Cycling The DISUSED Warrington to Altrincham Railway

Part 2 of exploring the disused Warrington and Altrincham Railway! I cycle down the portion that is part of the Trans Pennine Trail, from Thelwall to Broadheath stations!
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[@smallsleepyrascalcat]

Those were two very interesting videos on this line. I guess most young people in that area don't even know that there once was a line.

[@Andrewjg_89]

It’s nice to ride on a bike on a former railway line. And there’s lots more things to see. Very nice journey.

[@JasonCliftJones]

Actually two options for the "next station" at the end; you're at Skelton junction. You could turn north towards Timperley as mentioned, or continue straight onto the line to Stockport through Cheadle, in which case the next station was Baguley. This junction is why the line towards Chester has a slow sharp turn right then left as it meets the Metrolink line before Navigation Road and Altrincham; going under this line (and the Glazebrook line) that's no longer there.

[@K-o-R]

Was there a connection directly to the Timperley line northbound? It's not so obvious on current Google Maps view (whereas every other part of the junction is pretty clear).

[@JasonCliftJones]

@@K-o-R Yeah, back of the houses on SE of Meldrum's Grove; that line points to the Warrington line at the south end, and goes under the Glazebrook line (looks like there's an extra arch for it left of the existing bridge) joining the Metrolink line where it's currently 3 track. Indeed, it's prob why that bit is 3 track in the first place.

[@K-o-R]

@@JasonCliftJones Yes, I see it now. No Streetview points close enough to see, but it does look like that whole section is brick arches. It's such a cool junction complex and it's such a shame that so much of it is abandoned.

[@jayzo]

There's three, you can also bypass Stockport and head via just south of Hazel Grove towards Chinley

[@caramelldansen2204]

WE NEED MORE :) a greater emphasis on the history of the lines (abandoned or destroyed) would be cool, either integrated into the video or in standalone form - no pressure, though! also Merseywail seems knowledgable on that front, regarding merseyside

[@IowaTrainGay]

So cool! Looks like you had a good time once the rain let up!

[@Snapdragon4472]

Lovely video. Used to visit the area in the mid 70s watching the trains. Furthest towards Warrington was Pickerel's Bridge over the Bridgwater Canal, and the adjacent railway bridge. My main location was near Thelwall station where the aqueduct crossed Half Acre Lane. I stood at the top of those stone steps there on quite a number of occasions waiting for the trains to come. I also visited Stathem Crossing quite a lot as well. It had Automatic Half Barriers and the old style loud warning bell. Those old Merry Go Round coal trains didn't half make a racket clattering past on the old jointed tracks! A short distance away from the crossing, a footpath used to run beside the Stathem school and across a footbridge before reaching the canal. A semaphore Distant signal controlled by Lymm Station signal box stood adjacent to the footbridge. I visited Lymm station quite a lot on Saturday mornings, and the occasional weekday evening as well. I recall on the first visit I made it had wheel operated gates. What surprised me was I only saw 3 gates instead of 4! One of the gates was missing and the resulting gap was roped off. (I believe it was the one on the same side as the signal box, next to the Home signal?) On the next visit, the gates had been replaced with barriers, and the signal had been repositioned about 50 yards from the crossing. The line used to close around noon on Saturday for the weekend and reopening again on Monday at that time, so an afternoon or evening visit would mean no trains. I did have a walk there on a few Sundays as well, and occasionally saw a Tamper or other machine working away on the tracks or just passing through. The other couple of locations that I visited only once or twice in the area were Reddish Lane Crossing and Lymm Lane Crossing and signal box. Reddish Lane had miniature red and green warning lights with gates, and Lymm Lane had barriers with the road crossing the tracks diagonally if I remember correctly. One happy memory that I will never forget is hearing a train in the distance one Saturday morning, expecting a freight train (on a normally freight only line), and seeing what looked like a passenger train! It turned out that it was an empty stock working - that was only booked in the timetable to run on that day!

[@jeremyr62]

Well done. My Mum lives in Sale and I walk to Broadheath along the canal so I know that last bit very well. I always wondered about the history of the railway and now I know.

[@37418]

Great Video 👍 I lived in Broadheath. I remember when the big Green Bridge was removed in 2001 and the Bridge near the railway Pub was Removed in 1995 I have Subscribed

[@MichaelSebastianTodd]

awesome vlog on the Warrington to Altrincham disused railway o really enjoyed watching both parts its been really intresting

[@MattyMonk]

Fantastic Part 1 & 2, editing and flow was well done, and interesting topic. thanks man

[@M0UAW_IO83]

Love it, I've lived in or around Altrincham most of my life and remember the railway lines as they used to be, the remnants of the station and trains running along them.

[@Theorbe100]

I was lucky enough to travel over the whole of this line a long time ago on a rail tour.

