Liverpool and Manchester Railway

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway[1][2][3] (L&MR)

Liverpool and Manchester
was the first inter-city railway in the world.[4][i] It opened on
15 September 1830 between the Lancashire towns of Railway
Liverpool and Manchester in England.[4] It was also the first
railway to rely exclusively on locomotives driven by steam
power, with no horse-drawn traffic permitted at any time; the
first to be entirely double track throughout its length; the first to
have a true signalling system; the first to be fully timetabled;
and the first to carry mail.[5]

Trains were hauled by company steam locomotives between

the two towns, though private wagons and carriages were
allowed. Cable haulage of freight trains was down the steeply-
graded 1.26-mile (2.03 km) Wapping Tunnel to Liverpool
A lithograph of the Liverpool and
Docks from Edge Hill junction. The railway was primarily
built to provide faster transport of raw materials, finished Manchester Railway crossing the
goods, and passengers between the Port of Liverpool and the Bridgewater Canal at Patricroft, by A. B.
cotton mills and factories of Manchester and surrounding Clayton.
towns. Overview

Designed and built by George Stephenson, the line was Headquarters Liverpool
financially successful, and influenced the development of Locale Lancashire
railways across Britain in the 1830s. In 1845 the railway was
Dates of 1830–1845
absorbed by its principal business partner, the Grand Junction
operation
Railway (GJR), which in turn amalgamated the following year
with the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester Successor Grand Junction
and Birmingham Railway to form the London and North Railway
Western Railway.[6] Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 81⁄2 in
History (1,435 mm)
standard gauge
Length 31 miles (50 km)
Background
Liverpool and
Manchester Railway

1830–1845
Liverpool
Crown Street
Crown Street Tunnel & incline
Wapping goods
later Park Lane goods
Wapping Tunnel & incline
Illustration of the railway in 1830 Lime Street
Lime Street Tunnel & incline
During the Industrial Revolution, huge Edge Hill (original)
tonnages of raw material were imported Edge Hill (new)
through Liverpool and carried to the Edge Hill railway works
textile mills near the Pennines where Wavertree Lane
water, and later steam power, enabled the Olive Mount cutting
production of the finished cloth, much of Broad Green
which was then transported back to Roby
Liverpool for export.[7][8] The existing Huyton
means of water transport, the Mersey and Colliery line
Irwell Navigation, the Bridgewater Canal Huyton Quarry
and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, dated Rainhill Skew Bridge
from the 18th century, and were felt to be
Rainhill
making excessive profits from the cotton
Lea Green
trade and throttling the growth of
St Helens & Runcorn Gap Rly
Manchester and other towns.[9][10] Goods
St Helens Junction
were transported between Liverpool and
Collins Green
the factories around Manchester either by Sankey Viaduct over
the canals or by poor-quality roads; the Sankey Brook & Sankey Canal
Turnpike between Liverpool and Earlestown
Manchester was described as "crooked Warrington & Newton Rly
and rough" with an "infamous" Newton Bridge
surface.[10] Road accidents were frequent, Parkside (original)
including waggons and coaches Wigan Branch Railway
overturning, which made goods traffic Parkside (new)
problematic.[11] Kenyon cutting
Kenyon Junction
The proposed railway was intended to Kenyon & Leigh Junction Rly
achieve cheap transport of raw materials, Bury Lane
finished goods and passengers between Flow Moss
the Port of Liverpool and east Lancashire, Chat Moss embankment
in the port's hinterland. There was support Astley
for the railway from both Liverpool and Lamb's Cottage
London but Manchester was largely Barton Moss
indifferent and opposition came from the Bridgewater Canal
canal operators and the two local Patricroft
landowners, the Earl of Derby and the Eccles
Earl of Sefton, over whose land the Gortons Buildings
railway would cross.[9][12] Cross Lane
Ordsall Lane
The proposed Liverpool and Manchester
Railway was to be one of the earliest land-
based public transport systems not using River Irwell
animal traction power. Before then, public Liverpool Road
railways had been horse-drawn, including Victoria
the Lake Lock Rail Road (1796),[13] Lancashire & Yorkshire Rly
Surrey Iron Railway (1801) and the
Oystermouth Railway near Swansea Manchester
(1807).[14]
Line & stations shown as of 1845

