The DISUSED Warrington to Altrincham Railway Line

[@NickBadley]

Part 2 is now available to watch here! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaqZdYN8iJyMsK8

[@rikufryderyk]

you should make a series of disused railway lines- that would be awesome!

[@caramelldansen2204]

North Mersey Branch perhaps? Also, do rails-to-trails _(god forgive me for mentioning such a sinful concept's name)_ count? The Liverpool Extension Line (from Hunts Cross / Halewood to Aintree) would be potentially fun to cover, especially if you find some of the brickwork and existing buildings/platforms along the line!

[@Sim0nTrains]

Pretty good video on a Disused Railway, 3rd January 2015 I boarded a Train at Tame Bridge Parkway called the Tugging Shedmaster, 1Z73 Stafford to Latchford Sidings and the charter I was on went down that line towards Warrington Wilderspool Station. Looking forward to the rest of the video

[@lrvproductions]

The manchester end is also quite interesting as it has a signal that has been red for the past 30 odd years!

[@jakeb267]

If you're ever down here in the South, you should walk the old Frome to Radstock railway, most of the tracks are still there but has public paths next to it.

[@Victorianification]

This was my local line, it was one of the political closures of the 1980's much like the Settle to Carlisle nearly was. And as with that railway, bridge repairs were the standard excuse. It now takes longer to get from Lymm to Manchester than it did in the 60's, especially via public transport. Closing this line was a crime.

[@duxberry1958]

5:08 the canal is the Runcorn to Latchford Canal built in 1804 also called the Blackbear Canal or Old Quay Canal

[@johnlevey9935]

I lived by this line in Lymm from 1981 to 1985. Quite a noise when class 56 hauled coal trains ran through the night. There was a bridge over the track bed that was later completely buried when the second Thelwall viaduct was subsequently built on the M6. In 2000 I moved to Broadheath where my back garden backed onto the embankment where the bridge used to be over the Bridgewater Canal. The line from Altrincham to Glazebrook is also worth an explore. Much of the track is in situ.

[@jacobporrett]

Interesting Nick. Thank you for sharing

[@TheDaf95xf]

I was lucky because I lived near the line in Urmston and was a train spotter in the 70s when that line was really busy 😊 We spent a lot of time in Skelton junction signal box so we could see the trains going on the now disused Partington line and the Chester line round to Altrincham especially with the ICI bogie hoppers 👍🏻

[@Seagull81006]

Ive always found disused railways intresting, so much potential with them re opening and history to be found with them

[@apk55]

Have fond memories as a kid in the 60s watching steam trains at Skelton junction. Steam lasted into 1968 on the line.

[@bobbythomas200420032]

Hi Nick an excellent and very enjoyable and fascinating video. Thank you for making it. The camera skills and commentary was excellent.

[@NickBadley]

Thank you!

[@Thornaby37]

Very well researched video 👍 Arpley Junction to Latchford could get very busy with coal trains to and from Fiddlers Ferry even in the late 1990s and early 2000s

[@paultidd9332]

British weather… there’s something intriguingly interesting about following an abandoned railway line as you piece together its history, as you are doing so wonderfully. I look forward to better weather and the rest of the story. Could this also be a new series ‘Warrington’s abandoned railways’ I notice there are a few to have a look at around there and then as you extend the circle particularly north to Leigh and Hindley it looks like a whole network was ripped up there.

[@Bullmannumber4]

Really enjoyed your delivery in this video. You didn't overload with info, kept it concise, and easy to understand. Nicely done.

[@DavidShepheard]

The real advantage of keeping a line like this open for freight, is that the mainlines in the UK are excessively busy, because they have mixed traffic. Mixed traffic means there has to be a big gap between fast trains and the slow trains in front of them. That makes it tricky to get freight traffic from one end of the country to the other. But if you have some lines like this, that passenger trains are not using, a freight train can travel into this line and then wait for a gap at the other end. Having said that, they should fix the viaduct and restore passenger service and park freight trains in the sidings, to wait for a gap there.

