Bidston line electrification

[Welshman]

I remember when the Mersey line from Birkenhead to Liverpool had 24 trains per hour, and it was like this from 1938 into the 1970s. The terminus at Liverpool Central had just a single headshunt beyond the platforms. Every train in the peak turned round there in 3-4 minutes, there was no space for them to do otherwise. There was no burrowing junction at Hamilton Square, just a flat double junction. Outside the tunnels it was all semaphore signalling. The Rock Ferry line was every 5 minutes at peak periods, the most intensive BR route anywhere. In peak periods I never recall a single delay.

How is this not attainable today?

R.H.N.Hardy, in his autobiography Railways in the Blood, describes how the speedy turnround at Central Low Level was achieved:-

"A train would arrive at one side of the island platform at Liverpool Central, and the driver would leave his cab and walk down the platform to the departure point. Meanwhile a turn-round man would get into the rear cab, propel up to the dead end, the automatic points would change, and in a matter of seconds he would draw forward into the other platform, to be relieved by the waiting driver who had brought the train into Low Level. The turn-round man would then cross the platform to the next train and repeat the cycle"

So, apart from any more recent rules about propelling trains, I guess one of the problems of attaining this today would be finding a shunter/driver prepared to do nothing but perform this manoeuvre for a whole shift!

 

[merlodlliw]

Obviously this would be expensive and is unlikely, but since the Welsh 'devolution-lite' the Wrexham-Bidston line has become even more of an anomaly when it comes to funding/franchising/stock allocation. Perhaps a solution would be to re-install a curve at Shotton and allow services from Wrexham to continue along the coast? Couple that with electrification (of either type) from Bidston to Shotton High-Level and run 2tph from the Liverpool loop to there.
A Wales and Borders DMU service could then run all-stations Wrexham Central-Llandudno/Bangor which would allow the express coast services (from Manchester/Crewe/Euston) to be speeded up by skipping some stops. This would prevent the anomaly of North Wales needing a small allocation of 150s for the Conwy Valley and Borderlands that has been highlighted in a couple of threads about future cascades- A larger fleet would be needed which would be more viable.
An added bonus would be that Cardiff-Holyhead services could serve Wrexham without needing to reverse at Chester (Chester would no longer be served, but perhaps extending the Crewe-Chester shuttles to Wrexham General would reduce the impact of this?). Unlike Wrexham-Chester, Wrexham-Shotton is double track throughout (the short stretch through Exchange to Central (which wouldn't be used by longer distance services anyway) notwithstanding) so even if the new Shotton curve was only single or if only one platform at the high level was available this shouldn't have a major impact on reliability...

Just a thought, by all means shoot it down in flames!

EDIT: Just looked on Google maps and the alignment of the former curve can clearly be seen. There has been some small development at the Western end but nothing that would be insurmountable I'd have thought. It'd be interesting to see how such a scheme would compare (CBA-wise) with the Wrexham-Chester redoubling...

running Cardiff to Holyhead will always be via Chester,thats where people want to go,Chester is ATWs busiest managed station outside Cardiff Central, also Chester has the most tocs in the entire ATW station managed network.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

running Cardiff to Holyhead will always be via Chester,thats where people want to go,Chester is ATWs busiest managed station outside Cardiff Central, also Chester has the most tocs in the entire ATW station managed network.

Right enough, though a curve at Shotton would at least make Gerald a bit quicker- not really worth it for one train a day though! As some others have pointed out, linespeeds south of Shotton would need sorting too if faster services were going to run that way. Good connections at Wrexham General and a decent quality Wrex-Chester shuttle would help. My proposal really though was more about solving the perceived problems with the Borderlands line than about cutting Chester off from Wales. Essentially if electrification all the way to Wrexham is a bit much, then Shotton would be a sensible place to split the service as it also connects with the coast services. The idea of then reinstating the curve would at least boost the viability of the legacy service on the Southern end of the Borderlands line.