Formation
 The original promoters are usually acknowledged to be Joseph
Sandars, a rich Liverpool corn merchant, and John Kennedy, owner
of the largest spinning mill in Manchester. They were influenced by
William James.[15][16][17] James was a land surveyor who had
made a fortune in property speculation. He advocated a national
network of railways, based on what he had seen of the development
of colliery lines and locomotive technology in the north of
England.[18]

A replica LMR coach and Rocket at The Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company was founded on
the Rocket 150 event 20 May 1824.[19] It was established by Henry Booth, who became
its secretary and treasurer, along with merchants from Liverpool and
Manchester. Charles Lawrence was the Chairman, Lister Ellis,
Robert Gladstone, John Moss and Joseph Sandars were the Deputy Chairmen.[20]

A bill was drafted in 1825 to Parliament, which included a 1-inch to the mile map of the railway's route.[21]
The first bill was rejected but the second passed in May the following year.[22] In Liverpool 172 people
bought 1,979 shares, in London 96 took 844, Manchester 15 with 124, 24 others with 286. The Marquess
of Stafford held 1,000, making 308 shareholders with 4,233 shares.

Survey and authorisation

Stephenson's viaduct crosses the
Sankey Brook, and the remains of
the Sankey Canal. The viaduct is in
use to this day.
The first survey for the line was carried out by James in 1822. The
route was roughly the same as what was built, but the committee
were unaware of exactly what land had been surveyed. James
subsequently declared bankruptcy and was imprisoned that
November. The committee lost confidence in his ability to plan and
build the line[23] and, in June 1824, George Stephenson was
appointed principal engineer.[24] As well as objections to the
proposed route by Lords Sefton and Derby, Robert Haldane
Bradshaw, a trustee of the Duke of Bridgewater's estate at Worsley,
refused any access to land owned by the Bridgewater Trustees and
Stephenson had difficulty producing a satisfactory survey of the
proposed route and accepted James' original plans with spot
checks.[25][24]

The survey was presented to Parliament on 8 February 1825,[26] but was shown to be inaccurate. Francis
Giles suggested that putting the railway through Chat Moss was a serious error and the total cost of the line
would be around £200,000 instead of the £40,000 quoted by Stephenson.[27] Stephenson was cross
examined by the opposing counsel led by Edward Hall Alderson and his lack of suitable figures and
understanding of the work came to light. When asked, he was unable to specify the levels of the track and
how he calculated the cost of major structures such as the Irwell Viaduct. The bill was thrown out on 31
May.[28][29]

In place of George Stephenson, the railway promoters appointed George and John Rennie as engineers,
who chose Charles Blacker Vignoles as their surveyor.[30] They set out to placate the canal interests and
had the good fortune to approach the marquess directly through their counsel, W. G. Adam, who was a
relative of one of the trustees, and the support of William Huskisson who knew the marquess personally.[31]
Implacable opposition to the line changed to financial support.[32]
The second Bill received Royal assent on 5 May 1826.[33] The railway route ran on a significantly different
alignment, south of Stephenson's, avoiding properties owned by opponents of the previous Bill. From
Huyton the route ran directly east through Parr Moss, Newton, Chat Moss and Eccles. In Liverpool, the
route included a 1.25-mile (2.01 km) tunnel from Edge Hill to the docks, avoiding crossing any streets at
ground level.[32] It was intended to place the Manchester terminus on the Salford side of the River Irwell,
but the Mersey and Irwell Navigation withdrew their opposition to a crossing of the river at the last moment
in return for access for their carts over the intended railway bridge. The Manchester station was therefore
fixed at Liverpool Road in Castlefield.[34]

