Rainhill station, Merseyside
 

Apparently eventhough Rainhill is only a small place it is one of the oldest stations in England because it is on the Newton-le-Willows to Liverpool line which is where they first tested locomotives.

It's also a listed station. Yet I've seen the station myself and don't think that the appearance of the station is very historic.

Is that a nice way of saying that it looks like a bit of a dump?:D

Actually I mean it looks average. It's got good facilities considering the actual size of Rainhill, but it doesn't look historic like some other staions e.g. Manchester Victoria.

Perhaps the original Liverpool & Manchester Railway station at Rainhill looked more "historic"?
I agree that there is something special about Manchester Victoria but are we getting confused between impressive and historic?

See http://www.rainhill-civic-society.org.uk/ for a picture of the station and it's history.

Surely Rainhill is called historic because of the Rainhill Trials where Robert Stephensons Rocket won him the contract to build the Liverpool to Manchester Railway.

Click here for more info.

eccles was grander than rainhill, unfortunately it was made from wood and burnt down in 71, never to be rebuilt.

DID YOU KNOW: the mayor of salford was run over by rocket on its first proper run and died in eccles church vicarage.

If you think that Rainhill is bad, then take a look at this.....


A little further east from Rainhill in St Helens. Would you believe that this disgraceful mess was the first place in "The World" where one railway passed over another?
The Rail bridge behind the footbridge is part of the St.Helens-Widnes Railway dating back to the 1850's, and crossed the Liverpool-Manchester line at this point. The origional bridge was an ornate structure soon overcome by the growing weight of coal trains upon it, so the bridge you see was built. Only half of the trackbed now remains of this disused railway.

Thanks to St.Helens Council for the pristine condition that you now see it.....

Wasnt the MP Huskinson run over at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester. Was this by Rocket as well?

yep and yep

Seems like Rocket was a really dangerous locomotive. :eek:

Wouldnt be allowed nowadays, H&S would have had it destroyed on the spot with remote control cutting torches from a bunker a mile away :D

Indeed Shed Cat, The site is on "Parkside Rd, Newton-Le-Willows. On the Liverpool-Manchester line within the triangle of the junction with the West Coast Mainline, (once a favorite stop of Royal Trains).

The monument was restored a few years ago, but no effort has been made to make access to it (on the opposite side of the track) for photographs etc. Although it may be possible.....I pass this way every day, I'll see what I can do...:)

It was a dangerous machine that "Rocket" was'nt it, running over all those people. H&S would have had a field day.
Paul.

Hopefully they would get too close and..............

Now thats a lovely thought, and should be the "Thought for Today".
Paul.

I saw a re-enactment of that last year and it appears that Huskinson, who was a big advocate of the railways, was actually hanging out of a carrage door when he got clipped by a train going the other way, or something similar.

I wonder if his family claimed "Expenses" to clean his clothes.
Paul.

Ok................Sorry about the delay all.....but it's hardly been photographic weather up here in the frozen north of late, but today...I think that Spring just arrived and I took the opportunity to stop and take a few pics.........I hope you enjoy them.


The Huskisson Monument

Ah! I see I've exeeded the limit..... but I'd really like to finish the sequence of pics....

No1 is the view from the road bridge looking east from Parkside Rd

No4 Shows just how difficult the view is from opposite the monument.


Ahem!.......a bit closer!

..and finally ..........No8 the Inscription......


I do like the very early Victorian flowery phrases like: "Singled out by the decree ofan inscrutable providence.....etc etc."

I other words......He was in the wrong place at the wrong time!.......

Hope you enjoy the pics....I'll post the rest now...Personally, I've lived nearby all my life and never seen this monument before up close. It was worth the bramble scratches on my legs and arms! :)

Stand by for the last sequence..................

Keep going Res!!! :D

Ah! it would seem that I can't upload the rest quite yet.......Sorry, I may be overloading your system guys....but I hope that you will allow me to continue the sequence of 8 pics (in total, later). Not many people have seen this monument, and do so want to get the 3 remaining pics out to you....


Catch you later.......

Thanks Trev..... I'm here for a little bit longer yet. Anyone know how long I will have to wait to upload the remaining 3 pics?

Just keep trying Res, I'm not very tech savvy unfortunately. :(

Good stuff so far though. :)

Not sure if the system will allow me to proceed now, here goes:.........

I love the final two lines on the final picture...a cheerful quote to go to bed on!

Cheers Res. :)

I'm pleased to bring them to you Trev, as I say, I've lived near all my life and now nearing retirement yet this is the first time (apart from fleeting glances on a train) that I've seen it for myself......a red letter day for me too........


