CLC Skelton Jct to Glazebrook Manchesters mothballed lost railway

[@stephenhowardsmith]

I can't praise this film too much. It is far more interesting than anything on Television, because it is all pure content, excellently presented and edited: no faffing about, laughing women, wasting time, etc! Well done for all your hard work, not least all the walking.

[@philipholt9112]

Hi,my name is Phil I did 50yrs on the footplate 8yrs on steam i started at edgeley shed in 1961in 1962 I was made a fireman I fired over this line in1962 I moved to Trafford Park shed till 1964 I moved back to edgeley I finished my time out at longsight finished in 2011 Regards Phil.

[@adelestevens]

I work Glazebrook signal box. There are three lines at that last point because there is an up line to Manchester a down line to Warrington Central and a down loop line so that we can bring trains inside it to allow other trains to pass. The line is in worse condition than whenni walked it in 1997! If you want to know why there are massive gaps in the rail...well the "independent scrap dealers " used to drive to farm level crossings and work outwards from there nicking the rails etc. I doubt the line will reopen it runs from nowhere to nowhere else with a viaduct that in 1997 was costed at £4.7 million to renovate. The large sidings at Glazebrook serviced the ship canal company and the Irlam steelworks. The line went further going via Glazebrook East junction (the signal box I work at) heading in the liverpool direction then via the main line to Glazebook west junction where it turned off to the right and headed via Culcheth to Wigan Central.

[@maxblinkhorn]

I used to (1965) play in this area. There were ponds with newts in that we built rafts to go on. Started a lifelong affection for boats.

[@likeher9]

That massive bridge right near the end of your film is called Sandy lane bridge. I grew up in Cadishead, and We would walk along the top of the bridge in the 60s & 70s when the trains would go underneath - very scary! I left to go and live in Dorset in 1983, and when I came back 15 years later to visit family, I could barely believe My eyes... It was a forest! I just was so busy setting up in Dorset I never had even heard of Beeching at the time, so was blown away when I came back and researched what the hell had gone on? I've now nearly 40 years on done the same research down where I live in Dorset on the legendary S&D line from Bournemouth to Bath green park. Thanks so much for a incredible film... Brilliant!

[@Sam_Green____4114]

You might not have heard of Beaching because you were busy ln 1983 considering all the cuts to rail lines he recommended were carried out by 1966 !!!!

[@likeher9]

@@Sam_Green____4114 And your point is what exactly? You'd heard of Beeching before Me? Well done you!

[@glennmacleod3776]

Interesting to see all the places I knew from the 1970s, and you used one of my photographs taken at Partington Junction of Class 40 143 with coal for Carrington Power Station, 11th January 1974. Pity you missed the remains of the original viaduct over the River Mersey on the Partington side of Cadishead Viaduct.

[@stephenhowardsmith]

I should have added that a cab ride was filmed from a railtour over the route from Skelton to Partington in 1991 and published on a VHS tape 'The Manchester Circular' , one of Tony Cooke's 'North West Cab Rides', with commentary by Walter Wood, who was at that time one of the most experienced railwaymen in the Manchester area. The tape also included the Bredbury to Woodley section of the line on the other side of Stockport.

[@andrewmatley7688]

interesting walk discovering the old rail lines love it mate.

[@simondavids9438]

There is also a spur that comes out of shell carrington which several other lines which fed the power station, and also several abandoned workmans huts all still accessible from carrington moss just past the big chimney.

[@onemanc]

Looks like I will have to revisit, watch this space!

[@HenrysAdventures]

Another great video! Shame nothing came of the preservation of the line.

[@simondavids9438]

Metrolink could be in the pipeline for this disused railway in the next 10 years .

[@HenrysAdventures]

@@simondavids9438 That would be great to see!

[@Zentron]

The bit at West Timperley Station that you thought was a subway, was actually the main station building, took me a bit of looking to realise it at first. Also, if you went down the slope at the end of the platform by the evergreens, you would have found the remains of the signal box! Lastly, you were lucky to explore there when you did, I had just been there myself and I had cleared away a lot of the overgrowth.

[@ConnorsWorkshop17]

How do you get down to here I live right near here

[@Zentron]

@@ConnorsWorkshop17 If you go down Lindsell Road, just by the part of the road that opens up into a circle, there is a ginnel in between the houses, go down there and up the slope, turn right and that's the way to the station. It was really overgrown with thick brambles last time I went, so be careful as you go, wear thick trousers if you have them! As mentioned, as you walk towards the station, when you see some evergreen trees on the right side, go down the slope a bit just behind the trees, you'll see the remains of the signal box... it's not much, but you can make it out from all the foundation bricks sticking out of the soil.

[@ConnorsWorkshop17]

@@Zentron ah thx

[@ConnorsWorkshop17]

@@Zentron thx

[@chrisreddy4815]

Nice vid, I've walked that line a few times during lockdown

[@jonathanparker9070]

My gran lived near Skelton junction in Timperley. Remember loads of class 40s going past in the 70s.

[@annescholey6546]

I used to see 56s on the bitumen trains from Warrington trains in the 90s.

[@Evysaurus_]

Mad to see how overgrown this is, I've walked a couple mothballed lines myself. including the Ipswich docks branch where you can barely get through the brambles!

[@MM0IMC]

Have you seen Martin Zero doing part of this line too?

[@johnmasters504]

Great video

[@chrishines6048]

Not to long ago I found an old abandoned railway that went from Bristol to Portishead and recently they cut the brambles and undergrowth back reveling the track and not to long ago the local councils announced that they are going to restore the line and open it to passenger trains from Bristol Portishead

[@davidsanderson2960]

Did you know on the Stockport line there was a station at Timperley Village, so Timperley had 3 stations at one time.

[@leila13xx]

hi there, absolutely love this video. i am struggling to find a way up onto the train track past washway road that follows near waitrose. part of the bridge that crosses washway road is locked. just wondered if you know of any other ways uptowards cadishead i can get onto😀

[@onemanc]

Leila Eve you can either get on at the canal small dirt path leads up to it or go to turnbull road where several paths cross over the line, good luck...

[@richardsterne2875]

This line needs to be reopened to enable a rail freight terminal at Carrington to be built and on wards to Trafford park. It would take freight off the Castlefield corridor.

[@thomaslord9991]

great video, where did you get onto the bridge near bridgewater canal?

[@andybbeck2043]

Super have they started any work yet

[@martin2345uk]

How did you overcome the massive spikey fence blocking the bridge over the canal?

[@Rehnn83]

What's this Potential heritage line your referring to?

[@onemanc]

Link is in the comments…

[@onemanc]

Heres a link to the Hamilton Davies preservation project hamiltondavies.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Proposal-to-re-open-Cadishead-Viaduct.pdf

[@ConnorsWorkshop17]

I can acces the second part

[@onemanc]

Just tried the Warrington links they work ok? Try link from one manc channel mate....

[@ConnorsWorkshop17]

@@onemanc just that I don’t know how you got down to skelton junction because I got on the bit near the canal but I can’t get to skelton any directions

[@Sam_Green____4114]

l bet they are crying out for this line now with all the freights blocking an already very congested Manchester Piccadilly station !! So short sighted this country !! They know the price of every and the value of nothing !! Like closing the March- Spalding line ln 82 and now currently we are ln the process of spending 100,millions on an underpass at Peterborough !!!!!

[@michaelcampin1464]

A double pacer .