[@frasermitchell9183]

Imported coal from Hunterston Quay south of Largs destined for Fidlers Ferry Power Station used to come south and pass through Warrington Bank Quay station before entering the sidings at Arpley. The whole train of loaded MGR (Merry-Go-Round) coal wagons, would then be reversed and pass round onto the low level line which had track as far as Latchford. The move was signalled, and a signal indicated to the driver when to stop, and also be clear of the junction. Once that had been done, the train would be signalled forward west to Fidlers Ferry. This line is planned to be part of a high-speed line between Liverpool and Manchester. East of Latchford a new line will be built to join HS2 near High Leigh. The route of this line has yet to be decided. However, whilst the government may talk about "high speed", a look at the map of Warrington shows the severe curvature of the low level line which would be very difficult to straighten out in this area. Just look at the curve round the River Mersey ! There are also the curves approaching the bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal, which would have to be used to get through Warrington unless expensive tunneling is undertaken. It makes HS2 look easy !

[@nnautic6389]

Wow this was actually very interesting, looking forward to part 2

[@Snapdragon4472]

Interesting video. I remember watching the coal trains over Latchford viaduct in the 70s when I was in that area, and was sad when that line closed in 1985. It would make a good route from Liverpool to Manchester if it was to reopen in the future one day. Now the railways are picking up again they should repair the viaduct and check all the bridges and relay the tracks again. (I suppose if they did relay them it would be a single track with passing loops rather than double track throughout as it once was before it closed?) Looking forward to the next part through Thelwall and Lymm, where I used to watch the trains quite a lot. At the time, it was still quite busy at times with MGR coal trains and tank trains and the occasional Freightliner as well. It used to close around noon on Saturday to 6 on Monday morning so no trains then, except the occasional tamper maintaining the line. Fond memories...

[@pedro6531]

We use to slide down the embankment at the bridge near the Thelwell British legion ,the fields opposite before building work use to catch fire sometimes with burning coal from the train ,shame that Dr Beeching closed that line cost save conservative government (you've never had it so good ) yeh right .glad I'm back in Australia

[@K-o-R]

It's a travesty that that amazing bridge is not in use.

[@hamshackleton]

If you go round the back of the Colas tar works on Lousher's lane, you can walk through the woodland to the other end of the closed-off Latchford sidings. Then, from Latchford Locks, on the ship canal, you can walk up the steepish slope onto the (near the Londis shop, if I recall) signed public footpath that used to be the track-bed.. From there, you can almost get to the collapsing bridge over the canal. The line from Bank Quay lower also used to be a freight line to Liverpool, as well as the Fiddlers Ferry merry-go-round loop. There WAS talk of making it into a tram-track, to join with the network in Altringham, but it never happened.

[@IowaTrainGay]

Aye! This is so cool! Thanks for sharing! Hope the weather brightens up soon. As one of my favorite KZbin series once said "You're having WeAThEr! ☔☔🌞🌧️"

[@flippop101]

Quality KZbin and very much appreciated! Subbed! Thank you!

[@1anhunter1]

Great diction, Nick. Could listen to your voice 24/7.

[@DeepakVerma-cd4fe]

A preserved railway could reopen the line from Warrington to Altrincham. Shunting parcels would be lovely like they did many years ago

[@tylerdavidson1387]

This is awesome! Great video Nick!

[@boblovell5789]

Well narrated and researched. Don't know the area but intrigued. Thank you.

[@Saint_Dan132]

only time will tell indeed i love a bit of disused infrastructure and the history always fun there is so many on scotland , i have often went a walk along the Glasgow canals and followed the maps of an old railway line or 4

[@22pcirish]

Not disused. But closed. Permanently. The Altrincham end is thoroughly built on.

[@helgan35]

I used to live in Grappenhall and now live in Timperley, having grown up just round the corner in Baguley. This disused line has fascinated me for years, thank you so much for the nostalgia tour! Latchford viaduct is one of my favourite pieces of architecture. It's MASSIVE! I'll see you in part 2 :)

[@K-o-R]

Oh! This is _another_ railway that joins (joined) the operational line at Skelton Junction (where heavy rail trains from Manchester reach Altrincham now that the Metrolink took over the line via Timperley). The other former line is more obvious as it crosses as you come round the curve, but this one I had mistaken for a road bridge.

