Lakeside railway station (England) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lakeside
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| Station on heritage railway | |
Fairburn 2-6-4T 42085 at Lakeside station.
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| Location | Lakeside, Newby Bridge, Cumbria England |
| Coordinates | 54°16′42″N 2°57′20″W / 54.2783°N 2.9555°W |
| Operated by | Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway (L&HR) |
| Platforms | Originally 3, now 2, 1 in use, 1 disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Furness Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Furness Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 2 June 1869 | Opened as Windermere Lake Side |
| 31 August 1941 | Closed |
| 3 June 1946 | Reopened summers only |
| 6 September 1965 | Closed |
| 2 May 1973 | Reopened as Lakeside by L&HR |
| Location | |
 Lakeside
Location in South Lakeland
Lakeside
Location in Cumbria
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Lakeside railway station is a special train station in England. It's part of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, which is a heritage railway. This means old trains run on it, often for fun trips!
This station used to be the very end of a different train line called the Ulverston to Lakeside Line, run by the Furness Railway. That line closed in 1965. Today, Lakeside station serves the small village of Lakeside in Cumbria. It's also a great spot for tourists visiting the area.
Contents
Where to Find Lakeside Station
Lakeside station is located at the southern end of Windermere, which is a famous lake. From the station, you can easily catch a ferry with Windermere Lake Cruises. These ferries can take you to other popular places like Ambleside and Bowness-on-Windermere.
Right next to the station, you'll find the Aquarium of the Lakes. There are also several shops and cafes nearby, perfect for grabbing a snack or a souvenir.
A Look Back: Station History
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Lakeside station first opened to passengers on June 2, 1869. It was built by the Furness Railway as part of a new branch line. This line connected to the main railway near a place called Plumpton Junction.
Train times were set to match the ferry trips run by the Windermere United Yacht Company. This made it easy for people to switch from trains to boats. After a few years, the railway company actually bought the yacht company!
Original Station Features
When it first opened, the station was quite big. It had two platforms and a large roof covering them. There was also a signal box to control the trains and a turntable to turn engines around. Many extra tracks, called sidings, were used for storing trains.
The station also had a goods yard. This was a place where all sorts of items, including farm animals, could be loaded and unloaded. There was even a special crane that could lift heavy things up to three tons!
Special Tracks and Coaches
Besides the regular train tracks, Lakeside station had a narrow gauge tramway. This smaller track was used to bring coal to the lake steamers. From 1955 to 1964, old train coaches were parked here. These were used as "camping coaches" where people could stay for their holidays.
Closure and Reopening
The station, along with its railway line, closed down on September 6, 1965. This was part of a big plan to cut railway costs across Britain. After it closed, the station slowly fell apart. In 1978, the British Railways company even removed the roof and tore down the clock tower.
The steamboat service, which used to be part of the railway, was sold to a different company. They continued to offer day trips on Windermere.
Luckily, Lakeside station got a new life! It reopened on May 2, 1973, as part of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. Now, trains run from Lakeside to Haverthwaite, which is about an eighteen-minute journey.
| Preceding station |  Heritage railways |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newby Bridge | Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway | Terminus | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Newby Bridge Line and station open |
Furness Railway Ulverston to Lakeside Line |
Terminus | ||
Station on Screen: Film and TV Appearances
Lakeside station has been featured in several movies and TV shows! Sometimes, it's even called 'Windermere' in these productions. This can be a bit confusing, as the real Windermere railway station is on the other side of the lake and on a different train line.
Here are some of the times Lakeside station has appeared on screen:
- The 1973 film of Swallows and Amazons. This movie was filmed in 1973, the very first year the heritage railway started running.
- A 1980s TV series of Sherlock Holmes.
- The 1988 movie "Without A Clue," starring famous actors Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine.
- A 1996 TV show called Agatha Christie's Poirot, specifically the episode Dumb Witness.
