Appleton railway station

Not to be confused with Appleton railway station, Jamaica, a place on the List of National Heritage Sites in Jamaica..

Appleton railway station served a primarily industrial area of Widnes, England. It was located on the southern section^[3][4] of the former St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway.

Appleton
General information
Location	Widnes, Halton England
Coordinates	53.3705°N 2.7198°W / 53.3705; -2.7198
Grid reference	SJ522862
Platforms	2[1][2]
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
21 February 1833	Station opened
18 June 1951	Station closed

St Helens & Runcorn Gap Railway
Legend
Liverpool & Bury Railway Rainford Junction Skelmersdale branch Liverpool & Bury Railway Rainford Village Rookery Old Mill Lane Crank Halt Moss Bank Pilkington Gerards Bridge Liverpool–Wigan line to Wigan North Western St Helens Central (original GCR station) St Helens Central Liverpool, St Helens & South Lancashire Railway Liverpool–Wigan line to Liverpool Lime Street Peasley Cross Hays Chemicals Sutton Oak Liverpool & Manchester Railway to Manchester Victoria Robins Lane Halt St Helens Junction Liverpool & Manchester Railway to Liverpool Lime Street Clock Face Union Bank Farm Halt Farnworth & Bold Appleton Ann Street Halt Warrington and Stockport Railway Vladivar Vodka distillery Warrington Arpley Chester–Warrington line to Chester Warrington Bank Quay High Level│Low Level West Coast Main Line Whitecross Sankey Bridges Fidlers Ferry & Penketh Fiddlers Ferry power station Cuerdley Widnes loop to Sankey Tanhouse Lane Widnes Central Cheshire Lines Committee (Liverpool–Manchester) Hough Green Widnes South Runcorn Gap (second) Runcorn Gap (first) swing bridge Widnes Dock Ditton Mill Weaver Junction–Liverpool line to Weaver Junction & Euston Runcorn Bridge Ditton Junction Halebank Speke 1864 extension to Liverpool Church Road Garston Garston Container terminal Garston Dock Garston and Liverpool Railway to Hunts Cross Hunts Cross chord Liverpool South Parkway to Liverpool Central Allerton West Allerton Mossley Hill Sefton Park Wavertree Liverpool & Manchester Railway Edge Hill Liverpool Lime Street
This diagram: view talk edit

History

The station was opened by the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway which was later absorbed by the London and North Western Railway. The L&NWR in turn became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway at the Grouping of 1923. The station then passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948, only to be closed by the British Transport Commission three years later. The line continued in freight use until 1981.

The site today

The site is buried under the A557 road. The nearest notable landmark to the station site is the Commercial Inn public house.

Services

In 1922 ten trains called at the station in each direction, Monday to Saturday, plying between St Helens Shaw St and Ditton Junction via Widnes South. Some trains continued to Runcorn and some to Liverpool Lime Street. All trains were 3rd Class only. No trains called on Sundays.^[5]

In 1951 the service was sparser but more complex. Six trains called in each direction, Monday to Friday, the early morning ones providing both 1st and 3rd Class accommodation. On Saturdays four trains called in each direction, 3rd Class only. No trains called on Sundays.^[6]

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Farnworth & Bold Line and station closed		London and North Western Railway St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway		Ann Street Halt Line and station closed

References

Notes

1. Pixton 1996, pp. 57–9.
2. Suggitt 2004, p. 48.
3. Engineers' Line Reference SOM via railwaycodes
4. Smith & Turner 2012, Map 45
5. Bradshaw 1985, p. 485
6. Pixton 1996, p. 86

Sources

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Bradshaw, George (1985) [July 1922]. Bradshaw's General Railway and Steam Navigation guide for Great Britain and Ireland: A reprint of the July 1922 issue. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-8708-5. OCLC 12500436.
• Pixton, Bob (1996), The Archive Photographs Series Widnes and St Helens Railways, The Chalford Publishing Company, ISBN 978-0-7524-0751-7
• Smith, Paul; Turner, Keith (2012), Railway Atlas Then and Now, Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7110-3695-6
• Suggitt, Gordon (2004). Lost Railways of Merseyside and Greater Manchester. Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-85306-869-0.

External links

• The station on an 1888-1913 Overlay OS Map via National Library of Scotland
• The station on an old OS map via npe maps
• The station via Disused Stations UK
• an illustrated history of the line via 8D Association