There is by the way, another Gem on this line.....a little further east. That's my next target.....

Watch this thread and I'll get back to you.....

I've had to reduce the quality to post them, hope they're Ok...


Cheers Trev........Goodnight! :)

Work on Rainhill should be starting soon as PRIVATE contractors were out survying it yesterday !

Thanks for the excellent photos Res:)
I've passed the monument many times on the train and even taken photos from behind it but I've never been in a postion to actually read what it says.
The monument is just behind the tree on the left in this shot from the gallery.
http://www.railwayforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=776&cat=500&ppuser=40

That's a great picture Swisstrains, I've downloaded it for my screensaver, hope you don't mind. I have a screen saver program which goes through my own and other peoples railway pics at random....... It'll make a great addition!

What year was that? Can't remember when we last had so much snow!

The area by the way Swiss trains is really; ...."Lowton". er...(how can I put this) "Low" as in little, not "low" as in Allow; like BBC Radio tends to pronounce it.....:)

Yes it's difficult to get to as you know.... and I have the scratches to prove it. The annoying thing is that opposite the monument there is an almost flat (albeit overgrown by brambles etc area which could easily be made into a viewing place at little cost). Given it's world historic value, this line and it's "monuments and history" seem to be of little consequence to the local councils.

I note with envy that Germany has made much more of it's first railway (between Nurnberg and Berlin), it's locomotive "Adler" (built by Robert Stephenson & Co in the N.E.), and driven by the Englishman "William Wilson" on it's innaugaraul run.


P.S. If you'd like any of the pics let me know and I'll send them to you. The origionals are @ 10 megapixels........

No problem Res. Glad you like the photo.

The photo was taken on 10/12/1981. Here’s another taken on the same day where it looks like it might actually be starting to snow again.
Attachment 387
It must have been a particularly cold spell because the snow was still on the ground two weeks later (Christmas Eve) when I took this shot.
Attachment 388

Talking of Lowton, I believe there was a station there on the Wigan line just across the fields from the monument but it was before my time. However, I do remember Lowton St Mary’s station a few miles away. We used to cycle from there to Pennington Flash to go fishing.

Thanks for the kind offer Res but I think the photos you have already posted are perfect.

OK all, If there is a way of posting these pics to the site "at full strength" as it were" for all to aquire, please let me know...

...I didn't know about the "Lowton Stn" but it does make sense to me... In the early days, the Winwick junc.to Golbourne link didn't exist and "Earlstown" was know as Warrington Junction with trains travelling as far south as Birmingham. Trains from Birmingham had to go North to Earlstown, turn right on the Stn curve, and turn (left) North again just before the Huskisson monument towards Wigan. An Ideal place for a Station for the then new railway to Preston. Just opposite the "Bulls head" Pub at the road junction by the bridge there is a small gate leading down some steps to the track for just such a place. Y'know, given it's history..Maybe this place should be known as th "Lowton Triangle".

Opposite the Bulls Head, (coming south from Wigan and turning right towards Liverpool on the triangle there) is where the Royal Trains used to park overnight on the curve in the cutting... You always knew when it was there because a Police car (Panda) was always parked opposite the Bulls Head. In these days though.....I expect the whole heavy mob would be present! :)

Next week (weather and work permitting) I'll see if I can take a few more pics.....a few miles east and a real gem. I know that the thread does say "Stations" but, it is a trackside building.....and Fabulous one in my opinion..:)

Hello again all. well, ...... I had a few minutes to spare today and went to take some pics. It's of a place just east of Chat Moss. A little road crossing with gates..at Astley. It's a good spot for photography, dead straight clear view in either direction. Good for those steam specials at full chat!

The crossing is a manual one, you open the gates yourself.....and close them after you! The Box: (I'm sure has been changed since I last saw it....still nice though) and thankfully still manned. The gates are electrically connected and interlocked with the signalling so if you cross, make sure that you return the opening bar to the correct position. There is a pedestrian gate also which you can see to the right of the main gate in the first photograph.

My photographs here are taken from the northern side, so the sun is usually from the other side. For you photographers, Mornings and evengs are superb! especially for the steam specials.

The last photograph shows one of our northern ultra modern fleet of DMU's approaching at speed on a Liverpool - Stalybridge service, (no.150 -224).......(ahem).

Approach via the East Lancs Rd (A580) via Higher Green and "Riddles rd". It's best to park at least 50yds back from the crossing on the right, (leave room for the entrance gate for the house).

Enough Chat....here's the pics..............

Hi Res, I never knew about that crossing at Astley. I live in Golborne, not far from the Huskisson memorial, and work in St Helens so all the places you mention are local to me. I made my dad take me to the Rainhill trials 150th anniversary cavalcade back in 1979!