Construction

The first contracts for draining Chat Moss were let in June 1826.
The Rennies insisted that the company should appoint a resident
engineer, recommending either Josias Jessop or Thomas Telford,
but would not consider George Stephenson except in an advisory
capacity for locomotive design.[35] The board rejected their terms
and re-appointed Stephenson as engineer with his assistant Joseph
Locke.[36] Stephenson clashed with Vignoles, leading to the latter
resigning as resident Surveyor.[37]

View of the Railway across Chat The line was 31-mile (50 km) long.[38] Management was split into
Moss, 1831 three sections. The western end was run by Locke, the middle
section by William Allcard and the eastern section including Chat
Moss, by John Dixon.[39] The track began at the 2,250-yard
(2.06 km) Wapping Tunnel beneath Liverpool from the south end of Liverpool Docks to Edge Hill.[40] It
was the world's first tunnel to be bored under a metropolis.[41] Following this was a 2-mile (3 km) long
cutting up to 70 feet (21 m) deep through rock at Olive Mount,[42] and a 712-foot (217 m) nine-arch
viaduct, each arch of 50 feet (15 m) span and around 60 feet (18 m) high) over the Sankey Brook
valley.[43]

The railway included the 43 ⁄4 -mile (7.6 km) crossing of Chat Moss. It was found impossible to drain the
bog and so the engineers used a design from Robert Stannard, steward for William Roscoe, that used
wrought iron rails supported by timber in a herring bone layout.[44] About 70,000 cubic feet (2,000 m3 ) of
spoil was dropped into the bog; at Blackpool Hole, a contractor tipped soil into the bog for three months
without finding the bottom.[45] The line was supported by empty tar barrels sealed with clay and laid end to
end across the drainage ditches either side of the railway.[46] The railway over Chat Moss was completed
by the end of 1829. On 28 December, the Rocket travelled over the line carrying 40 passengers and crossed
the Moss in 17 minutes, averaging 17 miles per hour (27 km/h).[47] In April the following year, a test train
carrying a 45-ton load crossed the moss at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) without incident.[48] The line now
supports locomotives 25 times the weight of the Rocket.

The railway needed 64 bridges and viaducts,[4] all built of brick or masonry, with one exception: the Water
Street bridge at the Manchester terminus. A cast iron beam girder bridge was built to save headway in the
street below. It was designed by William Fairbairn and Eaton Hodgkinson, and cast locally at their factory
in Ancoats. It is important because cast iron girders became an important structural material for the growing
rail network.[49] Although Fairbairn tested the girders before installation, not all were so well designed, and
there were many examples of catastrophic failure in the years to come, resulting in the Dee bridge disaster
of 1847 and culminating in the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879.
The line was laid using 15-foot (4.6 m) fish-belly rails at 35 lb/yd (17 kg/m), laid either on stone blocks or,
at Chat Moss, wooden sleepers.[50][51]

The physical work was carried out by a large team of men, known as "navvies", using hand tools. The
most productive teams could move up to 20,000 tonnes of earth in a day and were well paid.[52]
Nevertheless, the work was dangerous and several deaths were recorded.[53]

Cable or locomotive haulage

In 1829 adhesion-worked locomotives were not reliable. The

experience on the Stockton and Darlington Railway was well-
publicised, and a section of the Hetton colliery railway had been
converted to cable haulage. The success of the cable haulage was
indisputable but the steam locomotive was still untried. The L&MR
had sought to de-emphasise the use of steam locomotives during the
passage of the bill, the public were alarmed at the idea of monstrous
The railway passes the Bridgewater
machines which, if they did not explode, would fill the countryside
Foundry at Patricroft, pictured in
with noxious fumes.
1839
Attention was turning towards steam road carriages, such as those
of Goldsworthy Gurney's and there was a division in the L&MR
board between those who supported Stephenson's "loco-motive" and those who favoured cable haulage,
the latter supported by the opinion of the engineer, John Rastrick. Stephenson was not averse to cable
haulage—he continued to build such lines where he felt it appropriate—but knew its main disadvantage,
that any breakdown anywhere would paralyse the whole line.