 

[Bevan Price]

Obviously this would be expensive and is unlikely, but since the Welsh 'devolution-lite' the Wrexham-Bidston line has become even more of an anomaly when it comes to funding/franchising/stock allocation. Perhaps a solution would be to re-install a curve at Shotton and allow services from Wrexham to continue along the coast? Couple that with electrification (of either type) from Bidston to Shotton High-Level and run 2tph from the Liverpool loop to there.
A Wales and Borders DMU service could then run all-stations Wrexham Central-Llandudno/Bangor which would allow the express coast services (from Manchester/Crewe/Euston) to be speeded up by skipping some stops. This would prevent the anomaly of North Wales needing a small allocation of 150s for the Conwy Valley and Borderlands that has been highlighted in a couple of threads about future cascades- A larger fleet would be needed which would be more viable.
An added bonus would be that Cardiff-Holyhead services could serve Wrexham without needing to reverse at Chester (Chester would no longer be served, but perhaps extending the Crewe-Chester shuttles to Wrexham General would reduce the impact of this?). Unlike Wrexham-Chester, Wrexham-Shotton is double track throughout (the short stretch through Exchange to Central (which wouldn't be used by longer distance services anyway) notwithstanding) so even if the new Shotton curve was only single or if only one platform at the high level was available this shouldn't have a major impact on reliability...

Just a thought, by all means shoot it down in flames!

EDIT: Just looked on Google maps and the alignment of the former curve can clearly be seen. There has been some small development at the Western end but nothing that would be insurmountable I'd have thought. It'd be interesting to see how such a scheme would compare (CBA-wise) with the Wrexham-Chester redoubling...

There were once two connections (or almost connections). A curve from Shotton High Level turned sharply left after crossing the North Wales Coast Line, and then ran roughly parallel to the River Dee to Connahs Quay Docks, and joined with a line that passed below the coast line just east of Connahs Quay station site. There was no direct connection on to the coast line.

The other line was a freight line from Buckley Junction to Connahs Quay, which once had a westbound curve to the coast line, joining it to the west of Connahs Quay station. As far as I know, it never had a regular passenger services north of the site of the first station at Buckley. It must have been a nightmare to work, rising from sea level at Connahs Quay for over 4 miles, with gradients mostly in the range 1 in 30 to 1 in 40.

For anyone with interest in the history, the James Boyd - Oakwood Press book on the Wrexham, Mold & Connahs Quay (including The Buckley Railway) is worth getting or borrowing from a library. It contains various maps / plans of the Welsh section of the line, but not much detail about the continuation to Bidston.

 

[edwin_m]

Not at all.
There is far greater demand on the Wrexham-Chester and Chester-Liverpool sections than Wrexham-Bidston.
The Bidston line is also desperately slow (40mph south of Dee Marsh Jn, 50mph northwards), and has no major population centre en route.
It's also 2.5 miles further than via Chester (30 versus 27.5 to Hamilton Square). Journey times would be slower via Bidston.
60% of the route via Chester is electrified already.
If you were to do one route it would be the Chester one.
The dual routes would make Wrexham a significant node on the Merseyrail network and offer useful alternative and complementary journeys.
You'd need a bit of remodelling at Wrexham to get Chester trains into Wrexham Central to terminate on the branch.

Electrifying Chester-Wrexham would kill stone dead the business case for electrifying Bidston-Wrexham.

 

[merlodlliw]

Right enough, though a curve at Shotton would at least make Gerald a bit quicker- not really worth it for one train a day though! As some others have pointed out, linespeeds south of Shotton would need sorting too if faster services were going to run that way. Good connections at Wrexham General and a decent quality Wrex-Chester shuttle would help. My proposal really though was more about solving the perceived problems with the Borderlands line than about cutting Chester off from Wales. Essentially if electrification all the way to Wrexham is a bit much, then Shotton would be a sensible place to split the service as it also connects with the coast services. The idea of then reinstating the curve would at least boost the viability of the legacy service on the Southern end of the Borderlands line.

I really don't see Chester station coming off the Cardiff/Holyhead service with its connecting services,after all its a Welsh Managed station,like Shrewsbury & Hereford, although in time this may change.
Your idea of a link at Shotton onto the North Wales line is a reasonable return, but it is not even being considered by WG & im sure part of the link is now built on.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Electrifying Chester-Wrexham would kill stone dead the business case for electrifying Bidston-Wrexham.

I don't see it that way, all should become clearer? at the meeting in Cardiff tomorrow the 3rd October, when stakeholders/rugs and others invited by passenger focus meet AMs to discuss the fuiture of the Wales & Borders franchise this is round one,

Bob

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I really don't see Chester station coming off the Cardiff/Holyhead service with its connecting services,after all its a Welsh Managed station,like Shrewsbury & Hereford, although in time this may change.
Your idea of a link at Shotton onto the North Wales line is a reasonable return, but it is not even being considered by WG & im sure part of the link is now built on.

