Railways around Wigan, Leigh & the surrounding areas

[Moxy]

I have been looking on the wiganworld website for more details of the derailment Apollo mentioned above, I didn't find it but I did find quite a few photos relating to Wigan Central, so in (roughly) route order, they are listed below:

 

http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=3&id=10597&gallery=Railways&offset=360

 

All change at the Great Central - this is a 1970's shot of the lifted ex GC line into Wigan Central.  We are looking roughly SE here, Darlington Street runs left-right and Warrington Road snakes away into the distance.  This is the A573 Warrington Road which runs through Ince, not the A49 Warrington Road which runs through Goose Green and Marus Bridge.

 

There is nothing left at this road junction today to indicate there was ever a railway line crossing it. The bottom right hand corner with the pub, the sheds behind it and the disused trackbed are all now under a Lidl supermarket. 

 

The bus stop bottom left and the chapel behind it are still there, that is the base for Wigan Sea Cadets.  Wigan Central was behind the photographer.

 

http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=3&id=10598&gallery=Railways&offset=360

 

Darlington Street Bridge - a slightly earlier shot looking east along Darlington Street.  The Silverwell is a pub about 200 yds up on the left, that is still there, but no trace of this bridge.

 

http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=3&id=17933&gallery=Railways&offset=560

 

Central Station then and now - This is looking north sometime prior to 1965, note the comments about the ex LMS & ex SR parcels vans.

 

http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=10250&gallery=Central+Station&offset=0

 

Central Station early 1960's (sic) - Despite the caption, this can't be early 60's as the station didn't close until 1965 and as the track has clearly been lifted I'm going to guess at late 1960's.  The platform has been fenced off for storage.  The River Douglas is in the foreground and there are far more trees on that embankment nowadays.  The buses in the top left are on Station Road, a short stretch of which still exists - leading into a multi storey car park!

 

And finally....

 

http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=3&id=10302&gallery=Railways&offset=360

 

Wigan Central demolition - this view is unrecognisable today, where the cars are parked against the fence is the southbound carriageway of Riverway, the northbound carriageway runs roughly through where the canopies are and the site of the station building is under the multi storey car park for the Grand Arcade shopping centre.

 

Moxy

[D.Platt]

During the summer of 1975, my mate and I worked as fence erectors for Fencelines in Trafford Park putting up chain link and barbed wire fencing around commercial sites.

One job we did was at Partington Gasworks. The entire plant had a perimeter fence but several bits of plant within the works were individually fenced off and it was job like this that we were doing. Quite what I don't recall.

The gasworks contact we had showed us around one lunchtime and I remember being shown these horizontal high pressure storage tanks which each of which, we were told, essentially held as much gas as a conventional gasometer at some incredible pressure.

I read recently that these things went out of favour when local authorities realised the potential for disaster should one of them rupture. Don't know how true that is. Brings back happy memories in the summer of 1974 as a nervous 22 year old fitter I set up the new extruded line at frencelines in Trafford Park,and I spent many happy hours at the bridge on the East lancs over the WCML Dennis

[Wigan Wallgate OO Gauge]

Does anyone have any more pictures of Wigan Springs Branch or especially of the Wigan Central sheds/depot?

[APOLLO]

Does anyone have any more pictures of Wigan Springs Branch or especially of the Wigan Central sheds/depot?

 

Quite a few pictures on my Flikr site below.

 

Brit15

[Wigan Wallgate OO Gauge]

I'll be sure to take a look now!

[peanuts]

Never got to Golborne in my spotting days Arthur, it was Taylors Lane at Springs Branch, Westwood Lane or the embankment alongside the Leeds Liverpool canal where both LNW & L&Y trains could be seen. After retiring from the Gas I worked for several years for the gas contractor situated alongside the WCML at Golborne (The old Ski Yogurt factory) around 2004-9.

 

Everything changes. Here is the "New" Hawleys Lane Warrington High Pressure reforming plant, closed around 1975 when Warrington converted to North sea gas, the last town in the North West.

 

 

More like an oil refinery, built alongside the West Coast main line and always brightly illuminated at night. The Warrington rail served Royal Mail depot is built on this site today.