[@davidt-rex2062]

Some say he is still waiting under that bridge... waiting for the rain to stop. You can still hear his voice on the wind. NIck: I am fine... Me: Its like he is still with us.. poor bloke.

[@Andrewjg_89]

Maybe Northern should introduce the shuttle service between Warrington Bank Quay and Altrincham and to use their rolling stocks such as the Class 150 DMUs on that route.

[@frankkie3849]

Nicely done, thanks for sharing..

[@caramelldansen2204]

MY FAVOURITE STRETCH OF RAILWAY!!! I'm so happy this is getting attention!! It seems like such a waste to not use it for anything substantial. I hope you cover these more often, and try to shine a light on the failures of the railway to fully utilise the network, or keep the network at a reasonable level of quality and density

[@vorlonb3]

Thanks for braving the weather Nick good selection of views, my that troubled viaduct is big when you get upto it. shame it did it all in, ta for sharing.

[@1chish]

On that Latchford viaduct you can just bet that BR would have inflated the repair costs to suit their agenda to close the line as they did across the country. The best example of this ability to mislead was the Ribblehead Viaduct on the Settle & Carlisle where BR fabricated a cost of £12 Mn and said the famous viaduct was not viable to repair. Well thanks to a certain Michael Portillo their lies were rumbled and a proper assessment showed it would cost £3 Mn and therefore WAS viable and the line remained open.

[@lewis72]

Warrington Bank Quay High Level to Warrington Bank Quay Low Level could be a Pointless Pointless Journey.

[@highpath4776]

IF Metrolink invested in Tram-Train (depending on how results of Rotherham are going) then Altrincham to Warrington along this route with some of the old stations re-instated would bring growth to "the north"

[@alistairgrew]

I have often thought that even a Warrington - Lymm tram would work nicely on this route.

[@TDlovestrains]

Brilliant video nick. In bakewell there is an abandoned railway witch is now a fully function walking routes with old platforms, station building and bridges. That would make a very good video. 😁

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

*which

[@NickBadley]

Ohh that sounds cool!

[@TDlovestrains]

@@Inkyminkyzizwoz oops. English isn't one of my strong points.

[@jimmyviaductophilelawley5587]

Hi there. Great video so far. I grew up in Latchford and I'd like to point out a couple of things. The original railway was at a much lower level and the whole thing had to be rebuilt when they constructed the Manchester Ship Canal. The original Latchford station was where the Ship Canal is now and ghosts of the original embankment can be found if you know where to look. When i was a kid in the late 70s/ early 80s we used to walk across Latchford viaduct regularly to get to my cousin's in Thelwall. Nobody cared if you were on the railway in those days and I very nearly fell through one of the holes in the viaduct one day whilst messing around like kids do (or did before the internet) we used to swim in the Ship Canal on hot summer days! Looking forward to part 2. That's the bus stop on Bradshaw Lane, right? You went past Latchford Locks? I want my ashes scattering towards the sea from the central pier when I go can't believe you didn't show any shots of the locks...awesome engineering! Best wishes and take care

[@samk5321]

I live not far from the bus shelter you took refuge in, if I’d have know you could have waited out the rain there! Very interesting video as I’ve passed by a lot of the locations you’ve mentioned since I was younger, and have always wondered about the railway that used to be there.

[@studebaker4217]

We must have used this line in about 1956 to travel from West Allerton (Liverpool 18) to Broadheath for Timperley (Altrincham). I have long wondered how we did it, and without changing as far as I can recall. Thanks for a very interesting film.

[@Drivershell53]

great video. look forward to the next part.

[@stephenharper9961]

Freight trains still use arpley junction every day but the section between the junction and the remaining track at latchford has long finished and nothing regular goes down there

[@adskn]

I lived in Warrington for 2 decades but didn't know about BQ low level or the other Warrington stations. Thanks for such an informative video.

