Wigan Album

What an excellent photograph.

Great photo, Stephen. Black five number 44873 MT 4-6-0 Built in March 1947 at Crewe, withdrawn in Nov 1967 and disposed in March 1968. The last shed was indeed 10A Wigan Springs Branch.
Liverpool Exchange Station on Tithebarn street closed in 1977.

Atmospheric photograph showing a time on our history when the railways and the locomotives that ran on them, were driven by men of character and skill. A million miles away from the journeys of today with the empty silences only broken by the beeps of mobile phones from the passengers unable to communicate with each other...

Great photo, very clear.

Colin I think Liverpool Ex closed in 1971 when the Pemberton line was lifted.

Shame. That engine was only 20 years old according to colin.

Wow, you feel you could reach out and touch it. Fantastic photo. Seems almost too good to have been taken back then.

Jimmy frears & Jimmy poole

Garry the Pemberton loop line from Hindley closed in 1969, then lifted in 1971. You could still get to Liverpool Exchange via Wallgate. The line from Hindley to Pemberton was just a direct route to L/pool Ex.

Dave Oy would be proud of this photo.

Question for jmjh. Did you work at the branch my friend, or were you acquainted with these two gents on a social basis ? Just curious.

Regards. Ozy.

The engine was probably built in 1937. And the Springs Branch shedcode for 1967, was 8F.

There's a superb radio-controlled scale model of it - see it working at nearby Worden Park:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5gBHUCQSCM

This engine was built at Crewe Works in March 1945 and was indeed withdrawn from 8F Springs Branch in Dec 1967 having been based there since July 1965. Liverpool Exchange was closed on April 29th 1977 when the line under Liverpool city centre to Liverpool Central opened. Trains from Wigan initially turned back at Sandhills and later Kirkby because diesel trains were not allowed in the tunnels.

springs branch shed was 8F. wigan shed prescot st was 27D?

My Dad, Ernie Morris would have loved this photo. He was a goods Guard & really loved doing it. Using his "special" tickets we went all over the country by train. He was based at Springs Branch.

Colin Harlow
I am not trying to be pedantic in anyway, but starting in September 1970 I used to walk to school along the old Pemberton Loop Line trackbed, from Goose Green to Highfield and by that time the track had been lifted, although all the ballast still remained in place and under Little Lane bridge, where the two lines merged, by September 1970 the points had been removed and two bridge supports inserted under the bridge, in exactly the place where the Loop Line had veered off towards Westwood.

The signal box near Pemberton Station had been demolished too, there being no trace of it left at all.

Not only men of character and skill but also men with a nice attitude and plesant demeanour, unless the arrogant sort they are today with an attitude problem thinking their Hitler. Too much pushing people around today and people in an official capacity treating you as though you're up to no good. Turnstiles everywhere and night club bouncer guards ordering you about. Britain has become very police state authoritarian like now, with more cameras per sq foot. On Northern Rail trains now I've noticed they have little peep holes in the drivers doors - whats all that about?. Everything's about security and safety these days.

After 9/11 the whole world changed. We CANNOT compromise safety and security, hence the dreadful peep holes.

Ozymandias, ive worked on the railway from 16 so know a few people. But my dad worked at the branch from 1960 & worked with both men.

10f wigan branch.

Thanks for the reply jmjh, my reason for asking, apart from idle curiosity, is the fact that my late brother worked at Springs Branch for close on forty years. Starting as a cleaner from leaving school in 1956, he worked his way up through the various grades, eventually becoming a mainline driver. No doubt he would have known these two lads, your father as well possibly. My brother was a bit of a ' one off ' to be honest, and was known to all at the branch as Jimmy Lonesome, due to the fact that he was something of a loner. Ill health forced his early departure from the railway, I forget precisely when. In all honesty, he never really came to terms with having to leave the job, right up until he died 3 years ago. Isn't it a sad fact of this life that we never really appreciate what we have, until we no longer have it ?

All the best mate. Regards. Ozy.

My grandfather was a engine driver who work at springs branch up to the early 60s, I often wonder when seeing photographs of steam trains around Wigan if he might be the driver, sadly no photos seem to be around of him at his engine. I don't have much information about his engine or routes he had but if by any chance his name might be recognised it was John Haliwell from Bradshaw St Shelly.

Liverpool Exchange station closed on the 30th April 1977 in connection with the opening of the new station at Moorfields
The Pemberton loop line from Pemberton Junction to Hindley no3 did indeed close in 1969,
Monday the 14th July 1969 to be precise

Springs Branch was 8F.

Springs Branch Shed was 10A 1950-1958, later became 8F.
My mistake.

The driver is Fred Wilcock, the fireman is Jimmy Poole. I worked with both men for many years. Regarding Jimmy Heaton he rode with me from Garswood to Springs Branch on his last day on the railway.

Thanks for that bit of information Tony. If you knew my brother, then you'll no doubt be familiar with the script. No explanation necessary I presume.

Regards. Ozy.

the pemb loop line was built to alleviate going past the very very busy wallgate station.aspinall's flyers used the loop line to cut the time taken between Manchester exchange and Liverpool exchange,so keeping competitive with the gcr and lnwr railways with this lucrative trade.

The Pemberton line could knock 10 mins off the journey time. Really the line should have been called the Hindley to Goose Green line, it had little to do with Pemberton.

Garry: It did rejoin the main line at Pemberton Junction thus making it relevant to Pemberton Station. I get your point with reference to Goose Green, but it only passed through Goose Green and was the next link from Hindley to Pemberton.