Wigan Album

another stupid closure,by the worlds finest brain beeching.

I think Ernest Marples was more to blame than Dr Beeching

Marples had his own company, they built motorways!
Nothing else needs to be said.

My family always talked about the severe winter of 1947 when a train was stuck in a snowdrift here and was freed after a couple of days. Transport ground to a halt due to the deep drifts in the Wigan area. (I was 18 months old at the time). It was similar to January 29th 1940 which was also a severe winter with no trains or buses running on that day. Boars Head station was closed in 1947.

I lived just down the road from Boars Head. This pic reminds me of the time that the steam trains used to set fire to the embankment as you can see in this photo

Oops! meant say the station closed in 1949 not @47. I can also remember the embankments being set alight during the late 50's.

This train was coming FROM Blackburn. It's on the Up line.

The line branching off to the right must be the Lancashire Union Railway line to Blackburn.
Next stop Red Rock and then White Bear (Adlington).

There should be a station at Boars Head or Standish now, the population of Standish has doubled in the last 10-15 years..
But the people who make these decisions have decided to put a station in Golborne which has had very little development compared to Standish!!
Unbelievable really!!

Does anyone have a photo of the railway line going through the tunnel at red rock ,I can't find one anywhere?