Woodley - Crossover Purpose and Use

[Crossover]

A group of us were at Woodley station on Saturday and were trying to make sense of the crossover that is in the station (see picture - apologies, I cannot get it the right way round!)

It appears to be signalled with a shunt signal from the Marple end of the station (with a GPL, Ground Position Light) but runs through the station such that I don't foresee that the crossover could be used by a train calling at the station in the Manchester direction. Is it used by trains terminating from Manchester to return ECS back the same way?

There is also the junction which appears to be the old line to Stockport, which is now used as a freight branch - the crossover looks to be useless for this without shunting. If a train left it to go to Manchester it will be OK, but not quite sure how it would work for any other service or whether this crossover is ever used as part of accessing the freight branch

Can anyone shed any light on this setup?

 

[Starmill]

Romiley also has a similar crossover in the middle of the station. Maybe it's a local feature?

 

[najaB]

Have there ever been trains that terminate at Woodley?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

There is also the junction which appears to be the old line to Stockport, which is now used as a freight branch.

That was the line of the Stockport and Woodley Junction Railway, which came from Stockport Tiviot Dale station and en route, passed the Portwood goods station.

 

[billh]

There is another crossover at the former Apethorn Junction, towards Hyde. These two therefore can be used for freights to and from the branch allowing locos to run round on the mainline.The branch serves the GMWDA binliner depot and the Bredbury stone terminal and trains can arrive and depart from either Marple or Manchester direction. I stand to be corrected but I don't think trains on the branch are allowed to be propelled and the gradient from Woodley Junction is quite steep.When it was a main line , through Stockport Tiviot Dale, many trains required banking assistance from Portwood up to Woodley Junction and descending unfitted trains had to stop there and "pin down brakes"
Bill

 

[louis97]

A train to go towards Romiley could be propelled out of the freight yard, until the engine was past the signal (RJ34) at the north end of the platform (behind the bridge). It would then depart towards Romiley using said crossover.