GLAZEBROOK to WIGAN. GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY revisited. Lost railways of Manchester & Lancashire.
A very challenging walk tracing the route of the Great Central from Glazebrook through to Wigan passing the silenced coal industries at Bickershaw, a tough walk but very rewarding.
Wigan Central was the eventual terminus of the Wigan Junction Railways from Glazebrook West Junction. It was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (later to become the Great Central) and opened on 3 October 1892, when it replaced the temporary Wigan Darlington Street terminus, which had opened on 1 April 1884. Central was about 1⁄3 mile (540 m) nearer the town centre than Darlington Street.
According to Beeching's Reshaping of British Railways the line was more heavily used than many which did not close, however, as with many unmodernised and heavily used commuter lines it was deemed uneconomic. The line's main passenger traffic was workers travelling from the Wigan area to industrial plants in Cadishead and Partington and around the docks in Salford and Manchester.Steam remained the dominant motive power to the end of services, though some DMUs made an appearance.
In April 1884 the service pattern to Wigan (Darlington Street temporary terminus) was straightforward. Seven "Down" trains arrived from Manchester Central, one "express" called at Glazebrook only and three called at all stations. The remaining three missed some stations between Manchester and Glazebrook. With the exception of the "express", all trains called at all stations between Glazebrook and Wigan. The "Up" service was similar.
In 1922 six "Down" trains arrived, All Stations from Manchester Central on "Weekdays" (Mondays to Saturdays), with a further evening train from Lowton St Mary's only. Three other trains arrived, apparently All Stations from Culcheth, but it is possible they originated at Liverpool Central and turned west to north at Dam Lane Junction. One of these trains ran on Fridays and Saturdays only and the other two ran on Saturdays only. The "Up" service was broadly similar, but the mix of Saturday-only trains was even more complicated. There was no Sunday service.
History: The Wigan Junction Railways (WJR) was incorporated on 16 July 1874. It was to link the coalfields around Wigan with the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) line at Glazebrook, on the line between Liverpool Central and Manchester Central. Promoted by local businessmen, it came to the interest of the board of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MSLR) which suggested that it might become an extension of the CLC, in which the MSLR had a one-third share. However, of the MSLR's other two joint partners in the CLC, the Midland Railway (MR) were in favour, whereas the Great Northern Railway (GNR) were not. Accordingly, the MSLR and MR decided that its construction should be supported by both companies, and later on be formally added to the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee, a body which was owned jointly by the MSLR and MR only.
The line was opened between Glazebrook and Strangeways for goods on 16 October 1879, and was extended to Wigan on 1 April 1884; passenger services also began on 1 April 1884. The trains were provided by the MSLR. Wigan Central railway station was opened on 3 October 1892.
A branch to St Helens was built from Lowton St. Marys: the Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway it opened on 2 January 1900.
The CLC constructed a curve from their line at Dam Lane Junction to the WJR line at Glazebrook Moss Junction; known as Glazebrook West Curve, creating a triangular junction at Glazebrook; by this means, trains from Wigan could run to Warrington and Liverpool Central.
Wigan Darlington Street station opened on 1 April 1884 as the temporary terminus of the Wigan Junction Railways (WJR) line from Glazebrook West Junction. The permanent terminus - Wigan Central - was completed in 1892 a third of a mile nearer the town centre. When that station opened Darlington Street closed to passengers and became a goods depot. Lower Ince station was in a cutting on the south side of Ince Green Lane, a short distance from the LYR's rival station, Ince. Lower Ince Engine Shed stood north west of the station. It closed on 26 March 1952. Until the 1960s the area surrounding Wigan had an unusually large number of intersecting railway lines, nowhere more so than in the south east of the town. Hindley South had a three-way junction immediately to the north, with arms west and north in both directions onto and from the "Whelley Loop" and northwest to Lower Ince and Wigan Central. It also had a two-way junction immediately to the south, which enabled trains to continue southeast along the Central line to Bickershaw and Abram and Manchester Central or to veer east onto the Manchester and Wigan Railway (MWR) line to Tyldesley and Manchester Exchange. The station opened as "Strangeways and Hindley" in 1884. It was renamed "Hindley and Platt Bridge" in 1892, only to be renamed as "Hindley South" in 1950.
Filmed by Allan Roach
Пікірлер: 29
Thank you for doing this walk. In the 1950s, I lived just by Newchurch Halt when it was a working, living track. Many and many a time have I travelled on the train from this station either to Manchester or to Wigan, with my Mum. Many and many a time have I run up those steps you showed on the right to see if I could see the train coming (from the Manchester direction). You could see it approaching across those flat fields for a long way, looking like a toy train at first, but soon turning into a steaming monster pounding into the station. I cannot believe how that busy track has disappeared into that almost impassable undergrowth which you struggled through. It was great to see the old place again, and to be reminded of how it was, though so changed. Thanks again.
