Wigan Album

By now look rundown and ready for closure , November 1964.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of Wigan Central Stn looking anything other than run down and ready for closure, platform side at any rate…was it always some kind of poor relation to the other two? Although pleasingly it’s good to see the huge enamel platform sign on prominent display in the Wigan Central Bar , along with other top notch railwayana on loan from customers

I remember as a young boy going to Wembley from here.Funny because we always went from Wigan north western.

Ian, I remember reading a great article about the Central Station and how The Manley Hotel on Ince Green Lane was built as one of the railways Hotels, and also told about the pavilion style station main entrance and waiting rooms, and its quirky domes. The station and other buildings on Station Road were all flatted to enable an extension to be built for the Civic Centre, this was then later shelved because the council didn't have the money to complete it, a multi storey car park was later built on the site.
I think it the article may well have been in one of the Past Forward magazines, however someone has done research on the station and had a book published, info here - https://www.wigantoday.net/news/people/wigan-central-station-a-new-book-is-published-about-wigans-forgotten-third-railway-station-now-buried-under-the-grand-arcade-3785527

Cyril,

I have my doubts about that book. The photo of 65159 that is stated to be Central Station, is in reality North Western.

Also, "But a station is nothing without a ready supply of locomotives to pull those workmen’s and passenger trains to Manchester Central (now GMEX) via Bickershaw and Lowton St Mary’s.

Or indeed, St Helens Central, via the former Golborne, Haydock Park and Ashton-in-Makerfield stations."

To take such a route from Wigan Central, trains would have to change direction of travel south of Lowton junction. Did they ever do such a thing?

My first job was at the former ROF at Risley, by which time it had become a Royal Navy warehousing establishment, and renamed HMS Risley. A special train ran every weekday morning from Wigan Central , looping off the mainline beyond Culcheth on a specially constructed track to Risley Station, constructed to only serve the Royal Ordinance Factory prior to WW11.

Ian, I can see what you mean about the photo being taken at WNW with the bridge being in the background of the photo, but I have nothing to do with the book and I only posted the link to it as it was about Central Station.

I've no idea if they did, but on going through Lower Ince where there were a lot of rail junctions, the trains from Central Station could they have then joined the West Coast line and travelled south, and then on to wherever, as they did when joining it at Standish to travel north.

Plenty men used this line to get to Irlam steel works

Plenty men used this line to get to Irlam steel works

That is definitely Central station, my grandad worked there until it closed.

Dave, the photo Ian was questioning is the one in the link below, the source says it was taken at Central Station, but, if you look there is a bridge parapet in the left hand side background, also the platforms are solid and not planked, so it could have been taken at Wigan NW station - see which station you decide it is. https://www.wigantoday.net/webimg/b25lY21zOjkwOTQ2YjRkLWEyYzMtNGU3My05ODFkLWM4ZWUyOWUwZGY0YTplODNiMDU5ZC01N2JkLTRlNjQtOTk1ZS04NGMwMDVkYTZhNDk=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65

It's from the link to the WEPs article about the book on Central Station, that I posted at 20:37.

I don't think there as ever been a link from Wigan Central to the WCML. A train travelling to London from Central would go via Manchester Central and then change to go via Sheffield on to probably St Pancras.

Am I correct?

If traversing GC metals TOWARDS Wigan, one could access the Whelly Loop to go either North or South at the triangle made by the Amberswood East junction, Amberswood West junction and Strangeways West junction. This was not possible for trains travelling FROM Wigan Central.

The only other interconnection with LNWR that I am aware of is, travelling from Wigan Central, a train could at Strangeways East junction take the LNWR line to Manchester via Eccles, (As used by service from W NW to Mancheter Exchange) joining at Bickershaw West junction.

Of course there are some colliery interconnections. I think passenger services would not have been permitted to travel over colliery lines.

I cannot recognize the Russian style buildings in the background.

Peter, that was the distinguishing feature of Central Station. Take a look from the road outside- photos on this site or look in the link which Cyril has posted.

Peter Walsh,it was part of the station.

Thanks AP and Pw, I remember now but only from the Ritz side.

This picture is 100% Wigan Central Station, Station Road is to the left and a siding with a loading bay which we used to play in as kids, it always seemed to be full of straw. the line terminated at Manchester Central now a conference and exhibition centre.
The Russian style onion domes can be seen clearly, I recall most of the structure was in wood including the platform, apart from the paved run off you see in the picture.
I remember you could get a return ticket to Bickershaw for 1 & 1/2d.
I lived in Douglas House on the 7th Floor, the trains used to run right below our bedroom windows billowing steam and smoke, what a racket they made. I took a similar picture to this of Central Station through the kitchen window.
Previous to that we lived in Douglas Street, I remember in the mid 1950's a train derailment with cattle wagons, some of the wagons rolled down the embankment toward the river Douglas, all the street was woken up with gunfire as many of the injured cattle had to be shot.