The line's gradient was designed to concentrate the steep grades in three places, at either side of Rainhill at
1 in 96 and down to the docks at Liverpool at 1 in 50 ) and make the rest of the line very gently graded, no
further than 1 in 880.[50] When the line opened, the passenger section from Edge Hill to Crown Street
railway station was cable hauled, as was the section through the Wapping Tunnel, as the Act of Parliament
forbade the use of locomotives on this part of the line.[54]

To determine whether and which locomotives would be suitable, in October 1829 the directors organised a
public competition, known as the Rainhill trials, which involved a run along a 1 mile (1.6 km) stretch of
track.[55] Ten locomotives were entered for the trials, but on the day of the competition only five were
available to compete:[56] Rocket, designed by George Stephenson and his son, Robert, was the only one to
successfully complete the journey and, consequently, Robert Stephenson and Company were awarded the
locomotive contract.[57]

Double track

The line was built to 4 ft 81 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) and double track.[39] A decision had to be
made about how far apart the two tracks should be. It was decided to make the space between the separate
tracks the same as the track gauge itself, so that it would be possible to operate trains with unusually wide
loads up the middle during quiet times. Stephenson was criticised for this decision;[39] it was later decided
that the tracks were too close together, restricting the width of the trains, so the gap between tracks (track
centres) was widened. The narrowness of the gap contributed to the first fatality, that of William Huskisson,
and also made it dangerous to do maintenance on one track while trains were operating on the other. To this
day, adjacent tracks of British railways tend to be laid closer together than elsewhere.

Opening

The line opened on 15 September 1830 with termini at Manchester,

Liverpool Road (now part of the Museum of Science and Industry
in Manchester) and Liverpool Crown Street. The festivities of the
opening day were marred when William Huskisson, the Member of
Parliament for Liverpool, was killed.[17] The southern line was
reserved for the special opening train, drawn by the locomotive
Northumbrian conveying the Duke of Wellington, the Prime
Minister, in an ornamental carriage, together with distinguished
guests in other carriages.[58] When the train stopped for water at
Parkside, near Newton-le-Willows, it was intended that the other
trains should pass in review on the northern line.[59][60] It was easy
for passengers to get down and stretch their legs, despite being A replica of the Planet
instructed not to, particularly as there was an interval between the
delayed passing trains. Huskisson decided to alight and stroll
alongside the train, and on spotting the Duke decided to start a conversation. The Rocket was spotted
heading in the opposite direction as people shouted at Huskisson to get back on the train.[61][62]

The Austrian ambassador was pulled back into the carriage, but
Huskisson panicked.[63] He tried to climb into the carriage, but
grabbed the open door, which swung back, causing him to lose his
grip. He fell between the tracks and the Rocket ran over his leg,
shattering it. He is reported to have said, "I have met my death—
God forgive me!"[62]

The Northumbrian was detached from the Duke's train and rushed
him to Eccles, where he died in the vicarage.[64] Thus he became
The Huskisson Memorial in 1913 the world's first widely reported railway passenger fatality. The
somewhat subdued party proceeded to Manchester, where, the
Duke being deeply unpopular with the weavers and mill workers,
they were given a lively reception, and returned to Liverpool without alighting.[65] A grand reception and
banquet had been prepared for their arrival.

Operation

The L&MR was successful and popular, and reduced journey times between Liverpool and Manchester to
two hours.[66] Most stage coach companies operating between the two towns closed shortly after the
railway opened as it was impossible to compete.[67] Within a few weeks of the line opening, it ran its first
excursion trains and carried the world's first railway mail carriages;[68] by the summer of 1831, it was
carrying special trains to the races.[69] The railway was a financial success, paying investors an average
annual dividend of 9.5% over the 15 years of its independent existence: a level of profitability that would
never again be attained by a British railway company.[70]
The railway was purposefully designed for the benefit of the public,
carrying passengers as well as freight. Shares in the company were
limited to ten per person and profits from these were limited.[71]
Although the intention had been to carry goods, the canal
companies reduced their prices, leading to a price war between
them and the railway.[72] The line did not start carrying goods until
December, when the first of some more powerful engines, Planet,
was delivered.

