The
Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by
steam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. The term usually refers to its use on railways, but can also refer to a "road locomotive" such as a traction engine or steamroller....
s. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
in
North West EnglandNorth West England is one of the nine official regions of England. It has a population of 6,853,200 and comprises five counties of England – Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and Cheshire....
in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927...
. The L&MR was primarily built to provide faster transport of raw materials and finished goods between the
Port of LiverpoolThe Port of Liverpool is the name for the enclosed 7.5 mile dock system that runs from Herculaneum Dock to Seaforth Dock, in the city of Liverpool, England, on the east side of the River Mersey...
and
millsA factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where workers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in Manchester and surrounding towns. In 1845 the L&MR was absorbed by its principal business partner, the
Grand Junction RailwayThe Grand Junction Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was merged into the London and North Western Railway...
(GJR); the following year the GJR formed part of the
London and North Western RailwayThe London and North Western Railway was a railway company of the United Kingdom which existed between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. During the late...
.
Background to construction
The L&MR was intended to achieve cheap transport of raw materials and finished goods between the Port of Liverpool, and east
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
, in the port's
hinterlandThe hinterland is the land or district behind the borders of a coast or river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast...
. Huge tonnages of textile raw material were imported through Liverpool and carried to the textile mills near the
PenninesThe Pennines are a low-rising mountain range in northern England and southern Scotland. They separate the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East....
where water and then steam power enabled the production of the finished cloth. The existing means of water transport, the Mersey and Irwell Navigation and the
Bridgewater CanalThe Bridgewater Canal is a canal in North West England that connects Runcorn, Manchester, and Leigh. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
, dated from the previous century, and were felt to be making excessive profits from the existing trade and throttling the growth of Manchester and other towns. (Similar feelings with regard to the railways led in turn to the construction of the
Manchester Ship CanalThe Manchester Ship Canal is a long river navigation in North West England. Designed to give the city of Manchester direct access to the sea, it was built between 1887 and 1894 at a cost of about £15 million , and in its day was the largest navigation canal in the world.The canal generally...
in the 1890s). There was support for the railway from the cities at either end, but opposition from the landowners over whose land the railway was proposed to pass.
The original promoters are usually acknowledged to be Joseph Sandars, a rich Liverpool corn merchant, and John Kennedy, then owner of the largest spinning mill in Manchester. They were influenced to do this by
William JamesWilliam James was an English lawyer, surveyor, land agent and pioneer promoter of rail transport. "He was the original projector of the Liverpool & Manchester and other railways, and may with truth be considered as the father of the railway system, as he surveyed numerous lines at his own expense...
. Now something of a forgotten figure, James was a land surveyor who had made a fortune in property speculation. He advocated a national network of railways, based upon what he had seen of the development of colliery lines and locomotive technology in the north of England.
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company was founded on 24 May 1823. It was established by
Henry BoothHenry Booth was born in Rodney Street, Liverpool, England. A descendant of the Booths of Twemlow, he was a corn merchant, businessman and engineer....
, who became its secretary and treasurer, along with other merchants from
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
. A bill presented in 1825 to Parliament was rejected, but it passed in May the following year. In Liverpool 172 people took 1979 shares, in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
96 took 844, Manchester 15 with 124, 24 others with 286. The
Marquess of StaffordGeorge Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland KG, PC , known as Viscount Trentham from 1758 to 1786, as Earl Gower from 1786 to 1803 and as the Marquess of Stafford from 1803 to 1833, was a British politician, diplomat, landowner and patron of the arts. He is estimated to have been the...
had 1000, giving 308
shareholderA mutual shareholder or stockholder is an individual or company that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a joint stock company. A company's shareholders collectively own that company. Thus, the typical goal of such companies is to enhance shareholder value.Stockholders are granted...
s with 4233 shares.
The initial survey for the line was carried out by
William JamesWilliam James was an English lawyer, surveyor, land agent and pioneer promoter of rail transport. "He was the original projector of the Liverpool & Manchester and other railways, and may with truth be considered as the father of the railway system, as he surveyed numerous lines at his own expense...
and, being done surreptitiously and/or by trespass, was defective.
