Woodvale railway station

Woodvale railway station was a railway station located in Woodvale, Merseyside, England.[4][5]

Woodvale
General information
LocationWoodvale, Sefton
England
Coordinates53°35′18″N 3°02′27″W / 53.5882°N 3.0409°W / 53.5882; -3.0409
Grid referenceSD311107
Platforms2[1]
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companySouthport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway
Pre-groupingCheshire Lines Committee
Post-groupingCheshire Lines Committee
Key dates
1 September 1884Station opened as "Woodville & Ainsdale"
1 May 1898Station renamed "Woodvale"
1 January 1917Station closed
1 April 1919Station reopened
7 January 1952Station closed completely[2][3]

History

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The Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway (SCLER) opened the station on 1 September 1884 as Woodville & Ainsdale, though one source refers to it as "Woodvale and Ainsdale".[6] It was renamed Woodvale on 1 May 1898. The station was built on an embankment crossing Liverpool Road and was well known for its floral displays on both platforms.[7][8]

Run down and closure

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The station first closed in 1917, along with all other stations on the extension line, as a World War I economy measure.

The station was reopened on 1 April 1919, and continued in use until 7 January 1952, when the SCLER was closed to passengers from Aintree Central to Southport Lord Street. The line remained open for public goods traffic until 7 July 1952 at Southport Lord St., Birkdale Palace and Altcar & Hillhouse Stations. Public goods services were ended at Woodvale, Lydiate and Sefton & Maghull stations—there were never any goods facilities at the Ainsdale Beach station—on Saturday, 5 January 1952, which was the same date as passenger services were ended. The official railway closing date is always given [by whom?] as the Monday following the date of the last trains' run, meaning that the official closing date is 7 January 1952. However, train services almost always end on a Saturday.[where?] The final ticket stubs show the date as being 5 January 1952. A private siding remained open at Altcar & Hillhouse after 7 July 1952, finally closing in May 1960. The last passenger train to run on the SCLER was a railway enthusiasts' special between the Aintree and Altcar & Hillhouse railways stations on 6 June 1959.

Present

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The track bed was later utilised to support what is now the Coastal Road, which runs from Woodvale to Southport.


Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Mossbridge
Line and station closed
  Cheshire Lines Committee
SCLER
  Ainsdale Beach
Line and station closed

References

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  1. ^ Bolger 1984, pp. 86–7.
  2. ^ Bolger 1984, p. 6.
  3. ^ Butt 1995, p. xxx.
  4. ^ Jowett 1989, Map 43.
  5. ^ Griffiths 1947, p. 18.
  6. ^ Dow 1962, p. 142.
  7. ^ Travers 2013, p. 375.
  8. ^ Foster 2000, pp. 19–20.

Sources

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  • Bolger, Paul (1984). An Illustrated History of the Cheshire Lines Committee. Merseyside: Heyday Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-947562-00-7.
  • 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.
  • Dow, George (1962). Great Central, Volume Two Dominion of Watkin 1864-1899. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-1469-5. OCLC 655324061.
  • Foster, Harry (2000). New Ainsdale The struggle of a seaside suburb 1850-2000. Birkdale: Birkdale and Ainsdale Historical Research Society. ISBN 978-0-9510905-5-8.
  • Griffiths, R Prys (1947). The Cheshire Lines Railway. Lingfield: The Oakwood Press. OCLC 752555378. OL5.
  • Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
  • Travers, Ian (June 2013). Blakemore, Michael (ed.). "The Southport Extension of the Cheshire Lines Committee 1884-1952". Back Track. 27 (6). Easingwold: Pendragon Publishing.
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