Indeed I conceded the Chester point in my previous post above. As for the idea of a curve, Bevan Price explains that what I had seen on Google Earth and assumed was a link to the Coast line in fact never actually made that connection. It does however come close enough that most of the alignment could be used for said curve I'd have thought. Based on what can be seen on Google Earth (which admittedly might be 3 years out of date!) any building on that alignment looks fairly minimal, and the surrounding land should be able to accommodate diverted road access to what I assume are industrial facilities of some sort.

 

[eps200]

Even in the 1970s there were discussions to extend 750VDC to Neston or even better a new station close to Ness. The ideal was thought to be a running time from Bidston similar to West Kirby so that services would mesh. However, this may no longer be a need.

Extending beyond Neston/Ness would need a pretty massive park and ride somewhere near a major road to capture Birkenhead/Liverpool commuters from North Wales to justify a 15 minute frequency and the additional fares revenue may need local support. If that could also allow a single train shuttle from Wrexham it might work.

If the Deeside business park does take off then travel could be bi-directional with a high-frequency bus inside the park. The trick will be to ensure that any-time car-commutes take more time than 15-minute train+bus and that means essentially Neston and Heswall.

The logical place for the station is just south of junction 3 on the M53 it has space for a car park great interchange with buses and with sensible pedestrian and cycle paths around the A road and motorway serve a large amount of people who have currently have no rail access. Also right by the north Cheshire trading estate so scope for some in bound traffic.

I work in a factory on Deeside industrial park it is already well served with shuttle buses and longer distance buses all over the show they currently don't serve the station because it only gets ~5 trains a day. Add a bus stop there via some sections of bus lane between zones of the park and you have a really convenient set up. Quite a few people cycle in via the train even with the dismal service we get now.
Ideally though they would close hawden bridge and move it up to the park no one really looses out with shotton being so close

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The other line was a freight line from Buckley Junction to Connah's Quay, which once had a westbound curve to the coast line, joining it to the west of Connah's Quay station. As far as I know, it never had a regular passenger services north of the site of the first station at Buckley. It must have been a nightmare to work, rising from sea level at Connah's Quay for over 4 miles, with gradients mostly in the range 1 in 30 to 1 in 40.

On 1st January 1866, a railway was opened by the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway that gave a link to Wrexham at the southern end of the Buckley Railway, but a view of records would suggest that no scheduled or diverted passenger services ever ran over the rails of the Buckley Railway.

 

[Taunton]

On 1st January 1866, a railway was opened by the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway that gave a link to Wrexham at the southern end of the Buckley Railway, but a view of records would suggest that no scheduled or diverted passenger services ever ran over the rails of the Buckley Railway.

I recall making a DMU journey down the Shotton-Wrexham line in the mid-1960s, and being surprised to see that a Black 5 hauled steam freight was waiting alongside Buckley Junction station to come off this line and follow us. It was at a lower level, the junction was south of the station.

The most surprising thing about this line was the abandonment of the passenger service on the spur from Hawarden Bridge to Chester in the late 1960s. The line wasn't closed, quite extensive freight services continued from the Northwich direction, mainly to the Shotton steelworks, for many years afterwards. The DMU service main passenger flows were from the Wirral to Chester, and from the Welsh border stations north of Wrexham, also to Chester. From Wales to the Wirral was the least of the passenger flows.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I recall making a DMU journey down the Shotton-Wrexham line in the mid-1960s, and being surprised to see that a Black 5 hauled steam freight was waiting alongside Buckley Junction station to come off this line and follow us. It was at a lower level, the junction was south of the station.

The most surprising thing about this line was the abandonment of the passenger service on the spur from Hawarden Bridge to Chester in the late 1960s. The line wasn't closed, quite extensive freight services continued from the Northwich direction, mainly to the Shotton steelworks, for many years afterwards. The DMU service main passenger flows were from the Wirral to Chester, and from the Welsh border stations north of Wrexham, also to Chester. From Wales to the Wirral was the least of the passenger flows.

That was in order to close Chester Northgate station and approaches.
The Manchester-Northwich-Chesters could be diverted into General (after reconfiguring the junction at Mickle Trafford), but there was no solution for trains into Northgate from the west.
The Wrexham-Bidston line only survived because of the John Summers freight traffic (then fed from Bidston Dock).

