Notes: Warrington Dallam Lane was the southern terminus of the Warrington & Newton Railway (W&NR) which was authorised on 4 May 1829 and opened on 25 July 1831. The W&NR was a 4.25-mile branch line that connected to the Liverpool & Manchester Railway (L&M) at Newton Junction (later to become Earlestown). The W&NR was promoted by a group of Warrington businessmen who saw the opportunities that would arise from having a connection to the L&M. George Stephenson Engineer to the L&M undertook the survey for the W&NR.

Warrington Dallam Lane station was located on the east side of its namesake, south of Tanners Lane. A two storey brick building was provided which housed the booking office and railway offices. The line crossed Tanners Lane by means of a level crossing and passed to the west of the station building onto Dallam Lane where it curved into a railway yard located behind the booking office. In the yard there was a goods shed and, to the east, a number of sidings.

From the start passenger services were operated by the L&M and there were services to both Liverpool and Manchester. Horse-drawn mail coaches also connected with trains at Warrington. An innovation introduced by the L&M was the transportation of a couple of Liverpool and London mail coaches each day by rail between Warrington Dallam Lane and Liverpool. Passengers could board the stage at Liverpool after it had been strapped to a flat wagon for the journey to Warrington. From Warrington it went to London over the turnpike roads. Liverpool bound coaches were stapped to a wagon at Warrington Dallam Lane after they had travelled from London.

The L&M was a success from the start and led to a spate of railway building. One of the early schemes that followed in its wake, and Britain’s first trunk line was the Grand Junction Railway (GJR). The GJR had behind it many of the same personalities as the L&M. The GJR was authorised on 6 May1833 to build an 82.5 mile line to connect the L&M to Birmingham. From the start the intention was to connect to the W&NR at Warrington, but arguments between the two companies almost resulted in the GJR building another route. After much discussion the W&NR agreed on 4 February 1835 to be absorbed by the GJR on the basis of a one-for-one share exchange and a guarantee of 4% interest until the GJR declared dividends. This was confirmed by an Act of Parliament of 12 June 1835.

The GJR made its connection to the W&NR at a point 56 chains north of Dallam Lane station, the main line passing through the town to the west leaving the terminus station at the end of a short branch line.

The GJR opened on 4 July 1837. A new station was opened at Warrington Bank Quay on the same day and Dallam Lane closed to passengers. It became a coal yard and lasted until the early 1960s. On the north side of Tanners Lane large areas of railway sidings developed which lasted until the late 1960s.

The station building became the ‘Three Pigeons’ pub. The frontage at ground floor level was altered in the late 19th century and the pub was still open in 2014. The site of the station yard had been developed as a community centre but that had been cleared by 2012 and in 2014 it was a construction site. .

Route map by Alan Young.

Sources:

• Britains First Trunk Line - The Grand Junction Railway - Norman W Webster - Adams & Dart 1972
• Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain - A Chronology - Michael Quick - RCHS 2009

To see other stations on the Grand Junction Railway between Earlestown and Crewe click on the station name: Vulcan Halt, Winwick Quay, Warrington Bank Quay (1st), Moore, Preston Brook, Minshull Vernon and Coppenhall

Click here to see views of the later goods sidings at Warrington Dallam Lane

The 8D Association - Dedicated to promoting the history of South Lancashire and North Cheshire railways. Web Site