Notes: Aintree Racecourse Station was located on the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railways (LYR) North Mersey Branch which had opened as a goods line on 27 August 1866 to provide a link into the Liverpool north docks. The line ran from Fazakerley Junction, on the Liverpool Exchange to Wigan Line, to Gladstone Dock. The line became an important goods route for the LYR and large yards and sorting sidings were up along it in the Aintree area. Connections were also made with both the LYR Liverpool and Preston route and with the line between Liverpool and Southport. The connections were in the form of chords. The link with the Preston line ran from east to north from Sefton Junction to Aintree Sefton Arms. The link with the Southport line ran from west to south between North Mersey Branch Junction and Marsh Lane Junction. 

The LYR originally had no intention of operating passenger services on the North Mersey Branch but the fact that it passed very close to Aintree Racecourse, the home of the Grand National, provided a good opportunity for revenue on race days as excursions could be run along the branch. On 13 May 1879 the LYR approved a single needle telegraph instrument for the signalbox that was situated at Cinder Lane which was in turn close to the Racecourse. The instrument was approved 'for the race traffic at Cinder Lane'. The approval suggests that race trains were operating on the branch as early as 1879 and that they were specifically visiting Cinder Lane although there is no evidence that any form of station existed at that time.

An LYR Board minute dated 28 March 1882 recorded that a platform was to be constructed at Cinder Lane to cater for the race traffic. It is not known if the instruction was followed up quickly but further alterations to signalling authorised on the 7 April 1886 saw bi-directional running introduced on the lines at Cinder Lane by the 13 July 1886. It is possible that the platform was constructed at that time.

It is known that for the Grand National meeting of 27 March 1890 the LYR had opened an excursion station on the east side of the road called Warbreck Moor over which the line passed on a bridge and that the station was called Aintree Cinder Lane. It is highly likely that the platform authorised in 1882 formed part of the station which had a curious layout. As the line at this point was on an embankment there was little room for a station that could cope with big crowds. To overcome this problem the eastbound track was raised to platform height and topped up to rail level with cinders. Trains going west could then use this line as a platform. Obviously when race days were held no traffic was allowed to use the eastbound track. As previously mentioned the signalling alterations that made this possible had been carried out in 1886. For the rest of the year goods services could use the line unimpeded.

Access for passengers was via two sloping paths which led up to the cinder platform from Warbreck Moor on the north side of the line. As the platform was actually a railway line none of the usual passenger facilities were provided as it was intended that passengers would quickly leave trains and later they would return at designated times and their trains would be waiting. Basic wooden structures for the use of railway staff were located by the exit at platform level and it is possible that there was a basic shelter. At street level on the east side of the road there was also a ticket collectors hut.

The station never had a public service. It served only race day specials. On race days trains would arrive from the east running on the correct line. At the end of the race meeting they would run wrong line to the east.

On 18 May 1910 the LYR renamed the station as Aintree Racecourse. Along with the LYR’s public station at Aintree Sefton Arms, and with the Cheshire Lines Committees Aintree Station, between them the three stations handled tens of thousands of race goers.

On 1 January 1922 the LYR was absorbed by the London North Western Railway and a year later that company became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS). The 1920s and 1930s were probably the busiest years for the station but even after nationalisation on 1 January 1948 Aintree Racecourse continued to handle race day specials. By the early 1960s many people were using road transport to visit the Grand National and although dozens of excursion trains continued to run they could be accommodated at Aintree Sefton Arms or at the former CLC station which had become known as Aintree Central after 1950. The last excursions ran to Aintree Racecourse on 25 March 1961 and the station officially closed from 31 March 1962.

In 1969 the line from the Fazakerley sidings to Sefton Junction was singled. Through the site of the station it was the westbound line that was lifted and the cinders were removed from the eastbound track exposing the sleepers in the usual way. The wooden platform supports survived until the lines closure.. Excursions continued to operate through the station up until the 1970s for British Rail managers but they stabled at Fazakerley sidings which were to the east of the station.

The line continued to be used for goods services to the north docks until 2 February 1971 when the section of line between North Mersey Junction and the docks closed. Trains continued to operate to a British Rail engineering depot at Fazakerley but after the 1 May 1977 they could only run to the depot from the west as the connection with the Liverpool to Wigan line at the east end of the branch was removed on that date. In 1987 the Fazakerley engineers depot closed and the line from Sefton Junction to Fazakerley sidings, which ran through Aintree Racecourse station, was lifted .During the 1990s the route of the line through the station was converted into a cycleway and footpath.

Tickets from Michael Stewart

Additional source: The research notes of Tony Graham from LYR Records.

To see the other stations on the North Mersey Branch click on the station name: Ford, Linacre Road & Gladstone Dock