Not too long ago I had to caption a few photos of coal trains at Rose Grove. Now looking at the OS map from around 1910 and reading one of Stuart Taylor's books you really get a sense of just how big and important the place was.
Rose Grove station:
Originally it was built by the East Lancashire railway co while extending the East Lancs line on towards Burnley. It opened 18 Sept 1848 and was placed there to serve the nearby town of Padiham, it was in fact first called Rose Grove For Padiham. The island platform housed the usual booking office, waiting rooms etc and had two platforms (one on either side), later two bay platforms were added, one to serve the Padiham branch and one for trains to Colne making 4 in total.
In 1899 the L&Y (now in charge of the line) began building the six lane Rose Grove engine shed which opened in 1900.
By 1910, the station area had two large exchange sidings called the up "grid" and the down "grid". The up grid consisted of 12 sidings and could handle 658 wagons, it dealt mainly with loaded coal wagons from Yorkshire. The down grip had 20 sidings with a capacity for 746 wagons. this one catered for the empties waiting to be returned.
Both of these grid sidings had a hump at the neck to allow for hump shunting and of course for safety. It wasn't uncommon for someone working there to move 1,000 wagons in a shift - it was a very busy place in its day.
The location was an ideal one, the station area, grids and engine shed were situated between two junctions off the East Lancs line, Rose Grove west (for the Padiham branch) and Gannow junction for trains running to Todmorden and Yorkshire.
The down line was for trains to Burnley, Colne, Skipton and / or Todmorden, the up for Accrington, Blackburn & Preston.
The lines around the station were (from north to south):
Shunt line
Down loop
Down slow
Down main
Up main
Up slow
Up loop
No. 3 Private sidings loop.
With traffic declining and the closure of the Padiham branch to passengers, the two bay platforms were put out of use leaving only 2, one each side of the island, The end of steam Aug 1968 saw the engine shed close, it was only 1 of 3 engine sheds to survive right up to the end - it became a very famous shed and towards the end of steam people came from far and wide to see the lovely steam locos while they could.
The power stations of Huncoat & Padiham closed in the late 1980's and early 1990's respectively and the grid sidings became redundant. Slowly over time the extra tracks and sidings were removed.
Today, it's just an island station with two platforms, the engine shed / down grid sidings are buried under the M65 motorway and an industrial estate. The up grid sidings are also under another industrial estate.
If you didn't know any better, you might wonder why Rose Grove station was ever built, let alone realise just how big, busy and important the whole place was.
What other railway locations in Britain are now just a ghost of what they once were?
Rose Grove station:
Originally it was built by the East Lancashire railway co while extending the East Lancs line on towards Burnley. It opened 18 Sept 1848 and was placed there to serve the nearby town of Padiham, it was in fact first called Rose Grove For Padiham. The island platform housed the usual booking office, waiting rooms etc and had two platforms (one on either side), later two bay platforms were added, one to serve the Padiham branch and one for trains to Colne making 4 in total.
In 1899 the L&Y (now in charge of the line) began building the six lane Rose Grove engine shed which opened in 1900.
By 1910, the station area had two large exchange sidings called the up "grid" and the down "grid". The up grid consisted of 12 sidings and could handle 658 wagons, it dealt mainly with loaded coal wagons from Yorkshire. The down grip had 20 sidings with a capacity for 746 wagons. this one catered for the empties waiting to be returned.
Both of these grid sidings had a hump at the neck to allow for hump shunting and of course for safety. It wasn't uncommon for someone working there to move 1,000 wagons in a shift - it was a very busy place in its day.
The location was an ideal one, the station area, grids and engine shed were situated between two junctions off the East Lancs line, Rose Grove west (for the Padiham branch) and Gannow junction for trains running to Todmorden and Yorkshire.
The down line was for trains to Burnley, Colne, Skipton and / or Todmorden, the up for Accrington, Blackburn & Preston.
The lines around the station were (from north to south):
Shunt line
Down loop
Down slow
Down main
Up main
Up slow
Up loop
No. 3 Private sidings loop.
With traffic declining and the closure of the Padiham branch to passengers, the two bay platforms were put out of use leaving only 2, one each side of the island, The end of steam Aug 1968 saw the engine shed close, it was only 1 of 3 engine sheds to survive right up to the end - it became a very famous shed and towards the end of steam people came from far and wide to see the lovely steam locos while they could.
The power stations of Huncoat & Padiham closed in the late 1980's and early 1990's respectively and the grid sidings became redundant. Slowly over time the extra tracks and sidings were removed.
Today, it's just an island station with two platforms, the engine shed / down grid sidings are buried under the M65 motorway and an industrial estate. The up grid sidings are also under another industrial estate.
If you didn't know any better, you might wonder why Rose Grove station was ever built, let alone realise just how big, busy and important the whole place was.
What other railway locations in Britain are now just a ghost of what they once were?
