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Edgehill electrified flyover, wavertree technology park


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Hi,

 

Next to Edgehill depot is a decaying vegetation riddled flyover, it is electrified, and seemingly used to serve whatever Wavertree Technology park has been built on...

 

What did this electrified flyover serve?

 

I seem to recall seeing in a book a reference to a Rathbone road coal depot? but can not find anything which actually explicitly confirms this. I do as a youngerman remember passing this and not thinking anything of it, but now it puzzles me... especially given it was electrified.

 

Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

As ever, kindest regards

 

Simon

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That will be what we called 'The Circle'. Heading east out of Edge Hill station on the right (south) is the remains of a rising viaduct. This swung right then left, crossing the Runcorn / Crewe / London line, then continued east at high level, passing Edge Hill sheds on its left. A south to east spur joined it. Nrear Rathbone road it began an anti-clockwise 180 degree turn over the L&M line to re-emerge on the north side of the layout. Thus could trains from the south or from the south dacks access the gridiron and sorting sidings to the north without fouling the L&M main line.

 

I was very sad when The Circle was taken out of use and dismantled.

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The entrance to the shed was off it near to where the spur and line from Wapping joined, at Edge Hill No 11 box (Engine Shed Jct). The line was a lot higher than the shed so engines entered by a downwards gradient of 1:27, if I remember correctly. This could cause some embarrassment if the crews got a bit carried away with the brake! The viaduct carrying the Wapping - Circle line actually crossed in front of the shed buildings and segregated them from the servicing area. There was another way off the shed under the Wapping line and trailing into the Down (towards Lime St) L&M line, but I don't think it got much use.

 

When I was there (1973), to go off shed we'd take the loco up the gradient and then reverse down the Wapping line and then into Edge Hill station and so down to Lime Street station. In earlier days, the engine would turn left at No 11 and take the spur towards Runcorn, then reverse again at Wavertree Jct. It was a huge and truely fascinating area.

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The remaining part of the viaduct rises from near the power box, at the top (the current end) was a junction, Viaduct Junction, there were two routes,turn left and go up and over the Chat Moss (Manchester lines) dropping down again near to Olive Mount Junction. Turning right took the the train to Engine Shed Junction (where the line to the shed connected) and onto the Circular goods, from this direction the only option was around the "Circle", crossing the Chat Moss and dropping down to Exhibition Junction and onto the Waterloos (which are the sidings to the left as you pass through Edge Hill station on the way out of Liverpool)

 

Adding to the above post, there was also (long since removed) a connection from the shed directly onto the Chat Moss lines, underneath Viaduct Junction.

 

Rathbone Road depot was. as it's name implies, immediately on the Edge Hill side of Rathbone Road. on the down (shed) side.

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here is a shot of a class 40 in 1962 passing under the flyover..

http://www.davidheys...9-edge-hill.jpg

 

another before the wires.

http://www.geolocati...951fcc.jpg/-/en

 

 

remains of the other side of the flyover looking towards Olive mount..

 

6160004875_cb4f452f5c_b.jpg

Manchester main line by edgehillsignalman, on Flickr

 

 

and prior to electrifiction, Edge hill power box under construction

6211631991_6b2a705f1b_b.jpg

Edge Hill by Kerry Parker (KP), on Flickr

Edited by michael delamar
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Here a few photos of Engine Shed Jcn and Viaduct Jcn taken on 21/8/1978.

post-6748-0-12127200-1348434042.jpg

Engine Shed Jcn box looking from the loco depot

post-6748-0-00165400-1348434056.jpg

From the other side

 

post-6748-0-46874000-1348434069.jpg

The remains of Viaduct Jcn.

post-6748-0-81769100-1348434080.jpg

Looking from Viaduct Jcn towards Edge Hill, showing the Rathbone Road shunter and a former connection from the loco depot to the main lines (which had been altered to become Rathbone Road coal depot).

post-6748-0-33662300-1348434096.jpg

Looking over Down Hill sidings from Viaduct Jcn, loco is 81 006.

 

Finally a photo of Picton Road box taken from the road bridge also taken on 21/8/1978.

post-6748-0-65558000-1348434106.jpg

Edited by flyingsignalman
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This may help - it's from a massive plan of Edge Hill, dated 1961

 

post-6662-0-68062800-1348581148_thumb.jpg

 

The line in question is labelled up / down Wapping more or less in the middle of the photo

post-6662-0-00828400-1348581241.jpg

 

Viaduct Junction details, the curve from bottom right to middle top is the main Liverpool - London line and is at the lower level, the connection from the shed to the down fast that I described is also visible

post-6662-0-24543700-1348581245.jpg

 

 

The original Rathbone Road sidings are visible on this shot, these were replaced by the ones I described above

post-6662-0-85504200-1348581514.jpg

 

I'm happy to take more detailed shots if anyone wants any

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That is superb guys, not only answers the question but what a wealth of additional detail.

 

Makes you wonder just how much unpublished stuff exists in our drawers and cupboards which would fill so many gaps!