[@0530evan]

think of all the SMALL towns that ""lost a part of life"" when the train stations closed

[@themessenger333]

Great video. My bf is a train enthusiast and got me into your videos. Love to get your thoughts on Norwich’s train lines and show you the east Anglian region.

[@gammaphonic]

This is the route I use to get to Manchester. The end of the line as it exists today, is right by the Bridgewater canal, which you can follow right into the centre of Manchester.

[@helgan35]

AWESOME! Thank you, these two videos have now ansewered my fascination and I'm now going to dust the bike off. I've not been back to Grappenhall for way too long and do need to visit some friends, this is the perfect way to do so. Thank you Nick, I really enjoyed this :)

[@mikebrennan6165]

Thanks Nick, I grew up in Timperley and cycled a lot around there. I remember seeing the crossing gates and track down around Lymm and there used to be for many years after the line closed a small signal box where the cycle track ends at the back of the Broadheath Industrial estate. In later years i cycled the section from Dunham back to Altrincham as part of a training route, it looks to still be in really good condition. I would point out one minor correction. The line never connected with Timperley Station (now Metrolink), the line joined the current operational lines at Skelton Junction which doo loop back to Altrincham but the line really continued on towards Northenden and on to Stockport that part of the line is now in regular use for passenger and freight, it was freight only when I was growing up, the next station on that line would have been Baguely if I remember correctly. At Northenden there was is a junction with passenger trains heading off to Stockport and the freight line heading off round the back of Stockport and up to the Peak District. The freight line from Northenden is also where the Tiviot Dale line used to branch off towards Heaton.

[@ReubenAshwell]

Brilliant video Nick, it's a shame you had to cycle through muddy paths and you had a slight diversion but you at least got to tick off all the stations on this half of the disused Warrington and Altringham railway. I enjoyed both parts and I'd love to see more like this. :)

[@Sim0nTrains]

Some lovely relics in this video. Enjoyed the second half of this video.

[@tylerdavidson1387]

Love. More please.

[@paultidd9332]

Brilliant video inclusion of the previous. I loved the recap at the beginning and filming and commentary. I’ll not ask how you managed to cycle, film and talk all at the same time without falling off 🤔 I think I would have been straight into that Railway Pub at the end!! So, yes please to more like this and as with your Q&A a venture onto a Heritage Railway; I can strongly recommend the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

[@dave_h_8742]

Enjoyed it. You can do the cheshire lines path next Southport to Maghull 😂

[@Bullmannumber4]

Brilliant, another really enjoyable film Nick 😀

[@harrierjames7727]

Lovely Timperley Sunset

[@Neilhms]

great video mate... i love your pointless journeys but this was brilliant👍🏻🚂😎

[@PaulBurton62]

Great video. I've cycled that route many many times and knew it was the old railway line but not the specifics so thanks for filling in the gaps.

[@skin150263]

Very interesting video Nick, thanks for posting it. I'd definitely like to see some more 😊.

[@uingaeoc3905]

Nick, do the North Liverpool Extension from Hunt's Cross through Childwall and Broadgreen , which is the South Loop Parkway cycle-walk, then north through West Derby, Walton to Aintree.

[@johnburns4017]

That line is protected for reuse by Merseyrail. Now they have battery trains the prospect is more likely.

[@akrills]

Fascinating video (both) of a former railway line. I like your style, very easy to listen to and to watch. I have subscribed, too. Best wishes, Eric.

[@TheSugarDaddy1]

Great video Nick would love to see you do the Wirral way one day Hooton to West Kirby

[@bobbythomas200420032]

A very enjoyable and excellent video thankyou for making it. Its so good that some of the station buildings exist and the station houses to.

[@Martin_Adams184]

Hello, from a new subscriber. Well done and explained! It seems to me that the gates at Dunham Massey are designed as a combination of analogies -- train wheels at the bottom, but the roundel in the middle is reminiscent of the large roundels that were commonplace on old-style level-crossing gates -- the ones usually operated from an adjacent signal box. They closed across the road and the roundel (usually red) in the centre of the gate would be immediately obvious to any approaching road traffic. The analogies would be entirely appropriate to the crossing point at Dunham Massey.

[@chrisreddy4815]

The garden at Dunham massey Station House has an old goods waggon in. The lady who owns it let me see it once. You can see it through the bushes. Nice vid 👌

[@neilbain8736]

Ex railway lines and cycles are a marriage made in heaven. The Monsall Trail, 12 miles of beautiful scenery from Bakewell to almost Buxton is one of my favourites as it flattens the nastiest lumps out of the A6 from Manchester to Derby. You can get the train to Buxton from Piccadilly too and just avoid the road.