 

The  horizontal high pressure storage tanks you refer to were known as "Bullets". Around 200ft long and 12ft dia they indeed held a vast quantity of gas at (then) line pressure of around 600PSI. They were located near the four new plants mentioned above, with some other locations also (Skelmersdale was one). Usually 4 or 6 in a line, some were double decked. They were not without their technical problems, One was flexing caused by pressure cycling. They all had to have their supports rebuilt and reinforced. I actually climed into one once when this work was being carried out. They were works of the welders art - beautifully constructed and very well maintained. (as was everything gas back then).

 

In 1993 I was back working in Wigan when the IRA struck the "old" gas works (gas holder station as they became known as then) at Longford, Warrington. A bomb damaged and ignited a large low pressure holder, and this was in the news. What was not in the news was a couple of devices attached to the bullets. These did go off though the over 1" thick special steel barely damaged the paintwork. Half of Warrington would had disappeared had their intended purpose been fulfilled, an occupied block of flats being less than 50 yards away.

 

You are right Arthur that these things went out of favour when local authorities realised the potential for disaster should one of them rupture. And it was not just the local authorities either who voiced concern. Most of the bullets in the NW were decommissioned within weeks of the above incident, and alternative arrangements made for the others. They had all gone by 1996 or so.

 

Low pressure holders have nearly all gone now throughout the UK. Gas is stored where required by "Line Packing" that is storing gas at high pressures in certain transmission pipelines, underground, unseen and safe.

 

There should have been a live pair of Lions prowling around Longford gas works that night !!!

 

Brit15

wasnt that incident foiled by the emergency services/anti terrorist police leading to the IRA bombing warrington town  center in revenge leading to the deaths of two young boys 

[APOLLO]

wasnt that incident foiled by the emergency services/anti terrorist police leading to the IRA bombing warrington town  center in revenge leading to the deaths of two young boys 

 

Not quite sure of the exact train of events back then after the Longford bombs..

 

There is more  info here  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrington_bomb_attacks

 

I was working in Wigan at the time, and remember being told the morning after Longford to inspect all around the three holders at Wigan, looking for anything suspect - and like a daft my boss & I did just that - found nothing but a few rusty holes leaking a bit !!!

 

Terrible times for some back then.

 

Brit15

[E3109]

Hi, Judging by these map extracts (  from the History Shop I think), it looks like Pagefield Ironworks may have been a possible target.

historyshop20b.JPG

 

historyshop21b.JPG

 

Kevan

 

Love the old Germanic typeface.

Before anyone takes offence I should point out that mein Oma (Nana) was from Köln, maybe it's in the blood.

[Owd Bob]

I have great memories in the early '90's of trying my best in single handedly restoring the remains of Hindley Green station whilst working for a landscape/civil engineering firm  We were tidying up the track bed from Howe bridge to Hindley Green installing new footpaths, fencing and a bridal way. The original plan was to have the path running through the station on the track bed but when rare Newts were found in the flooded area between the platforms it was decided to bring the paths up onto the Southern platform ramp end and up the cobbled slope up to Leigh Rd. I enjoyed the job so much that i even worked through my lunch breaks and stayed over a few evenings using my tractor and digger to clean up the platforms and replace the platform edging stone blocks, when finished all that was missing was the wooden buildings and tracks. Sadly it only lasted a few years as  the Leigh Road over-bridge had to be strengthened and was eventually under-filled, the paths, platforms and station remains meant nothing then and was almost totally destroyed during this work, a lot of the stone platform edgings and the stone flagged platforms also got robbed away and went missing not long after this work!.   There is good photo' when the work i did was finished in one of Dennis Sweeneys superb books from memory Heres an old cutting from the Leigh Journal.

 

[APOLLO]

Nice work at Hindley Green there. Pity it's all gone. Yes Dennis Sweeneys railway books on the Wigan / Leigh areas are superb - I have em all.

 

I only traveled on the Wigan NW - Tyldesley - Manchester line once on a rugby special (Black 5 hauled) to Huddersfield, many years ago (not as a supporter back then - just a train-nut !!).

