Wigan Album

That bloke from Conway who goes round buying antiques would go mad for those lamps on the waiting room, and I'll bet they went in a skip.

Excuse my ignorance, but if there was a Hindley north Station, presumably there was a Hindley South. If so where was it please.

Handles South was down Liverpool Road near the Strangeways pub It was on the GC line from Wigan to Manchester.

Hindley South was on Liverpool Road a little further down than the Strangeways pub across the road.It used to be called Hindley and Platt Bridge Station.

Hindley South was down Liverpool road near to the one time Strangeways pub.

Within the old Hindley Urban District Council boundary, there were 4 passenger stations and a goods station. Hindley North, Hindley South, Platt Bridge and Hindley Green were passengers and the goods was at Amberswood on the Whelley Loop line near what used to be the Lancashire Union pub. In addition there was another passenger one just outside the boundary on Bickershaw Lane called Bickershaw and Abram station.

Nostalgic photograph. Just under the bridge from where this was taken from, is the junction for the Pemberton Loop. The expresses from Yorkshire would take this route avoiding Wigan Wallgate. To the right of the picture the fast lines have been lifted. I would guess that this was the early seventies with the old LMS Hindley North station sign still clearly visible.

One thing that is missing from today's view, loads of litter on the track...

You're right Jarvo, early 1970s. The Pemberton line closed in 1969 and lifted by 1971.

I remember Hindley Station being just like this when I used to go train-spotting there as a young lad with my mate. The bloke in the ticket office used to let us go onto the platform "so long as you behave yourselves." This was in 1971, so if I had to guess I'd say the picture is 1970 or 71.

The building on the Wigan platform was a waiting room with a big wooden table in the middle (probably be worth a bit as an antique these days) and leather upholstered bench seats around the walls. The seats had been slashed here and there, and there was a bit of graffiti on the walls, of the "MUFC OK" and "Trevor Luvs Tracey" type, but this was before spray paints and marker pens, so not too intrusive really.

On a nice day we'd sit on that bench under the "Hindley North" sign, legs swinging. If it wasn't so nice, there was that wide and extensive canopy on the Manchester platform which would keep you dry, no problems. The station still had gas lights (about the only other place I ever saw these was Wallgate station) which hissed away day and night, and mechanical semaphore signals which went up to warn you a train was due.

Trains through Hindley, whether stoppers or expresses, were few and far between back then compared to now, and other passengers using the station even rarer. I think the man in the ticket office had an easy life. The few trains we did see were all boring blue DMUs and pretty much the same ones shuttling up and down between Liverpool Exchange and Bolton with the occasional non-stop marked Southport. Makes me wonder why we bothered going - just a quiet place for a couple of lads to hang about and talk rubbish, I suppose. Less chance of getting into trouble than on a street corner or supermarket carpark too.

They could have made that disused track-bed into a road if the powers that be had their head screwed on. Pemberton to Crow Nest Junction, would have taken thousands of vehicles off the Wigan, Ince and Hindley roads.

its probably after the pemberton loop line track was lifted circa 1971.wonder why they did not keep the fast line and used the slewed slow lines.

Because Baker, the Pemberton line didn't go to Ince and Wallgate Stations, simple as that... "THATS WHY IT WAS CALLED THE FAST LINES" it cut the two stations out to save time.

Too right Baker and English! Though, I remember back in the summer of 71 standing on the express platform. My friend and myself waiting for a train to Wigan, we got on there. It stopped on the now disused line. Remember going in the old waiting rooms etc. Must have lifted the direct lines following this? Also, think they have kept lines open until Whelley Loop was dismantled. Friend of mine caught a train to Blackpool from Hindley in 1972. Any use?

I know all about the pemberton loop line,i lived against it for twenty years.

Well then Baker, you've answered you own question. It didn't make sense anyway.

I think what Baker is on about GARRY!!, is this.....
After the FAST lines were taken out of use, why weren't they just converted in some way to become the new main lines by slewing over the layout from where they are now? . . .
I.E disconnect the slow lines & then slew at Crow Nest & Hindley no3 (site of) so that through Hindley they would just use the fast line trackbed instead, to create what would have been a much straighter run through Hindley station, instead of the present (& curved) 50MPH PSR former slow lines that we have today.
It wouldn't have been really too hard to do at the time, as it has also been done at various other places on the Atherton line over the years, to ease curvature in places (& in some instances just to use the best bits of track that were left over after dequadrification).
Had the FAST line trackbed been used from Crow Nest to where the "Pemberton Loop" once branched off, it certainly would have given a much straighter through run through Hindley (North) Station.
It really wouldn't have taken all that much work to do about 2 relatively short slews at either end (one on the Hindley side of Crow Nest Jct & the other near to the A577 Manchester Road bridge) to disconnect the slow lines & marry up the FAST lines instead to make the FAST lines the main lines & thus dispense with the curved slow line formation altogether at Hindley.
Indeed, the present railway between Ince & Hindley does actually use the FAST line trackbed (for a short distance close to where Hindley No3 jct once was) & where the line goes over the A577 Manchester Road.
Where the line comes in from the Ince direction it was slewed right over onto the FAST line trackbed in the mid 1980s to "ease" the curve at that point when the new steel bridge was put in, as well as the track levels cantage & superelevation set for a 50MPH PSR.
After the line passed over the new A577 bridge it was then slewed back over to the old slow lines formation.
Had the FAST line trackbed been used through Hindley station it would have also meant that one of the station's footbridge spans at Hindley could have been dispensed with too (the one over the slow lines).
Thus.. removing also a future maintenance liability.
Judging by your comments on here, you are obviously a real expert GARRY..I am surprised that you didn't know all this. Tut Tut.
For example...
Between Crow Nest & Dobb Brow/Daisy Hill the FAST line trackbed has also been used.
At Atherton there has been some slewing to create what is now an an "Island" platform formation (with the necessary track cantage & superelevations set).
The Atherton line also has been slewed over to use the FAST line trackbed between Walkden & Moorside stations (at a point where the M60 motorway passes over the line) & incidentally is also the point where the Us/Ds/Uf/Df water troughs used to be.
THAT! is what baker seems to be on about!
From an old retired PWSS ES & PICOP

