Notes: Ordsall Lane Station was situated on George Stephenson's famous Notes: Cross Lane Station was situated on George Stephenson's famous Liverpool and Manchester Railway the world's first railway to cater for passengers as one of its primary functions. It was also arguably the worlds first inter city railway. When the line first opened on the 15th September 1830 no details exist of the initial intermediate stops and Walkers accurate description of the line at the time of opening says that fares for intermediate stops had not been settled implying that initially there might not have been any stops.

The earliest known company timetable is 1st March 1831, this did not show times at intermediate stops but did list stops in fare tables. The company minutes of 26th September 1832 did give a full list but no further list was given until January 1846.

There were many early changes of stopping place and name so the early history of intermediate stops is patchy. At first trains stops at, for example, level crossings where the gatekeeper issued tickets; perhaps a room in his cottage was available as a shelter. In 1841 platforms and nameboards were added to stations lacking them. Many of the stations consisted of little more than a basic cottage.

The line opened on 15th September 1830 but Ordsall Lane didn't appear in the company timetable although L & M records state that there was intermittent early use of the station. This ceased after the opening of Manchester Victoria in 1844 but reopened for setting down after a local petition. The station was fully open from 1.8.1849 although it didn't appear in Bradshaw until March 1850 with a westbound only service shown. By June 1854 a two way service is listed although there is no eastbound timetable. A footnote shows it acting as a two way junction station for the South Junction line.

Initially the station would have been a fairly basic affair but by the end of the 19th Century it had developed into a large station facility with five platform faces. The station closed to passengers on the 4.2.1957. Its platforms where certainly still intact at the time of a railtour visit in April 1966 although all buildings had been demolished.

In April 1988 a new rail link called the Windsor Link was opened. This link allowed trains from the Preston and Bolton lines to go forward to Manchester Piccadilly rather than Manchester Victoria. The new link joined the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway at the site of Ordsall Lane station substantially altering the site.

Click here for a detailed history of the Edge Hill cutting and tunnels, including pictures inside the 1829 Crown Street Tunnel

Further reading: Liverpool & Manchester Railway Operations 1831 - 1845 by Thomas J Donaghy
David & Charles 1972 ISBN 0 71535705 0

To see the other closed stations on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway click on the station name: Liverpool Crown Street, Huyton Quarry, Lea Green, Collins Green, Parkside 1st, Parkside 2nd, Kenyon Junction, Glazebury and Bury Lane, Flow Moss, Astley, Lambs Cottage, Barton Moss 1st, Barton Moss 2nd, Weaste, Seedley, Cross Lane & Manchester Liverpool Road