Robert StephensonFor the light house engineer see Robert StevensonRobert Stephenson FRS was an English civil engineer...
departed for
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
and William James became bankrupt. Consequently, in 1824
George StephensonGeorge Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives, and he is renowned as being the "Father of Railways"...
was appointed engineer in their place. By this time, he was taking on too much. As Robert was absent, George (who could not do the calculations required, and had relied on his son for this part of the business) left checking the survey to subordinates. Upon presentation to Parliament in 1825 it was shown to be inaccurate (particularly in relation to the Irwell bridge), and the first Bill was thrown out. A key opposition figure in this had been G. H. Bradshaw, one of the trustees of the Marquess of Stafford's Worsley estate, which included the
Bridgewater CanalThe Bridgewater Canal is a canal in North West England that connects Runcorn, Manchester, and Leigh. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
.
In place of George Stephenson, who was now in disgrace, the railway promoters appointed
GeorgeGeorge Rennie was an engineer born in London, England. He was the son of the Scottish engineer John Rennie and the brother of Sir John Rennie.-Early life:...
and John Rennie as engineers, who chose
Charles Blacker VignolesCharles Blacker Vignoles was an influential early railway engineer, and eponym of the Vignoles rail.- Early life :...
as their surveyor. They also set out to placate the canal interests and had the good fortune to be able to approach the Marquess directly through the good offices of their counsel, Mr. Adam, who was a relative of one of the trustees, and the support of
William HuskissonWilliam Huskisson PC was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool. He is best known today, however, as the world's first widely reported railway casualty...
who knew the Marquess personally. Implacable opposition to the line changed to financial support - a considerable coup.
The second Bill received the Royal Assent in 1826, and was for a railway on a considerably different alignment, avoiding the properties of particularly vociferous or effective opponents of the previous Bill, but as a consequence facing the challenge of crossing
Chat MossChat Moss is a large area of peat bog that makes up 30% of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north of the River Irwell, to the west of Manchester, and occupies an area of about...
bogA bog or mire is a wetland type that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—usually mosses, but also lichens in Arctic climates....
. It was intended to place the Manchester terminus on the Salford side of the river, but the Mersey and Irwell Navigation withdrew their opposition to a crossing of their river at the last moment, in return for access for their carts to the intended railway bridge. The Manchester station was thus fixed at Liverpool Road in the heart of
CastlefieldCastlefield is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England. It is historically notable for the Roman era fort of Mamucium or Mancunium which later gave its name to Manchester...
.
Construction
The terms asked for by the Rennies proving unacceptable, George Stephenson was reappointed as engineer with his assistant
Joseph LockeJoseph Locke was a notable English civil engineer of the 19th century, particularly associated with railway projects...
. Previous experience with civil engineers set Stephenson against allowing Vignoles to continue his survey and he resigned.
L. T. C. RoltLionel Thomas Caswall Rolt was a prolific English writer and the biographer of major civil engineering figures including Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Thomas Telford...
in his biography of Stephenson suggests that a faction on the Board continued to ask Stephenson for second opinions, and Rennie took umbrage at this. Vignoles may have resigned because he had been appointed by Rennie, and as an ex-army engineer thought it the honourable thing to do.
The line was a remarkable engineering achievement for its time, beginning with the
Wapping TunnelWapping or Edge Hill Tunnel in Liverpool, England, was constructed to enable goods services to operate between Liverpool docks and Manchester as part of the planned Liverpool and Manchester Railway. It was the first tunnel in the world to be bored under a metropolis...
beneath Liverpool from the south end of Liverpool Docks to
Edge HillEdge Hill may refer to:United Kingdom*Edge Hill, Merseyside, a district of Liverpool, England*Edge Hill railway station in Liverpool*Edge Hill railway works...
. This was the world's first tunnel to be bored under a metropolis. Following this was a 2 mile-long-cutting (3.2 km.) up to deep through rock at Olive Mount, and a nine arch viaduct (each arch of span), over the Sankey Brook valley, around high. Not least was the famous crossing of
Chat MossChat Moss is a large area of peat bog that makes up 30% of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north of the River Irwell, to the west of Manchester, and occupies an area of about...
.
Having found it impossible to drain the
bogA bog or mire is a wetland type that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—usually mosses, but also lichens in Arctic climates....
