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Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan



Wigan Album

Railway

18 Comments

Passenger train
Passenger train
Photo: Thomas Sutch
Views: 41,446
Item #: 10681
Afternoon train from Wigan North Western to Manchester Exchange between Platt Bridge and Bickershaw Junction in 1964. The lines in the foreground went down to Low Hall colliery( Moss Hall ) in Platt Bridge from Bickershaw Junction.

Comment by: John B on 10th May 2009 at 13:12

Nice pic Thomas

Comment by: Dennis Miller on 11th May 2009 at 05:32

Would that be Liverpool Road in the distant background?

Comment by: John Jarvis on 11th May 2009 at 07:16

What a wonderful photograph. Brings back memories of just gettin' on mi bike and heading for the railway to escape...
Can't do that thses days...there's no railway to escape to....Sad...

Comment by: Tom on 11th May 2009 at 09:29

Yes Dennis,Sammys flood just behind the engine, and Liverpool Road running along the background,Westwood power station's cooling towers right background.

Comment by: Tom on 11th May 2009 at 09:41

Sorry, left background ( cooling towers )

Comment by: tony on 11th May 2009 at 21:31

This is just something else! A life gone by, mores the pity! Not even a tower block not seen towards Scholes! What lovely days!!!

Comment by: John Jarvis on 12th May 2009 at 08:00

You could write a poem about this picture...Heaven, pure heaven...

Comment by: geoff on 12th May 2009 at 21:56

another very good photo,great composition.i reckon that engine is exactly in the centre.black&white as well,perfect!.

Comment by: Eric Turner on 13th May 2009 at 19:46

Is the number of viewers correct? At5532 is this a record for such a short time, or has it been on before? E.T.

Comment by: Dennis Miller on 16th May 2009 at 05:44

I have just noticed the large waterpipe that used to run towards The Strangeways... it is along the top edge of the flat field just over the line.

I never had any clue as to what it was about, but I can remember we used to walk along it as kids.

Comment by: jim holding on 16th May 2009 at 21:55

Is that eric turner who used to live at the bottom of Birkett Bank,,,next to Bibbys Office??

Comment by: Eric Turner on 22nd May 2009 at 13:42

Sorry, No Jim.I was born at 71 Lord Street, Hindley,in 1928 close to the Drill hall,then lived in Park Road Hindley, before going into the Army. E.T.

Comment by: Eric Turner on 27th May 2009 at 09:55

Hi, Dennis. Yes that big black pipeline was walked along by me also. We went that way to Springs Branch when collecting "Namers". This was during the War and we had to carry our gas masks, when we went along this pipe, the wat er alongside used to stink and we put our masks on. I also walked along the footpath you can see along the fence from right to left then it went under the railway in the distance and came out near St Nathaniel's. These photo's seem to have more viewers than any others Thomas. E.T.

Comment by: Alan Darbyshire on 19th July 2010 at 19:58

great photo tom, brings back loads of memories of playing care free in the late 60's without adult supervision. Just went out for the day and returned for tea. Yes i remember the black pipe i think all the children walked along it, even though it had a footpath made from huge yorkshire stones flags running adjacent to it. Wonder if those flags are still around be worth a small fortune these days.

Comment by: geoff k on 21st July 2010 at 02:14

The side of the Raft Lodge flash is just visible midway up the left side, big perch! Photo must have been taken from the slag heap, behind camera would be the bay on the GC flash caused by the WW2 bomb.

Comment by: Lumper on 12th March 2013 at 11:10

The black pipe was a sewer pipe.It carried sewage to platt bridge sewerage works I think it still does

Comment by: Lumper on 20th March 2013 at 11:14

If you fished on the side shown in the photo it was very weedy but if you fished in the weeds with a lob worm you did catch lots of big perch.The bank opposite this was railway track where you caught carp roach and hybrids using bread punch.When it was netted prior to it being filled I was surprised at the number of big pike caught.These waters were filled in to landscape the area.What a complete waste this was .they would be worth a fortune as fisheries.t

Comment by: Derek rudd on 12th October 2015 at 17:36

I can remember hearing the coal wagons being on this part of the line from 1983 until the late 80's. The line was already gone from Bickershaw junction heading towards Hindley Green long before that and only went off to Bickershaw colliery.

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