Piloting a Brittania with a short name. The coaches are all LMS Stanier stock and in Blood & Custard with no sign of standard BR stock so this is likely to be the early 1950s. Also of note is the small yellow enamel LMS 'Hest Bank' lamp tablet hanging below the lamp, BR totems had yet to appear.

Colin Ryder says "This is Hest Bank station on the edge of Morecambe Bay and some 3 miles south of Carnforth. It is the only place on the West Coast Main Line where the line runs close to the sea (that is when the tide is in, and then only for about 300 yards!).

Many a happy day was spent here trainspotting between 1949 and 1956!

In the photo the LNWR type ‘C’ box is still in existence just beyond the up platform. This box was replaced wek ending 22 December 1958 by a new BR box on the down side just north of the station with better oversight of the gated level crossing. [1] So the photo is taken well before that date.

Between the platforms can be seen a trailing crossover. This was not replaced after being damaged in the derailment of the overnight sleeper from Glasgow Central to Kensington Olympia on 20 May 1965 [2].

On the right of the down platform was a bay platform that was originally built by the LNWR for trains to run to Morecambe via the single line to Bare Lane. The starter signal for the bay can be seen above the first coach. Above the second coach can be seen a bracket signal: the right doll has the advance starter for the branch to Bare Lane, the left doll has the advance starter for the up main towards Lancaster with the distant for Morecambe South Junction.

Then came a small goods yard . In this photo some engineering department drop side ballast wagons can be seen stored, but for several years this was home to a set of ‘camping’ coaches. The goods yard closed on 2 December 1963 but the tracks housed camping coaches until February 1969, when the station finally closed to passengers. [3]

[1] : Over Shap to Carlisle, Harold Bowtell, Ian Allan, 1983, p.19;
[2] : Cumbrian Railways Association, Hest Bank track and signalling 1945-1967, no.19;
[3] : Wikipedia: Hest Bank railway station."