 

[merlodlliw]

That was in order to close Chester Northgate station and approaches.
The Manchester-Northwich-Chesters could be diverted into General (after reconfiguring the junction at Mickle Trafford), but there was no solution for trains into Northgate from the west.
The Wrexham-Bidston line only survived because of the John Summers freight traffic (then fed from Bidston Dock).

If I'm not mistaken Northgate was a Cheshire Lines Committee station that ran into Manchester Central as well, the old vast Cheshire Lines Committee warehouse at Birkenhead, is now Councils offices,but the stone lettering remains.Cheshire Lines Committee did not own any locomotives if I recall and was never nationalised in 1947. A lot of history with Northgate station,shut to build a ring Road around Chester, its lines ran over the main Holyhead line.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Cheshire Lines Committee did not own any locomotives if I recall and was never nationalised in 1947. A lot of history with Northgate station,shut to build a ring Road around Chester, its lines ran over the main Holyhead line.

My records show that on 1st January 1948, the former CLC Chester Northgate railway station became part of the nationalised British Railways London Midland Region. The former LNER lines were temporarily transferred to the newly-formed Eastern Region, but by the end of 1948, all those lines were transferred into the London Midland Region. The Chester Northgate Arena which was built on the site of Chester Northgate railway station was given the iconic name of the former railway station to keep the name alive.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

If I'm not mistaken Northgate was a Cheshire Lines Committee station that ran into Manchester Central as well, the old vast Cheshire Lines Committee warehouse at Birkenhead, is now Councils offices,but the stone lettering remains.Cheshire Lines Committee did not own any locomotives if I recall and was never nationalised in 1947. A lot of history with Northgate station,shut to build a ring Road around Chester, its lines ran over the main Holyhead line.

Northgate was indeed CLC, but the route west to Wrexham and Seacombe/Bidston via Dee Marsh was MS&L (later GC/LNER).
The CLC was owned one-third each by the MS&L, Midland and GN, but in reality it was run by the MS&L.
In 1923 it became majority owned by the LNER (one third LMS).
In 1948 both parents were nationalised, and the CLC (and GC west of the Pennines) became part of the LMR.
This spelt doom for all the CLC's major stations (Liverpool Central, Manchester Central, Chester Northgate, Stockport Tiviot Dale, Southport Lord St), none of which survived.
I think Warrington Central is about the biggest left (which like Birkenhead also has a warehouse with prominent Cheshire Lines lettering and the names of the constituent companies).

 

[Gareth Marston]

That was in order to close Chester Northgate station and approaches.
The Manchester-Northwich-Chesters could be diverted into General (after reconfiguring the junction at Mickle Trafford), but there was no solution for trains into Northgate from the west.
The Wrexham-Bidston line only survived because of the John Summers freight traffic (then fed from Bidston Dock).

The Reshaping report came to the conclusion the passenger traffic was all "duplicate" and wanted to close Wrexham Central to New Brighton as well. The infamous maps showed the whole lot as being in the highest category of passenger use, which shouldn't have been a closure candidate if it were not for the duplicate theory. Probably one of the stupidest closures in terms of turning traffic off the railway. Northgate was generating over a million a year in today's money in ticket sales.

 

[ianhr]

I have always thought that losing the CLC terminals was a tragedy. If they still existed the routes would form a remarkably self-contained regional system that could operate virtually independently of the national system, perhaps under local authority/PTE control. There would be few conflicting movements and a reliable timetable could be offered throughout N Cheshire and S Lancs + NE Wales, serving LOCAL needs.

 

[Gwenllian2001]

The Reshaping report came to the conclusion the passenger traffic was all "duplicate" and wanted to close Wrexham Central to New Brighton as well. The infamous maps showed the whole lot as being in the highest category of passenger use, which shouldn't have been a closure candidate if it were not for the duplicate theory. Probably one of the stupidest closures in terms of turning traffic off the railway. Northgate was generating over a million a year in today's money in ticket sales.

Yet there are still people, on this forum, who believe that Beeching was infallible and the rest of us are 'sentimentalists'. I won't go on, except to say that many of today's 'experts', or even their parents, weren't even born; have never been in railway service; never discovered girls (or boys) and probably have an unrequited love for Deltics.

 

[daikilo]

Electrifying Chester-Wrexham would kill stone dead the business case for electrifying Bidston-Wrexham.

Which is why I suggest Bidston to somewhere in the Shotton/Deeside BP area. If that just happened to be a location where a Wrexham train could connect and, with a reinstated/new connection, continue along the NW coast there could be such a meeting of minds/egos that it just might happen.

