Hindley South railway station

Hindley South railway station served the communities of Hindley and Platt Bridge, south-east of Wigan, England.[3]

Hindley South
LocationHindley, Wigan
England
Coordinates53.5266°N 2.5860°W / 53.5266; -2.5860
Grid referenceSD613036
Platforms2[1]
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyWigan Junction Railways
Pre-groupingGreat Central Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 April 1884Opened as "Strangeways and Hindley"[2]
1 January 1892Renamed "Hindley and Platt Bridge"[2]
1 July 1950Renamed "Hindley South"
2 November 1964Closed
Map showing the location of Hindley and Platt Bridge passenger and good stations in the early 1900s

Location and nearby stations

The station was on the Wigan Junction Railways line, known locally as the "Wigan Central line", which ran from Wigan Central to Glazebrook.[4][5] It was situated immediately southeast of the A58 bridge over the tracks.[6]

Until the 1960s the area surrounding Wigan had an unusually large number of intersecting railway lines, nowhere more so than in the south east of the town. Hindley South had a three-way junction immediately to the north, with arms west and north in both directions onto and from the "Whelley Loop" and northwest to Lower Ince and Wigan Central.[7] It also had a two-way junction immediately to the south, which enabled trains to continue southeast along the Central line to Bickershaw and Abram and Manchester Central or to veer east onto the Manchester and Wigan Railway (MWR) line to Tyldesley and Manchester Exchange.[8] By 2015 all these lines had long been lifted and in places obliterated.

There were other stations serving Hindley at Platt Bridge and Hindley Green on the MWR line.

Hindley station (formerly Hindley North) on the line from Wigan Wallgate to Manchester remains open.

To add to the mix, Hindley and Platt Bridge goods station was situated immediately north of the passenger station, being located on a short branch line. A goods station named "Hindley and Amberswood" also served Hindley on the Whelley Loop.

Services

The service patterns in 1895, 1947 and 1962 are fully documented in the authoritative Disused Stations website.[9]

In April 1884 the service pattern was straightforward. Six "Down" (towards Wigan) trains called from Manchester Central. In addition, one "express" called at Glazebrook only and passed Lower Ince without stopping. Of the six, three called at all stations, the remaining three missed some stations between Manchester and Glazebrook. With the exception of the "express" all trains called at all stations between Glazebrook and Wigan. The "Up" service was similar.[10]

In 1922 six "Down" trains called, All Stations from Manchester Central on "Weekdays" (Mondays to Saturdays), with a further evening train from Lowton St Mary's only. Three other trains called, apparently All Stations from Culcheth, but it is possible they originated from Liverpool Central or Warrington Central and turned west to north at Glazebrook West Junction. One of these trains ran on Fridays and Saturdays Only and the other two ran on Saturdays Only. The "Up" service was broadly similar, but the mix of Saturday Only trains was even more complicated. There was no Sunday service.[11]

The line through Hindley South was also a diversionary route and a route by which traffic such as Summer Saturday holiday specials could bypass busy spots, such as Wigan. Pixton, for example, has a fine 1961 shot of a Summer Saturday Sheffield to Blackpool train at Lowton St Mary's which will bear right immediately north of Hindley South onto the Whelley Loop and then join the WCML at Standish, bipassing Wigan altogether.[12]

Opening, naming and closure

The station opened as "Strangeways and Hindley" in 1884. It was renamed "Hindley and Platt Bridge" in 1892, only to be renamed for the final time as "Hindley South" in 1950. The station was closed on 2 November 1964, when the line closed to passengers.[13] The line closed to goods in 1965.

The station in the present day

The site has been razed, though the A58 bridge still rises to cross the erstwhile tracks.

Hindley South Railway Station October 2017
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Lower Ince
Line and station closed		   Great Central Railway
Wigan Junction Railways		   Bickershaw and Abram
Line and station closed

References
  1. Station and signalbox via Wigan World
  2. Dow 1962, p. 194.
  3. Sweeney 2013, pp. 73–84
  4. The line and mileages via railwaycodes
  5. Smith & Turner 2012, Map 45
  6. The station on a 1948 OS Map via npe maps
  7. Junction north of station via Wigan World
  8. Junction south of station via Wigan World
  9. The station via Disused Stations UK
  10. Dow 1962, p. 354
  11. Bradshaw 1985, pp. 714–5
  12. Pixton 1996, p. 119
  13. Butt, pp 120–1

Sources
  • Bradshaw, George (1985) [July 1922]. Bradshaw's General Railway and Steam Navigation guide for Great Britain and Ireland: A reprint of the July 1922 issue. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-8708-5. OCLC 12500436.
  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  • Dow, George (1962). Great Central, Volume Two Dominion of Watkin 1864-1899. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-1469-5. OCLC 655324061.
  • Pixton, Bob (1996), The Archive Photographs Series Widnes and St Helens Railways, Stroud: The Chalford Publishing Company, ISBN 978-0-7524-0751-7CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Smith, Paul; Turner, Keith (2012). Railway Atlas Then and Now. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-3695-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Sweeney, Dennis (2013). The Wigan Junction Railways. Leigh: Triangle Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9550030-5-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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