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Description

This terminus had a single very long platform with a station building at its west end. It was located to the east of the Marshall Dock and New Dock. From the docks the North British Railway operated steamer services to locations such as Dublin. In addition to being a port and packet station it was hoped that Silloth could be developed as a resort (indeed the Silloth Sanatorium opened to guests with the railway opening).

The platform was on the north side of the lines. Goods lines were to the south, fanning out from the east end of the station to serve north and south sides of each dock and east end of the New Dock. The rail served Silloth Corn Mills were on the north side of the New Dock. A road bridge crossed over the station throat.

The two road locomotive shed, Silloth Shed, was to the south of station and goods line, approached from the east.

East of the bridge were the Border Counties Chemical and Manure Works and Solway Chemical and Manure Works, both south of the line and approached by sidings from the east.

The signal box (1904) was on the south side of the line east of the road bridge. The railway was single track and there were token exchange platforms.

The station, line and signal box closed in 1964.

Around half of the station platform remains, the west end. The much modified station building survived for some time. A new (or very substantially rebuilt) building now occupies the site. The two arch road bridge over the east of the site remains standing. Silloth Docks are still in use and corn mill is still open.

The North British Railway created the North British Steam Packet Company to operate steamers from Silloth. Passengers, goods and livestock were carried from Silloth to Liverpool, Dublin and Belfast. The PS Waverley [I] was added to the fleet, being built for the service in 1864. It was faulty and was replaced with PS Waverley [II] in 1865, built at the Pointhouse Shipbuilding Yard, Partick, by Inglis. The name Waverley was a direct reference to Sir Walter Scott's Waverley Novels for which the Waverley Route and Edinburgh Waverley are named. The present PS Waverley [IV] is the fourth, the third PS Waverley [III] being lost during the Second World War evacuation at Dunkirk.
PS Carham was built for the Silloth to Annan and Dumfries service in 1864.

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