 

What are your thoughts on the new Guided Busway (Leigh to Manchester) ?. I've yet to travel on it (with my old fart's pass !!). I reckon an extension of Metrolink (the tram) would have served Leigh better. Leigh really needs either a railway or a tram link.

 

Brit15

[Owd Bob]

Nice work at Hindley Green there. Pity it's all gone. Yes Dennis Sweeneys railway books on the Wigan / Leigh areas are superb - I have em all.

 

I only traveled on the Wigan NW - Tyldesley - Manchester line once on a rugby special (Black 5 hauled) to Huddersfield, many years ago (not as a supporter back then - just a train-nut !!).

 

What are your thoughts on the new Guided Busway (Leigh to Manchester) ?. I've yet to travel on it (with my old fart's pass !!). I reckon an extension of Metrolink (the tram) would have served Leigh better. Leigh really needs either a railway or a tram link.

 

Brit15

Totally agree there should have been a rail line or a metro-link extension, i've not seen the hoards they predicted using or catching the guided Bus from Leigh, Atherton or Tyldesley, but there's always a good fair folks waiting at the park and ride stop near Swinton on the East Lancs Rd. But theres hope for a new line with the HS2 route but sadly not in my time i would think.

[Dawg]

Nice work at Hindley Green there. Pity it's all gone. Yes Dennis Sweeneys railway books on the Wigan / Leigh areas are superb - I have em all.

 

I only traveled on the Wigan NW - Tyldesley - Manchester line once on a rugby special (Black 5 hauled) to Huddersfield, many years ago (not as a supporter back then - just a train-nut !!).

 

What are your thoughts on the new Guided Busway (Leigh to Manchester) ?. I've yet to travel on it (with my old fart's pass !!). I reckon an extension of Metrolink (the tram) would have served Leigh better. Leigh really needs either a railway or a tram link.

 

Brit15

If anywhere needs a rail link, it's Leigh. A railway would invigorate the town so much, but I believe it's all down to Wigan Council who did absolutely nothing to encourage the extension of the Metrolink as some have suggested that it would perhaps be detrimental to the 'mother' town.. And so a guided busway is built forcing the A580 into a 2 lane road causing even more congestion without giving Leigh a real lifeline. I honestly do think that a tram or light rail service would attract way more interest and ultimately, investment into what is essentially a dead area of Lancashire.

 

Having said that that, I heard rightly or wrongly, that the original Wigan - Tyldesley - Eccles line closed partly because of the amount of mining subsidence affecting the track which in turn affected the maximum speed limit - large sections limited to 25mph in the 1960's? Not great for passenger services..

 

Btw Apollo, did you ever travel on the Wigan Central - Glazebrook line at all? My late father had a summer job at Irlam steel works in 1959 just before he went to University and used it daily. Said it was a very slow journey and remembered most of the stations - particularly the dilapidated wooden platforms of West Leigh & Bedford..

 

Just curious..

[Owd Bob]

If anywhere needs a rail link, it's Leigh. A railway would invigorate the town so much, but I believe it's all down to Wigan Council who did absolutely nothing to encourage the extension of the Metrolink as some have suggested that it would perhaps be detrimental to the 'mother' town.. And so a guided busway is built forcing the A580 into a 2 lane road causing even more congestion without giving Leigh a real lifeline. I honestly do think that a tram or light rail service would attract way more interest and ultimately, investment into what is essentially a dead area of Lancashire.

 

Having said that that, I heard rightly or wrongly, that the original Wigan - Tyldesley - Eccles line closed partly because of the amount of mining subsidence affecting the track which in turn affected the maximum speed limit - large sections limited to 25mph in the 1960's? Not great for passenger services..

 

Btw Apollo, did you ever travel on the Wigan Central - Glazebrook line at all? My late father had a summer job at Irlam steel works in 1959 just before he went to University and used it daily. Said it was a very slow journey and remembered most of the stations - particularly the dilapidated wooden platforms of West Leigh & Bedford..

 

Just curious..

