Liverpool and Manchester Railway 1830

[Widnes Model Centre]

With many topics covering the current Hornby Rocket etc. I came across this on a local Liverpool History site.

 

Court Hey park runs alongside the Liverpool to Manchester M62 motorway and further over is the main railway line.

 

The drive towards the parking area at Court Hey Park is lined by sandstone sleepers, on which bolt holes and fish-plate indentations can clearly be seen.

These are original sleepers from the Liverpool & Manchester Railway when it opened in 1830 and obtained by Robertson Gladstone of Court Hey Hall (a railway director) when it was renovated. Gladstone was the elder brother of four times Prime Minister, William Gladstone.

 

Certainly different to what we would recognize as sleepers today. I used to live behind the green fencing and when walking the dog never realized as I stepped up onto the grass area exactly what these stones were.

 

Photo credit to Steve Horton; Liverpool Hidden History.

[Jeff Smith]

Interesting, although you would expect the chair indentations to generally be aligned perpendicular to the edges of the blocks.....

[Gibbo675]

23 minutes ago, Jeff Smith said:

Interesting, although you would expect the chair indentations to generally be aligned perpendicular to the edges of the blocks.....

Hi Jeff

 

The stones were laid with the corners in line with the rails which is why the orientation of the holes is as it is.

 

There is a painting contained in the link shewing how the blocks were laid:

 

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/manchester_liverpool_road/

 

Gibbo.

[Jeff Smith]

Ok, makes sense however the middle one does not conform so maybe was part of a turnout.