Notes: Ainsworth Road Halt was situated on the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway’s (LYR) 1¼-mile Bradley Fold Junction – Radcliffe South Junction line. The double-track line was opened on 1 December 1879 to provide a direct link between the Manchester, Whitefield and Radcliffe line and Bolton via Bradley Fold (on the Liverpool and Bury railway which had opened on 20 November 1848). When the line opened there were no intermediate stations but passenger services did operate over it the December 1895 timetable showing 13 up and 12 down trains on Monday-to-Friday. On Saturday there was an extra down train and on Sunday there were three up and one down. The services ran between Manchester Victoria and Bolton via Whitefield.

The On 17 April 1916 the LYR had introduced an electric train service onto the Manchester, Whitefield and Radcliffe line (between Manchester Victoria and Bury Bolton Street). Following the introduction of the electric trains all of the services from Bolton terminated at Radcliffe. A rail-motor was used on the service and the halt at Ainsworth Road was opened on 1 January 1918 to serve it.

It was located in a cutting on the west side of Ainsworth Road. The road was carried over the line by means of an iron span bridge and sloping footpaths led down to track level. Simple low level platforms were provided and at first there was no form of shelter.

On 1 January 1922 Ainsworth Road Halt became part of the London & North Western Railway (LNWR).

The July 1922 timetable showed thirteen up (Radcliffe direction) and fourteen down (Bolton direction) trains Monday-to-Friday. On Saturdays there were fourteen trains in each direction but no trains called on Sundays. All of the trains offered only third class seating and they ran between Bolton Trinity Street and Radcliffe.

The LNWR was absorbed into the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) on 1 January 1923. The LMS Summer timetable for 1932 showed 12 up and 13 down trains on Monday-to-Friday. On Saturday there was an extra service in each direction as shown in the table below. No trains ran on Sundays and all trains were one class only rail-motors.

During the early 1930s the LMS built timber faced platforms at Ainsworth Road and provided a waiting shelter on the down side. The facilities were needed because the LMS ceased to use rail-motors on the passenger service switching to more conventional locomotives and coaches instead. It was probably at this time that the ‘Halt’ suffix was dropped from the station name, although OS maps continued to use it until it closed.

The LMS timetable for the summer of 1947 showed 11 trains in each direction on Monday-to-Friday. On Saturday there was an extra train in each direction but no trains called on Sunday.

On 1 January 1948 Ainsworth Road became part of British Railways (BR)London Midland Region (LMR). The summer 1949 timetable showed the same level of service as the last year of the LMS.

BR(LMR) closed Ainsworth Road station on 21 September 1953; it was demolished after closure.

The line continued to be used by freight trains and passenger diversions until it was closed completely on 2 November 1964.

The cutting was later filled in and houses were built on the site of the station.

Tickets from Michael Stewart and route map by Alan Young.

Sources:

• A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain - Volume 10 The North West - Geoffrey O Holt, David & Charles 1986.
• Forgotten Railways - North West England - John Marshall, David & Charles 1981.
• Lost Stations of North West England - Paul Wright, Silverlink Publishing 2011.
• The Lancashire & Rorkshire Railway, Volume 1 - John Marshall, David & Charles 1969.
• The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Volume 2 - John Marshall, David & Charles 1970.
  

Click here to see the other stations between Bolton and Radcliffe:
Darcy Lever, Bradley Fold and Radcliffe