I agree Dawg, it seems to me that Wigan MBC have deliberately done everything they could over the last 40 plus years to rid Leigh of any trace of its history and all its old railways, bridges destroyed and removed, embankments and viaducts demolished and now the bus-way is using the one decent route that would have been ideal for the metro-link. I don't think we'll ever get the link we badly need as it would have to be a complete new line. Are we still the largest town in the UK without a rail line (link)? 

[E3109]

The railway was closed in 1969, at this time Leigh was not administered by Wigan. That farce didn't occur until April Fools' Day 1974, when Wigan MBC was created.

 

That was the day that we were all subsumed by the 'Greater Manchester' nonsense, and Wigan MBC annexed Leigh and other surrounding areas.

One of the new Wigan MBC's first acts, was to steal the hanging baskets from Leigh Town Hall, and relocate them to Wigan Town Hall. As you can imagine, this didn't go down well...

 

I've lived in both towns, Wigan mostly, and have a reasonable understanding of each town's issues but a common factor in the region's decline is the dire Wigan Council... the less of which is said here, the better.

 

SELNEC PTE was imposed on Leigh in 1969. At that time SELNEC wasn't responsible for railways in their zone, that only happened in 1972.

I suspect that the line via Leigh was closed (and ripped up with indecent haste) because those in the know were aware that SELNEC was coming, and they weren't interested in railways whatsoever. (some would say they still aren't).

 

By the time that SELNEC assumed partial responsibility for railways in its zone, it was already too late for the route via Leigh; the infrastructure had gone, particularly in the town centre.

 

GMPTE/GMITA (SELNEC's successor) have only been interested in empire-building for all of its existence, when they lost the buses in 1986 due to deregulation they used tramways to further its aims.

Like many people around here, I was hoping to see a tramway built along the route (with a view to upgrading to a railway in the future) but alas GMPTE/GMITA only seem to be interested in annexing perfectly adequate rail routes for this purpose (Bury, Altrincham, Oldham Loop). 

 

Sorry for the rant. But Leigh is now, I think, the largest town in England without a railway station and the councillors and the PTE don't care one jot; they won't even reopen the nearby Golborne station on the WCML, even though the slow lines are still slewed and the station could be reinstated for a relatively small amount of capital expenditure.

 

(It gets mentioned from time to time, usually when Wigan MBC are holding local elections, where the people invariably re-elect the same clowns)...

 

Compare this to Euxton Balshaw Lane, just a few miles north... but Euxton is still in the Lancs CC area so different priorities apply.

Also compare the neighbouring Merseyside PTE, who generally speaking have always been fairly pro-rail.

 

For me, being local to the area, it's a matter of shame and the line, like many routes, should never have closed in the first place.

 

I'll shut up now. Me safety valve is blowing off :-o

Edited August 17, 2017 by E3109

[APOLLO]

The "rivalry" between Wiganers and Leighthers goes back many years. (Pie Eaters V Lobby Gobblers !!!). Mostly light hearted banter (it was when I worked for a Leigh company at Golborne), I believe it has it's roots in early coal miners disputes. I agree Leigh has always been dealt a bad hand when it came to Railways - though the Bolton & Leigh railway was the first public railway in Lancashire.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolton_and_Leigh_Railway  Geography has something to do with it, Wigan being lucky that it's first railways later joined up to become the L&NWR west coast main line. Stephenson's Liverpool & Manchester by passed Leigh also.

 

Wigan council has indeed a lot to answer for - even to us Wiganers !!. They hide away these days in their new bouncy castle at Westwood, totally unapproachable. Any contact with them is to be made at the new (eye wateringly expensive & PFE funded) "town hall" in Millgate.  Anyway, nuff said.

 

The trouble with Golborne as a new station location is there aren't many (if any) trains that could stop there. Everything south of Wigan to Warrington & Crewe passenger wise is a long distance Pendolino or Voyager. I doubt the Trans Pennine Manchester Airport to Glasgow / Edinburgh services would stop there either, most of these will re-route via Bolton soon when the line through there is electrified. Balshaw Lane (and nearby Buckshaw Parkway on the Bolton - Preston line) are lucky in that there were already stopping passenger services passing both station sites before they were constructed.

