the shareholders approved seeking an act of Parliament reincorporating the canal company as the Port Carlisle Dock and Railway Company and authorising the conversion and the construction of a dock at Port Carlisle to take large screw steamers. The conversion was to be funded by preference shares taking precedence over existing shares and existing mortgages: The Port Carlisle Dock and Railway Act 1853 (16 & 17 Vict. c. cxix) received royal assent on 4 August 1853, having been unopposed. The powers under the 1836 act to create a floating dock at Port Carlisle were not renewed; the act's promoters saw no need to bring to the attention of Parliament the inadequacy of the existing facilities at Port Carlisle, but the directors had already minuted in favour of extension of the line to Silloth; further expenditure on Port Carlisle was therefore thought unwise.
The canal had already closed on 1 August 1853, in hopes of completing the conversion by 8 February 1854. However, the contractor carrying out the conversion lacked urgency and railway expertise; only after borrowing an engineer from the Lancaster and Carlisle to manage the job and permanent way staff from the Newcastle and Carlisle to correctly set up points and crossings was the new railway opened (for goods traffic on 22 May 1854 and passenger traffic on 22 June 1854). There was no opening ceremony – the morning train from Carlisle carried twelve passengers, the afternoon train fifty. Steamer services between Liverpool and Port Carlisle resumed at the end of July 1854 but were soon taken off: a steamer bought for Liverpool-Silloth service attempted a regular service to Port Carlisle in 1856, but initially could not reliably reach Port Carlisle. The line was single throughout and followed the alignment of the canal throughout except at Kirkandrews where a curve avoiding low-lying ground was smoothed out by building an embankment. The route was therefore broadly level except for short sharp gradients corresponding to the six former canal locks, but had unusually tight curves for a railway. Trains did not run into Citadel station (at this point there was no rail connection) but into Canal station on the site of the former canal basin in Caldewgate. There was an intermediate station at Burgh; request stops at Kirkandrews and Glasson opened shortly afterwards. The new railway was initially worked with a single locomotive and a single train by the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, but the company acquired a tank engine of its own late in 1855, a second (tender) engine being purchased in 1856.
Decline of the Port Carlisle branch
Once Silloth superseded Port Carlisle, Port Carlisle–Drumburgh became a branch line, and one with little passenger traffic. In 1857 locomotive traction was withdrawn, and horse traction introduced on passenger traffic on the branch. On 23 April 1858, it was reported that "the engines had been saved running 1,887 miles during 3 months ending 4 April in consequence of running the passengers between Drumburgh and Port Carlisle by horse instead of engine." The first coach was obtained from Bartons of Carlisle, but it was replaced in 1859 by "Dandy no. 1" (now preserved in the National Railway Museum) a four-wheeler built on stagecoach lines, with accommodation for three classes of passenger – built at St Margarets (Edinburgh) by the North British Railway. Used for the winter of 1856 on the NBR North Berwick branch, it had not produced the cost savings hoped for. In 1863 the "New Dandy" replaced it, and in 1900 "Dandy no. 2" was brought in. Intending passengers at Carlisle were warned that, due to the limited accommodation in the Dandy, they might need to wait at Drumburgh for a second journey by the Dandy if the first was full.
Track on the Port Carlisle line received little attention for many years, and by 1 January 1899 locomotive haulage of goods trains was considered to be dangerous; the goods service was suspended, resuming with horse traction on 1 May 1899. After remedial work on the track, the branch reverted (4 April 1914) to locomotive operation of passenger and goods traffic. A Sentinel steam railcar was introduced on the line in 1929 as an attempt to reduce the cost of passenger train operation, but passenger use was light and passenger services on the branch were withdrawn on 31 May 1932.
The Silloth Bay project
The railway fared no better than the canal: an unfriendly analysis of the company's finances showed that in 1855-1856 the company made a profit (before paying interest) of £873 but was due to pay interest of more than £4,000; furthermore the company had unsecured liabilities of over £20,000. Rather than accept defeat, it was hoped that the construction of a floating dock at Silloth served by a line from Drumburgh on the Port Carlisle railway would transform the fortunes of the company.
Genesis
The idea of providing a port for Carlisle at Silloth Bay had been mooted even before the canal had been built, and had grown more attractive as the problems of Port Carlisle became more evident. In 1847, to reassure the Newcastle and Carlisle as potential lessees, the canal company commissioned a survey of the navigation to Port Carlisle. The survey as published eulogised Silloth Bay – there was more than enough water in the Solway channels for a battleship to reach Silloth Bay and to ride there 'at all times and at all seasons' and was much more guarded about navigation from there to the canal entrance: 'The navigation... although easy, is in narrow channels, and, from the constant shifting of the banks, renders it necessary to keep a vigilant eye and shift the buoys as required. It... requires the watchful eye of the careful pilot, who is constantly traversing it, to be fully competent to master it, and carry his ship through safely, or handle her in a seaman-like manner, if he gets her into difficulties; but two or three trips up and down, if the channel be steady, would qualify to pilot.' In April 1852, the directors minuted that the conversion of the canal to railway should have in view its ultimate extension to Silloth Bay "the natural, and in every other respect, the most desirable terminus of the line, and the most eligible port for Carlisle" as shown by the 1847 investigation. One of the inducements to canal shareholders to agree to conversion was that if they refused a bill would be brought forward to build a railway from Carlisle to Silloth and establish a better harbour there.
The project executed
In 1854 a parliamentary bill was introduced to make a floating dock at Silloth and a railway 12.75 miles long to it, leaving the Port Carlisle line near Drumburgh. The Maryport and Carlisle Railway opposed the Silloth Bay project as intended to create facilities competing with its own adequate provision for linking Carlisle and Tyneside with the Irish Sea and the bill failed after an independent survey failed to confirm the presence of a deep-water channel close inshore at the intended dock location (immediately south of the Cote lighthouse). In 1855, the Bill was again submitted; the proposed dock location was now about three-quarters of a mile further south (and was therefore now outside the shelter of Silloth Bay). This time the committee decided that the Silloth line was insufficiently close to the Maryport line to be regarded as a competitor: the bill authorising the Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company with capital of £75,000 for the railway and £80,000 for the dock received its royal assent on 16 July 1855, becoming the Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c. cliii).
The railway was constructed rapidly, and opened on 28 August 1856 (henceforth a "United Committee" oversaw the operation of both the Silloth and Port Carlisle railways, although they remained distinct companies), but not until 1857 were the intermediate stations at Kirkbride and Abbey opened and the telegraph installed on the line (in October 1856, aid with dealing with a derailment at Silloth had to be summoned from Carlisle by sending a man on horseback to Port Carlisle.) With the railway complete, work on the facilities at Silloth could begin in earnest. In September 1856 the chairman of the Port Carlisle Railway told Silloth Company shareholders that the two companies must sink or swim together; the Port Carlisle Railway could hardly keep its head above water, and they looked to the Silloth Company "as a man about to be drowned looked to a swimming jacket" but hopefully they would soon "float together into the harbour of prosperity". By May 1857 a jetty had been built into deep water, and the steamer service from Liverpool went to Silloth, rather than Port Carlisle. The foundation stone of the dock was laid in August 1857 by Sir James Graham; the completed "Marshall Dock" (a 4-acre (1.4 ha) wet dock) opening two years later on 3 August 1859. The Silloth companies contracted with the North British Railway to supply the rolling stock to work the line, at the same time selling to the NBR the lines' existing rolling stock.
From Wikipedia’s article on Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3