Moor Row: The Iron Heart of West Cumberland's Rail Network

The humble village of Moor Row in West Cumberland may seem quiet today, but for over a century, it sat at the epicenter of a sprawling and vital railway network.

Far more than a simple halt, Moor Row functioned as the indispensable marshalling yard and junction that powered the region's massive iron ore industry. The plan below beautifully illustrates the sheer complexity and industrial scale of this location, a true relic of the region's Haematite boom.

Moor Row Junction Railway Illustration

Forged By Red Gold

Moor Row's railway story begins in the mid-19th century with the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway (WC&ER). This line was not built for picturesque passenger journeys; it was constructed purely to serve the immense mineral wealth of the area, primarily the high-grade Haematite iron ore sought by furnaces across the country.

Moor Row's significance stemmed from its geography. It was the first point where the lines branching out from Whitehaven began to splinter, forming a three-way interchange that was critical for organizing the flow of millions of tons of ore and coal.

It swiftly became the most important goods yard and junction in western Cumberland until the decline of the industry following WWII. 

Decoding the Junction

The plan is a stunning depiction of Victorian-era operational infrastructure. It reveals why Moor Row was known as the 'Iron Heart' of the region:

• The Engine of Industry (Sidings): Notice the vast central area dominated by parallel tracks (often depicted in tan/brown). These were the extensive marshalling sidings, necessary to receive mineral wagons from the myriad of nearby mines (like Montreal Mines), sort them, and combine them into long, heavy mineral trains bound for Whitehaven docks or other parts of the country.
• The Crossroads: Towards the right (East), the lines fan out dramatically. This divergence illustrates the junction's primary role, splitting traffic onto the three key routes:
• The main line curving south towards Egremont and Sellafield.
• The branch heading north-east towards Frizington and Marron Junction.
• The separate connection further on, linking to the Cleator and Workington Junction Railway (CWJR), providing a northern escape route.
• The Servicing Hub: On the left (West) side, near the main approach, there are structures and track arrangements that include the location of the engine shed. This facility was essential for housing and maintaining the locomotives responsible for shunting the heavy wagons in the yard and hauling the freight on the steep gradients of the surrounding branches.

The concentration of points, crossings, and multiple running lines in such a small geographical footprint emphasizes the dense traffic it managed daily.

From Steam to Silence:

While its passenger station had a sporadic history, often serving workmen's trains (including special services to the Sellafield nuclear plant), freight was always Moor Row’s lifeblood.

The closure of the local mines sealed the junction's fate. As the last major deposits of iron ore were extracted, the flow of traffic dwindled, and the final section of track through Moor Row closed around 1980.

Today, much of the route that Moor Row commanded - the very lines depicted on this complex map - has been transformed into part of the C2C (Coast-to-Coast) and other local cycleways and footpaths.

When traversing these routes, it’s worth pausing at Moor Row to remember the ground beneath your feet: once a roaring, smoky hub of industry, meticulously planned and executed to fuel the British industrial age.

Moor Row Railway Illustration