 

HS2 also has been mentioned, sorry, no new stations around Lowton / Leigh either (even some major towns / city's HS2 passes close to won't get one I believe). If / when HS2 is built the first stop will be Preston. Warrington by-passed & Wigan NW run through at speed. (there is a provisional service timetable on the HS2 website stating this - of course things can change).

 

A park and ride at Kenyon Jcn (Culcheth) or Glazebury would help, but Leigh needs better public transport / rail / tram links all round. Trouble is as years go by, more and more possible routes get built upon etc and therefore provision gets more & more difficult.

 

"THEY" certainly know how to waste money. The bus station at Wigan was resurfaced with reinforced concrete roads only a few years ago, it is now being demolished and a new bus station being built, with far less capacity. This should have been built at Wallgate creating a true transport hub linking North Western & Wallgate railway stations with a new bus station. Plenty of space if the half empty shops / offices there were demolished (they're falling to bits anyway).

 

With talk of banning diesel / petrol cars, disjointed "investment" in public transport here "ooop north", especially in towns like Leigh I only see many problems arising in the future (especially for our children).

 

Brit15

[APOLLO]

If anywhere needs a rail link, it's Leigh. A railway would invigorate the town so much, but I believe it's all down to Wigan Council who did absolutely nothing to encourage the extension of the Metrolink as some have suggested that it would perhaps be detrimental to the 'mother' town.. And so a guided busway is built forcing the A580 into a 2 lane road causing even more congestion without giving Leigh a real lifeline. I honestly do think that a tram or light rail service would attract way more interest and ultimately, investment into what is essentially a dead area of Lancashire.

 

Having said that that, I heard rightly or wrongly, that the original Wigan - Tyldesley - Eccles line closed partly because of the amount of mining subsidence affecting the track which in turn affected the maximum speed limit - large sections limited to 25mph in the 1960's? Not great for passenger services..

 

Btw Apollo, did you ever travel on the Wigan Central - Glazebrook line at all? My late father had a summer job at Irlam steel works in 1959 just before he went to University and used it daily. Said it was a very slow journey and remembered most of the stations - particularly the dilapidated wooden platforms of West Leigh & Bedford..

 

Just curious..

 

 

Mining subsidence was one of the reasons for closure, another was loss of traffic, especially coal. Beeching closed the stations en route hence the local passenger services went, and the Glasgow expresses re routed via Bolton. 

 

I did travel on the Wigan Central line 3 times with my elder brother. Out of interest here is my log.

 

First time was with Mum & Dad on a day out to Manchester. date / etc not recorded, around 1961/2.

 

7/March/1964

Wigan Central to Glazebrook D7586

Glazebrook to Wigan Central 42455

 

We visited Stockport Tiviot Dale, Manchester Central, Liverpool Central & Widnes Central that day. The type 2 diesel was brand new and on a running in turn.

 

31/October/1964

Wigan Central to Irlam 42467

Manchester central to Wigan Central DMU M51906

 

We visited Macclesfield model railway exhibition that day. The use of a DMU on the Wigan Central line was a rare event. The line closed to passengers the following month.

 

Later the line was used for parcels traffic for a local mail order firm, using Darlington St goods shed. I took some photos around 1967, on my Flikr album here

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/136789710@N03/albums/72157678683163781

 

Brit15

[rp43]

I have particularly been interested in the Springs Branch railway, as I learnt many years ago that Woodfield street, New Springs, which in 1901, three generations of our family lived, backed on to the Railway line.

 

Now being retired, and plenty of time on my hands (don't tell the wife), I have made a very modest attempt to recreate the Springs Branch railway and surrounding area using the computer game program Train Simulator. With the ability to import terrain data and using Google map overlay, together with the map resources that exist to day on the internet, plus looking at the old photos on the Wigan World forum, the possibilities are endless!

 

I found this very interesting forum during my research

 

I have learnt so much about the railways around Wigan and the industries that surrounded the line.

