Formby Power Station railway station

Formby Power Station
Derelict railway power station at Altcar, Formby
General information
Location	Formby, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton England
Coordinates	53°32′33″N3°03′58″W / 53.5424°N 3.0661°W / 53.5424; -3.0661
Grid reference	SD293056
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Pre-grouping	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
c.1917	Opened
c.1943–1944	Closed

Formby Power Station railway station was a railway station on the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway, situated south of Hogshill Lane and just north of the River Alt.

History

The railway station was opened circa 1917 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) as a small halt adjacent to Formby power station. The station did not appear in the public timetables and was only open for use for employees of the power station. ^[1]

The station was located south of Hogshill Lane and just north of the River Alt. ^{[2] [3]}

The power station was L&YR owned and operated, it had opened in 1904 and generated current for the L&YR local electrically powered lines, chiefly between Liverpool, Southport and Ormskirk. ^{[1] [4]}

The halt was closed around 1943–1944 and the power station closed down in 1946. ^{[1] [5] [2]}

The line through the station remains open and is today used by trains on the Merseyrail Northern Line. ^[6]

The power station building was later used by Metal Closures Rosslite Limited as a factory producing expanded polystyrene packaging and insulation products, and then as a business centre. The site eventually became derelict but plans were later announced to convert it for residential use. ^[7]

The power station was demolished in 2016, the whole site was levelled and work started on a new housing development, leaving no trace of the original buildings. Development of the site was completed in August 2016, including a new access road connecting the site with Park Road. The roads on the new development were named after some of the pioneers in the field of electricity: Callan Crescent, Edison Close, Gilbert Close, Tesla Way, and Wheatstone Road.^{[ citation needed ]}

In February 2017, a gate was installed on Hoggs Hill Lane to prevent vehicular access to the site via the original route.^{[ citation needed ]}

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Altcar Rifle Range Until 1921		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway		Formby
Hightown Since 1921

References

1. Quick 2023, p. 198.
2. Gell 1986.
3. Lancashire XC.8 (Map). 25 inch. Ordnance Survey. 1927.
4. Marshall 1970, pp. 154–157.
5. Marshall 1970, p. 169.
6. "Merseyrail Network Map". Merseyrail. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
7. "Formby's Power House building to be turned into apartments". Liverpool Echo. 1 July 2010.

Sources

• Gell, Rob (1986). An Illustrated Survey of Railway Stations Between Southport & Liverpool 1848-1986. Heyday Publishing Company. ISBN   0-947562-04-4.
• Marshall, John (1970). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Vol. 2. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN   978-0-7153-4906-9.
• Quick, Michael (2023) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.05. Railway & Canal Historical Society.

Further reading

• Gahan, John W. (1985). Seaport to Seaside: Lines to Southport and Ormskirk - 13 decades of trains and travel. ISBN   978-0-907768-07-5.

External links

• "Formby Power Station". Formby Civic Society. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011.
• Science and Society Picture Library - Search for "Formby Power Station".