, Stephenson began constructing a large number of
woodWood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of trees . In a living tree it transfers water and nutrients to the leaves and other growing tissues, and has a support function, enabling woody plants to reach large sizes or to stand up for themselves...
en and
heatherCalluna vulgaris, known as Common Heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to , and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in...
hurdles, which were sunk into the bog using
stonesIn geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
and
earthSoil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics. It is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and...
until they could provide a solid foundation - it was reported that at one point tipping went on solidly for weeks until such a foundation had been created. To this day the track across Chat Moss floats on the hurdles that Stephenson's men laid and if one stands near the lineside one can feel the ground move as a train passes. It is worthy of note that the line now supports locomotives 25 times the weight of the
RocketStephenson's Rocket was an early steam locomotive of 0-2-2 wheel arrangement, built in Newcastle at the Forth Street Works of Robert Stephenson and Company in 1829.- Design innovations :The Rocket was not the first steam locomotive...
, which hauled the first experimental train over the Moss in January 1830.
The railway needed 64
bridgeA bridge is a structure built to span a valley, road, body of water, or other physical obstacle, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle. Designs of bridges vary depending on the function of the bridge and the nature of the terrain where the bridge is constructed.-History:The first...
s and
viaductA viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
s, all of which were built of
brickA brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using mortar.-History:The oldest shaped bricks found date back to 7,500 B.C. They have been found in Çayönü, in the upper Tigris region, and in south east Anatolia close to Diyarbakir. Other more recent findings,...
or
masonryMasonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone such as marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, and...
, with one exception: the Water Street bridge at the Manchester terminus. A cast iron
beamA beam is a structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment.- Overview :Beams generally...
girderA girder is a support beam used in construction. Girders often have an I beam cross section for strength, but may also have a box shape, Z shape or other forms. Girder is the term used to denote the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams...
bridge was used here to save
headwayThe structure gauge, also called the minimum clearance outline, is the minimum size of tunnels and bridges as well as the minimum size of the doors that allow a rail siding access into a warehouse...
in the street below the line. It was designed by
William FairbairnSir William Fairbairn, 1st Baronet was a Scottish structural engineer.- Early career :Born in Kelso to a local farmer, Fairbairn showed an early mechanical aptitude and served as an apprentice millwright in Newcastle upon Tyne where he befriended the young George Stephenson...
and
Eaton HodgkinsonEaton A. Hodgkinson was an English engineer, a pioneer of the application of mathematics to problems of structural design.-Early life:...
, and cast locally at their factory in
AncoatsAncoats is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England, next to the Northern Quarter and the northern part of Manchester's commercial centre....
. It is important because
cast ironCast iron usually refers to grey iron, but also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys, which solidify with a eutectic. The colour of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due to its carbide impurities which...
girders became an important structural material for the growing rail network. Although Fairbairn tested the girders before installation, not all were so well designed, and there were many examples of catastrophic failure in the years to come, culminating in the
Dee bridge disasterThe Dee bridge disaster was an English rail accident that occurred on 24 May 1847 with five fatalities.A new bridge across the River Dee in Chester was needed for the Chester and Holyhead Railway, a project planned in the 1840s for the expanding British railway system. It was built using cast iron...
of 1847.
The line was laid using fish-belly rails at 35 lb. per yard (17.3 kg/m), laid either on
stoneIn geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
blocksMasonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone such as marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, and...
or, at Chat Moss,
woodenTimber may refer to:*Lumber, i.e. wood materials* Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Oregon* Timber , a 1984 arcade game by Bally Midway* An alternative spelling for Timbre...
sleepersA railroad tie, cross tie, or railway sleeper is a rectangular object used as a base for railroad tracks. Sleepers are members generally laid transverse to the rails, on which the rails are supported and fixed, to transfer the loads from rails to the ballast and subgrade, and to hold the rails to...
.
Cable or locomotive haulage
In 1829 adhesion-worked locomotives had not proved particularly reliable. The experience on the
Stockton and Darlington RailwayThe Stockton and Darlington Railway , which opened in 1825, was the world's first permanent steam locomotive hauled public railway. The line was 26 miles long, and was built between Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees and from Darlington to several collieries near Shildon in north-eastern England...
was well-publicised, and a section of the
Hetton colliery railwayThe Hetton colliery railway was a private railway opened in 1822 by the Hetton Coal Company at Hetton Lyons, County Durham, in England. It was the first to be designed from the start to be without animal power, and was George Stephenson's first entirely new line.The first five locomotives were...
had been converted to cable haulage. The success of the latter method was indisputable, while the steam locomotive was still untried. The L&MR had sought to de-emphasise the use of steam locomotives during the passage of the bill, the public having become alarmed at the idea of these monstrous machines which, if they did not explode, would fill the countryside with noxious fumes. Moreover, attention was turning towards steam road carriages, such as those of Goldsworthy Gurney's. There was thus a division in the L&MR board between those who supported Stephenson's "loco-motive" and those who favoured cable haulage, the latter supported by the opinion of the engineer,
John RastrickJohn Urpeth Rastrick was one of the first English steam locomotive builders. In partnership with James Foster, he formed Foster, Rastrick and Company, the locomotive construction company that built the Stourbridge Lion in 1829 for export to the Delaware and Hudson Railroad in America.-Early...