 

[merlodlliw]

My records show that on 1st January 1948, the former CLC Chester Northgate railway station became part of the nationalised British Railways London Midland Region. The former LNER lines were temporarily transferred to the newly-formed Eastern Region, but by the end of 1948, all those lines were transferred into the London Midland Region. The Chester Northgate Arena which was built on the site of Chester Northgate railway station was given the iconic name of the former railway station to keep the name alive.

Thanks for the info about CLC parents being taken over by the state, I must have read somewhere it escaped state ownership by being so small.
Paul & LNW/GW you really know your stuff,I knew a chap who worked for LNER on the CLC rails in Cheshire,he lived in Stockport & was a fireman.
I was going to say I mentioned 1947 in my reply ,so I was right & wrong
Good article on Birkenhead Tram Museum across the way from the CLC goods warehouse in todays North Wales Rail newsboard http://www.nwrail.org.uk/nwnews.htm

 

[Gareth Marston]

Yet there are still people, on this forum, who believe that Beeching was infallible and the rest of us are 'sentimentalists'. I won't go on, except to say that many of today's 'experts', or even their parents, weren't even born; have never been in railway service; never discovered girls (or boys) and probably have an unrequited love for Deltics.

The perverse logic of duplicate theory helped save the Cambrian as it was assumed that all the traffic was end to end so closing Afon Wen to Bangor, Ruabon to Barmouth and Aberystwyth to Carmarthan would see all the traffic from these lines transfer to the Cambrian mainline and boost it up to a viable level.

The Beeching era really has to be looked at on a case by case basis as theirs so may inconsistencies in what was done back in the 60's and 70's that general sweeping statements always throw up contradictions. Lines with over 10,000 passengers per week if served as well by a sizable freight flow were viable according to the report, exactly what the Chester Northgate/Wirral/Wrexham triangle was. The tonnage being moved in and out of Shotton steelworks at the time probably meant the costs of the already DMU service was marginal in that the freight took care of the track upkeep.

 

[kieron]

I work in a factory on Deeside industrial park it is already well served with shuttle buses and longer distance buses all over the show they currently don't serve the station because it only gets ~5 trains a day.

That's good to know. I didn't know how useful the shuttle buses were. Public transport isn't my preferred means of getting there, so I didn't think it was ever worth enquiring about times.

There is this consultation into buses in Flintshire (the public consultation closes tomorrow), but it doesn't contain any recommendations for the shuttle.

Add a bus stop there via some sections of bus lane between zones of the park and you have a really convenient set up. Quite a few people cycle in via the train even with the dismal service we get now.
Ideally though they would close hawden bridge and move it up to the park no one really looses out with shotton being so close

I've never been able to tell if there was somewhere significantly better for the railway station to go. There are some large factories near the railway, but I don't know if there would be enough people who work within walking distance of the factory to make building a station there worthwhile. There wouldn't be a lot in it for the buses, as long as they had a road to use.

The other use a station could have is as a parkway station for people working elsewhere, something which would benefit from having a quicker route to the A548.

As I was saying, though, there are plans to create more employment in the vicinity of Hawarden Bridge station, which (if it happens) would make it a better place for a station than it is now.

 

[supervalkoinen]

Has there ever been any historical discussions concerning the extension of the 3rd rail system to Heswall, which would have left it in a similar position to that at both Ormskirk and at Kirkby ?

Slightly off-topic, but I seem to remember the initial resistance of the (then) Cheshire County Council to the through electrification of Hooton-Chester in the 1980s. I think I recall worries being expressed about the transfer of business from Chester to Liverpool.

Given their attitude to public transport, I'm not convinced the modern-day CWAC would have a radically different attitude to West Wirral electrification.

As an aside, I think it's still true that the only buses which run to/from Neston (CWAC) from Saturday evening to Monday morning are into Wirral. Certainly there are no direct links to Chester - distance approx 8 miles.

 

[8H]

In 1940's and 1950's rail timetables you can see that the running time from Hawarden Bridge to Chester Northgate was 20 minutes, including three stops at Sealand, Saughall and Blacon. Imagine what a modern unit could have managed, and just add the short time from Neston or Heswall to HB. Then you can see how quick rail from West Wirral to Chester could have been, and how inadequate the the slow and too limited service of buses from those Wirral towns to Chester are, and also that there is no chance of getting motorists to shift out of their vehicles at present.

