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The West Cheshire Railway (WCR) was an early railway company based in Cheshire, England.
The WCR was incorporated on 11 July 1861. [1] In 1861, the WCR requested powers to construct a line from Northwich to Chester, with a branch to Helsby, but parliamentary approval was received only for a line via Mouldsworth to Helsby. In 1862, the WCR again sought powers for their line to Chester, with connecting branches from Mouldsworth to Helsby and from Cuddington to Winsford. Again, parliamentary approval was restricted, being confined to the line to Helsby and a branch to Winsford. [1]
Following receipt of its statutory powers, the WCR commenced construction of its main 14.6-mile (23.5 km) line running west from the existing Cheshire Midland Railway at Northwich to join the Birkenhead Railway at Helsby Junction. On 15 August 1867, the WCR became a constituent of the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC). Construction continued and the line from Northwich to Helsby opened for goods traffic on 1 September 1869 and for passenger trains on 22 June 1870. The public passenger service from Northwich to Helsby lasted only until 1 May 1875, but workmen's trains continued until 1944. [1] From 1 May 1875, passenger trains from Northwich were re-routed south from Mouldsworth to operate along the newly opened line to Chester Northgate (see below).
A six-mile (9.7 km) branch line was built from Cuddington Junction to Winsford & Over railway station, which opened to goods traffic on 1 June 1870 and to passenger trains on 1 July 1870. A further short but important 1 mile 66 chains (2.9 km) branch line to Winnington, for goods traffic only, opened on 1 September 1869. [2] This line, branching off the WCR route 1 mile 14 chains (1.9 km) south of Northwich Junction, primarily served the Brunner Mond chemical works.
The WCR's main line left Northwich in a southwesterly direction and crossed the River Dane and the River Weaver by means of a one-half mile (800 m) long viaduct with forty-eight stone arches and two wrought-iron girder bridges. The first station out of Northwich was Hartford and Greenbank, [3] renamed Greenbank on 7 May 1973. [4] Further stations were located at Cuddington, Delamere, Mouldsworth, and Manley before the line's terminus at Helsby and Alvanley station. [5] A goods station, engine shed and locomotive turntable were constructed between Helsby station and the junction with the Birkenhead Railway. [6] Although the passenger service from Northwich to Helsby was terminated in 1875, the line from Mouldsworth to Helsby Junction continued in use until 14 September 1991 [7] for freight trains heading for the Birkenhead Railway.
This company was incorporated on 5 July 1865 with the intention of seeking parliamentary approval for a railway linking the WCR's line at Mouldsworth Junction to a new station at Chester Northgate. It received authorisation and the company and its powers were transferred to the CLC on 10 August 1866. [8] Construction of the 7-mile-35-chain (12.0 km) line began in 1871 and it opened for freight trains on 2 November 1874. Chester Northgate was completed on 1 May 1875, when passenger trains from Manchester and Northwich commenced running to the new station. [9]
The Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) was formed in the 1860s and became the second-largest joint railway in Great Britain. The committee, which was often styled the Cheshire Lines Railway, operated 143 miles (230 km) of track in the then counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. The railway did not get grouped into one of the Big Four during the implementation of the 1923 grouping, surviving independently with its own management until the railways were nationalised at the beginning of 1948. The railway served Liverpool, Manchester, Stockport, Warrington, Widnes, Northwich, Winsford, Knutsford, Chester and Southport with connections to many other railways.
Chester Northgate is a former railway station in Chester, Cheshire, England, that was a terminus for the Cheshire Lines Committee and Great Central Railway. It was the city centre's second station with regular services to Manchester Central, Seacombe and Wrexham Central.
Hooton railway station is situated in the south of the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England. It lies on the Wirral Line 8 miles (13 km) north of Chester and 9+1⁄2 miles (15.3 km) south west of Liverpool Lime Street on the Merseyrail network, and is the junction of the branch from the Chester line to Ellesmere Port. It serves the villages of Hooton and Willaston.
Mouldsworth railway station opened on 22 June 1870 and serves the village of Mouldsworth in Cheshire, England. It is managed by Northern Trains. The station has two platforms and is on the Mid Cheshire Line, with hourly train services to Manchester Piccadilly and Chester.
