Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway

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The Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Junction Railway was an early British railway company which opened in 1861 and 1849 connecting Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge.

In 1847 the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway had submitted a scheme to Parliament, but it had been rejected in favour of a scheme for a small network of lines called the Oldham Alliance Railways which, in the end, was not built.

In 1856, a deputation from Oldham and Ashton approached the MS&LR for its support for the line, which would connect to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and the LNWR at Oldham Mumps.

Initially, the MS&LR had hoped that the other lines would support the scheme but they showed little interest, and the board members had to put up the finance privately. Once incorporated in 1857, the L&Y took an interest, but the MS&LR, wishing the line to be a three way venture, prevailed upon the LNWR to join in. Not wishing to be associated with the LNWR, the L&Y then withdrew, thus it was leased to the remaining two railways.

The section between Guide Bridge and the L&YR near Ashton was completed in March 1860. Wet weather hampered further work, for which a long cutting and an embankment, plus the 12 arch Park Bridge Viaduct was needed. However in August 1861, the first trains ran from London Road through Guide Bridge to Clegg Street, Oldham. The line connected end-on with the LNWR near Oldham Glodwick Road. Other stations were at Park Bridge and Ashton Oldham Rd, with another at Ashton Moss which closed in 1862.

In 1923 the line became part of the LMS. The passenger service finally succumbed to the competition from road transport and was withdrawn in 1959. When the parcels depot at Oldham Clegg Street closed, the section to Ashton was closed completely. The remainder leading to Reddish and Stockport remains open for freight., though the connection to Guide Bridge has been severed.

[edit] Reference

  • Dow, G., (1959) Great Central, Volume One: The Progenitors (1813-1863) , Shepperton: Ian Allan Ltd.
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