. Stephenson was not averse to cable haulage - he continued to build such lines where he felt it appropriate - but knew its main disadvantage, that any breakdown anywhere would paralyse the whole line.
The gradient profile of the line had been arranged so as to concentrate the steep grades in three places (either side of Rainhill at 1 in 100 and down to the docks at Liverpool at 1 in 50) and make the rest of the line very gently graded, say 1 in 2000. To determine whether and which locomotives would be suitable, the directors organised the
Rainhill TrialsThe Rainhill Trials were an important competition in the early days of steam locomotive railways, run in October 1829 in Rainhill, Merseyside at the time in Lancashire ....
. When the line opened the final passenger section from Edge Hill to
Crown Street railway stationCrown Street Station was located on Crown Street, Liverpool, England. It opened on 15 September 1830 as the Liverpool passenger terminus of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the world's first public passenger line. The architecture is attributed to George Stephenson...
was cable hauled as was the section down the
Wapping TunnelWapping or Edge Hill Tunnel in Liverpool, England, was constructed to enable goods services to operate between Liverpool docks and Manchester as part of the planned Liverpool and Manchester Railway. It was the first tunnel in the world to be bored under a metropolis...
.
Double track
The line was built to (
standard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used rail gauge. Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
) and
double trackA double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
. Firstly, there was no convenient means of operating the line as
single trackA single track railway is one where traffic in both directions shares the same track. In the early days of railways, especially before the telegraph, operation of significant numbers of trains on a single track railway was fraught with difficulties, including delays and accidents, particularly...
as the line predated the telegraph. Secondly, the amount of traffic was expected to require double track.
A decision had to be made about how far apart the rails of the double track should be. It was decided to make the space between the separate tracks the same as the track gauge itself, so that it would be possible to operate
over-gaugeA loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
trains up the middle (there is no evidence of this having occurred). In later years, it was decided that the tracks were too close together, restricting the width of the trains, so the gap between tracks was widened. The narrowness of this gap contributed to the first fatality, that of
William HuskissonWilliam Huskisson PC was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool. He is best known today, however, as the world's first widely reported railway casualty...
, and also made it dangerous to do maintenance work on one track while trains are operating on the other.
Opening
The line opened on 15 September 1830 with termini at
Liverpool RoadLiverpool Road Railway Station is a former railway station in Manchester, England. The building is Grade 1 listed and is usually regarded as the oldest surviving railway station building in the world....
,
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
(now part of the
Museum of Science and Industry in ManchesterThe Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester , located in Manchester, England, is a large museum devoted to the development of science, technology, and industry and particularly the city's considerable contributions to these. It is an Anchor Point of ERIH — The European Route of Industrial...
) and Edge Hill, Liverpool. The festivities of the opening day were marred when
William HuskissonWilliam Huskisson PC was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool. He is best known today, however, as the world's first widely reported railway casualty...
, the popular
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
for Liverpool, seized the opportunity of a temporary halt at Parkside near
Newton-le-WillowsNewton-le-Willows is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. It is situated about midway between the cities of Manchester and Liverpool, to the east of St Helens, to the north of Warrington and to the south of Wigan....
to alight and talk to the
Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, KP, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century....
, then
Prime MinisterA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician. In many systems, the prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet, and...
, through the Duke's carriage window. Standing on the
permanent wayThe permanent way is the elements of railway lines: generally the pairs of rails typically laid on ties embedded in ballast, intended to carry the ordinary trains of a railway...
, he misjudged the speed of the approaching
RocketStephenson's Rocket was an early steam locomotive of 0-2-2 wheel arrangement, built in Newcastle at the Forth Street Works of Robert Stephenson and Company in 1829.- Design innovations :The Rocket was not the first steam locomotive...
and was run over, becoming the world's first widely reported railway passenger fatality (he was not killed instantly; the locomotive
Northumbrian was detached from the Duke's train and rushed him to
EcclesEccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...