[@richardcrosk6428]

Wow that was pretty interesting and sad to see it being disused. It would be good to see it back operational

[@gwrydd]

from what network rail and mersey travel have said in foi requests they are looking at reinstating that line if i recall correctly sometime in 2030 along with ditton junction station. the line is currently used to transport cars via halewood, it sees trains typically around 9am and 8pm

[@noelwilde]

It's a shame they closed the line. I was based at Arpley as a driver fromAugust 84 to May 85 and had a few runs over the line. And while based in Northwich came from Skelton down to Glazebrook for the docks and The Shell sidings at Partington.

[@richardbutler4488]

Hope your uni exams went well? Interesting video, well done 👏 part 2 should be exciting 😊

[@ReubenAshwell]

Brilliant video nick, I'm l;ooking forward to part 2 of this. Shame about the British weather at the end lol.

[@gammock4026]

I have just come upon your channel and this is the first video of yours I've watched. I must say how greatly impressed I was and I am much looking forward to the next installment. I live in Sale (so quite near) and I am inspired to go and look at the locations you present. I have liked and subscribed

[@Panpan1568]

Very well made video thanks and interesting. You have a very good narration style.

[@Tanspotty]

I live in warrington, good town. Heard they are going to be rebuilding Bank Quay station due to it being outdated. Supposedly the road to get to the station will be redesigned cause traffic there during rushhour is gridlock

[@Phil6219]

I briefly worked at a hotel that was across the road from where the station at Lymm was located, it's now a car park for the walking trail (and the hotel has since been demolished). Aside from the path there is no trace or way to tell that a railway was ever there :/

[@keithtanner2806]

I photographed the last day of running and last freight at Dunham Massey former Station crossing including the signalman locking the door of his box for the last time. Quite unnecessary as all the equipment had been removed days earlier!

[@RailPreserver2K]

I think you and lost Railways need to get together because it would be a rather interesting collaboration

[@743lplkp]

my favourite train spotter.

[@peternicholls214]

Thank you 👍

[@neilbain8736]

I think someone did a video of walking the Latchford viaduct. The only thing I specifically remember is the rusted through steel deck giving a view of the road and water below. For something to naturally decay that far is pretty scary if you're walking across it.

[@daviemac9925]

I never knew about that one! So it was Broadheath it went to rather than Altrincham Station, as I was puzzling where it would join the Cheshire Line. Looking forward to part 2.

[@duxberry1958]

the line stopped at Arpley station and started again at Wilderspool station due too no bridge over the Mersey... Wilderspool was a one platfrom st

[@therealmasonicbwe]

Love to see another video!

[@teecefamilykent]

Brilliant video.

[@randlerobbertson8792]

Very informative to a Grappenhall lad. The Trans Penine Trail (TPT) occupies quite a bit of this line and the high level bridge adjacent to Latchford locks is a potential extra route across the ship canal. The route is slated for potential use as part of the HS3 route but as its the transpenine trail, neither the local council northern local MPS presently want to share that with the local residents, especially in Grappenhall,, Thelwall and especially Lymm.

[@marstonstratton7855]

Good going, more please. .

[@Mapplewell_Park]

Great video, fascinated by abandoned and disused lines 👍 subscribed

[@ElijahsTransport]

Great video Nick :)

[@SiVlog1989]

Speaking of disused lines, there are 2 in the area where I went to University, Bolton. One of them served the very first railway to reach the town, the Bolton and Leigh Raikway, fully opened from 1831, it closed to regular traffic in 1954 (the original Bolton station was the terminus of the line, located at Great Moor Street, the site today being occupied by a supermarket and petrol station), and the one I made a brief video about, a section of the Liverpool and Bury railway, between the current Bolton station and Bury, which features 2 spectacular viaducts (one at Darcy Lever and one that towers over St Peter's Way that passes the site of Bolton Wanderers old football ground at Burnden Park, the site now occupied by another supermarket) which closed to railway traffic in 1970

[@InkItOut]

That sounds so cool, might have to check that out

[@SiVlog1989]

@InkItOut kzbin.info/www/bejne/f16beZeEYq2Gq6M this is it

[@duxberry1958]

@4:33 the lines on the Right is were the orignal lines went before the Manchester Ship Canal was built

[@TamesideCitizen]

Informative and well researched and presented. Well done!

