A winters walk along a famous freight avoiding line close to Wigan. it was officially called the Lancashire Union Line but it was fondly known, by the locals, as 'The Welley Loop Line'.
We discoved loads of clues including access to the famous 20 bridges viaduct.
INFO: The key purpose of the Whelley Loop was to enable trains to avoid Wigan. It is therefore surprising that passenger stations were even constructed on the loop. All lines to or through Wigan were radial. The loop was connected to every one of them, allowing trains arriving at Wigan from all points except Southport and Pemberton to leave Wigan to all points, without gridlocking the centre.
The dominant traffic was goods, especially coal, but passenger diversions used the line from time to time.
The Whelley Loop was built to serve collieries and iron works before the loop split at De Trafford junction joining the Manchester to Southport Line just before Hindley railway station to the East and to Amberswood to the West, before re-joining the Lancashire Union Railway at Bryn or heading further south to Warrington via the Ince moss The line which was built primarily for Freight opened in 1869.
On the 1st January 1872 the Lancashire Union Railway opened two stations on the line, one at Whelley and one at Amberswood. Whelley station was located on the south side of a road overbridge that carried Whelley Road. The station had two platforms and a station master’s house was provided. At the time of opening Whelley was served by three trains per day which ran to Liverpool. The service was not a success and ceased after only two months. The two stations on the Whelley Loop - Amberswood and Whelley - are believed to be among the shortest lived passenger stations in the country, opening at the beginning of 1872 and closing in March of the same year. Their goods yards remained open until the Whelley loop closed in the 1970s. The Stations closed on the 1st March 1872.
The Whelley Loop itself carried numerous goods, excursion and diverted passenger trains well into the 1960's. The line was closed in 1970 but reopened briefly in 1972 when it was singled and it went out of use in 1976.
Directed by Allan Roach.
2 окт 2024