[@Class777]

Amazing parts! This is really interesting, I did not even know this existed

[@musicgarryj]

Regarding Timperley, the next station after Broadheath was in fact Timperley West: not the current Timperley Metrolink station. There was still both of the platforms and some very rusty track in place through Timperley West until (I think) about 15 years ago

[@Richard47484]

West Timperley station was on the line from Skelton Jn to Glazebrook, which is still nominally open although trains haven’t run along it for decades. There was a spur from Broadheath Jn (on the Warrington line)to Timperley Jn which allowed trains to travel into Manchester along what is now Metrolink.

[@PhilipMurphyExtra]

Thanks Nick, Just as good production standard if not better then Linear TV these days.

[@Roblilley999]

Glad you have chosen the universal "Bridge over nothing" phrase

[@jayray4327]

Thanks Nick...fun and informative videos. I do enjoy learning about why things are the way they are. More please!

[@RainhamRailEnthusiast]

A great couple of videos! Who doesn't like a look along a disused line? Thanks

[@WayneKline]

Great video Nick, well done!

[@antsuxx]

Really enjoyed watching ,brought back a few memories, worked over that line From Godley and Guide bridge ,👍

[@theDevPanda]

Interesting video and I loved the format. Would love to see some more like this.

[@peterdonnelly6804]

Great video, more please, may I suggest the wirral way, which is 12 miles from Hooton Station to West kirby and includes Hadlow Road station which is awesome, all preserved from years ago with old ticket office. Highly recommended as the station building now contains a cafe.

[@MatthewC23498z]

You know it's super mad to see you in literally almost my back yard! The Broadheath and Altrincham shopping centers are my local centers if you discount Trafford, so nice to hear some history about the area! Even if its now all covered with the Homebase and carpark. I did always wonder what that brick structure out the back of Halfords and Dunelm was!

[@rockerjim8045]

I’ve just visited Scotland for a football tour. Discovered the old railway now called the Roseburn Path from Haymarket Edinburgh to Newhaven.

[@petersimms4982]

Great vid nick , can’t wait till you’re presenting on the BBC 😊

[@jimihendrix991]

Unless Nick is a card carrying communist, why would he ever want to join that vile, propaganda spouting, pedo hiding organisation?

[@JacobExploresTheuk]

Intresting

[@danieltoth-nagy5097]

Thank you, Northern Geoff Marshall, good inspiration from the Thameslink Nick Badley :) It was really pleasing that you did the whole disused line, and it was very informative, well shot, and well edited. Regarding "safety" cycle helmets aren't really providing safety apart from when you race. Think similar to driving: Would you wear a helmet in a car while not racing? Dunham Massey station would be such a good public transport point to visit the actual Dunham Massey, now it's basically inaccessible by public transport (similarly to Lyme House).

[@brockbednar]

love your videos.

[@brockbednar]

feel like I've met you before. in a dream. once.

[@trainsacrossthenorth]

Nice video! Very interesting! I'm going to be Basing my model Railway on this line!

[@joerhorton]

that was my commute for 5 years on my bike before I changed jobs. Lovely route.

[@acme181169]

Nick, might i suggest a slightly longer "end" to you videos, giving time to click or read any information. Not all of us use a computer to watch KZbin and it can take us a while to scrabble about for the remote control 😊

[@7hru]

i just had a pointless journey idea catford bridge to catford

[@simondavids9438]

Quality ,there's a group on Facebook to do with this line and the Partington line.Skelton junction to Glazebrook and Warrington railway .

[@peedlejaydle]

great videos, thanks. With regard to the stations that are still there, are any being used or are they all abandoned? Great to see no vandalism though. I wonder why the buildings didn’t go when the line went?

[@robinhayhurst5943]

"Really Cool"

[@highpath4776]

Close a station, then build some houses. (and industry) Great Planning isnt it

[@TrainswithJonny]

😎

[@ianburke3991]

Very interestibg video would welcome more of similar nature alongside pointless journeys 😜

[@danielhanley-thurkettle8904]

Why don't you do the Hadleigh walk that is the old railway please from Hadleigh to Ipswich that close in 19 66

[@vijaymanohar829]

❤❤❤

[@andrewnelson4057]

Did you come dressed as a 185 on purpose...?

[@whiskymacable]

Why don't you get yourself into Train Simulator and recreate the line yourself?, there's TS tutorials on YT on how to create

[@TheMan377-vr2mx]

next time cycle the northern heights

[@peterdean8009]

And that's an order!

[@ianhalsall-fox]

You have a broadcaster's voice. But don't be treading on Paul Whitewick's toes!

[@nanimuwu]

Very "Tom Scott" thumbnails here... Good work though

[@ronniebiggs4026]

Nerd alert

[@randlerobbertson8792]

I live pretty close to this line and found this very interesting