Wigan North Western to Manchester Victoria via Atherton 

Looks like a lovely warm day; smell the leaves, the track, the diesel - and the overpowering toilet cleaner.

Great video. These stations are classic. Who knew there was a place called Hag Fold!

At 6:59 if you look to the left you can see the separate single disused bridge portal where the former up slow line passed through, this is because back in 1888 when the line was built, the L&YR put a kind of future 'passive provision' in place & configured the bridge & track layout that way should the need ever arise for them to build a station there (had it taken place & been built it would have probably been named Hart Common & Dobb Brow) Had it taken place it could have been built with relative ease & no doubt in the similar style of all the others that were built to serve the slow lines. In the late 1980s BR & the GMPTE did revive plans to actually build a station at Dobb Brow, but further down at 7:26 on the Manchester side of the A58 (Wigan Road) overbridge, near to the site of Dobb Brow Junction. Dobb Brow station actually appeared on some railway maps for a very short time, depicted as.....Dobb Brow (opening 1988). There is still no station at Dobb Brow.

In the 60s the route out of Wigan as far as Hindley was black alpine slag heaps with very little greenery. The contrast today is amazing. At Crow Nest four line track continued on this line, double track as today to Westhoughton (Howfen) and Bolton and double track left to Aspull and joining the L&Y near Blackrod for trains to Chorley, Preston and beyond.

commuted daily from Atherton to Victoria in the early 80's so a nice trip down memory lane. I remember the old track beds from when Atherton had 4 lines (1970ish). Given the coalfields around there I would expect there used to be some long gone sidings and yards, I certainly dont remember them. There were even the remains of the two outer platforms way back then. Still had the steps from the station above, but obviously blocked off. Thanks for sharing

Thank you 🙏 brilliant ride paul

You did well to capture the one freight train a day on this line at Daisy Hill... the binliner from Wilton EfW Terminal to Knowsley FT! Great video... well done! 😄

Nice cab ride made in summer certainly. In a beautiful sunny day. It's rare. It's the srcond seen.

Welcome to the sunny industrial North West of England!

Thanks for sharing.

Hopefully when the wires go up between Lostock Junction and Wigan (hopefully this will include both Wigan stations) this line via Atherton will also get wired up. This would help facilitate Bi-mode Battery/EMU units to replace the DMUs'

Please may I ask you what number train was it please thank you