LYR Hindley to Blackrod branch line

[Xenophon PCDGS]

There were two stations upon this branch line, Dicconson Lane and Aspull (closed 1954) and Hilton House (closed 1954). What type of passenger or goods services were users of that branch line?

There also was a junction on that branch line that allowed trains from Blackrod to access the Atherton line, meaning that Bolton would be avoided.

 

[Bevan Price]

There were two stations upon this branch line, Dicconson Lane and Aspull (closed 1954) and Hilton House (closed 1954). What type of passenger or goods services were users of that branch line?

There also was a junction on that branch line that allowed trains from Blackrod to access the Atherton line, meaning that Bolton would be avoided.

Wigan Wallgate to Chorley & Blackburn were the main local passenger services here.
A few Manchester - Preston (& beyond) fast services used the line to avoid Bolton.
Neither station was partcularly useful for anything but tiny settlements - Dicconson Lane was over 1 mile from most of Aspull.

 

[billio]

This would also provide a direct route from Horwich Works to Wigan, Liverpool and Southport.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

This would also provide a direct route from Horwich Works to Wigan, Liverpool and Southport.that not need a reversal in the Blackrod area, as I am fairly sure there was a triangular junction at Red Moss Junction

I was wondering as to the type of junction that was installed at Red Moss Junction.

 

[Bevan Price]

Would that not need a reversal in the Blackrod area, as I am fairly sure there was no triangular junction at Red Moss Junction

The triangular connection was to the Horwich branch.
From Horwich Fork Junction at the south, Blackrod Junction & station at the North. There were some trains between Bolton & Horwich to suit Horwich Works hours. Other Horwich trains were shuttles to/from Blackrod.

 

[Taunton]

A few Manchester - Preston (& beyond) fast services used the line to avoid Bolton.

This line was known as the Hilton House line, and among others was used by the prime Manchester to Blackpool Club Train, and doubtless by many an excursion along the same way. Cecil J Allen timed the Club Train in the 1950s and criticised the apparently low speed junctions for the express at each end. It was also notably steeply graded westbound, inconveniently right after the slack to branch off the Atherton line.

Having a bit of familiarity with Dicconson Lane it wasn't quite the wilderness portrayed, drive along there and there's quite a bit of Victorian housing either side of the old station site, and there used to be much more there, doubtless of low quality which has been demolished, along with a very large cotton mill complex, all gone with the end of traditional industry in the area. The settlement, known by the same name as the station, was probably larger than indeed remote Aspull in its time.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

This line was known as the Hilton House line, and among others was used by the prime Manchester to Blackpool Club Train, and doubtless by many an excursion along the same way.

Was it at Dobbs Brow Junction where the Manchester to Blackpool Club Trains left the Atherton line?

 

[Bevan Price]

Was it at Dobbs Brow Junction where the Manchester to Blackpool Club Trains left the Atherton line?

Yes, Zoom into the Atherton / Westhoughton area of this map :

View map: Railway Clearing House., South sheet - Official railway map of the Lancashire & Cheshire Districts / prepared and published a... - Counties of Scotland, 1580-1928

(Incidentally, road signs in the area show "Dobb Brow" not Dobbs Brow)
The same map also includes Red Moss Jn & Horwich, etc.

 

[Taunton]

Further use of the line was the haulage to and from Horwich works for overhaul of all the Liverpool-Southport electric stock.

 

[Gloster]

Red Moss Junction was eliminated in 1889 when two extra tracks were built as far as Horwich Fork Junction about 1/2 mile closer to Blackrod. Red Moss appears to have just been a straightforward double junction.

Source: Liverpool & Manchester Railway Atlas (Brown, Crecy, 2021).

 

[Senex]

This line was known as the Hilton House line, and among others was used by the prime Manchester to Blackpool Club Train, and doubtless by many an excursion along the same way. Cecil J Allen timed the Club Train in the 1950s and criticised the apparently low speed junctions for the express at each end. It was also notably steeply graded westbound, inconveniently right after the slack to branch off the Atherton line.

Having a bit of familiarity with Dicconson Lane it wasn't quite the wilderness portrayed, drive along there and there's quite a bit of Victorian housing either side of the old station site, and there used to be much more there, doubtless of low quality which has been demolished, along with a very large cotton mill complex, all gone with the end of traditional industry in the area. The settlement, known by the same name as the station, was probably larger than indeed remote Aspull in its time.

One of the other regular users (at least in the early 1960s) was the afternoon Glasgow–Manchester/Liverpool through train. From memory, Horwich Fork Jn was 50 to the Hilton House line, but both the junctions at the southern end were slow. However, you did then get a good run on the old L&Y fast lines to Manchester.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

As something of an aside, in the 1980s, I attended a late afternoon/early evening business meeting in that area in premises called the Hilton House Hotel, which looked to be a good age. Was that building originally anything to do with the railway?

 

[Springs Branch]

As something of an aside, in the 1980s, I attended a late afternoon/early evening business meeting in that area in premises called the Hilton House Hotel, which looked to be a good age. Was that building originally anything to do with the railway?

Could it be the Georgian House Hotel you were thinking of?

This was a moderately posh hotel back in the 80s, located where the A6 road crosses the course of the old rail line at the former Hilton House station. The hotel is still trading under a similar name - now part of one of the big chains, IIRC.

I believe the old part of the Georgian House Hotel (as opposed to the modern extensions) was originally a local manor house of some considerable vintage (Georgian period would be a reasonable guess, based on its appearance). The hotel certainly used to promote this feature back in the day.

The A6 road in that vicinity had become a turnpike in the 18th century, and a few of the older buildings thereabouts (e.g. the Brinsop Arms pub - before its extensive modernisation) were probably already in existence on account of the main highway by the time the Hilton House railway appeared on the scene.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Could it be the Georgian House Hotel you were thinking of?

This was a moderately posh hotel back in the 80s, located where the A6 road crosses the course of the old rail line at the former Hilton House station. The hotel is still trading under a similar name - now part of one of the big chains, IIRC.

I believe the old part of the Georgian House Hotel (as opposed to the modern extensions) was originally a local manor house of some considerable vintage (Georgian period would be a reasonable guess, based on its appearance). The hotel certainly used to promote this feature back in the day.

The A6 road in that vicinity had become a turnpike in the 18th century, and a few of the older buildings thereabouts (e.g. the Brinsop Arms pub - before its extensive modernisation) were probably already in existence on account of the main highway by the time the Hilton House railway appeared on the scene.

After reading your posting, I stand corrected. It was indeed the Georgian House Hotel. My memory confused matters as it was in the area of the Hilton House Railway station. Because it was an afternoon/early evening venue for the meeting, quite a number of those who had travelled north from the Birmingham and Coventry areas had booked accommodation for the night and a cooked meal was served at 20:00, which was of a good standard, as they did have a noted chef at that time. The business meeting of 1984 was 40 years ago when I was only 39 years of age, a "young" senior in my organisation at that time.

 

[Gloster]

Now that the NLS maps are functioning again, I have compared the Google and past maps. Hilton House Georgian Hotel is just north of Manchester/Chorley Road, partially on the site of the line and the junction (and signal box) for Scot Lane Colliery. Hilton House itself was to the west of the line roughly on the same site, but it is difficult to tell if the old building has been incorporated in the hotel, but from a look at Streetview I would doubt it, unless it was pretty well gutted. Hilton House Halt was just south of the road; it had no goods facilities, but two signal boxes to give access to the lines leading to the colliery.