Castle Aching

[Martin S-C]

Wouldn't want to run into them in a dark alley.

[RedGemAlchemist]

Wouldn't want to run into them in a dark alley.

You and me both.

[Owd Bob]

Still like that round certain parts of Wigan every night.

[Edwardian]

I have many fond memories of Wigan, though it could be a bit colourful of an evening as I recall.

[RedGemAlchemist]

Never been there.

[Edwardian]

Never been there.

 

There is a wonderful station, the L&Y one IIRC, called Wallgate which has a very fine brick station building spanning the track, with a fine porte cochère.

 

I have seen it modelled once, on a 4mm pre-Grouping layout, but as a track-level station.  A good layout, notable for its extensive collection of coaches, the builder including a lot of foreign stock on through workings, at once adding verisimilitude and variety to the scene.

 

Cannot remember the layout's name.

 

Lots of fine architecture in such towns.

Edited August 21, 2018 by Edwardian

[Caley Jim]

You get a birds eye view of Wigan Wallgate from a Pendolino as you enter Wigan North Western from the north.

 

Jim

[runs as required]

My late best friend hailed from Wigan, he introduced me to black eyed peas and beer out of enamelled jugs served by old crones hauling it laboriously up from from cellars.

His Intermediate RIBA measured drawing of Haigh foundry - the birthplace of early L&M and GJR locomotives, won the RIBA prize for that year.

He knew the Wigan hotel receptionist who nearly eloped with Buddy Holly when he (and the Crickets) stayed there secretly - there was subsequently a film about the unlikely romance.

dh

[Donw]

There is a wonderful station, the L&Y one IIRC, called Wallgate which has a very fine brick station building spanning the track, with a fine porte cochère.

 

I have seen it modelled once, on a 4mm pre-Grouping layout, but as a track-level station.  A good layout, notable for its extensive collection of coaches, the builder including a lot of foreign stock on through workings, at once adding verisimilitude and variety to the scene.

 

Cannot remember the layout's name.

 

Lots of fine architecture in such towns.

 

And the pier 

 

Don

[Edwardian]

And the pier 

 

Don

 

With a road to it ...

[Regularity]

Also, pies.

 

I went to Wigan once, in 1985. Despite it being a Saturday, it was mostly shut.

Turns out the RFL team were playing at Wembley, and a fair portion of the town had gone to London.

[corneliuslundie]

There is an excellent two volume history of the railways of Wigan. Yes, it takes two volumes, packed with detail, not photo albums.

Jonathan

[Northroader]

While we’re at Wigan, the HMRS brought out a very good book a few years ago, “Private Owner Wagons from the Ince Wagon and Iron Co.” their works being there, plenty of photos of wagons, generally from the Trans Pennine area, and also RCH drawings of such things as curb rails.

[corneliuslundie]

The Ince Waggon Co book is very useful, and has now been reduced to £7 plus post and packing. As stated, a whole lot of drawings including such things as numerous manufacturers' versions of self-contained buffers. And of course lots of photos of wagons built by the company.

Jonathan

[Hroth]

And the pier 

 

Don

An ironically named loading hump on the canal side.  Look the wrong way and you'll trip over it.  Though you might trip over the impedimentia of a coarse* angler, or mown down by a lycra-clad loon with his eyes glued to his handlebars...

 

Other than that, the canal in Wigan is reasonably clear of sub-surface detritus these days (apart from folk thown in by anglers/cyclists), though getting from Wigan to Skipton is currently contra-indicated!

 

* In all senses of the word...

[St Enodoc]

There is a wonderful station, the L&Y one IIRC, called Wallgate which has a very fine brick station building spanning the track, with a fine porte cochère.

 

I have seen it modelled once, on a 4mm pre-Grouping layout, but as a track-level station.  A good layout, notable for its extensive collection of coaches, the builder including a lot of foreign stock on through workings, at once adding verisimilitude and variety to the scene.

 

Cannot remember the layout's name.

 

Lots of fine architecture in such towns.

Mike Edge (Mr Judith Edge Kits) built a fine model of Wallgate over 40 years ago. Some photos might exist somewhere but I don't think it was ever written up for publication.

 

See also http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/106606-wigan-wallgate/

[Martin S-C]

While we’re at Wigan, the HMRS brought out a very good book a few years ago, “Private Owner Wagons from the Ince Wagon and Iron Co.” their works being there, plenty of photos of wagons, generally from the Trans Pennine area, and also RCH drawings of such things as curb rails.

