Lancashire Union Railway






Dates

29/03/2003Lancashire Union Railway
Pacer 142043 on a service from Liverpool to Wigan is partly derailed at Carr Mill by a sleeper placed on the line.

Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.


St Helens to Adlington







319367 pauses at Garswood, with a Liverpool Lime St to Wigan North Western stopping service on 29th November 2023. There is a real contrast between ...
Mark Bartlett 29/11/2023
A service for Liverpool Lime Street arrives at Garswood station on 3 February 2015. ...
John McIntyre 03/02/2015
2 of 2 images.


For some unknown reason, 319372 has never been reliveried into the Northern colour scheme and remains in white base with pale blue doors. With the ...
Mark Bartlett 29/11/2023
331017 leads a 6-car EMU set on a stopping service from Lime Street calling at Bryn on 23rd September 2022. Prior to electrification of the St. ...
Mark Bartlett 23/02/2022
2 of 2 images.












The station opened on the Whelley Loop, primarily constructed as a goods line to avoid Wigan, on 1st January 1872. Three trains ran daily from here to Liverpool when most customers probably just wanted to go into Wigan but even so it had a remarkably short life closing on 1st March 1872 after just two months. The other station on the loop, Whelley, had a similarly short existence. ...

More details










The station opened on the Whelley Loop, primarily constructed as a goods line to avoid Wigan, on 1st January 1872. Three trains ran daily from here to Liverpool when most customers probably just wanted to go into Wigan but even so it had a remarkably short life closing on 1st March 1872 after just two months. The other station on the loop, Hindley and Amberswood, had a similarly short existence. ...

More details






When a railway runs from Boars Head Junction to Red Rock and White Bear you would be forgiven for thinking it was in North America rather than ...
Mark Bartlett 15/05/2021
Although this is a May 2021 view southwards along the Leeds Liverpool Canal, it is actually of the bridge that was constructed to allow the Lancashire ...
Mark Bartlett 15/05/2021
A short distance to the north east of the old Red Rock station the trackbed path passes under this superb aqueduct, carrying the Leeds Liverpool Canal ...
Mark Bartlett 15/05/2021
The former Red Rock station, on the line that ran north east from Boar's Head on the WCML to Adlington Junction. The old building, seen here on 2 ...
John McIntyre 02/03/2010
4 of 4 images.


The former White Bear station building on the down platform (northbound) is one of the few remains left of the railway. The station closed in 1960 ...
John McIntyre 17/07/2015
The surviving station building at White Bear, Adlington, looking towards Chorley in April 2021. A factory building occupies the trackbed and this is ...
Mark Bartlett 10/04/2021
White Bear, in Adlington (Lancashire), was on the line from Chorley to Wigan and closed in 1960 although traffic passed through for a further ten ...
Mark Bartlett 11/04/2021
3 of 3 images.


This bridge carries the A6 in Adlington over the route of the old Lancashire Union line, which ran from here to Standish on the WCML. The junction ...
Mark Bartlett 13/07/2022
1 of 1 images.





Chorley to Blackburn

The 1210 hrs TPE Manchester Airport to Edinburgh service, with 397009, approaches Chorley on 3 September 2022. ...
John McIntyre 03/09/2022
A TPE Class 397 is about to pass under Lyons Lane road bridge on the approach to Chorley whilst working a Manchester Airport to Edinburgh service on ...
John McIntyre 15/04/2021
The Branch Line Society ran 'The Garston Growler' railtour around the north-west on 3 September 2022. 37516 is leading through Chorley with the tour ...
John McIntyre 03/09/2022
A Northern Manchester to Blackpool service approaches Chorley on the evening of 14 May 2016. Major engineering work is scheduled for every weekend and ...
John McIntyre 14/05/2016
4 of 22 images. more




A remarkable transformation has taken place at Heapey since closure of the direct Blackburn to Chorley line in 1960. The original two storey building ...
Mark Bartlett 07/09/2009
1 of 1 images.




Looking along the trackbed towards Withnell station site under a significant three arched occupation bridge on 17 February 2019. The trackbed for ...
John McIntyre 17/02/2019
A view to the south-west from the road bridge on the A675 of the former station at Withnell, now a private residence, in February 2019. The two ...
John McIntyre 17/02/2019
Withnell station closed in 1960, although goods trains from Blackburn to Chorley and Wigan continued to pass through for a further six years. The ...
Mark Bartlett 26/05/2009
3 of 3 images.


The direct line from Blackburn to Chorley closed to passengers on 4 January 1960 and, almost fifty years later, the viaduct at Feniscowles still spans ...
Mark Bartlett 04/12/2009
Housing covers much of the Chorley to Blackburn line's formation around Feniscowles, including the station site, but a bridge abutment survives next ...
Mark Bartlett 04/12/2009
2 of 2 images.


3-car 158756 comes out of the shadows as the front catches the evening sun at Cherry Tree in July 2015 with a York to Blackpool North service. ...
John McIntyre 29/07/2015
Northern 142044 arrives at Cherry Tree in July 2015 whilst on a Colne to Blackpool South service. This particular Pacer made its last revenue earning ...
John McIntyre 29/07/2015
The first Fellsman of 2022 ran on 18th May behind rebuilt West Country pacific 34046 Braunton, seen approaching Cherry Tree with the outward run. This ...
John McIntyre 18/05/2022
A Blackpool South to Colne service, operated by 150138, passes under the A674 road bridge as it enters Cherry Tree station in July 2015. To the right ...
John McIntyre 29/07/2015
4 of 12 images. more





Bryn Branch
















Boar^s Head Branch

The Mountsorrel to Carlisle New Yard loaded ballast train heads north at Boars Head Junction on the WCML, with Colas 70815 working hard on the climb ...
John McIntyre 22/02/2022
1 of 1 images.