Notes: Bickershaw and Abram Station opened along
with 6 other stations on the Wigan Joint Railway in 1884. The
line had been the promoted by the Cheshire Lines Railway in
1874 as a branch from its main Liverpool to Manchester line
at Glazebrook that would link it to the lucrative Lancashire
Coalfields. Only the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire constituent
of the CLC remained interested in the concept and it was they
who built the line which opened to goods services in 1879. When
opened it connected to the main line at Glazebrook with an east
to north curve which meant services could only easily go towards
Manchester. In 1900 a west to north curve was put in to allow
trains to head to and from Liverpool. The line became part of
the GCR
and in 1923 part of the LNER but it was operated as part of
the CLC system. The station was situated on the south side of
a road overbridge and had two platforms.
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Initially passenger services ran from Manchester Central to
a temporary terminus at Wigan which was not replaced until the
opening of Wigan Central in 1892. From 1900, when a west to
north curve was put in at Glazebrook services started to run
to Warrington Central. Monday to Friday services in 1903 saw
the GCR run 8 trains to Manchester and 6 to Warrington |
each
day. Services increased under the LNER especially during the war
years. However after 1945 the line went into decline and the
last service was the Wigan Central to Irlam or Manchester Central
service. Latterly some of these services where operated by DMU's
until the end came on 1.11.1964. The line lingered on for goods
services until 1968.
Today the road profile shows that a bridge once was located
here but it has been filled in. The station site has also been
re-profiled and only a solitary gate post survives.
To see the other
stations on the Wigan Central - Glazebrook line click on the
station name: Wigan
Central, Lower
Ince, Hindley
South,
West Leigh
& Bedford, Lowton
St. Marys, Culcheth
& Newchurch
Halt.
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