CLC Skelton Jct to Glazebrook Manchesters mothballed lost railway
A challenging walk along the disused line between Skelton junction and Glazebrook, following the original Cheshire line route, a railway still in situ abandoned by British Rail. Proposed plans to convert this into a heritage line is a serious possibility. Stations at West Timperley, Partington and Cadishead are still traceable with plenty of clues still visible on route.
Skelton Junction is a complex of railway junctions south of Manchester in Timperley, near Altrincham. The Cheshire Lines Committee's Liverpool to Manchester line, via the Glazebrook East Junction to Skelton Junction Line and the LNWR's Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway, fed into the junction from Liverpool in the west. The Manchester, South Junction, and Altrincham Railway provided a connection from the Altrincham direction and a short spur from Timperley towards Stockport, while the CLC's Stockport, Timperley, and Altrincham Junction Railway continued east to Stockport.
The Glazebrook East Junction-Skelton Junction line was a railway line from Glazebrook to Skelton Junction in Greater Manchester. It connected the Cheshire Lines Committee main line from Liverpool Central to Manchester Central with lines in the Stockport area (and hence onwards towards the Pennines via the Woodhead Line), allowing freight traffic to bypass central Manchester. It also carried a local passenger service between Stockport and Warrington Central until the early 1960s.
The Glazebrook East Junction to Skelton Junction line was part of Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) as a branch line of their main Liverpool-Manchester lines. The line carried on through Skelton Junction and terminated at Stockport Tiviot Dale.
It opened in 1873, serving the towns of Cadishead, Partington and West Timperley before joining the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJ&AR) at Skelton Junction, which was also part of the CLC at this time. In the 1890s the line was deviated due to the building of the Manchester Ship Canal. It was raised on an embankment around a mile in length from Glazebrook East Junction to be high enough to clear the Ship Canal, with the Cadishead Viaduct was built in 1892 to span the canal.
The line saw little change in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and it remained part of the CLC in the 1923 Grouping. On nationalisation it became part of the London Midland Region of British Railways in 1948 at the final demise of the CLC.
The line called at the following stations:
Cadishead, Partington and West Timperley.
As part of the London Midland region of BR, It remained a busy line with trains from Liverpool Central and Warrington Central up until the mid-1960s. It was only on the withdrawal of these stopping passenger services in 1964 that all the stations closed along the line. The line carried on as a freight only line until 1983 when the Cadishead Viaduct was in need of serious and costly repair. British Rail decided to close the viaduct and mothball the line rather than repairing it. The tracks were lifted in the mid-1980s from Glazebrook to Partington.
As the line was closed prior to the privatisation of British Rail, only Glazebrook East Junction and the line from south of Partington to Skelton Junction were passed over into Railtrack ownership, which in turn passed to Network Rail.
The trackbed from Cadishead to Partington remained (and remains to this day) part of the Historical Railways.
The first station named Partington was opened on that line in May 1874.
The construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, which was to cross the line between Partington and Cadishead, meant that the railway had to be raised by 43 feet (13 m) in order to give a 75-foot (23 m) clearance for shipping. A new line, parallel to the old but slightly to the south-west, was built on embankments. The new line was brought into use for goods traffic on 27 February 1893. A new Partington station was built on the line, and passenger traffic was transferred from the old line to the new on 29 May 1893
Cadishead railway station was a railway station on the Cheshire Lines Committees Glazebrook East Junction to Skelton Junction Line serving the village of Cadishead, near Irlam, Greater Manchester.
There were 2 stations that carried the name Cadishead, the first opened on 1 September 1873. It was an early closure however, being very close to Irlam railway station located 1 mile away, it closed on 1 August 1879.
The second station that carried the name was built in 1892, and opened to passengers on 29 May 1893. It was also on the same line, however the need for the new station was due to the building of the Manchester Ship Canal which necessitated the line to be deviated and built up from Glazebrook East Junction to clear the new ship canal.
Under the regrouping the station remained as part of CLC up until 1948. It served the local steel works and other local industries, with people travelling every day from Timperley and beyond.
Filmed by Allan Roach.
Пікірлер: 56
I can't praise this film too much. It is far more interesting than anything on Television, because it is all pure content, excellently presented and edited: no faffing about, laughing women, wasting time, etc! Well done for all your hard work, not least all the walking.
I work Glazebrook signal box. There are three lines at that last point because there is an up line to Manchester a down line to Warrington Central and a down loop line so that we can bring trains inside it to allow other trains to pass. The line is in worse condition than whenni walked it in 1997! If you want to know why there are massive gaps in the rail...well the "independent scrap dealers " used to drive to farm level crossings and work outwards from there nicking the rails etc. I doubt the line will reopen it runs from nowhere to nowhere else with a viaduct that in 1997 was costed at £4.7 million to renovate. The large sidings at Glazebrook serviced the ship canal company and the Irlam steelworks. The line went further going via Glazebrook East junction (the signal box I work at) heading in the liverpool direction then via the main line to Glazebook west junction where it turned off to the right and headed via Culcheth to Wigan Central.
I should have added that a cab ride was filmed from a railtour over the route from Skelton to Partington in 1991 and published on a VHS tape 'The Manchester Circular' , one of Tony Cooke's 'North West Cab Rides', with commentary by Walter Wood, who was at that time one of the most experienced railwaymen in the Manchester area. The tape also included the Bredbury to Woodley section of the line on the other side of Stockport.
I used to (1965) play in this area. There were ponds with newts in that we built rafts to go on. Started a lifelong affection for boats.