 

If anyone is interested, I have made a short video of the route (sorry about the commentary) and uploaded to YouTube. The link is :-

 

[Owd Bob]

What an interesting and informative ride that was rp43, thanks for sharing it. I was going through my old class 56 and class 60 photo album this morn' and this class 56 pic' made me chuckle as i'd forgotten all about that incident.    I do remember the loco' being sat there for a week or so  Then i wondered what happened to this old sign? RIP  SP   The class 60 is 60 061. 

Edited December 27, 2017 by Owd Bob

[E3109]

Wigan has always been a hotbed of railway enthusiasm.

The irony of SP becoming a Locomotive Abbatoir, has not gone unnoticed...

[Owd Bob]

Apollo! Just wondering if you knew anything about the history or remember anything of the yard just off Wallgate right opposite N.W. station, and whether if it ever belonged to any railway company? Access used to be between the pub and shops through a cobbled alley way, in the '90's the overbuilt building collapsed. My late Dad worked in this old yard for over 30 years when it belonged to J.W. Wild, and was a Builders Merchants yard, he was the yard foreman. It had a very old and still usable weigh bridge, and the old whare house buildings were very railway looking in their style of build. Wallgate Station was just at the back Northern side and to the West end of the yard if you looked over the sand and gravel bays there was still then in the 1970's-'80's another yard used by the B.R. When John Wild packed it all in in the early '90's the area was opened up and the building demolished to make a car park which was my Dads idea, and he then sat in the old office for several years collecting the car park fee's. It may well still be a car park and the last i knew was that it was being attended by Michael Wild, the late Johns eldest Son.

[APOLLO]

The goods yard was part of the old L&Y original Wallgate station This old map shows the yard with a turntable - which I think existed up to the 60's (not sure though)

 

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/index.cfm#zoom=18&lat=53.5445&lon=-2.6344&layers=168&b=1

 

An interesting little area that I can't remember visiting much. I remember the name Wilds though. Right opposite NW station was (still is) a gate which once allowed access to a wooden high level excursion platform. (shown on the above map). I never saw it used, the sidings there were used for coach stabling for North Western station until the 70's. This entrance is also now a car park and the high level (L&NWR) coach sidings are long gone though the embankment is still there.

 

Brit15

Edited May 1, 2018 by APOLLO

[katwigan]

Why is it that every time I see another map of this area (either side of Wallgate ) the track layout particularly the pointwork is different ? Seems they must have got bored easily or something although i dont think i will be changing it any more than i have done twice already

 

Kevan

[Owd Bob]

Cheers Apollo!   Well the map shows that the old builders yard was'nt railway related, and it is shown as a tarpaulin works, unless that was railway owned? The weigh bridge is marked WM. Spent most of the '70's and '80's during the school summer holidays there and spotted all that moved on the WCML ...cleared all the 25's 40's and electric locos' in no time at all. I remember looking over the back wall and seeing all the old Wallgate station enameI signs stood/stacked leaning up...all within easy reach but much too heavy and big to lift!  I've a meeting in Higher Ince tomorrow(Thurs) late morn' Don't laff' as i'm thinking of spending a few hours before at SP before i go....not that i think i'll see owt new! 

My Dad rescued these tiles from the office wall before it was flattened.

[APOLLO]

Interesting those Bob.

 

Wigan Central (closed Nov 1964) was an interesting building also. Far too large and imposing for the 2 hourly service it latterly had, most of it was rented / sold to another local builders / plumbers merchant, George Makinson. Entrance to the station was a dingy side entrance. The MS&L / GC had plans to extend to Blackpool / Fleetwood but this was shelved when the main line down to Marylebone was built. Wigan Rugby bought some of the land, hence the name Central Park (now Tesco).

 

As built

 

 

Brit15

[APOLLO]

Why is it that every time I see another map of this area (either side of Wallgate ) the track layout particularly the pointwork is different ? Seems they must have got bored easily or something although i dont think i will be changing it any more than i have done twice already

 

Kevan

 

Difficult to put a date on this version of the map Kevan. Says on top 1841 - 1952, and on the map series 1892 - 1914, so I agree not  a lot of help to you. How is your Wallgate layout coming along ?

 

Edited to add, look in the botton RH corner it states (faintly) Revised 1907, Published 1908

 

Brit15

Edited May 2, 2018 by APOLLO