Ashton-in-Makerfield railway station

Last updated

Ashton-in-Makerfield
General information
Location Haydock, St Helens
England
Coordinates 53°28′47″N2°38′21″W / 53.47975°N 2.63915°W / 53.47975; -2.63915
Grid reference SJ577983
Platforms2 [1] [2]
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway
Pre-grouping Great Central Railway
Post-grouping London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 July 1895 [3] Station opened for goods
3 January 1900 [4] Station opened for passengers
3 March 1952 [5] Closed to regular traffic
After 4 October 1975Closed to racecourse traffic [6]

Ashton-in-Makerfield railway station was a railway station serving the town of Ashton-in-Makerfield, although it was located in the neighbouring village of Haydock, formerly in Lancashire (now Merseyside), England. [7] [8]

Contents

The station was located where Lodge Lane (A49) crossed the Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway line from Lowton St Mary's to the original St Helens Central railway station. [9] [10]

History

Opened by the Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway, as part of the Great Central Railway, it became part of the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping of 1923. The line and station passed to the Eastern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948, but was transferred to the London Midland Region later that year.

Services

In 1922 five "down" (towards St Helens) trains called at the station, on Mondays to Saturdays. These called at all stations from Manchester Central to St Helens via Glazebrook and Culcheth. No trains called on Sundays. [11]

By 1948 four trains plied between St Helens Central and Manchester Central, calling at all stations, Monday to Friday, reduced to three on Saturdays. No trains called on Sundays. [12]

A fuller selection of public and working timetables has now been published. Among other things this suggests that Sunday services ran until 1914, but had ceased by 1922, never to return. [13]

Closure and afterlife

The station was closed to passengers by the British Railways Board in 1952.

From 1952 until 5 October 1963 some race day specials to Haydock Park had deposited their passengers at the racecourse then travelled to St Helens for servicing, turning and to await their turn to return in the evening. [14] Others did the same at Ashton-in-Makerfield. [15] [16] [14] A more recent source states that the last such trains ran on 4 January 1965. [17]

Enthusiasts' railtours travelled the line on 29 September 1956 [18] [19] and 21 September 1963. [20] [21]

The final such tour visited the station on 24 August 1968. [22] [23] [24] Although a last, this tour was also a first, being the first passenger train over a new connection between the line to Ashton and the WCML at the new "Haydock Branch Junction" north of Golborne, which had opened on 22 April 1968. [25] [26] By providing this connection the line between Edge Green and Lowton St Mary's could be abandoned and, in particular, its bridge over the to-be-electrified WCML could be removed. This occurred in 1971. [27]

Services to and through Ashton finally ended in 1988, but its last years were not mere decline. Two services used the station and one passed through it. In 1963 Lowton Metals started to use the station's goods yard as a rail-served base for its scrap metal business. This traffic ended in 1987. [28] [29] In July 1968 the line to the west was reopened to serve a new oil distribution depot at Haydock. This traffic continued until 1983. [27] In 1975 an experiment was conducted in reviving race traffic, using Ashton station instead of Haydock Park. Special trains were run to at least five meetings, but the experiment was not continued. [30]

Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Haydock Park
Line and station closed
  Great Central Railway
Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway
  Haydock
Line and station closed

The site today

The station site has been landscaped as part of a business park.

Related Research Articles

The Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway, was formed in 1889, but no services ran until 1895 and then only freight. Passenger services did not start until 1900. It incorporated the St Helens and Wigan Junction Railway. It was taken over by the Great Central Railway in 1906.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ainsdale Beach railway station</span> Former railway station in Merseyside, England

Ainsdale Beach was a railway station located in Ainsdale, Merseyside, England.

Woodvale railway station was a railway station located in Woodvale, Merseyside, England.