Greenbank railway station serves the village of Hartford, Cheshire as well as the Greenbank and Castle areas of Northwich, Cheshire, England. The station is situated on the A559 road from Northwich to Chester.
Northwich railway station serves the town of Northwich in Cheshire, England. The station has two platforms and is located on the Mid-Cheshire line 28+1⁄4 miles (45.5 km) southwest of Manchester Piccadilly.
Lostock Gralam railway station serves the village of Lostock Gralam in Cheshire, England. The station is on the Mid-Cheshire Line from Chester to Manchester Piccadilly, 18½ miles (30 km) east of Chester.
The Mid-Cheshire line is a railway line in the north-west of England that runs from Chester to Edgeley Junction, Stockport; it connects Chester with Manchester Piccadilly, via Knutsford. After Chester Northgate closed in 1969, the section between Mickle Trafford Junction and Chester was used for freight trains only until it closed in 1992; from Mickle Trafford, passenger trains use the Chester–Warrington line to Chester General instead. The route taken by passenger trains has changed over the years and now differs considerably from the original. Between 2001 and 2014, passenger journeys on the line increased to over 1.7 million per year. A near doubling of the passenger service was expected to occur from December 2018, however this did not materialise.
The Stockport and Woodley Junction Railway was incorporated on 15 May 1860 to build a 2 miles 61 chains (4.4 km) railway from Stockport Portwood to a junction with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway's (MS&LR) authorised Newton and Compstall line at Woodley.
Whitegate is a small village in Cheshire, England, located near the towns of Northwich and Winsford. It is situated in the civil parish of Whitegate and Marton, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester.
The Hooton–Helsby line is a railway line in the north-west of England that runs from Hooton on the Chester–Birkenhead line to the village and junction station at Helsby where it joins the Chester–Warrington line.
The Cheshire Midland Railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament, passed on 14 June 1860, to build a 12-mile-65-chain (20.6 km) railway from Altrincham on the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR) to Northwich.
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 local government changes, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. It superseded the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Vale Royal and the City of Chester; its council assumed the functions and responsibilities of the former Cheshire County Council within its area. The remainder of ceremonial Cheshire is composed of Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington.
The Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway(ST&AJR) was authorised by an Act of Parliament, passed on 22 July 1861 to build a 8 miles 17 chains (13.2 km) railway from Stockport Portwood to Altrincham.
Northenden railway station in Sharston, Manchester, England, was built by the Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway (ST&AJ) and opened for passenger and goods traffic on 1 February 1866.
The Winsford and Over branch line was a railway line serving the town of Winsford in Cheshire. It was operated by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) from 1870 until the railways were nationalised under the Transport Act 1947, which took effect on 1 January 1948. Thereafter the branch was operated by British Railways London Midland Region until the line's closure in 1967.
The Birkenhead Railway was a railway company in North West England. It was incorporated as the Birkenhead, Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway (BL&CJR) in 1846 to build a line connecting the port of Birkenhead and the city of Chester with the manufacturing districts of Lancashire by making a junction near Warrington with the Grand Junction Railway. The BL&CJR took over the Chester and Birkenhead Railway in 1847, keeping its own name for the combined company until it shortened its name to the Birkenhead Railway in 1859. It was taken over jointly, on 1 January 1860, by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and the Great Western Railway (GWR). It remained a joint railway until nationalisation of the railways in 1948.
Cheadle North railway station served the village of Cheadle, six miles south of Manchester. It was renamed from Cheadle to Cheadle North on 1 July 1950.
Middlewich railway station served the Cheshire, England, salt-producing town of Middlewich between 1868 and 1960. It lay on a branch line from Sandbach to Northwich. The Mid Cheshire Rail Users' Association is campaigning for the reopening of the line to passenger traffic, and the construction of a new station at Middlewich.
Helsby and Alvanley railway station was one of two railway stations serving the village of Helsby in Cheshire. The station was the terminus of the Helsby branch operated by the Cheshire Lines Committee and later British Railways. It has since been closed. The other station, Helsby railway station, remains open.