Hi,my name is Phil I did 50yrs on the footplate 8yrs on steam i started at edgeley shed in 1961in 1962 I was made a fireman I fired over this line in1962 I moved to Trafford Park shed till 1964 I moved back to edgeley I finished my time out at longsight finished in 2011 Regards Phil.
That massive bridge right near the end of your film is called Sandy lane bridge. I grew up in Cadishead, and We would walk along the top of the bridge in the 60s & 70s when the trains would go underneath - very scary! I left to go and live in Dorset in 1983, and when I came back 15 years later to visit family, I could barely believe My eyes... It was a forest! I just was so busy setting up in Dorset I never had even heard of Beeching at the time, so was blown away when I came back and researched what the hell had gone on? I've now nearly 40 years on done the same research down where I live in Dorset on the legendary S&D line from Bournemouth to Bath green park. Thanks so much for a incredible film... Brilliant!
@Sam_Green____4114
3 жыл бұрын
You might not have heard of Beaching because you were busy ln 1983 considering all the cuts to rail lines he recommended were carried out by 1966 !!!!
@likeher9
3 жыл бұрын
@@Sam_Green____4114 And your point is what exactly? You'd heard of Beeching before Me? Well done you!
Interesting to see all the places I knew from the 1970s, and you used one of my photographs taken at Partington Junction of Class 40 143 with coal for Carrington Power Station, 11th January 1974. Pity you missed the remains of the original viaduct over the River Mersey on the Partington side of Cadishead Viaduct.
Great video
Mad to see how overgrown this is, I've walked a couple mothballed lines myself. including the Ipswich docks branch where you can barely get through the brambles!
I used to see 56s on the bitumen trains from Warrington trains in the 90s.
There is also a spur that comes out of shell carrington which several other lines which fed the power station, and also several abandoned workmans huts all still accessible from carrington moss just past the big chimney.
@onemanc
4 жыл бұрын
Looks like I will have to revisit, watch this space!
The bit at West Timperley Station that you thought was a subway, was actually the main station building, took me a bit of looking to realise it at first. Also, if you went down the slope at the end of the platform by the evergreens, you would have found the remains of the signal box! Lastly, you were lucky to explore there when you did, I had just been there myself and I had cleared away a lot of the overgrowth.
@ConnorsWorkshop16
3 жыл бұрын
How do you get down to here I live right near here
@Zentron
3 жыл бұрын
@@ConnorsWorkshop16 If you go down Lindsell Road, just by the part of the road that opens up into a circle, there is a ginnel in between the houses, go down there and up the slope, turn right and that's the way to the station. It was really overgrown with thick brambles last time I went, so be careful as you go, wear thick trousers if you have them! As mentioned, as you walk towards the station, when you see some evergreen trees on the right side, go down the slope a bit just behind the trees, you'll see the remains of the signal box... it's not much, but you can make it out from all the foundation bricks sticking out of the soil.
@ConnorsWorkshop16
3 жыл бұрын
@@Zentron ah thx
@ConnorsWorkshop16
3 жыл бұрын
@@Zentron thx
My gran lived near Skelton junction in Timperley. Remember loads of class 40s going past in the 70s.
Not to long ago I found an old abandoned railway that went from Bristol to Portishead and recently they cut the brambles and undergrowth back reveling the track and not to long ago the local councils announced that they are going to restore the line and open it to passenger trains from Bristol Portishead
Have you seen Martin Zero doing part of this line too?
This line needs to be reopened to enable a rail freight terminal at Carrington to be built and on wards to Trafford park. It would take freight off the Castlefield corridor.
Another great video! Shame nothing came of the preservation of the line.
@simondavids9438
2 жыл бұрын
Metrolink could be in the pipeline for this disused railway in the next 10 years .
@HenrysAdventures
2 жыл бұрын
@@simondavids9438 That would be great to see!
great video, where did you get onto the bridge near bridgewater canal?
Nice vid, I've walked that line a few times during lockdown
interesting walk discovering the old rail lines love it mate.
hi there, absolutely love this video. i am struggling to find a way up onto the train track past washway road that follows near waitrose. part of the bridge that crosses washway road is locked. just wondered if you know of any other ways uptowards cadishead i can get onto😀
@onemanc
4 жыл бұрын
Leila Eve you can either get on at the canal small dirt path leads up to it or go to turnbull road where several paths cross over the line, good luck...
Super have they started any work yet
How did you overcome the massive spikey fence blocking the bridge over the canal?
What's this Potential heritage line your referring to?
@onemanc
Жыл бұрын
Link is in the comments…
Heres a link to the Hamilton Davies preservation project hamiltondavies.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Proposal-to-re-open-Cadishead-Viaduct.pdf
How do you get on Skelton junction
@onemanc
5 жыл бұрын
As a member of the public you cannot, as an ex railwayman its not what you know but who you know......
@sosig1341
5 жыл бұрын
Please can you say that in a more simpler way
@onemanc
5 жыл бұрын
NR key via newstead terrace gate
@sosig1341
5 жыл бұрын
What does nr mean
@onemanc
5 жыл бұрын
Network Rail....
A double pacer .
I can acces the second part
@onemanc
3 жыл бұрын
Just tried the Warrington links they work ok? Try link from one manc channel mate....
@ConnorsWorkshop16
3 жыл бұрын
@@onemanc just that I don’t know how you got down to skelton junction because I got on the bit near the canal but I can’t get to skelton any directions
l bet they are crying out for this line now with all the freights blocking an already very congested Manchester Piccadilly station !! So short sighted this country !! They know the price of every and the value of nothing !! Like closing the March- Spalding line ln 82 and now currently we are ln the process of spending 100,millions on an underpass at Peterborough !!!!!