I have pics of local stations & signal boxes at Golborne, been collecting them when they pop up on ebay, for a few years now. They don't appear so often though.

Attached is a 1910 pic of Golborne South station, you can just make out the pit head in the background to the left. Both station and pit are now of course long gone. :(

Pete

That's amazing MeurglysIII, I notice that what must have been a fairly new road bridge is in place in the picture. You'll be aware of course that the road would have had a railway crossing on the southern side of the bridge...(school on one side...pie shop on the other) :) Do you know when the bridge was built?

Ah, so you know the town!

I'm not sure when the bridge was built but I was aware that there used to be a crossing on Railway Road. I can (just) remember the bridge being raised when the railway was electrified in 1974 or thereabouts. I can also just about remember the vast colliery sidings ( I have a photocopy of a map from 1928 which shows just how vast they were) and diesel shunting engines, up until the early 80s. My model railway "Makerfield" is heavily based on the feel of the area in the late 1970s.

http://www.railwayforum.net/showthread.php?t=882

The attached pic of the other Golborne station, "Golborne North" on the St. Helens and South Lancashire railway, shows how different the two stations were.

"The London and North Western Company's main line from London to the north passes through the township, and has a station at Golborne; at the southern end is a junction with the loop-line connecting with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The St. Helens and South Lancashire Railway (Great Central) crosses the northern part of the township, and has a station called Golborne."

from A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4 (1911)

Pete

You've thrown me there meurglys, Where abouts was the "North Stn"? ...although the Central line must have crossed somewhere.. P.S. I used to work sometimes at the establishment behind what is now the High School :) and the disused railway bed is still there.

Meurglys, Did you know about the "old" Makerfield racecourse? and it's Station?

Climbing to the top of Common Brow, (just where it flatens out) on your left is a Pub which is set back.....I think that it's called: "The Swan with Two necks" (I'll have to check) just before the turning for the old Lyme pit.
Opposite the front of this pub was the first Haydock racecourse! and...more importantly, and which can still be seen! ........On the other side of the main road there is a gap (between the houses).......where the racecourse Stn was. This line came up from the triangle at Earlstown with "special trains" for the Racing fans.

I don't know when this racecourse closed and when the new one opened but I suspect it was 18...something.

I'll try and find a map for you....

OK. I think that I've got it now Meurglys,.........

here goes.........I've had to reduce the size drastically, I hope that the detail is still visable. It's from a site called: www.old-maps.co.uk...a very good site for investigating local history.....You can see the racecourse to the left of Crow Lane.....and to the righthand edge of the map...the tracks of the Station are visable. I'll try and find you the map of the Earlstown triangle which was far more complicated than it is now...

Hi resolution (call me Pete by the way, it's easier!)

Thanks for that info, but i have to admit I can't figure out where you mean, I know where crow lane is but can't place the site of the station. I drive through Newton to work so will keep my eyes out for the places you mention. I didn't know about the Old Racecourse by the way, I love learning about stuff like this.

Apologies for diverting your thread from Rainhill by the way, but using your maps site I found the attached, which shows the location of Golborne North station, just to the left of the A49 heading towards Wigan, pretty much opposite the petrol station. the remains of the line here became the branch to the old Kelly bitumen site at Edge Green, alas that moved to preston about 5 years ago so no more oil tanker trains, I remember seeing them hauled by double headed class 37s or class 47, 56 diesels when I used to do a paper round there.... anyway I digress...

I presume the establishment you worked at was the water treatment works, or Rothwells farm? In either case, follow the trackbed towards Ashton Road and the station was just before it crosses the WCML. Must have been great to be a trainspotter here a hundred years ago!

If you can give me directions from the East Lancs Road to the old racecourse site I'd really appreciate it!

Pete

rainhill station mersyside
 

Hello all just joined forum, re royal trains at Lowton I worked at Parkside No1 signalbox in the 1960's the royal train used to be stabled on the east curve between Lowton Jcn and Parkside No1 , there was a siding next to the curve where vans were stabled with containers which were placed under the royal train toilets.
Re Golborne North I remember seeing the remains of the station and signalbox perched on the embankment when travelling to wigan on the bus in the late 1950's.
If you go to www.tillyweb.biz there is a collection of some of my photos on there (the James Mackenzie collection).
jbmack

Hi James, just spotted your post, I envy you what must be a vast knowledge of the railways in this area as was. My family moved here in 1970, by which time the stations were both closed,the pit was still open though and the goods sidings which are now a car park, so there was still plenty of railway noise. Do you remember the station at Leigh?

Good to hear from you anyway, I'm off to look at those photos now.

Pete