Whelley railway station

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I came across information about this station, that was situated on the Whelley Loop Line of the Lancashire Union Railway, whilst researching this particular railway. Whelley station, as far as I could ascertain, opened in January 1872 and was closed in March 1872, after a seven week period of opening.

Is there anyone with information to impart on this particular station, please ?

 

[plarailfan]

This site - Disused stations - has some photo's. http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/whelley/index.shtml
I wish it had info on a station near my home that opened and closed in June 1874. It was named "Dungeon Wood" but the signs were replaced with "Woodfield" just before it opened.
It's funny how some stations had such a short life !!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

There was another station on the same line with a similar fate - Amberswood. I can't find any info on why they were so short-lived, but a book I have on the matter says it acted as a Wigan bypass between St Helens and the line up towards Chorley, and lasted into the 1970s. Interestingly, at one point the line was proposed for electrification as part of the WCML and it itself becoming the main line avoiding the town. However, by 1976 it was in a state of closure. The trackbed is still walkable around the Whelley area and the station building survives.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

This site - Disused stations - has some photo's. http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/whelley/index.shtml

A good image of the station master's house is on there, which seems to have been quite well constructed. I note that the other station, Amberswood, on the same loop line, was also opened for passenger use for a similar exceedingly short period of time, so I wonder if the use of both stations for goods facilities was the prime objective,

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I can't find any info on why they were so short-lived, but a book I have on the matter says it acted as a Wigan bypass between St Helens and the line up towards Chorley, and lasted into the 1970s.

Thanks for that, Matt. I have now expanded my railway archives that covers that part of the North-West by purchasing three excellent hardback books published by Triangle Publishing:-
The Lancashire Union Railway
The Wigan Branch Railway
Plodder Lane for Farnworth

In September 2013, a hardback book on The Wigan Junction Railway (Glazebrook to Wigan Central) will be ready for sale from the same publishers.