Cowley Hill, St Helens

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Does anyone have any information on the sites that were rail-served in this area of St Helens ?

 

[Ploughman]

This photo that I took back around 1974 was at United Glass St Helens.
Which I think is in the required area.
We where recovering redundant track from U Glass for reuse at Steamport Southport.

http://www.ontrackplant.com/photo/thomas-smith-5t-crane-1

 

[barbarajohn]

Does anyone have any information on the sites that were rail-served in this area of St Helens ?

hi paul, going north from st helens central, there is a rail branch off the main line into cowley hill siding worked from a ground frame in conjunction with st helens signal box. this branch off used to be a double track railway to rainford jct.this disused line runs at the back of my garden, i used to fire steam trains along here in the 1950,s ,john.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

My thanks to both of you for this assistance.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

hi paul, going north from st helens central, there is a rail branch off the main line into cowley hill siding worked from a ground frame in conjunction with st helens signal box. this branch off used to be a double track railway to rainford jct.this disused line runs at the back of my garden, i used to fire steam trains along here in the 1950,s ,john.

Would that be the old line that met the former St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway line, that would have passed through the stations of Gerards Bridge, Moss Bank, Crank, Old Mill Lane, Rookery and Rainford Village. At the Rainford Junction area, it was possible to access the line into Rainford and to also access the line through Skelmersdale to Ormskirk.

 

[Bevan Price]

My thanks to both of you for this assistance.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Would that be the old line that met the former St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway line, that would have passed through the stations of Gerards Bridge, Moss Bank, Crank, Old Mill Lane, Rookery and Rainford Village. At the Rainford Junction area, it was possible to access the line into Rainford and to also access the line through Skelmersdale to Ormskirk.

Yes, at Gerards Bridge Junction. It was recently announced that glass production at Cowley Hill works (Pilkington Brothers, now Japanese-owned) was ceasing. The other factory, at Ravenhead, still produces glass. Both factories could use either gas or oil fuel. Gas is preferred, being cleaner; oil was only used if when was cheaper than gas. It must be about 2-3 years since oil trains ran to either factory.

Ravenhead factory is served by the newish (circa 1994) siding off the St. Helens to Huyton line. The new siding was necessary because the old access, from Ravenhead Junction on the St. Helens to St. Helens Junction line, was taken over for the St. Helens Linkway road scheme.

The old Ravenhead branch once also served other glass factories and coal mines. The sulphuric acid plant, best known as Hays Chemicals, but which changed names more than once, was served by a siding near the former Sutton Oak mpd. Rail traffic ceased when the factory closed about 10 years ago.

Also, there were lots of (long-closed) coal mines and factories with rail connections:-

If you want more info. about industrial railways in the area, see these books:-

'The Industrial Railways of St.Helens, Widnes & Warrington : Parts 1 & 2 - St.Helens'
by C.H.A.Townley & J.A.Peden
ISBN 978 1 901556 10 0
ISBN 978 1 901556 25 4

http://www.irsociety.co.uk/books/books.htm

 

[Bright Boy]

The original St Helens Railway and Runcorn Gap Railway opened up a branch to Cowley Hill colliery in 1833, I don't know the exact date? I think part of this branch's route/trackbed is still in use now as part of the Wigan-St Helens-Liverpool line, and the rest of the line into where the colliery was sited is possibly still in situ although not the original rails however I do not believe it is still in use. I think the site of the colliery is now used by the glassworks?