Info on the Ardwick to Miles Platting Line

[Zerachiel76]

Hi everyone, as someone who travels to Manchester Piccadilly every day the old track bed just outside Ardwick Station fascinates me but I'm struggling to find out any info about it.

This thread http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=96367 threw a little bit of light on it for me but not much and Google and Wikipedia have almost nothing either. The wikipedia entries for Ardwick doesn't mention it and the only brief mention is in the entry for the Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester railway http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield,_Ashton-under-Lyne_and_Manchester_Railway

I'm hoping someone here knows some more like when it was built, when it was closed etc.

 

[Senex]

Hi everyone, as someone who travels to Manchester Piccadilly every day the old track bed just outside Ardwick Station fascinates me but I'm struggling to find out any info about it.

This thread http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=96367 threw a little bit of light on it for me but not much and Google and Wikipedia have almost nothing either. The wikipedia entries for Ardwick doesn't mention it and the only brief mention is in the entry for the Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester railway http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield,_Ashton-under-Lyne_and_Manchester_Railway

I'm hoping someone here knows some more like when it was built, when it was closed etc.

The line from a junction with the Lancashire & Yorkshire company's Staybridge branch at Miles Platting to a junction with the London & North Western company's Crewe line at Ardwick was built by the L&Y and opened for goods traffic on 20 November 1848. It was opened of passenger traffic at the end of 1852. Originally single, the line was doubled in 1865.

In 1870 the Midland opened its Ancoats Goods Station, at the end of a short branch from Ashburys, and then in 1888 that company opened the Ancoats Curve from a point on that branch round to Midland Junction on the L&Y Ardwick Branch. The curve was opened to passenger traffic in July 1889 and was part of a very important route for the Midland company from the south to East Lancashire.

The Philips Park Curve was opened for goods traffic in September 1890.

During the EML electrification works of the late 50s and early 60s there was quite a lot of use of the line for diversion traffic from Stockport, via Droylsden, the Philips Park Curve, and Ardwick Junction. The completed new Manchester Piccadilly layout retained a connection, crossing the East Lines (the former GC lines) on the level to join the LNW fast lines. This was removed, and the line between Ardwick Junction and Midland Junction closed, on 21 September 1964.

The line between Ashburys and Miles Platting via Midland Junction remains, and is to be electrified for depot access purposes. Over the years there has been discussion of whether the Midland Junction to Ardwick Junction section should be restored, but in the end the decision was to solve Manchester's problems with the yet-to-be-authorised Ordsall Chord.

Passenger use of the remaining line in recent years has been a somewhat complicated story -- too much so to try so summarise here!

 

[Taunton]

Was this line electrified at 1500v overhead?

I can recall travelling east from Manchester to Stalybridge in the 1960s, and on the south side, probably somewhere around Park, there were sidings which appeared to have overhead electrification. I can only think that electric locos came up from the Guide Bridge line.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Was this line electrified at 1500v overhead?

I can recall travelling east from Manchester to Stalybridge in the 1960s, and on the south side, probably somewhere around Park, there were sidings which appeared to have overhead electrification. I can only think that electric locos came up from the Guide Bridge line.

Not certain about Park, is it possible through the mists of time that you confused it with Ashton Moss Junc. Further on towards Stalybridge? I know for a fact that was wired at 1500v DC from Guide Bridge, I think some of the post are still in situ, or at least they were until fairly recently.

 

[Zerachiel76]

The line from a junction with the Lancashire & Yorkshire company's Staybridge branch at Miles Platting to a junction with the London & North Western company's Crewe line at Ardwick was built by the L&Y and opened for goods traffic on 20 November 1848. It was opened of passenger traffic at the end of 1852. Originally single, the line was doubled in 1865.

In 1870 the Midland opened its Ancoats Goods Station, at the end of a short branch from Ashburys, and then in 1888 that company opened the Ancoats Curve from a point on that branch round to Midland Junction on the L&Y Ardwick Branch. The curve was opened to passenger traffic in July 1889 and was part of a very important route for the Midland company from the south to East Lancashire.

The Philips Park Curve was opened for goods traffic in September 1890.

During the EML electrification works of the late 50s and early 60s there was quite a lot of use of the line for diversion traffic from Stockport, via Droylsden, the Philips Park Curve, and Ardwick Junction. The completed new Manchester Piccadilly layout retained a connection, crossing the East Lines (the former GC lines) on the level to join the LNW fast lines. This was removed, and the line between Ardwick Junction and Midland Junction closed, on 21 September 1964.

The line between Ashburys and Miles Platting via Midland Junction remains, and is to be electrified for depot access purposes. Over the years there has been discussion of whether the Midland Junction to Ardwick Junction section should be restored, but in the end the decision was to solve Manchester's problems with the yet-to-be-authorised Ordsall Chord.

Passenger use of the remaining line in recent years has been a somewhat complicated story -- too much so to try so summarise here!

That's fantastic, thanks. Can you recommend any sites or books about it?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Passenger use of the remaining line in recent years has been a somewhat complicated story -- too much so to try so summarise here!

Have you any information on what have been the final passenger train services that would have used the line section over the viaduct that joined the main Manchester to Stockport line?

 

[QJ]

As per SENEX posting the BLS itinerary for their Lancashire and Yorkshire railtour of 2 March 1991 stated that the section of Lancashire and Yorkshire line from Ashburys Midland Jn (Ancoats Jn in the Ian Allan Pre Grouping Jn diagrams 1914 book) to Ardwick Jn was

"....last used for passenger diversions during electrification work at Manchester Piccadilly but closed altogether on 21.9.1964."

Unusually for the BLS it doesn't record what were the last actual services over the line. The itinerary does however mention that the MR branch from Midland Jn to Ashburys Jn (that forms part of the current Philips Park to Ashburys freight line along with the remaining section of the LYR Ardwick branch) was electrified at 1500v dc until about 1968. There is no mention of the electrification reaching Park sidings though. I assume change from electric to steam/diesel would have taken place in the vicinity of Ashburys with the locos running light onto the MR branch to reverse.

I used to commute to and from Ashburys station though long after the goods facilities and loco building in the area (at Gorton) had ceased to exist. Like Zerachiel76 I was intrigued by the lines that once existed in the area. Until I re-read the BLS itinerary I hadn't clocked that there was a 26 chain branch serving Beswick Goods off the LYR Ardwick line.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I used to commute to and from Ashburys station though long after the goods facilities and loco building in the area (at Gorton) had ceased to exist. Like Zerachiel76 I was intrigued by the lines that once existed in the area. Until I re-read the BLS itinerary I hadn't clocked that there was a 26 chain branch serving Beswick Goods off the LYR Ardwick line.

I did open a thread on this sub-forum in December 2014 named "LYR Beswick Goods Yard" which had seven postings made upon it, which may be of interest to you.

 

[37038]

And you'll find the line being covered by Pathfinder during one of their tours a week on Saturday!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

And you'll find the line being covered by Pathfinder during one of their tours a week on Saturday!

Is that "The Lancs Links" ?