Chequerbent railway station (Bolton and Leigh Railway)
Former railway station in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chequerbent railway station was a railway station in Westhoughton to the south-west of Bolton, Greater Manchester, on the line between Bolton and Leigh. It was open from 1831 until its replacement in 1885 by a later station.
Chequerbent | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General information | |||||
| Location | Chequerbent, Westhoughton, Bolton England | ||||
| Coordinates | 53.5490°N 2.4952°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SD672059 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Status | Disused | ||||
| History | |||||
Original company | Bolton and Leigh Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 11 June 1831 | Station opened | ||||
| 2 February 1885 | Station closed | ||||
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History
The Bolton and Leigh Railway (B&LR) opened for goods traffic in 1828, followed by passenger services in 1831.[1]
The railway was built as a single track line and the route included two inclines which were worked using ropes hauled by stationary engines, locomotive haulage being used on the flatter sections of the line.[2] One of these inclines was situated north of Atherton Bag Lane railway station with the line climbing up through Chequerbent before dropping towards Bolton. This incline was operated by a 50 horsepower (37,285 W) stationary steam engine.[1][3]
The station at Chequerbent opened on 11 June 1831.[4] The station was sited south of the Turnpike road (now the A6) near to the engine winding house.[3] The station site was not marked on contemporary maps but the engine house is clearly marked on the OS six-inch map surveyed in 1845.[5] The station has been described as a convenient "halt" for the Hulton Family, as William Hulton was an early promoter and supporter of the railway.[3][1]
To avoid these inclines, and allow steam locomotives to haul trains for the entire journey, the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), successor to the B&LR, built deviations over easier gradients. This required the resiting of several stations, including Chequerbent.[1]
The station closed on 2 February 1885 and was replaced by a new Chequerbent only a short distance away on the same day.[4]