Caton railway station served the village of Caton in the City of Lancaster district of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England. The station was located near Ball Lane and Station Road, with the latter crossing the railway on the level immediately to the east. It opened with the line in November 1849, being built by the

"Little" North Western Railway The North Western Railway (NWR) was an early British railway company in the north-west of England. It was commonly known as the "Little" North Western Railway, to distinguish it from the larger London and North Western Railway (LNWR). The NWR w ...

. The route was initially constructed as single track, with a

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...

here - the Lancaster to Hornby stretch eventually being doubled by the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...

in 1889. The station was closed in May 1961 by the British Railways Board as an economy measure,Marshall, J (1981) ''Forgotten Railways North-West England'', David & Charles (Publishers) Ltd, ; p.158 though the line remained in use until closure to passengers in 1966 between Wennington and

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

. Freight services finished the following year in 1967 and the track was subsequently dismantled. The line has since been converted into a footpath and cycleway westwards towards Lancaster, including the two old railway viaducts across the River Lune at

Crook o' Lune The Crook o' Lune or Crook of Lune, about three miles north-east of Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster, Lancashire, is a horseshoe bend of the River Lune, which here meanders through meadows and low hills into a wooded gorge. It has long been not ...

. The station house survives as a private residence, whilst the old goods shed is now a church. The old formation eastwards is still visible from nearby roads and can be traced via satellite photos.

References

{{City of Lancaster Disused railway stations in Lancaster Former Midland Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1849