LNWR DITTON JCN - WIDNES - ST HELENS. Lost Railways

[@Theorbe100]

I travelled over this line from north to south on a rail tour. The train was very long, and it was amusing to see the look of astonishment on people's faces as it went past them. I remember it very clearly, and I still have the paper itinerary and map from that day.

[@francislaughton3122]

I enjoyed this visit and reconstruction of an important part of St Helens & Widnes History, especially so close to a 200 Year Birthday to celebrate in 2033. One small additional note , if I may. I travelled from Widnes to Lime Street station in Liverpool on a train with stops at Ditton Junction, Halebank, Allerton etc on the way. I did this almost every School day between 1951 to 1958. The railway station next to the Old Widnes Public Baths was named >. The change of name to include SOUTH came later. Again, many thanks for your Video..Frank Laughton April 20th 2021

[@anthonyquinn6009]

Was it not called Widnes LMS before it was re-named Widnes South Frank? Farnworth was re-named Widnes North at the same time was it not?

[@HenrysAdventures]

Fantastic video! I really enjoyed this.

[@martinpeers7588]

Brilliant !! Well done !!!

[@Mustafa-Dump]

We walked from St Helens Shaw Street to Clock Face Station, down these lines, a few times in the 1980's (when it was nice and sunny). The line would have been in use up to Hays Chemicals in them days.

[@doddyvanstraaten2774]

Well researched, I followed your journey on period NLoS maps. It was fascinating viewing the locations all the old 'big name' industries that have disappeared from the face of the earth.

[@qrphfradio7753]

Clicked on on this as soon as the notification appeared.. Widnes is my home town some 50 years ago, My dad was from St helens and used to drive locomotives down the coal mines at clock face pit, now been living in Machester for 50 years.. Watching it now as i post this via my phone.. Great video my friend, been subscribed for some time, look forward to more now that lock down is lifting..

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

Thanks for a great show👍🏼

[@simondavids9438]

Brilliant as always .The cadishead viaduct was fantastic,theres bits there that you left out .Partington junction and the branch line that went into shell.Vegetation has been cleared near cadishead station few things going on at the moment there.Love the railway investigations fab work.

[@anthonymcdonnell5384]

The Line Was The Runcorn Gap And St Helens Railway opened in 1833 and closed in 1981 as a through route and lifted in 1982

[@browney1980]

The council are currently fighting to get the line from st.helens central to st.hekens junction re opened with funding from Liverpool city region for regeneration of the town

[@Prodigy_Fan]

The sooner the better. It's been an absolute waste just leaving it to rot. The reopening of the link would be a huge boost to the town.

[@Mustafa-Dump]

They have been talking about it for a while. When they made the linkway they made a new bridge to span the carriageways to keep the line in situ for future use. They seem to be quite serious about it and it fits in with their green agenda. I would expect more news when they have finished phase one of the town centre regeneration plan...

[@frazerweb]

Remember walking the stretch from St helens Junction to Sutton Manor Colliery. The rails were still down and all bridges were still passable, you could still cross the old Luverpool to Manchester Line on an over bridge. How time returning it to nature or redevelopment.

[@anthonymcdonnell5384]

the grass mound next to the road infront of the building called widnes waterfront is all that remains of Lugsdale Road Bridge which was demolished in 1994 for the widnes bypass, the mound can be seen at 2 mins and 58 secs

[@nickmelling4238]

Yes a very good run well put together, impressed.

[@anthonymcdonnell5384]

Ditton Station was finally closed in 1994 by rail track

[@WildOwlFilms]

Where the stadium is used to be the biggest bottled glass works in the world. It was never a copper works. The last train on the line to St Helens Junction ran in 1989. The line was being used as far as Baxters Lane Bridge as recent as 2004.

[@majorpygge-phartt2643]

Have you explored the original st. helens central route via haydock? And I notice that network rail are using the old style overhead line masts again, just like those used in the early 60's.

[@chrism8705]

Great video

[@anthonymcdonnell5384]

also across from Appleton saw mill on the other side when the st helens and runcorn gap railway opened in 1833, was Thraiss Copper works and widnes oil and gress works both closed in 1930 to be replaced, by Manson's timber which lasted till 1946, when it became Southerns Timber, where my late worked from 1954, till it became Magnet Southerns in the 1970s my late worked on that site till 1986, when Magnet southerns moved to ditton road widnes, the site then became derlict till 1994 when it became P And O, which then closed in 2004 then it was delict till 2016, when the buildings where demolished and housing esate is on the site

[@stephenchester4840]

very good

[@anthonymcdonnell5384]

the line should be reopened as railways are more enviromently friendly than roads and would relive congestion between widnes and st helens

[@caramelldansen2204]

☑️

[@barry25]

Thought that station by halebank was fenced off how did you get on it

[@majorpygge-phartt2643]

Where's that bridge at 28:18? I've searched for it on google maps but can't find it, or the road under it. Or is it so buried under trees that it's hidden? But which road is that under it?

[@onemanc]

Between the stadium and the railway look for yellow markings on the road with emergency vehicles only written in the middle…. That is the start of the road squeezed in between them, it reaches a dead end before the bypass… hope that helps

[@majorpygge-phartt2643]

@@onemanc Do you mean peasley cross lane? Where the old road past the stadium has been made into a footpath. I've seen that one, it looks very different from the one in your video, it's obviously been replaced at some stage as no way is that the original bridge there. Google maps dates their image as october last year, 2020, when did you film the bridge as the one in your video looks much older, more like the original bridge.

[@onemanc]

@@majorpygge-phartt2643 it’s further down that footpath, the bridge on cross lane was the mainline, the old bridge was a spur on the left further down the footpath, zoom in on google earth and u can see the shadow in the trees, I filmed it may 2021.

[@majorpygge-phartt2643]

@@onemanc Yes, I can see it now, that must've been a connection to the old glass works railway network. The site has been down sized now, with the new fire station and home bargains on the east side of the site. I once saw an old magazine article on the old glass works network. And there's a newer siding there now opposite b & q.

[@anthonymcdonnell5384]

last train that ran through peasley cross was in 2004

[@angelaknowles8189]

Wonder how long it'll take tem o build on it, theres lots of wildlie there now, let nature take its course Leave it as it is for our future,

[@marksrailwaytrails8925]

Alan love to do this walk with you if you live in sthelens give me shout enjoyed it

[@anthonymcdonnell5384]

just move the bypass at widnes as the new houses the council built are all contaminated land the bypass could be put there

[@cteasdale1979]

Great video