I have learned that one cannot have too many drawings of curb rails.

[runs as required]

And the pier 

 

Don

With a road to it ...

I reckon it got re-invented because of the book gaining fame as a GCE set book.

I asked Joe where it was in the 1950s - he said its always been a bit of a 'inbred Wigan joke'.

dh

[Edwardian]

I reckon it got re-invented because of the book gaining fame as a GCE set book.

I asked Joe where it was in the 1950s - he said its always been a bit of a 'inbred Wigan joke'.

dh

 

Indeed.  I had rather assumed that the stump that we see today was erected in connection with the naming of a former warehouse turned pub as, essentially, a tourist attraction.

[Hroth]

Indeed.  I had rather assumed that the stump that we see today was erected in connection with the naming of a former warehouse turned pub as, essentially, a tourist attraction.

BWB didn't really go in for spending money on support for commercial properties, so unless the council sponsored it (or at least sponsored the "enhancement" of what was there) then there is probably some vestigial canal-side facility that was named as the eponymous Pier.  It was difficult to get BWB to do work on actual, functional infrastructure!

[Owd Bob]

My late Dad worked just off  Wallgate at Wigan at a builders merchants called John Wild & Sons, it was down a cobbled alley way opposite N.W. Station and the builders yard was set in a large triangle of land formed by the West coast main line and the back southern side of Wallgate station. He worked there for just over 30 years, at first for many years as the delivery wagon driver, but he was later promoted and made the yard foreman. During my summer School hols' in the late '60's and through half the '70's i had to go to work with him, it was only four weeks for our summer hols' back then not several as it is now! It's here where and when i started my liking for railways, i think i cleared most of the classes 25's. 47's. 40's and all electric loco's by the end of the '70's...shame i never had a camera whilst i was there, but parents always said a camera was just too dear and was not a toy!    During the early '80's i was laid off from my own job and stood in for my Dad when he had to have a knee op', it was cash in hand paid every Friday, and most of it got spent before i got to the bus station  The reason being two lads had opened a second hand model railway stall in a rented room above Wallgate station, they later opened up a proper model shop on Market St. they then moved to King St. I think it was called J & I. Models?   Best thing about working there was a trip to 'Pooles Pies' just around the corner.

Here's an old sign i saw the other evening on a visit to the local mining museum at Astley Green. I'm not sure i read it right but could it be the instructions on how to form a wife swapping party?

Edited August 22, 2018 by Owd Bob

[Edwardian]

BWB didn't really go in for spending money on support for commercial properties, so unless the council sponsored it (or at least sponsored the "enhancement" of what was there) then there is probably some vestigial canal-side facility that was named as the eponymous Pier.  It was difficult to get BWB to do work on actual, functional infrastructure!

 

Residual industrial archaeological remnant, or later 'restoration'?

 

Any experts on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal?

 

Was the whole wharfside area the "pier", if it was ever known as such?

 

Where did Orwell get the name? 

 

Was it, indeed, a bit of ironical local usage for the canal wharf, in general, or referring to that particular feature, that he picked up on his travels?

[Owd Bob]

As far as i know it was always there Edwardian, and long before they decided to jazz up the whole site up back in the '80's, the wall is a modern thing built in the '80's to a supposedly old looking design. 

[Adams442T]

Just a little bit off-topic, but I've just received my Stirling Single, and it's superb!

 

Now just to find an excuse to run it on my layout Halden Road, a play on "Arcadia", which was originally called High Halden Road (a wonderful creation by Chris Nevard, when l receive it in about 5 days time!)

 

Hmmmm, l think this'll take some explaining to Jane......................

[Edwardian]

Just a little bit off-topic, but I've just received my Stirling Single, and it's superb!

 

Now just to find an excuse to run it on my layout Halden Road, a play on "Arcadia", which was originally called High Halden Road (a wonderful creation by Chris Nevard, when l receive it in about 5 days time!)

 

Hmmmm, l think this'll take some explaining to Jane......................

 

Passionate purchases for one's hobby are, I am rather afraid, to be regarded as minor infidelities in a marriage, and sometimes it pays not to advertise.

 

I suspect, though of course I can never be sure, that the Memsahib regards the odd lapse into railway purchases and strange parcels rather as a wife might tolerate a husband's infidelity in the days before divorce law was liberalised.  She is prepared not to notice, provided that I am sufficiently discrete!