Altcar and Hillhouse railway station

Altcar and Hillhouse was a railway station located on the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway near Great Altcar, Lancashire, England.

Altcar and Hillhouse
Altcar and Hillhouse in 1949, looking south
General information
LocationGreat Altcar, West Lancashire
England
Coordinates53.54748°N 2.98397°W / 53.54748; -2.98397
Grid referenceSD349060
Platforms2[1][2]
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companySouthport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway
Pre-groupingCheshire Lines Committee
Post-groupingCheshire Lines Committee
Key dates
1 September 1884Station opened
1 January 1917Station closed
1 April 1919Station reopened
7 January 1952Station closed to passengers
7 July 1952Station closed to public goods services
May 1960Station closed completely[3]
Hillhouse Junction, with Altcar and Hillhouse below

The station opened on 1 September 1884, and from 1887 to 1926 also served as the southern terminus of the Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway, which it connected with at Hillhouse Junction, between Altcar and Mossbridge. Thereafter, the southern terminus of the LSPJR regular services became Barton (or Downholland as it was occasionally known). The "Altcar Bob" service, introduced in July 1906, was so named because it terminated here until that time. Altcar and Hillhouse was situated on the south side of the B5195 road, near the sewage works.

History

Along with all other stations on the extension line, Altcar and Hillhouse closed on 1 January 1917, as a World War I economy measure.

The station was reopened on 1 April 1919, and continued in use until 7 January 1952, when the SCLER was closed to passengers from Aintree Central to Southport Lord Street. The line remained open for public goods traffic until 7 July 1952 at Southport Lord Street, Birkdale Palace and Altcar & Hillhouse Stations. Public goods facilities were ended at Woodvale, Lydiate and Sefton & Maghull stations on the same date as passenger services (7 January 1952) and there were never any goods facilities at Ainsdale Beach station to begin with. After 7 July 1952, a siding remained open at Altcar & Hillhouse for private goods facilities until May 1960. The very last passenger train to run on the SCLER was a railway enthusiasts 'special' between Aintree and Altcar & Hillhouse railways stations on 6 June 1959.[4]

As an ex Cheshire Lines Committee railway the line through Altcar & Hillhouse became a joint operation between the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway following the Grouping of 1923.

The line then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948, before closure by the British Railways Board on 7 July 1952.

The site today

The station has been demolished. The route of the line through the station is today part of the Trans Pennine Trail.

References
  1. Fields, Gilbert & Knight 1980, Photo 144
  2. Bolger 1984, pp. 28–9.
  3. Bolger 1984, p. 6.
  4. Special trains via sixbellsjunction

Sources
  • Bolger, Paul (1984). An Illustrated History of the Cheshire Lines Committee. Merseyside: Heyday Publishing Company. ISBN 0-947562-00-1.
  • Fields, N; Gilbert, A C; Knight, N R (1980), Liverpool to Manchester into the Second Century, Manchester Transport Museum Society, ISBN 0-900857-19-6
  • Gell, Rob (1986). An Illustrated Survey of Railway Stations Between Southport & Liverpool 1848-1986. Heyday Publishing Company. ISBN 0-947562-04-4.
  • Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  • Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Lydiate   Cheshire Lines Committee
Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway		   Mossbridge
until 1917
    Woodvale
from 1919
Lydiate   Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway
Barton Branch		   Barton
until 1926
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