Wigan Album

I've no idea where this is Mick, is it on it's way to Ince station?

Oh I see...The photos back to front. A mirror image!

garry the class 47 is going into wigan wallgate stn enroute to southport. nice to see the gronk in the back ground awaiting it nxt duty which if im not wrong would be the newspaper train early morning hhhmmmmmmmmmm brush sulzer

Its not back to front Gary, the car park is the car park between this line and North Western. The footbridge is the between the North West and King Street

Got it, thanks guys, apologies to Mick.

There is no way that the footbridge is between Wigan North West station and King Street.

The footbridge is a lot shorter than the original one was, the original did go right across to N.W. station. The "new" one only goes about half as far.

The photos taken from the ally way behind the shops on Wallgate, opposite the station bridge.

Tom Walsh`s 8th May 2012 Photo-a-Day shows the present footbridge, which is the same one in this photo.
Read the comments (incuding Garry`s!) for info on the footbridge preceding this one.
The cooling towers were demolished on 1st Jan.1989 and Westwood power station was demolished in Aug.1989.

Is the train taking the old goods line through Wallgate station?

The cooling towers were demolished on 15 January 1989 not the 1st.

Was the train on royal duties this day?

Joan. If any of the Royal Family were on the train, I would not have thought you would get so close, to take a photograph, unless you were an official photographer. When the royal train passed through Wigan, in the fifties, and sixties, a policeman, of the Wigan Borough Police, had to position himself near to each bridge, especially during the night time.

Mt Great Uncle John Dyke used to be a guard on the Royal train way back in the 50s.

I think the "new" bridge replaced the old one around 1983/84. I remember train spotting on the old one, near to NW.

David; You are right: the cooling towers were felled on 15th Jan.1989. I watched them fall from Church Lane in Shevington.

I and thousands of others watched the cooling towers come down from the old railway embankment at Poolstock, it was a Sunday if I remember rightly.

Albert - the practice of officers manning every bridge for the passing of the Royal train through Wigan continued into the 1980s.

So, if there were no royal family on the train; why would an empty royal train be going to Southport?

Billy. It may have been on its way to collect the Royalty, who may have been carrying out an engagement in Southport, or in a nearby locality.

Joan there was a "Royal or Royals" on board as indicated by the class 1 reporting number(1X01)However I cannot remember who. There were police around but not at this location. As a railway employee the police, especially Railway police, were not usually an issue when photographing such trains.

Mick. From your comments, am I right in coming to the conclusion, that you are a retired railway police officer?

Albert - retired Greater Manchester Police, Wigan Division. As I say, we were still taking points at railway bridges for the Royal train into the 1980s.

Albert, I retired in 2010 after 44 years railway service but at no time was I member of the Railway Police.

Mick. I should have connected with your previous comment relating to the presence of officers' at railway bridges, that you were a retired police officer. Sorry.

The cooling towers were demolished on a Sunday, we delayed the start of racing at Wigan Sailing Club to watch them coming down.

I am somewhat confused. I am getting into a bit of a tizzy-wiz, with my Michaels'. I do apologize.

On 29th June 1985 at 10 o'clock the Queen
was visiting Southport.She arrived at
Southport Station,and the Mayor
greeted her.Many people took
photographs.The Queen entered her car
and it drove down London Street.When
the Queen came from her train Colonel
Hesketh and Lady Hesketh were there.
Her Majesty was on a brief visit
because she was going to inspect
troops at Altcar.

Regarding police and the Royal Train, they must have been present on station platforms as well as bridges. I wonder if they were at all the stations along the Southport line for this train?

Around Easter 1980, I had to catch the overnight train to Scotland, which left Wigan NW around 2am for Glasgow & Edinburgh. Being a student at the time, I had to catch the last bus from Hindley into Wigan about 11.30pm, then a long, cold wait on platform 5 for the train.

Part way through this wait, a handful of bobbies appeared on the platform. I was expecting there must be some aggravation somewhere, but immediately after the Royal Train came speeding though (very distinctive coaches, even in the dark). Then the police vanished as quickly as they appeared. It was all over in a minute or two - they must have known precisely when the train was due through, and it was obviously running bang on schedule.

My journey that night was a bit less luxurious than the royals probably had. Although a sleeper train, I could only afford the sitting-up carriages. In those days it ran from Bristol to Glasgow and this night was full of Glaswegian sailors celebrating going home on leave.

Mike. A great picture, am I Ok in using it?

I was the secondman on the royal train that day. The driver was Ernie Banks of Springs Branch. We worked the train from Crewe to Southport, and then light engine to Crewe. I can confirm that the Queen and Prince Philip were on the train. They were going to visit the Southport flower show