Bickershaw and Abram railway station

Bickershaw and Abram
Location
Place	Bickershaw
Area	Wigan
Coordinates	53°30′54″N 2°34′41″W / 53.514878°N 2.578080°WCoordinates: 53°30′54″N 2°34′41″W / 53.514878°N 2.578080°W
Grid reference	SD618022
Operations
Original company	Wigan Junction Railways
Pre-grouping	Great Central Railway
Post-grouping	LNER
Platforms	2
History
1 April 1884	Station opened[1]
2 November 1964	Station closed[2][3]
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
UK Railways portal

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 Bickershaw and Abram station in the early 1900s

Bickershaw and Abram railway station served the communities of Bickershaw and Abram southeast of Wigan, England.^[4]

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.^[5][6] It was situated immediately south of the B5237 level crossing over the tracks.^[7][8]

Services

The service patterns in 1895, 1947 and 1962 are fully documented in the authoritative Disused Stations website.^[9]

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 Lower Ince 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.^[10]

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.^[11]

The line through Bickershaw and Abram 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.^[12]

Opening, naming and closure

The line and station opened in 1884. The station closed on November 2nd 1964, when the line closed to passengers.^[13] 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.^[14]

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Hindley South Line and station closed		Great Central Railway Wigan Junction Railways		West Leigh and Bedford Line and station closed

References

1. Dow 1962, p. 194.
2. The station via Disused Stations UK
3. James 2004, p. 47.
4. Sweeney 2013, pp. 62-72
5. The line and mileages via railwaycodes
6. Smith & Turner 2012, Map 45
7. The station on a 1948 OS Map via npe maps
8. Shannon & Hillmer 2003, p. 91
9. Services via Disused Stations UK
10. Dow 1962, p. 354
11. Bradshaw 1922, pp. 714-5
12. Pixton 1996, p. 119
13. Butt, pp 120-1
14. 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
• James, David (2004), Lancashire's Lost Railways, Stenlake Publishing, ISBN 1 84033 288 3
• Shannon, Paul; Hillmer, John (2003). British Railways Past and Present, Manchester and South Lancashire No 41. Kettering: Past & Present Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1 85895 197 6.
• 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