The line's success in carrying passengers was universally Stephenson's bridge over the
acclaimed.[71] The experience at Rainhill had shown that Warrington – Wigan Turnpike Road
unprecedented speed could be achieved and travelling by rail was (now A49) at Newton-le-Willows
cheaper and more comfortable than travel by road. The company
concentrated on passenger travel, a decision that had repercussions
across the country and triggered the "railway mania of the 1840s".[73] John B. Jervis of the Delaware and
Hudson Railway some years later wrote: "It must be regarded ... as opening the epoch of railways which
has revolutionised the social and commercial intercourse of the civilized world".[74]

At first trains travelled at 16 miles per hour (26 km/h) carrying passengers and 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
carrying goods because of the limitations of the track.[75] Drivers could, and did, travel more quickly, but
were reprimanded: it was found that excessive speeds forced apart the light rails, which were set onto
individual stone blocks without cross-ties. In 1837 the original fish-belly parallel rail of 50 pounds per yard
(24.8 kg/m), on sleepers started to be replaced.[76]

The railway directors realised that Crown Street was too far away from the centre of Liverpool to be
practical, and decided in 1831 to construct a new terminus at Lime Street.[77] The tunnel from Edge Hill to
Lime Street was completed in January 1835 and opened the following year. The station opened on 15
August 1836 before it had been completed.[78]

On 30 July 1842, work started to extend the line from Ordsall Lane to a new station at Hunts Bank in
Manchester that also served the Manchester and Leeds Railway. The line opened on 4 May 1844 and
Liverpool Road station was then used for goods traffic.[79]

On 8 August 1845, the L&MR was absorbed by its principal business partner, the Grand Junction Railway
(GJR), which had opened the first trunk railway from Birmingham to Warrington in 1837.[80] The
following year the GJR formed part of the London and North Western Railway.[81]

Signalling
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the first railway to
have a system of signalling.[5] This was undertaken by policemen,
who were stationed along the line at distances of a mile or less.[82]
Initially these policemen signalled that the line was clear by
standing straight with their arms outstretched. If the policeman was
not present, or was standing at ease, this indicated that there was an
obstruction on the line ahead.[82] Gradually a system of hand-held
flags was developed, with a red flag being used to stop a train,
green indicating that a train should proceed at caution, blue
indicating to drivers of baggage trains that there were new wagons 1831 view
for them to take on and a black flag being used by platelayers to
indicate works on the track.[82] Any flag waved violently, or at
night a lamp waved up and down, indicated that a train should stop.[83] Until 1844 handbells were used as
emergency signals in foggy weather, though in that year small explosive boxes placed on the line began to
be used instead.[84]

Trains were controlled on a time interval basis: policemen signalled for a train to stop if less than ten
minutes had elapsed since a previous train had passed; the signal to proceed at caution was given if more
than ten minutes but less than seventeen minutes had passed; otherwise the all clear signal was given.[85] If
a train broke down on the line, the policeman had to run a mile down the track to stop oncoming traffic.[86]

After the opening of the Warrington and Newton Railway four policemen were placed constantly on duty
at Newton Junction, at the potentially dangerous points where the two lines met.[83] Initially a gilt arrow
was used to point towards Warrington to indicate that the points were set in that direction, with a green
lamp visible from the L&MR line being used to indicate this at night.[83] Later a fixed signal was used,
with red and white chequered boards on 12-foot high posts being turned to face trains from one direction if
another train was ahead.[83]

