Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 28th May, 2021)

Is this the station that trains run to Daisy Hill.

Well some things don't change in Wigan.
Looks like the Station I knew as a child.

As a little lad, I used to get so excited about going to Southport on the train with my family back in the fifties. Steam trains of course. Cadbury chocolate bars at 6d each in a machine on the platform. My mum had a bag of sandwiches and flask of tea which I used to love to watch her making at home. This was part of the excitement, then catching the bus from Pemberton to Wigan. Walking through Southport from the station to the beach...ah...happy days indeed. Great photo, Dennis. Keep 'em coming.

The canopy is very much in its pre war glory. From 1939 to the end of the 60s the paintwork was hardly touched and repairs minimal.
There used to be a Southport - Manchester Victoria fast train, about 8.10 from Wigan, first stop Salford (Salford Central today) which travelled at 75mph past Crow Nest, Daisy Hill, Atherton etc arriving before 8.45.
I remember the chocolate machine Fred - the bars seemed to taste better from there.
Wigan Wallgate was always a busy station. Not only for Southport, Manchester, but also Liverpool Exchange for Ireland, Isle of Man connections.

Always known as 'Southport Station' to me never by its correct name. Same with
'Blackpool Station' across the road. That was the limit of travel in the fifties as far as I was concerned. The only variance once, was going to New Brighton but that too was from
' Southport Station'! What a narrow world then compared to now, but, I wasn't aware it was because there was freedom in rambling around the locality and that was everything then.

Fred,it could be me writing your comment,I think we have the same memories of growing up..a loving family having a great time at Southport...who could wish for more.
And Elizabeth,I can see you coming from the station soon to set off on our meet ups.
Great photo Dennis

Love this photo. It does indeed bring back memories of childhood visits to Southport.

Used to be a cigarette machine in the booking hall.Wouldn't last five minutes these days

Dolly dear, my friend Geoff used to catch the train to get from Hindley to Wigan in the 1960s when he was a new young reporter on the Wigan Observer and he tells me the buffet was exactly like the one in Brief Encounter and he would buy an cup of steaming Oxo whilst waiting for the train home on cold Winter evenings. I must say I often enjoy a cup of Oxo myself. I'm sure there used to be a little machine where you could punch out your name on a strip of metal for sixpence. There is still an excitement about going down the steps onto the platforms...one platform for the Southport train and one for the Manchester train. There is just "something" about old railway stations that I love.

Irene I once spotted your very dear friend Geoff catching the actual train

See him here on this historical video @1.18.

https://youtu.be/IZU7g4PLz7U

The fact that Shevington has it's own station on this line is living proof that it really is an important village.

Mick MOST trains to Manchester leave fom Wigan North Western station

Yes Maureen,I know,and let's hope we soon can resume our meet ups.Lovely memories of going to Southport,to the 'Peter Pan' area and signs with 'jugs of tea for the sands'.

I'm glad someone mentioned Manchester , I wasn't sure about which station a train to Manchester went from....so it was Wallgate. My sister & I went from there to Piccadilly (?) with my mother, she then saw us off to Buxton on another train.
On one of the journeys we made there had been a landslip on the Buxton line & our train was held up for hours, it got dark, no lights ,no mobile phones to let someone know what had happened....I was 7yrs, my sister 4yrs older. A scary journey.

Mick, I can't click on your link and have tried putting the numbers and letters shown in to youtube manually with no luck. Can you tell me what to put into youtube search please, in words, eg "trains to Manchester" or"old footage of Wigan trains" or something similar. The numbers/letters link is bringing up nothing. Maybe it would work if I had computer access by phone but I don't. I only have a laptop. Thankyou.

ps, Mick....surely your local station is called Gathurst, not Shevington?

Helen - up to 1964 you could have gone to Manchester Central from Wigan Central (on Station Road, near the Ritz) and trains to Buxton did leave Manchester Central for Buxton.
Wigan Central is long gone, Manchester Central closed in 1969 and was dilapidated for years before becoming the GMex Centre.

Well I have never seen any trains to Shangri- La on 'Southport ' Station. Irene, I remember the cafe at the station in the fifties/ sixties and the windows always seemed to be steamed up, the waiting rooms were very shabby with leathery bench seats and fireplaces. It wasn't a cosy cafe either with bath buns on the counter under glass domes. There might have been some curled up BRitish Rail butties however. Although there was certainly 6p bars of chocolate. I do remember gentlemen in gaberdine macs and trilbys - but they weren't GP's. with cut glass accents..and a big handy handkerchief..;-))

One is SO disappointed to hear that, Dolly dear. No good getting something in our eye on Wallgate Station then! Knowing our luck, we'd probably get somebody with a mucky hanky and a neck to match! We'll just have to settle for a tenpenny brandy (or twelve!), dear. Cheers! xxx

Looks nice after refurbishment. Lots of memories already written about.

Irene, sorry I wasnt here to help, because Ive only just returned for a car ride to Southport, but maybe its because your not a a computer, but here is another link, and another with some more videos of Wallgate station

https://youtu.be/IZU7g4PLz7U

More here https://www.youtube.com/user/singaporemick/search?query=%27mick%20byrne%27%20wallgate%20station

Now Im going to saddle up and have a quick spin around Parbold via the canal bank.

What planet is that Mick on???? Important village my a@@e as Ricky Tomlinson used to say ! Bathurst has a station,Shevington does not.

I've found a series of your Wallgate Station films on youtube Mick, but haven't seen any with Geoff on. Can you give me a title or a date for that particular film? The links are not working at all. Thankyou.

Mick, just a point, where does Shevington end and Gathurst start ?

Irene

If you "block" the link (ie you go to the beginning or end and just rune the cursor over the link using your mouse) you should find a little text box opens up above it saying Go to web address. You just click on that and it will open. Assuming we are talking about Geoffrey Shryhane I thought I saw him sitting on the train at 1.01 on Micks video.

PS I also remember the chocolate machine and the machine you could stamp letters on as well as the newsagents which faced the stairs as you went down. Many happy memories of going to Southport with Mum and Dad and in later years coming back with mates from nights out in Manchester. Its also a touch bitter sweet for me because I left Wigan in 1970 from that very same platform to Manchester to go off to college and never really went back.

Thankyou Carolaen. I am signing off for today but will try that tomorrow. Goodnight everyone. xx

It certainly brings back memories for me. I attended Thornleigh College in Bolton for four years. Travelling every day from Wigan Wallgate Station.

I can honestly say that I've never, ever, got on or off a train at Wallgate station. That's what you get when you live your entire life in Hindley.
You can count on one hand the number of times I've ever used Hindley station too.

I have used the station more in the last 10 years of retirement than I ever did in my earlier life. At least twice a week before lockdown. Rather the train than buses any day.

Yes Veronica,me too.Loads quicker.

I wish Beeching had never go rid of the trains and little stations. There's used to be trains to every destination. I count my self lucky Elizabeth living near a station.

I know Veronica,I agree,I think that every time I go to Keswick which had a station before Beeching's 'axe' ! Like you also I live very close to a rail station,so handy as I'm not a driver.