 

[eps200]

That's good to know. I didn't know how useful the shuttle buses were. Public transport isn't my preferred means of getting there, so I didn't think it was ever worth enquiring about times.

There is this consultation into buses in Flintshire (the public consultation closes tomorrow), but it doesn't contain any recommendations for the shuttle.

I've never been able to tell if there was somewhere significantly better for the railway station to go. There are some large factories near the railway, but I don't know if there would be enough people who work within walking distance of the factory to make building a station there worthwhile. There wouldn't be a lot in it for the buses, as long as they had a road to use.

The other use a station could have is as a parkway station for people working elsewhere, something which would benefit from having a quicker route to the A548.

As I was saying, though, there are plans to create more employment in the vicinity of Hawarden Bridge station, which (if it happens) would make it a better place for a station than it is now.

See your point about the station add an over or underpass with road cycle and footpath with a decent car park it could really work. only place i could think to move it is north of the old triangle junction see google maps.

The buses are hit and miss depending what direction you go. Toward Flintshire they are good and to Chester and el port not bad, but to Wirral well we get a rather creative timetable the operator does what they can but i'd rather be able to commute via merrseyrail.

 

[merlodlliw]

The latest offering from the High & Mighty.

from yesterdays Daily post (North East Wales Edition)

A RENEWED call has been made to push ahead with the strong transport links which are essential to power the economic growth of North Wales.

That was the key message David Jones, chair of the Deeside Enterprise Zone, had for members of Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP).

Mr Jones, who became the Principal and Chief Executive of Coleg Cambria in August, was one of four influential guest speakers at the meeting at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Wrexham.

He was recently appointed to serve on a special Welsh Government task force advising Transport Minister Edwina Hart on how North Wales can take advantage of rail modernisation.

Mr Jones said first class transport links were crucial to the region’s future prosperity.

He said: “From my work on planning the development of land around the Sealand area of Deeside I know only too well of the competitive threat coming over the border from enterprise zones in England, especially Warrington.

“That’s why it is so essential that we are ready to meet these challenges.

“Our transport links, such as the A55, present a massive opportunity for economic growth.

“However, they have got to be capable of moving materials and people in the most efficient way and we must make it easy for people to be able to work at either end of North Wales.

“You can’t tell people travelling into this region they can only go so far by electric train and then have to change over to diesel for the last bit.

“Now is the time to get behind a real push on transport.

“That means improvements to the A55 and the electrification of our railways, particularly the link from Wrexham to Liverpool.”

Mr Jones said a particular improvement project he had in mind involved a rail station lying within the Deeside Enterprise Zone.

He said: “It’s called Hawarden Bridge Station and could play a vital role in stimulating growth in the zone.

“I want to see it upgraded to become a modern part of the line from Wrexham to Liverpool.”

The next meeting is at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on Wednesday, November 27 at 5pm. Speakers include Village Bakery, and Glyndwr Innovations

.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/a55-rail-improvements-needed-drive-6317876

 

[pablo]

Better start looking to your SIPPs then.

 

[chiltern trev]

I remember when the Mersey line from Birkenhead to Liverpool had 24 trains per hour, and it was like this from 1938 into the 1970s. The terminus at Liverpool Central had just a single headshunt beyond the platforms. Every train in the peak turned round there in 3-4 minutes, there was no space for them to do otherwise. There was no burrowing junction at Hamilton Square, just a flat double junction. Outside the tunnels it was all semaphore signalling. The Rock Ferry line was every 5 minutes at peak periods, the most intensive BR route anywhere. In peak periods I never recall a single delay.

How is this not attainable today?

I remember that. A train every 2.5 minutes each way between Hamilton Square and Liverpool Central. An important part of the timetable was that like trains passed on the flat Hamilton Square junction - a train to Rock Ferry passed one coming from Rock Ferry or a train to New Brighton or West Kirby passed one coming from New Brighton or West Kirby. And some smart train crew operation at Liverpool Central for the quick reverse in the terminal siding. And I think an incoming train at Central did not go back to whence it came but wherever the timetable over the flat junction dictated.

 

[8H]

Walking past the point between Neston and Shotton where the disused paper mills sidings buffer stops are alongside the route, a team of workers where putting up a prefab building. Apart from a safety notice with NR and Arriva logos on it no other clues what was going on. Does anybody who comes on this site know ?

Cheers!