Good video you've pass through our backfield in one of your shots, enjoyed the 1960s Train spotting film outside bickershaw station
Absolutely love your videos and thanks for all your hard work walking all these disused lines hoping there's more to come 👍🏻
Great exploration there. I have a couple of pointers on placename pronunciation: Tyldesley is pronounced Tildsley. Abram is not said like “Aibram”, but “Abram”, like the beginning of “Abracadabra”. Plank Lane is where the entrance to Bickershaw Colliery was located, just up from the Swing Bridge over the canal. Also, “Lowton” is not said as “Louton”, but with “Low” (as in opposite of “high”).
@GBPaddling
7 ай бұрын
Be interesting to hear them say Winwick....😁
Wow a real safari trying to find this line..
Regarding Hindley South. The platform is still there, directly in front of the bridge that was filled in. It could easily be mistaken for a canal!
Thank you for battling the nettles and another brilliant video 👍
I worked with a platelayer who’d worked on the Central line . The flooded track between Hindley South and Ince South . He said there was a pump that worked 24 hours to keep the track clear of water . One of their gangs duties was to check the pump every day
Thats the best picture Ive seen of Lower Ince shed.
@tracya4087
Жыл бұрын
please check out the new book all about the line , it s really good
Good morning Allen. Well done for the fantastic effort walking this line. As a young boy back then as I’m 66 now 😀 This railway was the highlight of my childhood and got me into watching trains. We lived in Urmston but my late Mum & Dads parents lived in Lowton-St-Mary’s on Pocket-nook lane. We’d catch the train from Urmston and change at Irlam for Wigan central to go and see my grandparents 😀 Happy days. I was very sad when it closed ☹️ I played in the yard when it closed as it was full of goods vans. I also saw the demolition train taking away my railway 🥲 We used to catch the train too Wigan Central on a Saturday and Woolworths was out side the station were I get a dinky car with my pocket money 🤣
Well done Allan, that was a trek and a half, next time you'll have to take some shears with you or a machete to hack away at the foliage
Brilliant! I've only walked a section of the Culcheth Linear park and always wanted to know what lay beyond.
Good video mate, rather you than me through those nettles and brambles….lol
Mega overgrowth ,looking nearly as bad as the Partington disused line ,brilliant video 📹.Tried to walk it 10 years ago but as I was on the bridge getting ready to drop down onto the old track,a farmer in the distance was watching me so couldn't do it .
@onemanc
Жыл бұрын
I had to duck and dive a few times to avoid being spotted…
@MrPingu70EGCC
Жыл бұрын
Sorry your Partington video had me in tears. I am 71 and used to go on my bike from Davyhulme past Shell to Partington Station to watch
@simondavids9438
4 ай бұрын
@MrPingu70EGCC me and a pal of mine use to ride our bikes onto Carrington moss,past uniteds training ground to the level crossing near the old tip incinerator. Maybe 1985 ,one set of rails were rusty and the other side well used . In 1991 to 1992 went back there and on a Monday morning would sit and watch the locos come into the moss from Skelton, and then into the shell complex ,good days .
Bus shelters at Glazebrook Station! No bus has gone anywhere near this station for years!
Would love you to do a vid of the old line from Wigan to Manchester that ran through platt bridge, hindley green, Howe bridge, tyldesley, roe green, monton and then connected to the existing line at Eccles through to the old Manchester exchange station
The pub in Bickershaw was called The Queens Hotel. Only been closed for around 10 years. The area in Lowton where the track to Wigan headed, was landscaped around 1980. A separate footpath and bridle path was created. Over time the footpath became overgrown with trees, shrubs and nettles, which made it impossible to walk through. Now the bridle path is the main path for both walkers and horse riders.
My in laws' garden backs onto this line. I walked to Newchurch in 2003 and the track was clear, with stairs and lamp in place Glazebrook is the same as Gorgeous Irlam..where you get the best breakfast.
As a child I went by train from Hindley South to Irlam many times. It's a shame but Wigan Council seem determined to destroy every last remnant of the old town and it's industrial past. Most of Hindley common (Amberswood) became either a huge open cast pit (the lake is a remnant of that) or a council tip. Parts of the Pemberton loop and Wigan Avoiding Line embankments are still in existence. The Springs Branch line was finally lifted @ 2017 and only a few sleepers remain north of the bridge you filmed from. Oddly enough, a short section of sleepers and trackbed from the old Amberswood colliery, disused for over a 100 years, are still in place.
Great stuff again! :)
👍😊
Great work. Came across your site after getting interested in disused lines a few months back. Question - do you film over a few days? How do you get to where you want to be after filming if in middle of nowhere?! That's hell of a job if you do these during one day!
22:10 brilliant work but wrong pronunciation here. You said Tyseley (in Birmingham) it should be Tyldesley pronounced "Tildsley" Thank You
I’m from Wigan me. 😂