Disused Stations: Widnes Deviation Railway

[Source: Paul Wright]

Going eastwards from Widnes No.7 the deviation line climbs at 1/150 towards the location of the St Helens line passing over Alforde Street on a small bridge after which there is a short section of embankment followed by a six arch viaduct. The route of the St Helens line between Ann Street crossing and towards Widnes No.7 has since the mid 1990s been occupied by a road (Watkinson Way). As the road is a dual carriageway the original bridge was demolished and replaced by a wider structure.

After passing over Watkinson Way the line continues on an embankment. It was at this point that the former Great Central and Midland Joint Widnes Branch railway ran very close to the devaition on its north side. That line had a large yard at Tanhouse Lane. Although Tanhouse Lane Yard was very close to the deviation originally there was no connection between the two systems. The joint line closed completely on xxx December 1964 but Tanhouse Yard remained open to serve local factories, being accessed by a spur that connected the yard to the St Helens line, opened in 1961.

On 1 November 1981 the st Helens line closed as a through route. To facilitate the closure of that line completely at the Widnes end a connection was installed between the deviation and Tanhouse Yard. It opened on 18 April 1982 and was used by cement trains running to the Blue Circle works on Tan House Lane. The connection was controlled from Carterhouse Junction signal box.

In 2000 the Blue Circle works closed its operations being transfered to a new facility in Manchester. Regular traffic into and out of the yard ceased. The connections were taken out in September 2007.

Looking south along Alforde Street. The main line of the deviation passess over the throughfare on a small bridge. Beyond the bridge to the right was the location of the Widnes Locomotive Depot. There had been another identical bridge a little further to the south that carried the St Helens line spur.
Photo by John Wilson

Looking east along Croft Street on 19 May 2013. The Widnes Deviation line is seen to the right. At the eastern end of Croft Street the line was carried up to the bridge over the St Helens
line by a six arch brick viaduct.
Photo by John Wilson

On 20 January 1999 a class 31 locomotive stands at a signal on the deviation line just to the east of the point at which the line had crossed over the St Helens railway. In the distance can be seen Fiddlers Ferry Power Station.
Photo by John Wilson

Looking east along the deviation line from what would become Earle Road towards Carterhouse Junction in March 1982. A class 40 locomotive heads west towards Garston.
Photo by Graham Earle

Looking west along the course of the Great Central & Midland Joint Railway Widnes Branch (GC&MR Joint) railway in November 1975. The deviation line is seen to the left and Anne Street East to the right. The area of stone setts seen in the centre of the view had been part of van access road to Tanhouse Goods Yard. The LNWR deviation and the GC&MR Joint came very close to each other at this point by in the period when the latter was open as a through route there was no connection between them. In distance to right can be seen Widnes No.2 signal box which was on the St Helens line.

Shortly after crossing over what later became the Earle Road bridge the deviation line curves towards the south-east and drops down to Carterhouse Junction as seen in this view from March 1982. The flat area of ground to the left of the line was part of the GC&MR Joint Tanhouse Yard. Although the joint line had closed completely on xxx December 1964 the yard remained open served by a spur from the St Helens line that had opened in 1961. The only traffic that was using the yrd by the mid-1970s was cement to the Blue Circle works on Tan House Lane. In order to facilitate the complete closure of the St Helens line at the Widnes end a connection from the deviation to Tanhouse Yard was installed. That connection was being installed when this view was taken. Ballast for the
new line can be seen curving away to the left.
Photo by Graham Earle

Looking east from a similar viewpoint to the picture above on xxxx 1982. The connection to Tanhouse Yard had been installed but work was continuing on the installation of new sidings.
Photo by Graham Earle

Looking west from the Tanhouse Yard connection towards the main line of the deviation on xxxx 1982.
Photo by Graham Earle

Also looking west but from a position a little further to the east on xxx 1982. The new connection was brought into use on 18 April 1982. The signals were controlled from Carterhouse Junction signal box.
Photo by Graham Earle

A train of cement wagons is seen pulling out of Tanhouse Yard and and heading west along the deviation line on 16 January 1997.
Photo by Terry Callaghan

Tanhouse Yard closed to regular traffic in 2000 after Blue Circle Cement relocated their works to Manchester. The connection to the main line is seen looking west on 8 July 2005.
Photo by Paul Wright

Looking south-east from the Tanhouse Yard connection towards Carterhouse Junction on 8 July 2005.
Photo by Paul Wright

The junction between the deviation line and Tanhouse Yard seen looking west on 8 July 2005.
Photo by Paul Wright

Looking west at the Widnes Deviation line from the trackbed of the Tanhouse Yard connection on 26 October 2012. The Network Rail test train was on a run from Liverpool to Latchford.
Photo by Paul Wright