, where he died in the vicarage). The somewhat subdued party proceeded to Manchester, where, the Duke being deeply unpopular with the labouring classes, they were given a lively reception (bricks thrown, etc), and returned to Liverpool.
Notwithstanding the unfortunate start to its career, the L&MR was very successful. Within a few weeks of opening it ran its first excursion trains, carried the first railway mails in the world, and was conveying road-rail containers for
PickfordsPickfords is a moving company based in the United Kingdom, part of the international firm TEAM Group and a member of the British Association of Removers - one of the world's largest removal company networks....
; by the summer of 1831 it was carrying tens of thousands by special trains to Newton Races.
Although the Act had allowed for it to be used by private carriers paying a toll, from the start the company decided to own and operate the trains itself. Although the original intention had been to carry goods, the canal companies reduced their prices, (an indication that, perhaps the railwaymen had been right to suggest their charges were excessive) and the extra transit time was acceptable in most cases. In fact the line did not start carrying goods until December, when the first of some more powerful engines,
PlanetPlanet was an early steam locomotive built in 1830 by Robert Stephenson and Company for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. It was the first locomotive to employ inside cylinders, and subsequently the 2-2-0 type became known as planets...
, was delivered. What was not expected was the line's success in carrying passengers. The experience at
RainhillRainhill is a large village and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. It lies south-southwest of St Helens, north-northwest of Widnes and east of Liverpool city centre....
had shown that unprecedented speed could be achieved. The train was also cheaper and more comfortable than travel by road. So, at first, the company concentrated on this, a decision that had repercussions across the country and triggered the "
railway maniaRailway Mania is the term given to the speculative frenzy in Britain in the 1840s. It followed a common pattern: as the price of railway shares increased, more and more money was poured in by speculators, until the inevitable collapse...
".
Initially trains travelled at , due the limitations of the track. Drivers could, and did, travel more quickly, but they would be reprimanded: it was found that excessive speeds could force apart the light rails, which were set onto individual stone blocks without cross-ties. In 1837 work started to replace the original fish-belly rail with parallel rail of 50 pounds per yard (23 kg/m), on
sleepersA railroad tie, cross tie, or railway sleeper is a rectangular object used as a base for railroad tracks. Sleepers are members generally laid transverse to the rails, on which the rails are supported and fixed, to transfer the loads from rails to the ballast and subgrade, and to hold the rails to...
.
The tunnel from Lime Street to Edge Hill was fully completed in 1836, and when it opened carriages were separated from their engines and lowered to
Lime Street stationLiverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is a mainline and underground railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England...
by
gravityA Gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
, their descent controlled by brakemen, and hauled back up to Edge Hill by rope from a stationary engine. The tunnel is approximately long.
On 30 July 1842 work started to extend the line from Ordsall Lane to the new
Manchester Victoria stationManchester Victoria station is the second of Manchester's mainline railway stations. It is also a Metrolink station, one of eight that are within the City Zone...
. The extension was opened on 4 May 1844 and
Liverpool Road stationLiverpool Road Railway Station is a former railway station in Manchester, England. The building is Grade 1 listed and is usually regarded as the oldest surviving railway station building in the world....
was thereafter used for goods traffic for over a century.
In 1845 the L&MR was absorbed by its principal business partner, the
Grand Junction RailwayThe Grand Junction Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was merged into the London and North Western Railway...
(GJR); the following year the GJR formed part of the
London and North Western RailwayThe London and North Western Railway was a railway company of the United Kingdom which existed between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. During the late...
.
Influence
Being one of the first railways, many lessons had to be learnt from experience, but not many passengers were killed except by their own negligence. The L&MR developed the practice of red signals for stop, green for caution and white for clear, which spread by the early 1840s to other railways in Britain and the United States. These colours later changed to the more familiar red, yellow and green. The L&MR was also responsible for the
gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used rail gauge. Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
of , which came to be used more or less universally.
Modern line
The original Liverpool and Manchester line still operates as a secondary line between the two cities - the southern route, the former
Cheshire Lines CommitteeThe Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
route via
Warrington CentralWarrington Central railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Warrington in the north-west of England. It is located on the southern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line , and is situated around halfway between the two cities...
is the busier route.
