Lancashire Union Railway
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The Lancashire Union Railway ran between Blackburn and St Helens in Lancashire, England. It was built primarily to carry goods between Blackburn and Garston Dock on the River Mersey, and also to serve collieries in the Wigan area.[1] Most of the line has now been closed, except for the St Helens-to-Wigan section that forms part of the main line between Liverpool and the North.
History
The Lancashire Union Railway (LUR) was authorised by an act of Parliament[
The whole line between St Helens and Blackburn opened to passengers on 1 December, 1869.[3] Most passenger services were local between Blackburn and Wigan. LNWR trains travelled to the station later known as Wigan North Western via Chorley and Boar's Head, but LYR trains used an alternative route between Chorley and the station later to become Wigan Wallgate via Hindley.[4]
The LUR also built a line, the "Whelley Loop", that bypassed Wigan to the east. It opened in 1869, mainly for freight.[5] Stations at Whelley and Amberswood were open for only three months between 1 January and 1 March 1872.[3] Additional connections were made to the NUR's West Coast Main Line north and south of Wigan in 1882 and 1886 respectively, and to other lines radiating from Wigan, thus allowing many trains to bypass Wigan.[6]
The LUR company was vested jointly between the LNWR and LYR from 16 July 1883, until the two parent companies merged on 1 January 1922.[2]
The Blackburn-to-Chorley line closed to passengers on 4 January 1960
Route
The line began at
The line between Withnell and Brinscall now forms Railway Park. Leaving Brinscall the line ran parallel to Lodge Bank Road and has been built on. At Brinscall Hall there is an old bridge carrying the railway over a footpath which is still intact. The line of the railway is still evident as it passes Wheelton Plantation towards Heapey. Before Heapey the line passes the former ROF Heapey site where there were sidings serving the plant. Heapey Station is now a private residence. The line had another siding which intersected two of the Heapey reservoirs before serving the Heapey Bleachworks; half of the bridge carrying the line over Higher House Lane to the works is still in situ. The line continued under a bridge under Tithe Barn Lane toward the Blackburn–Chorley road (again under an existing bridge) towards the arched viaduct at Botany Bay which carried the line over the Leeds and Liverpool Canal towards Chorley. The viaduct was demolished in 1968 to make way for the M61 motorway.
The line continued past the North Gate estate and past the rear of St. Joseph's Church where it crossed Highfield Road and ran parallel to the
The line followed the canal to the
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Awdry, C. (1990), Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, ISBN 1-85260-049-7.
- OL 11956311M.
- Daniels, Gerald David; Dench, Leslie Alan (September 1964). Passengers No More (1st ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. VPNM/1354/138/CXX-964.
- Dewick, T. (2002), Complete Atlas of Railway Station Names, Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 0-7110-2798-6.
- ISBN 0-7153-4906-6.
- Marshall, J. (1981). Forgotten Railways: North-West England. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-8003-6.
- Suggitt, G. (2003, reprinted 2004), Lost Railways of Lancashire, Countryside Books, Newbury, ISBN 1-85306-801-2.
- Suggitt, G. (2004), Lost Railways of Merseyside and Greater Manchester, Countryside Books, Newbury, ISBN 1-85306-869-1.
- OCLC 10360638.
- ISBN 0-8609-3294-X.
External links
- Chorley to Blackburn Railway www.white-coppice.co.uk