 

Getting high on the fumes of excitement - imagine a railpedia 'confession booth' of these unpublished pictures etc... my mother might finally get her answer about the number of totems at Calstock station!!! what would we talk about at xmas after that?!?!?

 

Again thank you very much for your inputs!

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Rooting through negatives I found this taken, the same day as the others, 21/8/1978. We'd walked from Viaduct Jcn site towards Engine Shed Jcn.

post-6748-0-17160900-1349206932.jpg

I think that the line on the left was used to give access to the holding sidings, with engines coming off by the relay room in front of the signal box. The last photo of Beast's shows the area, the line to the left being marked "Rathbone Road Siding"

 

Here is a scan of a diagram I drew from a S&T diagram dated 21/1/1976. I hope its clear enough to be of some use.

post-6748-0-25589500-1349295317_thumb.jpg

 

(edited to change diagram image from photo to a scan)

Edited by flyingsignalman
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I used to live opposite the Edgehill Circular Line facing the Gridiron with great views of both from a front bedroom window. I took these two pictures on the last day of steam in 1968 from the bridge over Rathbone Road and show the electrified Gridiron. If you look at the picture looking towards Edgehill, the electrified line to the left used to cross the Chat Moss line below on the flyover allowing electricly hauled trains to reach the head of the Gridiron from the sidings to the south of Edgehill station arriving from the south and east without having to cross the main lines again. This often resulted in trains being propelled up the flyover to the signal in the picture. Trains from Wapping dock were hauled. Electrification of the Gridiron must have been a huge white elephant as in all the years it was electrified up to the time of closure I can only remember a handfull of electrically hauled trains reaching Rathbone Road, even after the end of steam. I seem to remember the last train on a Saturday dinnertime was commonly a Super D with a Wapping guards van on the rear, anybody got any pictures of this?

post-17094-0-27189600-1350217042_thumb.jpg

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I used to live opposite the Edgehill Circular Line facing the Gridiron with great views of both from a front bedroom window. I took these two pictures on the last day of steam in 1968 from the bridge over Rathbone Road and show the electrified Gridiron. If you look at the picture looking towards Edgehill, the electrified line to the left used to cross the Chat Moss line below on the flyover allowing electricly hauled trains to reach the head of the Gridiron from the sidings to the south of Edgehill station arriving from the south and east without having to cross the main lines again. This often resulted in trains being propelled up the flyover to the signal in the picture. Trains from Wapping dock were hauled. Electrification of the Gridiron must have been a huge white elephant as in all the years it was electrified up to the time of closure I can only remember a handfull of electrically hauled trains reaching Rathbone Road, even after the end of steam. I seem to remember the last train on a Saturday dinnertime was commonly a Super D with a Wapping guards van on the rear, anybody got any pictures of this?

 

Sorry I have just noticed that this picture has been flipped. The houses on the right are on Piguhue Lane and should be on the left of the picture. Will try to sort this out and repost the picture correctly.

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Some of Picton Road

 

post-6662-0-42051800-1351366951.jpg

 

post-6662-0-84209800-1351366953.jpg

 

post-6662-0-67486200-1351366957.jpg

 

And one showing it's heritage - the indentation left by the LNWR name, which was letters screwed to the board - Edge Hill No.16

(over sharpened to emphasise)

post-6662-0-71442600-1351367008.jpg

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  • 6 months later...
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bit of a bump for this topic but where are the gunnell sidings in edge hill?

 

beast has given me a good idea where they may be but i cant find them in my sectional appendix (or indeed the wapping sidings), we seem to think they are the sidings off the wappings, accessed from hand points on the left hand side (as you enter) wapping siding or possibly the 2 sidings where locos using the wappings run into to get behind the signal to rejoin the train

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bit of a bump for this topic but where are the gunnell sidings in edge hill?

 

beast has given me a good idea where they may be but i cant find them in my sectional appendix (or indeed the wapping sidings), we seem to think they are the sidings off the wappings, accessed from hand points on the left hand side (as you enter) wapping siding or possibly the 2 sidings where locos using the wappings run into to get behind the signal to rejoin the train

Do you mean the Gullet Sidings?

According to the TRACKmaps (Quail) book 4 they are adjacent to the Down Through and Down Wapping lines between Spekeland Road Depot and the Station.

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bit of a bump for this topic but where are the gunnell sidings in edge hill?

 

beast has given me a good idea where they may be but i cant find them in my sectional appendix (or indeed the wapping sidings), we seem to think they are the sidings off the wappings, accessed from hand points on the left hand side (as you enter) wapping siding or possibly the 2 sidings where locos using the wappings run into to get behind the signal to rejoin the train

It looks as though it could be 'Gullet' sidings. Up and Down Wapping sidings are shown in Quail as being the two roads that end inside Crown Street Tunnel. Gullet Sidings are shown as being the five electrified through sidings between them and Speleland Road depot.
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yep, looks like i meant the gullet sidings, got to conduct a tamper from edge hill to huyton on sunday, happy with the route out to huyton just needed to confirm where the machine will be stabled on the day, had it been the tuebrook side then i'd not do it as i've never been into that side of edge hill (and its token working!)

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