On the original route, an hourly fast service is operated by
Northern RailNorthern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local passenger services in the north of England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-NedRailways, is a consortium formed of NedRailways and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
, from Liverpool to Manchester, usually calling at
Wavertree Technology ParkWavertree Technology Park railway station is in the suburbs of Liverpool in the north west of England. The station, and all services calling there, are operated by Northern Rail...
,
St Helens JunctionSt Helens Junction railway station is a railway station serving the town of St Helens, Merseyside, England. It is situated in Sutton, south of St.Helens town centre. The station is on the northern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line 19 km east of Liverpool Lime Street...
,
Newton-le-WillowsNewton-le-Willows railway station is a railway station in the town of Newton-le-Willows, in the borough of St Helens in the north-west of England, and at the edge of the Merseytravel region...
and
Manchester Oxford RoadManchester Oxford Road Railway Station is a railway station in the city of Manchester, England.The station is at the junction of Whitworth Street West and Oxford Street, on an elevated track between Deansgate and Piccadilly stations....
, and continuing via
Manchester Piccadilly stationManchester Piccadilly station is the principal railway station of Manchester in England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales and the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central in Scotland, and routes throughout northern England...
to
Manchester AirportManchester Airport railway station is the station that serves Manchester Airport, and is built into the airport's terminal buildings. The station was opened together with the second airport terminal in 1993....
. Northern Rail also operates an hourly service calling at all stations from Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Victoria. This is supplemented by an additional all-stations service between Liverpool and Earlestown, which continues to
Warrington Bank QuayWarrington Bank Quay railway station is a mainline railway station serving the UK town of Warrington. The town centre has two stations on opposite sides of the main shopping area, Warrington Central operating a more frequent service to the neighbouring cities Liverpool and Manchester...
.
Between Warrington (Bank Quay), Earlestown and Manchester Piccadilly, there are additional services (at least one per hour) operated by
Arriva Trains WalesArriva Trains Wales is a train operating company that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches. Its busiest stations are Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street and Newport...
, which originate from
ChesterChester railway station is a railway station in the city of Chester, England. It is currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales, although Merseyrail, Northern Rail and Virgin Trains also run services there. It is situated to the north-east of the city centre...
and the
North Wales Coast Line|}The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
.
Stations
- Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is a mainline and underground railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England...
(work started on Edge Hill - Lime Street tunnel 23 May 1832; opened 15 August 1836).
- Crown Street
Crown Street Station was located on Crown Street, Liverpool, England. It opened on 15 September 1830 as the Liverpool passenger terminus of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the world's first public passenger line. The architecture is attributed to George Stephenson...
(original Liverpool terminus, replaced by Lime Street).
- Edge Hill
Edge Hill railway station serves the district of Edge Hill in Liverpool, England.There have been two stations of that name. The first was located a short distance to the southwest of the present station and its remains are still visible, although the site is not open to the public.- The first...
The first Edge Hill station was opened in 1830. It was in the deep Cavendish Cutting at the heads of the Crown Street tunnel and the freight only Wapping TunnelWapping or Edge Hill Tunnel in Liverpool, England, was constructed to enable goods services to operate between Liverpool docks and Manchester as part of the planned Liverpool and Manchester Railway. It was the first tunnel in the world to be bored under a metropolis...
. After the Lime Street tunnel was bored in 1836, the original Edge Hill station was abandoned and relocated north, still inside the Edge Hill junction, to its present location at the head of the original Lime Street tunnel. Edge Hill junction was the site of the locomotive worksEdge Hill railway works was built by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway around 1830 at Edge Hill, Liverpool. A second was built in 1839 by the Grand Junction Railway adjacent to it...
.
- Wavertree Technology Park
Wavertree Technology Park railway station is in the suburbs of Liverpool in the north west of England. The station, and all services calling there, are operated by Northern Rail...
(opened in 1990s)
- Broad Green
Broad Green railway station is situated in the Broadgreen district of Liverpool, England. It is located very close to junction 4 of the M62 motorway but is not a "parkway" or "interchange" station. It has recently introduced a 'Park and Ride' scheme, with a large car park situated on the south...
- Roby
Roby railway station serves the village of Roby, Merseyside, England.-Services:During the daytime, Monday to Saturday, the station is served by 4 trains per hour in each direction...
- Huyton
Huyton railway station serves the area of Huyton in Merseyside, England. The station acts as an interchange between the Liverpool-Wigan Line and the northern route of the Liverpool-Manchester Line which diverge soon after the station. It is one of the busier stations on these lines...
