Station Name: FAIRFIELD
Fairfield Station is still open although platforms on the Fallowfield loop line are closed

[Source: Bevan Price & Paul Wright]

Date opened: 2.5.1892
Location: East side of Booth Road
Company on opening: Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway
Date closed to passengers: Still open
Date closed completely: Still open
Company on closing: Still open
Present state:

Only two of the former six platforms remain in use. The westbound 'Fallowfield branch' platform has gone; the eastbound platform still exists, but disused and overgrown by vegetation. Some derelict brickwork remains at the west end of the station, this is a residue of the former entrance to the westbound Up Fast platform and the eastbound branch platform. 

County: Lancashire
OS Grid Ref: SJ904972
Date of visit: 18.4.2009
Notes: Notes: Fairfield Station was opened by the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (MSLR) on the 17th November 1841. The station was situated on the MSLR’ main line between Manchester and Sheffield via Woodhead.

The MSLR had running powers into the LNWR
station at Manchester London Road. However when the Cheshire Lines Committee, of which the MSLR was a constituent part, opened Manchester Central station in 1880 the MSLR wanted to make a connection to the new station.
The solution was the construction of the  Fallowfield Loop line, a 7 mile double track route that linked the Midland Railway’s Manchester South District Line from a point just to the south of Chorlton-cum-Hardy to the MSLR main line between Manchester and Sheffield at Fairfield. Fairfield station was enlarged and new platforms were provided for the Fallowfield
line.  In 1897 the MSLR became the Great Central Railway (GCR).

On 2nd May 1892 Fairfield was resited 374 yards to the east. In 1904 the GCR widened its main line through Fairfield from two tracks to four. The station was enlarged again. In its final form it had six platform faces, four of which served the main lines and two the Fallowfield Loop.


By this time Fairfield was served by a local stopping service’s that ran between Manchester London Road and Glossop and Manchester Central and Guide Bridge. A steady stream of express services passed through the station on all of its lines. In 1923 the line became part of the LNER.
By the 1930s the LNER had reduced the local stopping service that served the Fallowfield loop to seven trains in each direction on a weekday with no services at all on Sundays. The line itself continued to be very busy with express services which included the Liverpool Central to Harwich Parkston Quay Boat Train. Fairfield Station became part of the nationalised
British Railways network in 1948.

In 1954 the Woodhead route between Manchester and Sheffield was electrified. Consideration  was also given to electrifying the Fallowfield line as it seemed sensible to continue the electrification through to Manchester Central. As things turned out only a short section of the line, between Fairfield and Reddish, were a new Motive Power Depot was opened, was electrified.
By 1958 local stopping services which still ran between Manchester Central and Guide Bridge were down to three or four on week days only. On the 7th July 1958 the service was withdrawn and the Fallowfield Loop platforms at Fairfield closed to regular passenger services. Regular passenger express services continued to use the Fallowfield line through  
until 1969. After that date it was only goods services that passed through. Reddish Depot closed in 1983 and the last goods services used the line in October 1988.

In 1981 the through route to Sheffield, which had only been used for goods services after 1970 closed to the east of Hadfield. Today Fairfield Station has reverted to a two platform station served by regular electric trains running between Manchester and Glossop and Hadfield.

Source: 'Scenes From The Past' 29 Part1 - Woodhead by E.M. Johnson (Foxline Publishing). Further reading: The Fallowfield Line, EM Johnson 2000 Foxline Publishing .ISBN187011969X

Other web sites: Closed South Manchester Railways, The Hyde & Peak Railtour & Levenshulme then and now. Tickets from Michael Stewart

Click here to see other stations on the Fallowfield Loop Line:
Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Wilbraham Road, Fallowfield, Levenshulme South &
Hyde Road. See also Debdale Park & Reddish Motive Power Depot


Fairfield Station in c.1905 when Ardwick/Ashburys to Guide Bridge was being widened from two to four tracks. The two tracks on the left, with associated platforms, served the Fallowfield line. The other two (central) tracks are those that still exist, although the only residual buildings are 'bus shelter' type. The new tracks, being laid on the right, also received two platforms, giving the station a total of 6 platform faces. The signalbox was later resited to track level at the east end of the
central (in this picture) platform.
Copyright photo from John Alsop collection


Fairfield Station looking south west along the Fallowfield loop line in August 1974. A covered footbridge extended from the left side of the building across the track to give access to the southbound platform.
Photo by Alan Young


Fairfield station looking east in March 1989, the Fallowfield loop line (right) has recently been lifted. The two platforms on the left are also disused by this time.
Photo by Peter Whatley from Geograph reproduced under Creative Commons Licence
Fairfield Station from the same viewpoint as the picture above in September 2005. Note the brick platform shelter has been replaced by a bus shelter.
Photo by Keith Williamson from Geograph reproduced under Creative Commons Licence

Looking west towards Booth Road, the southbound Fallowfield loop line platform is seen on the right
Photo by Bevan Price
The disused 'up' & 'down' slow lines platforms at Fairfield looking east
Photo by Bevan Price

Click on thumbnail to enlarge


 

 

 

[Source: Bevan Price & Paul Wright]

Last updated: Thursday, 18-May-2017 11:50:18 CEST
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