Historically within the county of Westmorland, the village straddles the A6070 road between Crooklands and Carnforth, at a point around midway between Lancaster and Kendal, and is in the shadow of the nearby limestone outcrop known as Farleton Knott.
This service called at Lancaster, Bare Lane and Morecambe, before reversing, calling at Bare Lane again, then rejoining the West Coast Main Line and continuing via Carnforth thus avoiding the 1m 7ch section of the WCML between Hest Bank South Junction and Hest Bank North Junction.
Their main duty was to haul express passenger trains between Carnforth and Whitehaven.
The station has the same name as the fictional station in the film Brief Encounter (1945) starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson, although the scenes were filmed at Carnforth station in Lancashire.
Born in Lancaster, Lancashire, Bale attended Ripley St Thomas School and first swam with the Carnforth and District Swimming Club (Carnforth Otters).
After the efforts of Dr Peter Beet to preserve Carnforth LMS 10(A) shed, McAlpine bought shares in 1970, and then took the controlling interest from 1974 until 1987 in the visitor attraction that became Steamtown.