In 1837 the London and Birmingham Railway conducted trials using a Cooke and Wheatstone telegraph to
direct signalling[84] and in 1841 held a conference to propose a uniform national system of coloured signals
to control trains,[87] but despite these advances elsewhere the Liverpool and Manchester Railway continued
to be controlled by policemen and flags until its merger with the Grand Junction Railway in 1845.[88]

Significance
On opening the L&MR represented a significant advance in railway
operation, introducing regular commercial passenger and freight
services by steam locomotives with significant speed and reliability
improvements from their predecessors and horse carriages.[89] The
L&MR operation was studied by other upcoming railway
companies as a model to aspire to.[89] More recently some have
claimed the operation was the first Inter-city railway,[4] though that
branding was not introduced until many years later and both
Manchester and Liverpool did not achieve city status until 1853 and
1831 Billboard giving train details
1880 respectively and the distance would barely qualify as long-
and conditions of carriage
haul.

The subsequently widely adopted gauge of 4 ft 81 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

was derived from a George Stephenson recommendation that was accepted at an L&MR board meeting in
July 1826: "Resolved that the width of the Wagon Way between the rails to be the same as the Darlington
Road, namely 4 feet 8 inches clear, inside the rails".[39][ii] This enabled the Stephensons to test their
locomotives on the lines around Newcastle on Tyne[iii] before shipment to Lancashire.[90]

The L&MR used left hand running on double track, following practice on British roads. The form of
couplings using buffers, hooks and chains, and their dimensions, set the pattern for European practice and
practice in many other places.

Even before the L&MR opened, connecting and other lines were planned, authorised or under
construction, such as the Bolton and Leigh Railway.

Incidents
The most well-known accident associated with the L&MR was the death of William Huskisson on the
opening day by the locomotive Rocket.[62] Thereafter the pioneering and evolving nature of the early days
of the L&MR meant accidents were not uncommon. All were investigated by the L&MR board or
Management Committee. Fatal accidents to travelling passengers were rare, the first two years seeing one
for over a million passengers carried, though injuries were more commonplace. These were affected by
passengers often failing to heed company regulations and advice. Staff accidents were more commonplace,
with some staff preparing to take what later would be considered to be inadvisable risks and disregarding
regulations. Locomotives, wagons and infrastructure were involved in a variety of collisions and
derailments. [91]

Modern line
The original Liverpool and Manchester line still operates as a secondary line between the two cities—the
southern route, the former Cheshire Lines Committee route via Warrington Central is for the moment the
busier route. This however has already started to change (from the May 2014 timetable) with new First
TransPennine Express services between Newcastle/Manchester Victoria and Liverpool and between
Manchester (Airport) and Scotland (via Chat Moss, Lowton and Wigan). From December 2014, with
completion of electrification (see below) the two routes between Manchester and Liverpool will have much
the same frequency of service.

On the original route, a new (May 2014) hourly First TransPennine Express non-stop service runs between
Manchester Victoria and Liverpool (from/to) Newcastle), an hourly fast service is operated by Northern
Rail, from Liverpool to Manchester, usually calling at Wavertree Technology Park, St Helens Junction,
Newton-le-Willows and Manchester Oxford Road, and continuing via Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester
Airport. Northern also operates an hourly service calling at all stations from Liverpool Lime Street to
Manchester Victoria. This is supplemented by an additional all-stations service between Liverpool and
Earlestown, which continues to Warrington Bank Quay.

Between Warrington Bank Quay, Earlestown and Manchester Piccadilly, there are additional services (at
least one per hour) operated by Transport for Wales, which originate from Chester and the North Wales
Coast Line.

Electrification

In 2009, electrification at 25 kV AC was announced. The section between Manchester and Newton,
including the Chat Moss section, was completed in 2013; the line onwards to Liverpool opened on 5 March
2015.[92]

Ordsall Chord

The historic passenger railway station of Manchester Liverpool Road is a Grade I Listed building, and was
threatened by the Northern Hub plan. This included the construction of the Ordsall Chord to provide direct
access between Victoria and Piccadilly, in turn cutting off access from Liverpool Road. The Science &
Industry Museum, that is based at the former station premises, had initially objected to the scheme and an
inquiry was set up in 2014 to investigate the potential damage to the historic structure.[93] The chord
opened in November 2017 without any damage to the original Liverpool Road station structures.[94]

Stations
All stations opened on 15 September 1830, unless noted. Stations
still operational in bold.

