Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway

Last updated

Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway
Overview
StatusClosed
Owner North Staffordshire Railway
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Locale Cheshire
Termini
Stations6
Service
Type Heavy rail
History
Opened1869
Closed1970
Technical
Line length11 mi (17.7 km)
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map

Contents

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Sheffield & Midland Joint
to Chinley
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Rose Hill Marple
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High Lane
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Middlewood HigherMiddlewood
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Middlewood Curve (NSR only)
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London & North Western Railway
to Buxton
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Higher Poynton
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Bollington
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London & North Western Railway
to Stockport
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Macclesfield Goods
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BSicon eHST.svg
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Macclesfield Hibel Road
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Macclesfield Central
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The Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (MB&MR) was a railway line between Macclesfield and Marple, England; it was 11 miles (18 kilometres) in length. The route was opened jointly by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) and the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) in 1869. It was part of an alternative link between Manchester and destinations south of Macclesfield. The line was closed in 1970 and its route now forms the Middlewood Way, a trail used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

History

Bollington station, looking north, in 1965 Bollington Station 1844978 80d6cbbd.jpg
Bollington station, looking north, in 1965

In the 1840s and 1850s, NSR was trying to find a route from Macclesfield to Manchester independent of the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR), which insisted on any NSR traffic going via Crewe, thus ensuring a higher L&NWR mileage and charges.

In 1863, a Macclesfield businessman, Thomas Oliver, promoted a scheme for a local line from Macclesfield to Marple, via Bollington, where it would connect with the MS&LR. It was hoped that the line would revive Bollington's cotton industry, carry the stone from quarries in Kerridge and serve the collieries around Poynton.

Summer 1961 timetable Summer 1961 Hayfield-Manchester timetable.jpg
Summer 1961 timetable

The MS&LR seized on this scheme because the company needed another line from which to start a possible independent extension line to London. In 1864, Parliament authorised the creation of the railway by passing the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway Act 1864. Both the MS&LR and NSR were empowered to subscribe £80,000 each for its construction, and for its operation and maintenance once open.

In response to such competition, the L&NWR, which was surprised by the success of the MB&MR's proposal, quickly came to an amicable traffic agreement with the NSR. This deal negated the original purpose and urgency of the line because the NSR now no longer needed an independent route to Manchester, as it could use L&NWR lines.

Under these conditions, and with a general trade depression of the mid-1860s, construction of the new line was very slow. On 2 August 1869, a single-track line opened for passengers only; goods traffic started on 1 March 1870. In 1871, the whole line was double-tracked.

Initially, there were five stations on the line: Marple (Rose Hill), High Lane, Higher Poynton, Bollington and Macclesfield. In 1879, a new station was opened at Middlewood; it was later renamed Middlewood Higher.

In 1948, the line became part of the London Midland Region of British Railways. In 1960, Middlewood Higher station closed. By the 1960s, the line was considered to be a loss maker and was recommended for closure under the Beeching cuts.

On 5 January 1970, the section between Rose Hill (Marple) and Macclesfield closed to all traffic; the track was lifted in early 1971. Only Rose Hill remained in operation due to the high number of passengers commuting to Manchester Piccadilly. It is now a terminus for a spur off the Hope Valley Line.

The station buildings at Higher Poynton and Bollington were demolished at around the same time. High Lane station remained derelict for seven years after closure; the buildings were demolished in 1977. Bollington station goods yard is now the site of the Clough Bank industrial estate.

Middlewood Way

Since closure, the trackbed has been turned into the Middlewood Way, a shared-use path between Macclesfield and Rose Hill in Marple. It was officially opened on 30 May 1985 by Dr David Bellamy. The platforms of High Lane and Higher Poynton stations are still extant; they have been restored and include picnic sites.

The trail crosses over a small valley of the River Dean at Bollington, via a curved 23-arch stone viaduct. The viaduct was originally slated to be demolished but, after protests, it was saved to form part of the trail.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marple, Greater Manchester</span> Town in Greater Manchester, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poynton</span> Town in Cheshire, England

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Hill Marple railway station</span> Railway station in Stockport, England

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

Macclesfield Hibel Road railway station was a railway station serving the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire, England. It was opened as a joint station by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) and the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) on 13 July 1849, with the opening of the NSR route to Uttoxeter via North Rode and Leek and it replaced an earlier, temporary, LNWR station at Beech Bridge. Built right at the point where the track of the two companies made an end-on junction, the station was managed by a joint committee of the two companies.

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

Bollington railway station was a railway station serving the town of Bollington in Cheshire, England. It was opened in 1869 by the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (MB&M) - a joint line constructed and operated by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&L) and North Staffordshire Railways (NSR). The passenger station was on the north side of Grimshaw Lane, with a goods yard on the south side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Higher Poynton railway station</span> Former railway station in Cheshire, England

Higher Poynton was a railway station serving the eastern side of the town of Poynton in Cheshire, England. It was opened in 1869 by the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (MB&M) - a joint line constructed and operated by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&L) and North Staffordshire Railways (NSR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlewood Higher railway station</span> Former railway station in Cheshire, England

Middlewood Higher was a railway station located near to the village of High Lane in Cheshire, England. It was opened in 1879 by the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (MB&M) – a joint line constructed and operated by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&L) and North Staffordshire Railways (NSR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Lane railway station</span> Former railway station in Greater Manchester, England

High Lane railway station was a railway station serving the village of High Lane in Greater Manchester, England. It was opened in 1869 by the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (MB&M) - a joint line constructed and operated by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&L) and North Staffordshire Railways (NSR).

Macclesfield railway station was a short lived railway station serving the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire, England. It was opened in 1869 by the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (MB&M) - a joint line constructed and operated by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&L) and North Staffordshire Railways (NSR) - and closed in 1873.

References

Further reading