West Lancashire Railway

West Lancashire Railway (Steam Vessels) Act 1878
West Lancashire Railway (Steam Vessels) Act 1878
Act of Parliament
	Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for empowering the West Lancashire Railway Company to provide and use Steam and other Vessels; and for other purposes.
Citation	41 & 42 Vict. c. xxxi
Dates
Royal assent	16 April 1878
Other legislation
Amended by	West Lancashire Railway Act 1881;
Text of statute as originally enacted

West Lancashire Railway
West Lancashire Railway
Overview
Locale	Lancashire ; Merseyside
Termini	Southport railway station ; Preston railway station ;
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	London and North Western Railway
	to Lancaster
	East Lancashire Railway
	to Blackburn
	London and North Western Railway
	to Wigan
	Boat Yard Crossing Halt
	Tarleton Halt
	Liverpool, Southport &
	Preston Junction Rly
	to
	Altcar
	Manchester and Southport Railway
	to Manchester
	Liverpool, Crosby & Southport Rly
	to Liverpool
	This diagram: view ; talk ; edit ;

Last updated December 09, 2024

The West Lancashire Railway (WLR) ran northeast from Southport to Preston in northwest England.

History

Construction was started by Samuel Swire the Mayor of Southport, on 19 April 1873. It opened on 15 September 1882.^[1] A branch was constructed from Penwortham to the Blackburn line at Whitehouse Junction allowing direct services from East Lancashire Railway to Southport.

In 1881 a further branch was constructed from east of Hesketh Bank station southwards to Tarleton Lock on the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal by the River Douglas. This was mainly intended for goods, but a passenger service did run on the branch until 1912/3. The branch closed completely in 1930.

Expansion, bankruptcy and take-over

It also sponsored the Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway, opened in 1887 to provide greater access to Liverpool (in competition with its rival the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) and in an attempt to forge a commercial alliance with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. At one time the line featured as a potential alternative route to Blackpool. The line was never successful and its construction bankrupted the West Lancashire Railway. Finally in 1897 the two railways were taken over by their competitor, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

Up to the take-over, the WLR used its own stations at each terminus. These were Central station in Southport and Fishergate Hill in Preston. The new owners built a west-to-north connecting chord at Whitehouse Junction which enabled them to redirect all of the WLR passenger trains into their own Preston (ELR) Station. Likewise at the Southport end, passenger trains were rerouted into the adjacent Chapel Street Station. Both WLR termini became goods depôts with that at Preston seeing occasional passenger use when it played host to special services during the Preston Guild.

Electrification

From 22 March 1904 the line from Crossens to Southport was electrified using a third rail to provide an electric service all the way to Liverpool. From 15 February 1909, electrification was extended to Meols Cop; most electric trains between Southport and Crossens called at Meols Cop and reversed out.^[2]

Closure

Hundred End station closed in 1962. Passenger services, including the electric ones, ceased in September 1964 (as a result of the Beeching Axe) and most of the line was closed. The line was quickly lifted beyond Hesketh Park in 1965. A goods service to Hesketh Park continued until November 1967, and the remaining track was lifted in late 1968- though a small stump remained in place as far as Roe Lane in Southport until the very early 1970s as part of the complex of Meols Cop electric depot.^[3]

Related Research Articles

Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately 17 miles (27 km) north of Liverpool and 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Preston. At the 2021 census, Southport had a population of 94,421, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England and the third most populous settlement in the Liverpool City Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossens</span> Human settlement in England

Crossens is the northernmost district of the town of Southport, Merseyside, England.

Churchtown is a suburb of Southport, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is surrounded by Crossens, High Park and Marshside in the ancient parish of North Meols on the northern fringe of what is now Southport.

The Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway was formed in 1884, and totaled 7 miles. In 1897 it became part of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, and on 1 May 1901, its northern terminus switched from Southport Central to Southport Chapel Street.

The North Union Railway was an early British railway company, operating two main routes, from Parkside to Preston and from Bolton Trinity Street to Preston, all in Lancashire. The northerly part of the routes sharing the line from Euxton to Preston.

Preston railway station, in Preston, Lancashire, England, is an interchange on the West Coast Main Line; it is approximately half-way between London Euston and Glasgow Central. It is served by Avanti West Coast, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express services, plus Caledonian Sleeper overnight services between London and Scotland. It is also served by the Calder Valley line to Leeds and York, and by branch lines to Blackpool North, Ormskirk and Colne.

Southport railway station serves the town of Southport, Merseyside, England. The station is the terminal of the electricified Southport branch of the Northern Line of the electric Merseyrail network and the diesel-operated Manchester-Southport Line. It is the fourth busiest station on the Merseyrail network. The station and services to Liverpool and Hunts Cross are operated by Merseyrail, with Manchester services operated by Northern Trains.

Meols Cop railway station serves the Blowick suburb of the coastal town of Southport, Merseyside, England. The station has an island platform and is served by Northern Trains‘ Manchester Victoria/Manchester Piccadilly - Southport via Wigan Wallgate branch services, on which it is the last stop before the terminus.

