West Leigh and Bedford railway station

GCR Lines to St Helens and Wigan
Legend
Wigan Central Wigan Darlington Street Springs Branch Ince Lower Ince Hindley Southport to M'cr Pemberton, avoiding Wigan Springs Branch Jct "The Whelley Loop" (Lancashire Union Rly) Strangeways West Jct Hindley South Strangeways East Jct Platt Bridge Manchester & Wigan Rly Bickershaw and Abram Park Lane Halt West Leigh and Bedford St Helens Central (GCR) St Helens Central Liverpool to Wigan Line Haydock Haydock Colliery Tunnel Ashton-in-Makerfield Haydock Park Golborne South WCML Golborne North LSH&SLR WJR Lowton St Mary's Jct Lowton St Mary's Kenyon Junction Chat Moss Line Culcheth Newchurch Halt Glazebrook Liverpool-M'cr CLC

Map showing the location of West Leigh and Bedford station in the early 1900s

West Leigh and Bedford railway station served the hamlet of Crankwood and, at some distance, Abram and the Plank Lane area of Leigh, England. Like many railways, the line passed between rather than through communities, with branches off to serve the key driver - goods, and in this area - coal.^[3]

Location and nearby stations

The station was on the Wigan Junction Railways line, known locally as the "Wigan Central line", which ran from Wigan Central to Glazebrook.^[4][5] It was situated immediately north of the bridge over Crankwood Lane, which in 2015 is still a minor road.^[6] From 1903 to 1915 the LNWR operated Plank Lane station a short distance to the east on the same country lane but on a different line.

Services

The service patterns in 1895, 1947 and 1962 are fully documented in the authoritative Disused Stations website.^[7]

In April 1884 the service pattern was straightforward. Six "Down" (towards Wigan) trains called from Manchester Central. In addition, one "express" called at Glazebrook only and passed West Leigh and Bedford without stopping. Of the six, three called at all stations, the remaining three missed some stations between Manchester and Glazebrook. With the exception of the "express" all trains called at all stations between Glazebrook and Wigan. The "Up" service was similar.^[8]

In 1922 six "Down" trains called, All Stations from Manchester Central on "Weekdays" (Mondays to Saturdays), with a further evening train from Lowton St Mary's only. Three other trains called, apparently All Stations from Culcheth, but it is possible they originated from Liverpool Central or Warrington Central and turned west to north at Glazebrook West Junction. One of these trains ran on Fridays and Saturdays Only and the other two ran on Saturdays Only. The "Up" service was broadly similar, but the mix of Saturday Only trains was even more complicated. There was no Sunday service.^[9]

The line through West Leigh and Bedford was also a diversionary route and a route by which traffic such as Summer Saturday holiday specials could bipass busy spots, such as Wigan. Pixton, for example, has a fine 1961 shot of a Summer Saturday Sheffield to Blackpool train at Lowton St Mary's which will pass through the station then bear right immediately north of Hindley South onto the Whelley Loop, joining the WCML at Standish, bipassing Wigan altogether.^[10]

Opening, naming and closure

The line and station opened in 1884. Initially named "Plank Lane for West Leigh", the station was renamed "West Leigh and Bedford" in Summer 1893.^[1] The station closed on November 2nd 1964, when the line closed to passengers.^[11] The line closed to goods in 1968 and has since been lifted.

After closure

By 2006 the site had been razed to the ground. A lone gatepost remained as a reminder of the station.^[12]

References

1. 1 2 Dow 1962, p. 194.
2. ↑ The station via Disused Stations UK
3. ↑ Sweeney 2013, pp. 41-61
4. ↑ The line and mileages via railwaycodes
5. ↑ Smith & Turner 2012, Map 45
6. ↑ The station on a 1948 OS Map via npe maps
7. ↑ Services via Disused Stations UK
8. ↑ Dow 1962, p. 354
9. ↑ Bradshaw 1922, pp. 714-5
10. ↑ Pixton 1996, p. 119
11. ↑ Butt, pp 120-1
12. ↑ The station via Disused Stations UK

Sources

• Bradshaw (1986), Bradshaw's July 1922 Railway Guide (reprint), Guild Publishing London 
• Butt, R.V.J, The Directory of Railway Station, 1995, Patrick Stephens Ltd, ISBN 1-85260-508-1
• Dow, George (1962). Great Central, Volume Two: Dominion of Watkin, 1864-1899. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1469-8. 
• Pixton, Bob (1996), The Archive Photographs Series Widnes and St Helens Railways, The Chalford Publishing Company, ISBN 0 7524 0751 1 
• Smith, Paul; Turner, Keith (2012), Railway Atlas Then and Now, Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 978 0 7110 3695 6 
• Sweeney, Dennis (2013). The Wigan Junction Railways. Leigh: Triangle Publishing. ISBN 978-09550030-5-9. 

External links

• The station via Disused Stations UK
• Services via Disused Stations UK
• The station on a 1948 OS Map via npe maps
• The station on a 1909 OS map via National Library of Scotland
• The line and mileages via railwaycodes