Oxenholme Station - Cumbria, UK
Posted by: 
martlakes
N 54° 18.286 W 002° 43.301
30U E 518110 N 6017466
Located on the west coast main line between the south of England and Scotland, Oxenholme - the Lake District, is the main arrival/departure point for visitors to the Lakes. It is also used by a lot of commuters.
Waymark Code: WM32AH
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/29/2008
Views: 103
Oxenholme is a small village to the SE of Kendal. When the line was being built in 1846 there was debate about whether it should go to Kendal or not. In the end the main line by-passed the town, partly because of geography and perhaps some political shenanigans.
Physically, the line has to make some height and get round to the narrow corridor of Tebay Gorge on its way to Shap Summit, however, it would have been possible to take the line nearer the town. Perhaps there was local opposition to this new fangled mode of transport, and certainly the canal was doomed with the arrival of the rails. I read somewhere that the Council of Kendal weren't prepared to pay enough to bring the line into the town, but this might just be rumour!
Kendal had to settle for a station on the Windermere branch line, which was supposed to go right through to Keswick. Due to a vigorous campaign by William Wordsworth and friends, it only got as far as Windermere. The main line was electrified in 1974.
As well as early commuters you will often see heavily laden backpackers; Japanese tourists off to Grasmere and Wordsworth, or Hawkshead and Beatrix Potter; business people off to meetings in Carlisle; and the usual assortment of rail passengers.
The station has taxis outside, the usual range of facilities and buses run regularly into town.
Some dramatic events have taken place at the station or near by:
In February 1965, Pc George William Russell was shot and fatally injured at Oxenholme railway station. On 21st June 2007 a plaque in his honour was unveiled at a ceremony at the station.
On May 27, 2006 the station was the scene of a murder, when a young man was stabbed aboard a Glasgow-Paignton train.
On 23 February 2007, the Grayrigg rail crash happened between Oxenholme and Tebay on the West Coast Main Line.
Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: Yes
Is the station/depot open to the public?: Yes
What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: Glasgow-Manchester/Birmingham-London
Station/Depot Web Site: [Web Link]
If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?: Not listed
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