Whitecross railway station

Last updated

Whitecross
General information
Location Warrington, Warrington, Cheshire
England
Coordinates 53°23′12″N2°36′39″W / 53.386728°N 2.610953°W / 53.386728; -2.610953 Coordinates: 53°23′12″N2°36′39″W / 53.386728°N 2.610953°W / 53.386728; -2.610953
Grid reference SJ594880
Platforms2 (Probably)
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway
Key dates
1 February 1853Station opened as a temporary terminus
1 May 1854Station closed when the through line was opened

Whitecross railway station was in the Whitecross area of Warrington, England. It was built and operated by the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway as a temporary terminus on its line pushing east from Widnes to join with the Warrington & Stockport Railway pushing west from Altrincham. Its exact location is open to debate, as no trace remains. Tolson cites the line's inspector, Captain Wynne, as giving the Whitecross to Arpley extension as the very precise 45.75 chains (0.920 km), but as the location of the Arpley datum point is unclear then the location of Whitecross station is also precisely unclear. Tolson concludes that the station was probably 'just east of Litton Mill Crossing'. [1] [2] The map reference and co-ordinates used in the station data above are based on an interpretation of the map repeatedly used in the Disused Stations UK website, although that site does not include a prose section on Whitecross station. [3] The admirably frank 8D Association site concludes "The site of this station has been completely lost with the building works that have occurred in the area we do not believe any pictures exist or that the site of the station can be located." [4]

Contents

The line through the station site continued in passenger use until 10 September 1962 when the Liverpool Lime St to Warrington via Widnes South service was withdrawn, though a lone late night Liverpool to York Postal continued to use the route until 9 September 1963, when it was diverted via Earlestown to reduce operating costs. [5] Warrington Bank Quay Low Level remained open until 14 June 1965 [6] but it is unclear what traffic this served along the route after the Postal was diverted.

In 2015 the tracks through the station site remained heavily used, primarily by trains to and from Fiddlers Ferry Power Station, though a few other booked freights and occasional diversions used the line through to Ditton Junction.

Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Terminus  St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway   Sankey Bridges
Line open, station closed

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway</span> Former railway line in England

St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway was an early railway line owned by a company of the same name in Lancashire, England, which opened in 1833. It was later known as St Helens Railway. It ran originally from the town of St Helens to the area which would later develop into the town of Widnes. Branches were opened to Garston, Warrington and Rainford. The company was taken over by the London and North Western Railway in 1864. The line from St Helens to Widnes and the branch to Rainford are now closed, the latter terminating at the Pilkington Glass' Cowley Hill works siding near Gerard's Bridge, but part of the lines to Garston and to Warrington are still in operation.

There are various modes of transport available in Warrington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway</span>

The Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway was a railway line that was in operation from 1 November 1853 to 7 July 1985. The railway was created by an act of parliament on 3 July 1851 to build a line between Timperley Junction on the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR), to provide a through route to Manchester, and Warrington Arpley on the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway providing a link with Liverpool.

Appleton railway station served a primarily industrial area of Widnes, England. It was located on the southern section of the former St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway.

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, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrington Arpley railway station</span> Closed railway station in England

Warrington Arpley railway station was a station located on the south side of Wilson Patten Street, Warrington, England at the junction of St Helens Railway and Warrington and Stockport Railway. It opened on 1 May 1854; and it closed to passengers on 5 September 1958. Both railways were absorbed by the LNWR. The station was on the southmost Liverpool to Manchester line.

Widnes South railway station was located in the town of Widnes in Cheshire, England on the east side of Victoria Road. It was built by the London and North Western Railway and situated on their Widnes Deviation Line, opening to passengers and goods in March 1870. This route was constructed by the LNWR to improve traffic flow on the busy Ditton Junction to Warrington Bank Quay Low Level and Manchester. It replaced an earlier station on the G&WR line located slightly further south and also had a connection to the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway, providing access towards the north.

Union Bank Farm Halt railway station was on the southern section of the St Helens and Runcorn Gap line of the London and North Western Railway.

Clock Face railway station served the colliery village of Clock Face south of St Helens, England. The station was on the southern section of the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway which was later absorbed by the London and North Western Railway.

<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.

Widnes Central railway station served the town of Widnes, England from 1879 to 1964.

Tanhouse Lane railway station is a closed station on the former Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee line, which formed a loop off the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) line in the Widnes area between Liverpool Central and Manchester Central. It was opened on 1 September 1890 as "Tanhouse", being changed later to "Tanhouse Lane". It closed on 5 October 1964.

Farnworth & Bold railway station served the Farnworth area of Widnes, England. The station was on the southern section of the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway which was later absorbed by the London and North Western Railway.

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.

Robins Lane Halt was a short-lived railway station which served the south of St Helens, England.

Sutton Oak railway station served the southern area of St Helens, England. The station was on the central section of the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway which was later absorbed by the London and North Western Railway.

Peasley Cross railway station served the central southern area of St Helens, England. It was situated on the central section of the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway which was later absorbed by the London and North Western Railway.

One source gives Cuerdley railway station as being on what is now the southeastern edge of Widnes, England, stating that it was located near the then bone works which the 1849 OS Map shows as at the convergence of Moss Lane, the railway, the Sankey Canal, a creek and the north bank of the tidal River Mersey. Of these only Moss Lane is no longer readily identifiable on a modern OS Map. The authoritative Disused Stations website does not include an article on Cuerdley station, however, it does repeatedly use a map which places Cuerdley station some distance nearer Warrington. This is corroborated by the Engineer's Line Reference (ELR) database which gives Cuerdley station as 1 mile 10 chains from Fiddlers Ferry and Penketh station and 1 mile 31 chains from Carterhouse Junction. Furthermore, the ELR data gives the station site as only 31 chains west of the modern-day junction for Fiddlers Ferry Power station.

Fidler's Ferry & Penketh railway station was on what is now the southwestern edge of Warrington, England. It was located at a point where the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway, the Sankey Canal and the River Mersey come side by side and where a ferry at one time plied across the river. In modern times the station site is at the southern, canal end of Station Road, Penketh.

Sankey Bridges railway station was in southwestern Warrington, England. It was located immediately west of a swing bridge over the Sankey Canal. The station site is to the south of Old Liverpool Road, Warrington.

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