I'm really surprised you didn't know all this :-) ...LOL

Well I'm not surprised at all. It's all about cost. Yes they did move the track over on the new Manchester rd bridge only because the old steel bridge and abutment was falling down. The Pemberton line steel bridge that carried the line over the Whelley railway line nr De-Trafford Junction Was also corroded and would need replacing. It's just not worth the enormous cost just for a few more MPH from Crow Nest to Ince park. You have to look at the whole picture. I would have thought you'd have known that!

Garry - 'the powers that be' did have their heads screwed on. A link from the M6/M58 junction to the M61, called the A5225, would have used the line of the Pemberton Loop as far as Hindley. This was in the post-war roads master plan, and was still on the cards in some form until the houses bought up to make way for it were released by the Government a few years ago. Wigan Council is still trying to get the road built in some form, even if bit by bit, and parts of the Pemberton Loop are still earmarked for the route. You see articles about the rows the route is stirring up in the local press quite regularly - the latest being about it being built close to a new housing estate at Goose Green.

I think the then British Railways would have done so, if it was worth their while. Electrification starts in 2007.Things may change.

It wasn't a steel bridge (the old one).
It was originally a wrought iron one...didn't you know Garry?.
Ha, think I'm touching a nerve here...

Looks like I'm right again, otherwise they'd had altered the line. But like I say, BR at that time didn't think it was worth the time and cost.

I can't help but secretly love Garry in a way.
He might act a total moron, he might portray himself on here as a semi literate 5 star industrial strength weapons grade time served idiot at times.
He might be an expert on just about everything, he might be a legend in his own mind, he might even be dangerous with a dustpan & brush.
He might often be abrasive, ill informed, rude, insensitive, hurtful, & downright incorrect sometimes.
But he is certainly entertaining a times & I don't think that he is a bad person at heart.
If anything & in a strange way I sometimes look forward to reading his odd comments on here as they often make me smile.
(& that can't be a bad thing is this day & age,to make someone smile).
I certainly have no real desire or indeed time to argue with what appears to be a semi literate professional idiot, as I would just get dragged down to his level....then beaten with his vast experience.
Even Garry is entitled to his view...even when it may be wrong.
So at this festive time I will just take this opportunity to "shower" Garry with the most heartfelt feelings of peace & love, peace & love, peace & love, remember only love can conquer hate my friend so have some peace & love from me.

So you keep up the good work Garry....& remember I am now forever showering you with heartfelt peace & love, peace & love old friend, peace & love.....MmmwwwaaaaaaH XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

All the best & have a good Christmas.
Merry Christmas to all on Wigan World (& a special portion of peace & love to dear old Garry).
Peace & Love to you.... :-)
MWAAAH.
From cup cake Kenny X

I can't for the life of me think what Garry's done wrong with HIS comments???? Everyone got their own views on all topics on here that's why it's so good. Kenneth, quite a few times you say Garry's an idiot in your comments..he's semi literate, abrasive ill informed, insensitive hurtful downright incorrect and so on. Then on the other side of the coin, you love Garry, he make you smile and keep up the good work.....Well I for one love to read Garry's views on all subjects on here. All the best Garry x.
Some folk on here need to take a look at themselves before judging other people.

Thank you Ann. It's water off a ducks back to me. Kenneth seems to have some good valid points to be fair to him.
I'm not feeling too well today, its that time of year I suppose. All the best.

Well said, Ann.

Ann,I only really mean't have a bit of, well,... I suppose banter with Garry.
Calm down Ann, I won't do it again. :-)
Garry, sorry if it wound thee up, I was only messing about & I'm honestly sorry you are under the weather, so get well soon.
& I do mean that.
I won't muck about again.
Seriously though, speaking of being ill, I'm just getting over shingles..they were bad, in fact Agony!.
I still sometimes get the burning pinching pain that keeps me up & disrupts my sleep.
I just can't seem to fight the off bugs & illnesses like I could when i was younger & these days it seems to take twice as long to shake something off.
It makes you wonder if all the germs/viruses are getting tougher.
It certainly seems to me like more & more people are becoming ill these days....& staying ill for longer too.

I have been annoyed,insulted and wound up by comments made by Garry in the past but I too now enjoy readings his comments.Garry is like a leopard and he will never change his spots.So when you are feeling better,and I hope it is soon,get back on your keyboard and keep posting.I wish you and everyone on P-A-D a very Happy Christmas

Garry.my last comment was intended for you,all the best

And all the very best to you Pw. Sorry but I'm a little weak at the moment!

garry how far is it between Hindley station and said old bridge,half a mile .the correction would have been much more subtle than the Hindley slew.by the way garry the old ince bridge only started to crumble circa mid eighties.
the new road to westhoughton might have used the same bridge or a widened version.
by the way,are you the same garry that could not distinguish between a class 40 and 45

Anyone else think that railway track looks something like a jacobs ladder frenum body piercing?

Before you answer Baker Boy Garry, let him learn how to talk to you properly or don't even answer to him at all, his grammar is awful.

No Dp.

alan ?grammar ?