[@danielsadventures9356]

Great videos, my son is autistic and we have started doing videos of our journeys

[@Vanmanyo]

Can you visit the abandoned Pyongyang East station please?

[@peterdean8009]

Are you going to pay his air fare to North Korea?

[@Vanmanyo]

@@peterdean8009 air koryo is surprisingly cheap! I'm sure patreon money is enough for him

[@johnhayes9422]

The home signal on the end of the bridge crossing the Mersey just before Latchford sidings has not moved, so far as I know since 1985. Correct me if I’m wrong.

[@duxberry1958]

5:13 use to be latchford Signal box to left of the Bridge the second box to be built

[@chrisreddy4815]

Skelton Junction (Timperley) to Cadishead line is a good walk to do if you want another vid

[@gaugeonesteam]

Nicely done. I think not the only line in the UK to close due to a corroded bridge.

[@shanestephens2877]

Good little video that, an old line I didn't know about thanks for doing it. Is there not a plan to run a newish high speedish line from Manchester to Liverpool reopening the Warrington low level platforms ?

[@tanyajackson3833]

Great presenting style.

[@highpath4776]

The more network rail show off fancy new viaducts and bridges the more the case for closure due to failing infrastructure diminishes

[@giannihallett4951]

Great video nick

[@simondavids9438]

Have you done the Timperley to cadishead disused line yet as that also came from Skelton junction.

[@stmisbehavin662]

That cliffhanger though

[@steveworthington930]

The MSC bridge at Latchford was deemed insoficeint to 1,000 ton coal train,s. Maybe not to 100 ton tram,s? If the line was reinstated as a tramway it could link to GM tram network at Altricham. A no brainer, yet never seen a study into this?

[@mudchute4dlr]

What if there was a completely open railway that had no passangers the whole year?

[@CalderTrains]

There is many, probably over 100, they all only get freight

[@RainhamRailEnthusiast]

Really enjoyable, and great edit as usual

[@SH-ly1uy]

Great Series. Pls more

[@dirkdesnerck8277]

very nice, very interesting, greeting from belgium

[@DanBen07]

(I'm not sure this counts because a lot of it's gone) I live near a railway line thats gone from Lewes to Uckfield in East Sussex a lot of it's gone but in a few places you can still see it.

[@darrenraymond5334]

very interesting thank you

[@jakeandfriends3554]

suggestion for a pointless journey from Nuneaton platform 1 to platforms 6 and 7 without going via any Birmingham station

[@ChampionIslandSpeedruning]

Multi-Part?!?!

[@SocieteRoyale]

the other side of the latchford embankment becomes part of the transpennine trail, but am sure you already know that!

[@SirKenchalot]

Wasn't it Norther Powerhouse or HS3 that was due to use this stretch of track rather than HS2 or is that just splitting hairs? Not least because it seems you won't be getting either of them from Liverpool to Leeds?

[@pghewrexham2704]

hope you enjoyed my hometown :)

[@NickBadley]

I did! I have enjoyed it for the last 17 years of living here, in fact!

[@pghewrexham2704]

@@NickBadley I must be Warrington's second most train enthusiast then haha

[@duxberry1958]

i think you will find the Latchford viaduct was not the cause of the line closing

[@AdamPlayzsquad]

a idea for the getting as many trains as possible

[@johnburns4017]

If the line is reused and extended to Manchester airport it can take trains from Liverpool, Warrington, etc.

[@gwrydd]

its not disused. it gets infrequent freight movements and in 2040 itll reopen to passengers from liverpool to manchester via bank quay low level

[@johnburns4017]

@@gwrydd Facinating stuff. Did you watch the vid?

[@doogle2822]

Warrington station is a mess. I had to change trains there and ask where platform 5 was. Looks like it was part of a goods siding (coal). Platform numbers make no sense and a lot of gaps where there used to be track. If you have a luggage trolly I think you can get to Hogwarts from there!