Liverpool Lime Street (work started on Edge Hill – Lime

Street tunnel 23 May 1832; opened 15 August 1836).
Crown Street (original Liverpool terminus, replaced by
Lime Street).
Edge Hill (The first Edge Hill station was opened in
1830.[95] It was in the deep Cavendish Cutting at the
heads of the Crown Street tunnel and the freight only Liverpool Road Station in
Wapping Tunnel. After the Lime Street tunnel was bored Manchester
in 1836, the original Edge Hill station was abandoned
and relocated north, still inside the Edge Hill junction, to
its present location at the head of the original Lime Street tunnel.[95] Edge Hill junction was
the site of the locomotive works.)
Wavertree Lane (closed 15 August 1836)
Wavertree Technology Park (opened 13 August 2000)
Broad Green
Roby
Huyton
Huyton Quarry (closed 15 September 1958)
Whiston (Opened 10 September 1990)[96]
Rainhill
Lea Green (closed 7 March 1955 and re-opened with a completely new station on 17
September 2000)
St Helens Junction (opened between 1833 and 1837; junction with the St Helens and
Runcorn Gap Railway)
Collins Green (closed 2 April 1951)
Earlestown (built in 1831 by the Warrington and Newton Railway company; originally
named Newton Junction; renamed after 1837)
Newton-le-Willows (originally named Newton Bridge; renamed after Newton Junction was
renamed Earlestown)
Parkside 1st (closed 1839)
Parkside 2nd (the line from Parkside to Wigan was opened on 3 September 1832[97])
(closed 1 May 1878)
Kenyon Junction (at the junction with the Kenyon and Leigh Junction Railway and from that,
the Bolton and Leigh Railway; closed 2 January 1961 and the Tyldesley Loopline; closed 5
May 1969)
Glazebury and Bury Lane (closed 7 July 1958)
Flow Moss (closed October 1842)
Astley (closed 2 May 1956)
Lamb's Cottage (closed October 1842)
Barton Moss 1st (closed 1 May 1862)
Barton Moss 2nd (closed 23 September 1929)
Patricroft
Eccles
Weaste (closed 19 October 1942; site destroyed when M602 road built)
Seedley (closed 2 January 1956; site destroyed when M602 road built)
 Cross Lane (closed 15 August 1949; site destroyed when M602 road built)
Ordsall Lane (work on extension of line to Manchester Victoria started 30 July 1842 and the
extension opened on 4 May 1844; station closed 4 February 1957)
Liverpool Road (original Manchester terminus, closed 4 May 1844)
Manchester Exchange (opened 30 June 1884, closed 5 May 1969)
Manchester Victoria (opened 1 January 1844)