Huskisson railway station was located on the North Liverpool Extension Line near Huskisson Dock in Liverpool, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wigan Central railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Wigan Central railway station was a railway station near the centre of Wigan, Lancashire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindley South railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Hindley South railway station served the communities of Hindley and Platt Bridge, south-east of Wigan, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolton Great Moor Street railway station</span> Disused railway station in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England

Bolton Great Moor Street railway station was the first station in Bolton. It was opened on 11 June 1831 by the Bolton and Leigh Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culcheth railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Culcheth railway station served the village of Culcheth, Lancashire, England. It was west of the bridge where Wigshaw Lane crossed the railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whelley railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Whelley railway station was in Whelley, Wigan on the Whelley Loop section of the Lancashire Union Railway. The station was situated where the B5238 bridged the line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amberswood railway station</span> Disused railway station in Greater Manchester, England

Amberswood (Hindley) railway station was in Hindley, Wigan on the Whelley Loop section of the Lancashire Union Railway. The station was situated where the A577 passed under the line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Helens Central railway station (Great Central Railway)</span> Former railway station in England

St Helens Central (GCR) railway station served the town of St Helens, England with passenger traffic between 1900 and 1952 and goods traffic until 1965. It was the terminus of a branch line from Lowton St Mary's.

The Widnes loop was a 5 miles 2 chains (8.1 km) railway line which served the town of Widnes, England from 1879 to 2000.

Haydock railway station served the village of Haydock, formerly in Lancashire, now in Merseyside, England.

Haydock Park railway station was a railway station adjacent to Haydock Park Racecourse, formerly in Lancashire and now in Merseyside, England. The station's sole purpose was to handle race day traffic. It did not feature in public timetables and normal service trains passed through the station without stopping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golborne North railway station</span> Former railway station in North-West England

Golborne North railway station served the town of Golborne, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.

Lowton St Mary's railway station served the scattered community of Lowton, then in Lancashire, now in Greater Manchester, England. It was situated immediately south of the A572 bridge over the tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Ince railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Lower Ince railway station was a railway station in southern Wigan, Lancashire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bickershaw and Abram railway station</span> Disused railway station in Bickershaw, Wigan

Bickershaw and Abram railway station served the communities of Bickershaw and Abram southeast of Wigan, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Leigh and Bedford railway station</span> Former railway station in England

The West Leigh and Bedford railway station served the hamlet of Crankwood, the village of Abram, and the Plank Lane area of Leigh, England. Like many railways, the line passed between rather than through communities, with branches off to serve the key driver - goods, and in this area - coal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowton railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Lowton railway station served the village named Town of Lowton to the east of Newton-le-Willows and south of Golborne.

References

  1. Pixton 1996, p. 122
  2. Fields, Gilbert & Knight 1980, Photo 123
  3. Dow 1965, p. 10
  4. Dow 1965, pp. 9–12
  5. James 2004, p. 24.
  6. Sweeney 2014, p. 71
  7. The station on a 1948 OS Map via npe Maps
  8. Jowett 2000, Map 60.
  9. Smith & Turner 2012 , Map 45
  10. Station and line SOH via railwaycodes
  11. Bradshaw 1985 , pp. 714–5
  12. "Disused Stations: St. Helens Central Station". disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  13. Sweeney 2014, pp. 105–115.
  14. 1 2 "Disused Stations: Haydock Park Racecourse Station". disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  15. Tolson 1982, p. 123.
  16. Sweeney 2014, p. 61.
  17. Sweeney 2014, p. 70.
  18. Railtours via sixbellsjunction
  19. Sweeney 2014, p. 98.
  20. Railtours via sixbellsjunction
  21. Sweeney 2014, p. 31.
  22. Makerfield Miner railtour via sixbellsjunction
  23. "Disused Stations: Ashton-in-Makerfield Station". disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  24. Sweeney 2014, p. 91.
  25. The new connection HOB2 via railwaycodes
  26. Yonge, Padgett & Szwenk 2013 , map 26C
  27. 1 2 Sweeney 2014, p. 80.
  28. Shannon & Hillmer 2003 , p. 103
  29. Haydock Park traffic via Disused Stations
  30. Sweeney 2014, p. 71.

Sources