Wigan Album

Thomas,Bickershaw Junction, Leyland Park, GC,Grammar Lodge, All these places were my playground before the War. What memories! My Grandad was a Railway man and he took me into the signal box at the iron bridge he taught me all about the signals, engines etc; and I never could pull the signal levers. Are you related to Ronnie Sutch?

Another great pic Tom.

As always, Tom, another little gem from the past
That will be the Low Hall and Hindley South lines going off to the left?

Yes Winder, the extreme left hand line went down to Low Hall, the next one went to Hindley South on the GC. Trains from Hindley arrived at the right hand signal behind the train.
Eric, Envy your childhood watching trains in those days around the junction ect.,got many memories of steam in the 50's a 60',s to keep me happy (or sad), till I get my time machine repaired. No relation to Ronnie S., by the way.

Thanks for posting this, as a child in the mid-60's I lived in Park Rd. The footbridge was part of my playground which included Leyland Park, the slag heaps in the northwest corner of the park (anyone remember the "Smokey Hills")and the slag heaps and ponds to the east of Park Rd. We were so regular at Bickershaw Junction we got to know some of the signalmen and were allowed into the box. I only ever saw a train head towards Hindley South once, that's how rarely that branch was used, I remember we were quite excited at this deviation from the normal routine of the steam trains. Just before I left Hindley in 1967 I remember quite clearly seeing a yellow fronted diesel locomotive for the first time. We saw it in the distance hauling coal from the colliery and watched with quiet fascination as it made its way towards us and under the footbridge we were standing on. The smell of the junction was of coal smoke, sulphur and tar, to the south we could see the new borstal and the marshy reed beds although we rarely ventured that way, we knew our limits. The houses in the picture we knew as "behind the park" notorious for us as kids for the tough kids who lived there although they never seemed to bother us when we hung around the junction! Happy days in a very different world.

Make us sound like hillbilly’s