lancastrian
Member
You set me thinking with that last answer, as the mention of Ainsworth Lane station that you state was one that was something that did not register with me. There is an Ainsworth Lane in my old maps, but this is in Bolton and I could not trace one in Radcliffe.
However, after Bradley Fold station and Bradley Fold Junction, the line approached Ainsworth Road in Radcliffe then bifurcated, with the southern line running into Radcliffe Station. The northern line at the bifurcation ran under Ainsworth Road, where the station of Radcliffe Black Lane was situated. The line then ran on from there, running in parallel with Bury and Bolton Road until arriving at Bury Knowsley Street station.
Sorry folks, I need to make a correction here, it was not Ainsworth Lane Station, it was Ainsworth ROAD station, although in fact it was mainly referred to as a Halt, it closed 29/09/1953.
I apologise for any scratching of heads and wierd thoughts due to my error.
However my point that if these lines were still available for diversions then the need to use buses to transfer passengers from Bolton to Manchester would be irrelevant.
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Sorry if this point has been raised previously in passing, but has there been any official statement on the type of provision of the Manchester to Clitheroe service during the enforced line closure. for those people who use this service for commuting directly into Manchester ?
Just another thought has occurred to me when reading this. Many moons ago when the Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe and West Riding Junction Railway, often just referred to as the Blackburn Railway was independent from both the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway as well as the East Lancashire Railway, it had a alternate route to Manchester from the Bolton area surveyed, this was to go through Radcliffe, Prestwich and Crumpsall, to terminate near Victoria in Manchester. It would have followed the route of the currant line quite closely.
However the problem was solved by it becoming a joint line between the L&YR and the ELR, both becoming one in 1859. If it had have been built as they planned, it is likely that the planed line from Bolton to Radcliffe might have still been open for services north of Bolton to Blackburn & beyond.
Just a thought.