Station Name: SANKEY BRIDGES

[Source: Paul Wright]


Date opened: 1.2.1853
Location: On the south side of Liverpool Road/Old Liverpool Road
Company on opening: St. Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway
Date closed to passengers: 26.9.1949
Date closed completely: 26.9.1949
Company on closing: British Railways (Midland Region)
Present state: Eastbound platform still present and easily viewable from a public footpath which crosses the line at the east end of the platform.
County: Lancashire
OS Grid Ref: SJ583876
Date of visit: 13.3.2005

Notes: The Station was situated on the St. Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway's eastern extension from Widnes to Warrington which opened on 1.2.1853. At the same time an extension was opened from Widnes to Garston Dock. With an end on connection to the Warrington and Stockport Railway at Warrington Arpley an alternative to the LNWR Liverpool to Manchester route was now opened up. However by the late 1850s the line was absorbed into the LNWR network and from that point was always viewed as a secondary route.

Sankey Bridges Station stood at a point where the line crossed the Sankey Canal (1757) by way of a swing bridge which remained in use until the 1950s. In November 1858 there was a crash at this point when the bridge was left open to canal traffic. A light engine Actaeon was returning from Garston after hauling a Kings Cross Garston train. It crashed into the canal.

Sankey Bridges Station first closed on 1.1.1917, reopening on 1.7.1919 finally closing to passengers on 26.9.1949 but the line was still used for passenger services by the Ditton Junction to Manchester Oxford Road via Warrington Bank Quay Low Level train which continued until 10.9.1962. Today the line is a busy freight route from Ditton to Warrington Arpley.

To see the other stations on the Ditton Junction to Skelton Junction Line click on the station name: Ditton, Widnes South, Cuerdley, Fidlers Ferry & Penketh, Warrington Bank Quay Low Level, Warrington Arpley, Latchford, Thelwall, Lymm, Heatley & Warburton,
Dunham Massey
& Broadheath.


Looking west at Sankey Bridges Station in the 1950's. In the foreground can be see the swing bridge that carried the line across the Sankey Canal
P
hoto by Peter A Norton




Sankey Bridges station looking west on Friday 24 February 1984 as 47 333 heads east towards Warrington after a visit to Fiddlers Ferry power station.
Photo by Kev Smith from his Flickr photostream

The remaining eastbound platform in 2005
P
hoto by Paul Wright

The remaining eastbound platform in 2005
P
hoto by Paul Wright

The remaining eastbound platform in 2005
P
hoto by Paul Wright

Click on thumbnail to enlarge

 

 

 

[Source: Paul Wright]


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