The Northern line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside, England, the other being the Wirral line. The cross-city route runs from Hunts Cross in south Liverpool then branches in the north to terminate at Southport, Headbolt Lane and Ormskirk (Lancashire).

The Ormskirk branch line is a railway line in Lancashire, England, running between Preston and Ormskirk. The train service is operated by Northern Trains, who usually operate class 150, 156, and 158 units. The line is the northern section of the former Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway; the line from Ormskirk to Liverpool is now part of Merseyrail's Northern Line. Prior to the introduction of the 1970–71 London Midland Region timetable, it was a secondary main line from Liverpool to Scotland, Blackpool, and Yorkshire. From 4 May 1970, however, the line was severed at Ormskirk. With express trains eliminated, stopping services at the village stations en route were improved, and have retained a similar frequency to this day.

Banks is a large coastal village in the civil parish of North Meols, in the West Lancashire district, in Lancashire, England, south of the Ribble estuary four miles (6 km) north-east of Southport town centre. In 2021 it had a population of 4430. It is in the Southport parliamentary constituency.

Crossens railway station was a railway station serving Crossens, a suburb of Southport, Sefton, Merseyside, England.

St Luke's railway station was a railway station in Southport, Merseyside.

The Preston and Longridge Railway (P&LR) was a branch line in Lancashire, England. Originally designed to carry quarried stone in horse-drawn wagons, it became part of an ambitious plan to link the Lancashire coast to the heart of Yorkshire. The ambition was never achieved, but the line continued to carry passengers until 1930 and goods until 1967.

Preston Fishergate Hill was a railway station at the bottom of Fishergate Hill in Preston. It formed the northeastern terminus of the West Lancashire Railway which built a direct railway link between Southport and Preston. The station was also known as Preston West Lancashire Station.

Longton Bridge was a railway station on the West Lancashire Railway in England. It served the village of Longton.

Hesketh Bank railway station was a railway station on the West Lancashire Railway (WLR) in North West England, which served the village of Hesketh Bank. The station, originally known as 'Hesketh Bank and Tarleton', opened on 20 February 1878 and was located on the western bank of the River Douglas near a dock where the WLR operated a steamship across the River Ribble to Lytham St Annes. By 1882 the station was referred to as 'Hesketh for Tarleton', but by 1895 the station appears to have been formally renamed to just 'Hesketh Bank'.

Churchtown railway station was on the West Lancashire Railway (WLR) in England. It opened in 1878 and served the Southport suburb of Churchtown.

Hesketh Park railway station was on the West Lancashire Railway in England. It was close to Hesketh Park in Southport.

River Douglas railway station was a former railway station of the West Lancashire Railway (WLR) on the Southport-Preston Line in North West England, which opened in 1878. The station was near the village of Hesketh Bank, located approximately 550 yards (500 m) to the east of Hesketh Bank station, adjacent to an iron swing bridge on the western bank of the River Douglas.

References

Notes

↑ "Opening of the Southport and Preston Railway" . Liverpool Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 16 September 1882. Retrieved 7 August 2016– via British Newspaper Archive.
↑ Cotterall, pp.31–32
↑ "Disused Stations: Meols Cop Triangle & Electric Car Sheds".

Sources

Biddle, G., (1989), The Railways Around Preston - A Historical Review, Scenes from the Past: No. 6, Foxline Publishing, ISBN 1-870119-05-3
Brookes, G. (2004) History, New Longton On-Line, www page, accessed 6 February 2007
Cotterall, J.E., (1982), The West Lancashire Railway, The Oakwood Press, ISBN 0-85361-288-9
Greville, M.D.; Holt, G.O. (February 1960). "Railway Development in Preston—1" (PDF). The Railway Magazine. Vol. 106, no. 706. pp. 94–101, 125.
Greville, M.D.; Holt, G.O. (March 1960). "Railway Development in Preston—2" (PDF). The Railway Magazine. Vol. 106, no. 707. pp. 197–203.
Greville, M.D.; Holt, G.O. (April 1960). "Railway Development in Preston—3" (PDF). The Railway Magazine. Vol. 106, no. 708. pp. 274–277, 280.
Nock, O.S. (1969), The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway - A Concise History, Ian Allan, ISBN 0-7110-0130-8
Robertson, B. (2003-2007) St. Lukes to Preston Whitehouse North Jn., (including Whitehouse West Jn. to Todd Lane Jn., Whitehouse South Jn.), British Railways Routes in 1960, www page, accessed 6 February 2007
Taylor, S. (1996), Journeys by Excursion Train from East Lancashire: Southport via the West Lancashire Line ... , Scenes from the past, No. 26, Part 2, Foxline Publishing, ISBN 1-870119-41-X

External links

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[1] "Opening of the Southport and Preston Railway" . Liverpool Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 16 September 1882. Retrieved 7 August 2016– via British Newspaper Archive.

[2] Cotterall, pp.31–32

[3] "Disused Stations: Meols Cop Triangle & Electric Car Sheds".

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