- Three Iron Ore shafts sunk one at Knockmurton and two at the foot of Kelton Fell in 1869
- Act authorising construction of Rowrah & Kelton Fell Railway dated 16th July 1874 with share capital of £30,000
- The contractor for construction of the line was Harrison and Hodgson of Workington
- 400 tons of defective rails and 105 tons of perfect rails supplied by Barrow Haematite Steel Company
- Switches and crossings from W.Barningham & Company of Pendleton Ironworks Manchester
- Chairs from Hannay & Clarke of Barrow-in-Furness
- Officially opened for traffic on 1st January 1877
- Act authorising branch from Distington via Oatlands and joining Kelton Fell Railway at Sheriff Gate dated 4th July 1878
- New Branch from Distington (Known as "Baird's Line") opened 1st May 1882
- In 1880 the output of the mines was 47,705 tons at £1 a ton
- In 1882 an additional £9,000 capital was raised and a Bill prepared for an extension to Ennerdale which did not proceed
- By 1917 efforts were being made by Baird's to dispose of the line
- Little traffic worked on the line after 1927
- The line was purchased by Mr J.W. Kitchen of Moor Row in 1933
- Rowrah & Kelton Fell Railway track finally removed in 1934
When the mining of iron ore in West Cumberland was at its height the Scottish firm of William Baird & Company decided to exploit the rich haematite deposits which had been proved in the fells a few miles to the east of Rowrah. A railway was constructed that served several mines and quarries on the way to the end of the line at Knockmurton. The Rowrah & Kelton Fell Mineral Railway (R&KFR) was completed in 1877 and Bairds’ agreed to work it and provide locomotives, wagons and all necessary to operate the traffic. Five years later the Cleator & Workington Junction Railway (C&WJR) opened a branch from its main line near Distington to an end on junction with the R&KFR at Rowrah. The iron ore in the fells was worked out by the late 1890s but the limestone traffic went on for some years. From 1889 it was agreed that limestone traffic from Salter and Stockhow Quarries should be worked by C&WJR locos thus giving a through haul to Bairds’ Harrington Ironworks via Distington. By 1917 Bairds' were finding the line a liability and were glad to sell it to a local interest but when the great slump set in it passed out of use. Little traffic worked over the line after 1927 and in 1933 it was sold and dismantled the following year.
Locomotives below are the locomotives of the Rowraw & Kelton Fell Railway:
- Kelton Fell - 0-4-0 Saddle Tank Loco built by Neilson & Company Glasgow in 1876 and was still in use by NCB at Gartshore Colliery until 1968. It is now owned by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society at Falkirk.
- Numbers 236, 250, and 755 - 0-4-0 Saddle Tank built by Andrew Barclay & Sons Ltd of Kilmarnock
- Keekle 100A - Built by Fletcher Jennings of Lowca in 1858 (Ex Whitehaven Cleator and Egremont Railway No 21) withdrawn 1918
- 106A - Built by Stephenson & co in 1869 (Ex Whitehaven Cleator and Egremont Railway "Crummock" No 10)
- 107A - Built by Stephenson & co in 1870 (Formerly "Newton Manor" No 11)
- 109A - Built by Stephenson & co in 1871 (Formerly "Springfield" No 13) scrapped in 1925
- 108A - Built by Andrew Barclay in 1875 (Ex Whitehaven Cleator and Egremont Railway "Wastwater" No 17)
From 1920 motive power was supplied by Salter Quarry Companies locos:
- Derwent No 670 - 0-6-0 Saddle Tank built by Manning Wardle in 1877 scrapped in 1925
- Dinah No 684 - 0-6-0 built by Manning Wardle in 1878 scrapped in 1938
- Wyndham No 178 - 0-6-0 Saddle Tank built by Fletcher Jennings of Lowca in 1880 scrapped in 1927
- Salter No 270 - 0-4-0 Saddle Tank built by Barclay & Co in 1880 scrapped in 1933
Route Today - The first mile of this line has been incorporated by Sustrans into the Whitehaven to Ennerdale Cycle Path; it ends at the point where the branch to Salter quarry diverged by a little cattle grid and a narrow wooden arch to join a minor road (Sheriff’s Gate). The remainder of the line through cuttings and embankments is walkable but not easy but still very well defined 80 years after closure of the line.
Relics of the Line Today - Kirkland Goods no trace - Just before the demolished bridge at Kirkland that crossed the Rowrah to Kirkland road (Map Ref - NY069179) there is a raised concrete plinth next to line which could have been some form of signal box or points cabin for goods yard.
Bridge Remains in 2006
- Under bridge buttresses at Rowrah - Map Ref - NY058184
- Under road bridge at Sheriff Gate now filled in - Map Ref - NY062178
- Under cattle bridge buttresses just passed Sherrif Gate - Map Ref - NY064176
- Under cattle bridge buttresses just passed Stochhowhall Wood - Map Ref - NY067176
- Buttresses of dismantled bridge and one arch remaining of cattle bridge in field on Kirkland side of road at Kirkland - Map Ref - NY069179
- Bridge in Kirkland village at Map Ref - NY072181 now gone completely.
- Bridge intact at Teathes on the edge of Kirkland Village at Map Ref - NY073180
- Bridge top of hill outside Kirkland Village now filled in - Map Ref - NY075179
- Bridge intact just past Kirkland Village towards Kelton Fell - Map Ref - NY077178
- Bridge at Kelton Fell under road filled in - Map ref - NY085181
- Bridge at Kelton Fell over Lamplugh Road now gone - Map Ref - NY086183