The last W.C.M.L. "Beeching Era" local station closure was Beattock in the Scottish Region – this closed on March 1972 because B.R. couldn't make a case for the large investment needed to make it safe for the new W.C.M.L. electric "Inter–City" service!
Prior to that, Garstang & Catterall closed 3 March 1969 along with Hest Bank, Bolton–Le–Sands and Balshaw Lane & Euxton (Lancashire County Council reopened Balshaw Lane & Euxton as "Euxton Balshaw Lane" in 1988), now served by the Preston –Liverpool Lime Street EMU service.
The previous W.C.M.L. closures were Milnthorpe, Tebay and Shap on 1st July 1968 – these could be reopened as Milnthorpe can be served by Windermere services, and Tebay & Shap by T.P.E. Manchester–Glasgow semi–fast EMUs – as Shap now has no bus services whatsoever it wouldn't be a bad idea!
Carnforth's main line platforms were taken out of passenger use some date in 1970 but it has never been known for certain whether it was a deliberate closure, a blunder on the part of B.R. staff or an electrification bodge–up!
On the M.M.L. and E.C.M.L., most local stopping services were withdrawn in 1958/1959, however, Beal and Belford north of Chathill on the E.C.M.L. survived till March 1968, the previous E.M.C.L. closure prior to that was the last village station between York & Thirsk at Tollerton – this went west in March 1965, altho' it had been "ghostly" since the late 1950s!
The reopening of Reston & East Linton proves its not an impossibility to reinstate main–line local services in rural areas, and eventually much more will have to be done along these lines one day, the alternative being that unless all the inhabitants of rural communities can afford and drive electric cars, there will be a lot of these communities (like Shap) with no access whatsoever to public transport unless their local station can be reopened, because the private bus companies will have no interest whatsoever in serving them – the intermediate villages along the B5300 between Maryport and Silloth are now without any regular public transport whatsoever!
Chris Williams