See also
Greater
Manchester portal

LMR 57 Lion
List of Liverpool and Manchester Railway locomotives

References
i. The Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in 1825, but sections of this line employed
cable haulage, and only the coal trains were hauled by locomotives. The Canterbury and
Whitstable Railway, opened in May 1830, was also mostly cable hauled. Horse-drawn
traffic, including passenger services, used the railway upon payment of a toll.
ii. The additional half-inch was to prevent the flanges wearing against the inside edge of the
conical rails.[90]
iii. The Killingworth Colliery railway was also 4ft 8in gauge.[90]
1. A History and Description of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=G6JVAAAAcAAJ). T. Taylor, 1832.
2. Arthur Freeling. Freeling's Grand Junction Railway Companion (https://books.google.com/b
ooks?id=t8EHAAAAQAAJ). Whittaker, 1838
3. James Cornish. The Grand Junction, and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Companion: Containing an Account of Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester (https://archi
ve.org/details/grandjunctionan00corngoog). 1837.
4. BBC 2009.
5. Jarvis 2007, p. 20.
6. Thomas 1980, p. 107.
7. Thomas 1980, p. 11.
8. Ferneyhough 1980, p. 11.
9. Dendy Marshall 1930, pp. 1–3.
10. Thomas 1980, p. 12.
11. Ferneyhough 1980, p. 13.
12. Taylor 1988, p. 158.
13. John Goodchild, 'The Lake Lock Railroad', Early Railways 3, pp. 40–50
14. Ferneyhough 1980, p. 7.
15. Thomas 1980, pp. 12–13.
16. Ferneyhough 1980, p. 50.
17. "Making the Liverpool and Manchester Railway" (https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.or
g.uk/objects-and-stories/making-the-liverpool-and-manchester-railway). Science and
Industry Museum. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
18. Ferneyhough 1980, pp. 14–15.
19. Thomas 1980, p. 18.
20. Booth 1830, p. 9.
21. Thomas 1980, p. 22.
22. Thomas 1980, pp. 26–30.
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Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5705-0.
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Green: Robert Hale Limited. ISBN 0709-18137-X.
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age. London: Faber. ISBN 0-571-21048-1
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6.

Further reading
Cornish, James (1837). Cornish's Grand Junction, and the Liverpool and Manchester
Railway Companion (https://books.google.com/books?id=OG_fAAAAMAAJ&q=LIverpool+M
anchester+railway).
Kirwan, Joseph (1831). A Descriptive and Historical Account of the Liverpool and
Manchester Railway (https://books.google.com/books?id=jyM4AQAAMAAJ&q=LIverpool+M
anchester+railway&pg=PA10).
Stephenson, Robert; Locke, Joseph (1831). Observations on the Comparative merits of
locomotive and fixed engines as applied to railways (https://books.google.com/books?id=uw
xNAAAAYAAJ&q=LIverpool+Manchester+railway).
Vignoles, Charles Blacker (1835). Two reports addressed to the Liverpool & Manchester
Railway Company (https://archive.org/details/tworeportsaddre00vigngoog). Printed by
Wales and Raines. "LIverpool Manchester railway."
Walker, James Scott (1829). Liverpool and Manchester Railway: Report to the Directors on
the comparative merits of loco-motives and fixed engines as a moving power (https://archive.
org/details/liverpoolandman01bootgoog/page/n4/mode/2up) (2 ed.). London: John and
Arthur Arch. OCLC 18209257 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/18209257).
Whishaw, Francis (1842). The Railways of Great Britain and Ireland Practically Described
and Illustrated (https://archive.org/stream/railwaysgreatbr00whisgoog) (2nd ed.). London:
John Weale. pp. 186–217. OCLC 833076248 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/833076248).

External links
Media related to Liverpool and Manchester Railway at Wikimedia Commons

1830s colour print of interior of station (http://www.edgehillstation.co.uk/resources/lime-stree

t/)
https://web.archive.org/web/20080603060408/http://www.lmu.livjm.ac.uk/lhol/
http://newton-le-willows.com L&MR History (https://web.archive.org/web/20061008183818/h
ttp://www.n-le-w.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=74&Itemid=27)
Manchester to Parkside (https://web.archive.org/web/20131006030522/http://www.britishrail
ways1960.co.uk/CLMENLW01.html) (British Railways in the 1960s Sectional Appendix
Extract) (via The Internet Archive)
Parkside to Liverpool (https://web.archive.org/web/20131006030522/http://www.britishrailwa
ys1960.co.uk/WLNKJLLS01.html) (British Railways in the 1960s Sectional Appendix
Extract) (via The Internet Archive)
 The line featured in a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle called 'The Lost Special'. One radio
adaptation (https://archive.org/details/OrsonWellesOnSuspense/) was made on an episode
of the CBS Radio series Suspense, starring Orson Welles.

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