Linacre Road railway station

Last updated

Linacre Road
General information
Location Litherland, Sefton
England
Coordinates 53°27′56″N2°59′55″W / 53.4656°N 2.9985°W / 53.4656; -2.9985
Grid reference SJ338970
Line(s) North Mersey Branch
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Pre-groupingLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 June 1906 (1906-06-01)Opened
2 April 1951 (1951-04-02)Closed

Linacre Road railway station was a station located on the North Mersey Branch in Litherland, Lancashire.

Contents

History

The North Mersey Branch line through the station site was opened by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) for freight on 27 August 1866, the branch connecting the North Mersey goods station to the main line between Liverpool Exchange and Wigan. [1]

The station opened for service on 1 June 1906 when the Seaforth connecting line was opened and the line between Aintree and Marsh Lane & Strand Road using the connecting line was electrified. [2] [3]

The station was located just east of the junction between the branch and the connecting line where the line crossed Linacre Road on an over bridge.

The station was to the east of road alongside Litherland tram sheds, there was a sloping pathway leading up to a wooden booking office from which there were steps up to the east-bound platform and a subway then steps up to the west-bound. The platforms were of all wooden construction with simple waiting shelters. [4] [5]

There was an early short-lived service through, and probably using, the station when a connection was made with the Liverpool Overhead Railway (LOR) near their Seaforth Sands station and through services were run from Aintree through the station onto the LOR to Dingle, this route needed lighter and smaller trains to operate along the LOR and twelve were built for this service, it was not a successful venture and stopped in September 1908, the trains being redeployed. [6]

In 1910 there were 17 services in each direction on a week day, with about half of the Aintree services continuing on to Maghull (electric trains started running to here on 1 October 1909). In the other direction the services ran over the Seaforth connecting line through Marsh Lane & Strand Road to Liverpool Exchange. [7]

In 1914 a section of line from where the connecting line joined the branch toward the docks was electrified and Gladstone Dock station opened. A new service began from Gladstone Dock to Aintree, there were seven trains each day in each direction with an extra service on Saturdays. The service ceased on 7 July 1924 when Gladstone Dock station closed. [8] [9]

On race days at Aintree racecourse passenger trains, including those of the Liverpool Overhead Railway would pass through the station site on special services to and from Aintree Sefton Arms station (on these occasions the L&YR stations at Aintree were differentiated by adding Sefton Arms or Racecourse). [10]

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1922 and in turn was Grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. Nationalisation followed in 1948. [11]

In 1939 the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) was operating about 22 services each way that stopped at the station. [12] By 1944 this had reduced to around twelve each way. [13]

The station closed on 2 April 1951 but the line continued to be used by freight trains. [14] The LOR service for the Grand National ceased when the LOR closed at the end of 1956. [6]

The singled track is still in place, although no longer electrified and in a state of dereliction.[ citation needed ]

Since the 1970s there have been plans to re-electrify the North Mersey Branch and reintroduce a passenger service. As part of those plans Linacre Road station would reopen. [15] [ better source needed ]

Former L&BR
to Wigan
Kirkby
BSicon lv-HST@F.svg
BSicon CONT4+2.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon ABZ4+2xf.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
Fazakerley sidings
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon exYRD.svg
BSicon ABZ4+2xf.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
Fazakerley junction
Former LO&PR
to Ormskirk and Preston
BSicon exSTR2.svg
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon exSTRc3.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon HST2+4.svg
BSicon CONT2+4.svg
Fazakerley
Aintree
BSicon lv-HST@F.svg
BSicon CONT4+2.svg
BSicon exSTRc1.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exABZg+4.svg
Former L&BR
to Liverpool Exchange
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon ABZ4+2f.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Aintree Racecourse
Aintree curve
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon STR2.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon xKRZ2+4o.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
Sefton junction
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon xABZg+4.svg
BSicon CONTl+4.svg
Former LO&PR
to Liverpool Exchange
Former LC&SR
to Southport
BSicon eYRD.svg
Aintree Sorting Sidings
Seaforth & Litherland
BSicon lv-HST@F.svg
BSicon CONT4+2.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Ford
(L&YR station but
also LOR terminus)
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon ABZ4+2xf.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Linacre Road
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon KRZ2+4o.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
Bootle New Strand
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon xABZg2.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon STRl+4.svg
BSicon lv-HST.svg
BSicon ABZq+3.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
Former LC&SR
to Liverpool Exchange
BSicon exSTRc2.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon exABZg3.svg
BSicon POINTERg@f.svg
BSicon STR1+4.svg
BSicon STRc4.svg
Seaforth Connecting Line
Rimrose Road Junction
BSicon exABZg+1.svg
BSicon exSTRc4.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
Seaforth Sands (LOR)
BSicon exHST.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Gladstone Dock
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exDST.svg
NM&AD goods station
LOR
to Dingle
BSicon exCONTf.svg
BSicon GRZq-.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon exCONTf.svg
Mersey Docks and
Harbour Company
Abbreviations
L&YR
L&BR
LC&SR
LO&PR
LOR
NM&AD
Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Ford   Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
North Mersey Branch and
Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway
  Marsh Lane & Strand Road
  Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
North Mersey Branch
  Gladstone Dock

References

  1. Gahan 1985, p. 114.
  2. Quick 2023, p. 283.
  3. Marshall 1970, p. 166.
  4. Bolger 1994, p. 43.
  5. Lancashire XCIX.14 (Map). 25 inch. Ordnance Survey. 1908.
  6. 1 2 Gahan 1985, p. 115.
  7. Bradshaw 1968, table 782.
  8. Quick 2023, p. 207.
  9. Marshall 1970, p. 168.
  10. Milne, George (March 1906). "How the Railways work the 'Grand National' Traffic". The Railway Magazine. Vol. xviii, no. 105. p. 237. ISSN   0033-8923.
  11. Ferneyhough 1975, p. 164.
  12. LMS Railway 1939, table 182.
  13. Bradshaw 1944, table 572.
  14. Quick 2023, p. 197.
  15. "Linacre Road railway station". Disused Stations.

Bibliography