Notes: Weaste 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 site of Weaste Station was first used as a passenger facility in the first year of the lines opening 1831/2 when a station known as Gortons Buildings serviced passenger trains. It is likely that this facility was nothing more than a stopping place perhaps with a simple hut for shelter. In any event it appears that the facility had closed by the end of 1831. Early history of the station is vague but sometime between the autumn of 1832 and September 1838 the station re-opened. It is possible that it was used intermittently between these dates. In any event by 1838 it was established as a permanent station. Early timetables show a number of names being used including Waste Lane, Weaste Lane Gate and Weaste Lane with the later in use by the mid 19th century. On the 1.7.1856 the station was renamed as Weaste.

The station was an early closure losing its passenger services on 19.10.1942. It remained in use for goods until the 1.11.1947. In the 1980's the M602 Motorway was constructed adjacent to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway at this point; today nothing remains of the station 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, Seedley, Cross Lane, Ordsall Lane, Manchester Liverpool Road