Garstang and Knot-End Railway

Garstang & Knot-End Rly
Knott End-on-Sea
Preesall salt mines
Preesall
Carr Lane
Pilling
Garstang Road Halt
Cockerham Cross Halt
Cogie Hill
Nateby
Garstang Town
Garstang and Catterall
Left arrow LNWR (former L&PJR) Right arrow
Knott End Railway Act 1898
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act for making a Light Railway between Knott End and Pilling in the County Palatine of Lancaster and for other purposes.
Citation61 & 62 Vict. c. ccxliv
Dates
Royal assent12 August 1898
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Garstang and Knot-End Railway [sic] was a railway line, between Garstang and Pilling, across the Fylde of Lancashire, England. It was built by local agricultural interests to develop unproductive land. It had been intended to continue to Knott End but ran out of money. It eventually opened in 1870. In 1898 the Knott End Railway (KER) was authorised by the Knott End Railway Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. ccxliv) to continue to Knott End; it opened in 1908. The two companies were associated and the KER acquired the earlier company. The KER was still desperately short of money, and local people who were owed money bought rolling stock to keep the company going.

The Knott End branch line in LMS days

Salt extraction near Preesall became a dominant industry from 1890, and the railway conveyed some remarkable tonnages of salt (outward) and coal (inward, for power). The passenger service was discontinued in 1930 and the line closed completely in 1965.