Wigan Chapel Lane railway station

Early British railway station

53°32′30″N 2°37′48″W / 53.5418°N 2.6300°W / 53.5418; -2.6300Grid referenceSD583052Other informationStatusDisusedHistoryOriginal companyWigan Branch RailwayKey dates3 September 1832Opened31 October 1838Closed

Wigan Chapel Lane railway station served the town of Wigan in Lancashire, England.

Wigan Branch Railway

The station opened as Wigan on 3 September 1832 as the terminus of the Wigan Branch Railway (WBR) when it opened the 6 miles 47 chains (10.6 km) long line from Parkside on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.[a][1][2]

The station building was located to the south of the running line adjacent to Chapel Lane, no other details are known.[3] The station was only known as Wigan and Chapel Lane was added in an explanatory way as to the location of the Railway's office.[4]

The station was short-lived as the line was extended northwards to Preston in 1838 necessitated taking it over Wallgate, the turnpike to Warrington, which required the building of substantial embankments, a new station, Wigan North Western was constructed to the south of this new bridge over Wallgate.[5][6]

Goods station

After closure in 1838 the station site became Wigan goods station.[6] The goods station and yard gradually expanded until there were three sheds, it was able to accommodate most types of goods including live stock, and was equipped with a ten-ton crane.[7][8][9] Sometime between 1938 and 1956 the yard lost its capacity to deal with livestock and its crane was downgraded to one of four tons.[10][11]

The goods yard was still in use in 1957 but by 2008 the goods sheds had been demolished and the goods yard site was occupied by a retail warehouse and car park.[3][8]

References

Notes

  1. ^ Railways in the United Kingdom are, for historical reasons, measured in miles and chains. A chain is 22 yards (20 m) long, there are 80 chains to the mile.

Citations

  1. ^ "Engineer's Line References PJL, NGJ & CGJ5 Parkside to Wigan Chapel Lane". Railway Codes. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  2. ^ Quick 2022, p. 483.
  3. ^ a b Sweeney 2008, p. 91.
  4. ^ "Opening of the Wigan Branch Railway". Preston Chronicle. 25 August 1832. p. 1. Retrieved 2 October 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ Sweeney 2008, p. 94.
  6. ^ a b "Wigan Station on OS Six-inch map Lancashire XCIII (includes: Billinge and Winstanley; Orrell; Wigan.)". National Library of Scotland. 1849. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  7. ^ The Railway Clearing House 1970, p. 579.
  8. ^ a b Pixton 1999, p. 24.
  9. ^ "Wigan Goods Yard on OS 25 inch map Lancashire XCIII.8 (Aspull; Ince In Makerfield; Wigan)". National Library of Scotland. 1929. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  10. ^ The Railway Clearing House 1938, p. 633.
  11. ^ The Railway Clearing House 1956, p. 480.

Bibliography

  • Pixton, Bob (1999). Main Line Railways Around Wigan. Runpast Publishing. ISBN 978-1-870754-45-3.
  • Quick, Michael (2022) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.04. Railway & Canal Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2022.
  • Sweeney, Dennis (2008). The Wigan Branch Railway. Triangle Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9550030-35.
  • The Railway Clearing House (1970) [1904]. The Railway Clearing House Handbook of Railway Stations 1904 (1970 D&C Reprint ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles Reprints. ISBN 0-7153-5120-6.
  • The Railway Clearing House (1938). Official Hand-book of Railway Stations 1938. London: The Railway Clearing House.
  • The Railway Clearing House (1956). The Railway Clearing House Handbook of Railway Stations 1956. London: British Transport Commission (Railway Clearing House).