- Whiston
Whiston railway station serves the district of Whiston in Merseyside, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Rail. It lies on the northern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line, the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway...
- Rainhill
Rainhill railway station serves the district of Rainhill in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the northern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line, forming part of the Liverpool City Line. The original Liverpool and Manchester Railway which opened in 1830...
- Lea Green
Lea Green railway station is a railway station in St Helens, Merseyside, England, around three miles from the town centre near to the suburb of Clock Face. It is situated on the northern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line . It is operated by Northern Rail...
(closed in 1955 and re-opened with a completely new station in 2000)
- St Helens Junction
St Helens Junction railway station is a railway station serving the town of St Helens, Merseyside, England. It is situated in Sutton, south of St.Helens town centre. The station is on the northern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line 19 km east of Liverpool Lime Street...
(opened between 1833 and 1837; junction with the St Helens and Runcorn Gap RailwaySt Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway, later known as St Helens Railway, was an early railway company in Lancashire, England, which opened in 1833. It ran originally from the town of St Helens to the area which would later develop into the town of Widnes. Branches were opened to Garston, Warrington...
)
- Collins Green
Collins Green railway station was a railway station in Lancashire, later Cheshire, which was in operation between 1830 and 1951.-Opening and location:The station was opened by the Liverpool & Manchester Railway on 15 September 1830...
(closed 2 April 1951)
- Earlestown
Earlestown railway station is a railway station in Earlestown, Newton-le-Willows in Merseyside, England. Since recent restoration of a platform for Warrington Bank Quay to Liverpool trains, it is one of the few "triangular" stations in Britain ....
(built in 1831 by the Warrington and Newton RailwayThe Warrington and Newton Railway was an early railway company in England. It acted as a feeder to the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway , providing services from those two cities to and from Warrington...
company; originally named Newton Junction; renamed after 1837)
- Newton-le-Willows
Newton-le-Willows railway station is a railway station in the town of Newton-le-Willows, in the borough of St Helens in the north-west of England, and at the edge of the Merseytravel region...
(originally named Newton Bridge; renamed after Newton Junction was renamed EarlestownEarlestown forms the western part of Newton-le-Willows, a town in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 10,274.-History:...
)
- Parkside (in 1833 the line to Wigan was opened)
- Kenyon Junction (built between 1833 and 1837; junction with the Bolton and Leigh Railway
|}The Bolton and Leigh Railway was an early British railway.-History:The company obtained its Act of Parliament on 31 March 1825 to build a line "from the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal at Bolton to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Leigh", allowing steam haulage and stationary steam-hauled...
; closed 2 January 1961)
- Glazebury & Bury Lane (closed 7 July 1958)
- Astley (closed 2 May 1956)
- Flow Moss Cottage (closed 1842)
- Lamb's Cottage (closed 1842)
- Barton Moss 1st (closed 1 May 1862)
- Barton Moss 2nd (closed 23 September 1929)
- Patricroft
Patricroft railway station serves the Patricroft district of Eccles near Manchester, Lancashire, England. The station is located on Green Lane, Patricroft just north of the junction with Cromwell Road...
- Eccles
Eccles railway station serves the town of Eccles in the City of Salford district of Greater Manchester.The station is next to the M602 motorway and is 400 metres away from the Eccles Metrolink station...
- Weaste (closed 19 October 1942; site destroyed when M602
The M602 motorway is a relatively short motorway, leading traffic into Manchester and Salford by-passing the suburban town of Eccles.The motorway itself was meant to be a part of a bigger scheme, the South Lancashire Motorway...
road built)
- Seedley (closed 2 January 1956; site destroyed when M602 road built)
- Cross Lane (closed 15 August 1949; site destroyed when M602 road built)
- Ordsall Lane (work on extension of line to Manchester Victoria started 30 July 1842 and the extension opened on 4 May 1844; station closed 4 February 1957)
- Liverpool Road
Liverpool Road Railway Station is a former railway station in Manchester, England. The building is Grade 1 listed and is usually regarded as the oldest surviving railway station building in the world....
(original Manchester terminus, closed 4 May 1844)
- Exchange Station (closed 5 May 1969)
- Victoria
Manchester Victoria station is the second of Manchester's mainline railway stations. It is also a Metrolink station, one of eight that are within the City Zone...
(opened in 1844)
(stations still open in bold)
External links