Wigan Album

We can all see because of the bridge and buildings on Wallgate, that electrification of this Bolton to Southport line at Wigan would be a massive task indeed.

What a sad photograph. The refurbishment on the platforms ruined a great L&Y station. The goods loops are now gone and so is the character. Progress? Never!

While the litter-strewn area between the high wall and the train, and the cold cheerless area at bottom right strengthen Jarvo's description of this scene, perhaps the seemingly discarded toy meerkat on the roof could provide 'some sort' of cheer.

Horrible train.

Was there a Club on the top story of the station building at one time?

DTease.
There had been a club upstairs, but I dont' know what its name was - I believe The Ladybirds had appeared there.

Railway Club.

DTease, the room over the station was also an antiques centre for a time in the early 1980's.

Some rooms above Wigan Wallgate Station were used by the
Wigan & District Model Railway Society in the mid1970s,
they later moved to a disused pub in Foundry Lane, Pemberton for a number of years. After club meetings on
Tuesdays and Thursdays, it was usual for some members to
assemble in the Railway Inn, opposite Pemberton Station,
to talk about model railways, and have a beer or two.

A,W,/Ray, I only went to the club once. I think it was for a birthday do or an engagement do.
I never knew that it had been used for other things as well. Just goes to show you learn something every day on wiganworld.

Arthur is right, it was the Railway social club before the new one was opened off Barnsley St in the 60s

I didn't even know there was a building on top of the building! I would loved to have gone inside it...makes me feel 'deprived' not to have known!

It looks a nice station from this angle. Although whenever I have embarked or disembarked on rail travel at Wallgate, I have always experienced it to be a rather disappointing station.

Believe it or not Stan it wouldn't be all that hard to electrify beneath Wallgate.
A simple solution would be to lower the track/lay slab track & lower the platforms (as has recently been done last year at Poulton Le Fylde)...on the Blackpool electrification scheme.
There's always an engineering solution Stan.