Removed platforms at Salford Central station

[woodenhead]

Looking at the history of Exchange it was built because the LNWR could not get more services into the L&YR's Victoria.  So whilst the LNWR had running rights along the L&YR route through Manchester so it could get to Huddersfield, it's development of services was thwarted by a lack of capacity so it built, in Salford, Manchester Exchange.

 

Given the LNWR had to expand by building it's own station rather than increase further the size of Victoria with the L&YR, then there was likely no way the L&YR would have allowed the building of any additional platforms at Salford, perhaps it was the lack of platform space for the LNWR at both stations that prompted them to build Exchange between the two - two birds with one stone so to speak.

 

Interesting extra - the GWR had running powers on the LNWR lines via Chat Moss into Liverpool Rd and later Exchange, the locomotives would be serviced prior to return at Patricroft I believe.

[nigb55009]

If you look closely at the map Wooden head posted at the beginning of this thread, you can see a fifth platform. It is a bay platform, facing towards west, ie towards Salford Crescent. It was next to, but not connected to the LNWR lines. 

[ColinK]

The reason some long distance services do not stop at Bolton is simply passenger capacity - there are (or at least before Covid) huge numbers of people travelling by train between Bolton and Manchester, especially in peak times. Quite naturally people going home to Bolton will use the fast services to Bolton instead of the slow stoppers, but that means the long distance services are jammed.  Indeed when the TPE Manchester - Scotland services were introduced my wife commuted to Lancaster on them, she worked next to Oxford Road station, but had to walk to Piccadilly to make sure she could get on the Edinburgh train, even then it was very rare for her to get a seat.  Even when they had seat reservations, passengers for Carlisle and Scotland sometimes couldn’t get on the train because of all the people only going as far as Bolton.  When the services got rerouted via Wigan, the same happenned with Wigan commuters.

[Edwin_m]

2 hours ago, woodenhead said:

it built, in Salford, Manchester Exchange.

The street entrance was in Manchester though!   

 

An office I often visit is about to move into one of the new buildings on the site, which someone mentioned upthread they worked in.  I've yet to work out if what is described as the Manchester office is actually in Manchester.  

 

Back on topic, 10+ years ago I was working on a project to add two platforms at Salford Central.  Seems to have died a death.  

[adb968008]

2 hours ago, ColinK said:

The reason some long distance services do not stop at Bolton is simply passenger capacity - there are (or at least before Covid) huge numbers of people travelling by train between Bolton and Manchester, especially in peak times. Quite naturally people going home to Bolton will use the fast services to Bolton instead of the slow stoppers, but that means the long distance services are jammed.  Indeed when the TPE Manchester - Scotland services were introduced my wife commuted to Lancaster on them, she worked next to Oxford Road station, but had to walk to Piccadilly to make sure she could get on the Edinburgh train, even then it was very rare for her to get a seat.  Even when they had seat reservations, passengers for Carlisle and Scotland sometimes couldn’t get on the train because of all the people only going as far as Bolton.  When the services got rerouted via Wigan, the same happenned with Wigan commuters.

Theres a message in that then thats really quite simple….

 

Bring back the Bolton - Manchester - Bolton reliefs…

2x Hourly that existed until the 1990’s in rush hours, and later became longer distance services.

 

It amplifies my point about purposely running it down, when demand is being demonstrated to exist.

 

The Manchester -Glasgow 47 workings were no different, as were the 31/37 hauled Club trains which were purposely set up to run with that demand / need coming out of Manchester to Wigan / Preston (and continuing to Southport, Blackpool or Barrow).

 

There was even a Crewe -Bolton service with a unit to work a morning relief up until electrification began, with a 142…. I was expecting it to become a 319 diagram, instead it vanished c2016.

 

If the train is rammed to sardines ( which I know it is)… any commercial company would look at that and smell revenue.

 

Instead, people buy cars and parking companies take the revenue instead… kind of ironic that Manchester Exchange is a crowded car park, accessed via the same road as Salford station sits on… and is unsurprisingly.. jammed solid in rush hours… heading North out of Manchester towards the A666.
 

Edited December 16, 2022 by adb968008

[woodenhead]

Interesting follow on from this thread, I have found evidence of a platform in situ, albeit a temporary one, on the LNWR side at Salford Central.  I can't link to the exact start as it's turned off on the video, but look at 37:05

 

I wonder if it was linked with the planned work to rebuild Victoria?

[LMS2968]

There's no date for the video but prior to September 1990 - Barton Moss Jct box is still in. I suspect this platform might possibly have been part of the Rocket 150 celebrations. Various steam specials, including shuttles with the Coal Tank, ran in connection with that.