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Wigan Branch Railway
The Wigan Branch Railway was a short-lived early British railway company, formed in 1830 and operating from 1832 to 1834 in Lancashire. It was constructed to link Wigan and the surrounding coalfield to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR). It was involved in the first parliamentary approved amalgamation of railways to become part of the North Union Railway. Most of the line eventually became part of the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
Wigan was situated on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal which ran to Liverpool on the west coast, to Yorkshire across the Pennines, and to the east a branch ran to Leigh where it made a connection with the Bridgewater Canal linking it with the rest of the canal network and in particular Manchester.
The canals of the time were the major freight routes being faster and able to transport greater loads than the carriers using the turnpike road system. But, unfortunately, these canal routes were slow, becoming congested, and increasingly more expensive as demand from the rapidly expanding businesses in the area increased. The waterways had a virtual monopoly on the transport links which enabled them to charge exorbitant tolls. Even with the demand the canals were not always able to provide the desired service, for example in February 1830 there was a severe frost which closed them and coal had to be carted into Liverpool at nearly twice the cost.
The area around Wigan had seen a stimulus in trade, and especially in coal mining, since the opening of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816. By the late 1820s local businesses considered themselves disadvantaged by the canal monopoly on transport, local newspapers reported the proposed railway as being shorter to both Liverpool and Manchester and should counteract the injurious influence of the charges to use the canal.
They looked to the railway to break this monopoly, the canal companies recognised this threat to their business early on, for example, the Leeds and Liverpool canal company minutes of 21 September 1822 mention the issue, and the canal businesses started to take steps to protect their interests.
Rail roads, tramroads and railways had been around for some time, mainly used to transport goods, especially coal to the canal network. There was already at least one private railway operating in the area, in 1812 Robert Daglish had constructed a railway to carry coal from Orrell Colliery in Winstanley, near Wigan to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, this railway used "Blenkinsop and Murrays" patent cog and rack steam locomotives to haul the coal wagons. A little further north the Lancaster Canal had been built in two sections joined in 1797 by a five mile long tramroad.
The railway as planned was 13 miles shorter than the canal route to Liverpool, and one mile shorter to Manchester. There was only one level crossing on the line, at Golborne Gates where the Warrington to Wigan turnpike crossed the railway.
Preliminary surveys had been completed in 1829, followed by an initial public meeting held in Wigan on 7 November that was reported by a Liverpool newspaper:
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Wigan Branch Railway
The Wigan Branch Railway was a short-lived early British railway company, formed in 1830 and operating from 1832 to 1834 in Lancashire. It was constructed to link Wigan and the surrounding coalfield to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR). It was involved in the first parliamentary approved amalgamation of railways to become part of the North Union Railway. Most of the line eventually became part of the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
Wigan was situated on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal which ran to Liverpool on the west coast, to Yorkshire across the Pennines, and to the east a branch ran to Leigh where it made a connection with the Bridgewater Canal linking it with the rest of the canal network and in particular Manchester.
The canals of the time were the major freight routes being faster and able to transport greater loads than the carriers using the turnpike road system. But, unfortunately, these canal routes were slow, becoming congested, and increasingly more expensive as demand from the rapidly expanding businesses in the area increased. The waterways had a virtual monopoly on the transport links which enabled them to charge exorbitant tolls. Even with the demand the canals were not always able to provide the desired service, for example in February 1830 there was a severe frost which closed them and coal had to be carted into Liverpool at nearly twice the cost.
The area around Wigan had seen a stimulus in trade, and especially in coal mining, since the opening of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816. By the late 1820s local businesses considered themselves disadvantaged by the canal monopoly on transport, local newspapers reported the proposed railway as being shorter to both Liverpool and Manchester and should counteract the injurious influence of the charges to use the canal.
They looked to the railway to break this monopoly, the canal companies recognised this threat to their business early on, for example, the Leeds and Liverpool canal company minutes of 21 September 1822 mention the issue, and the canal businesses started to take steps to protect their interests.
Rail roads, tramroads and railways had been around for some time, mainly used to transport goods, especially coal to the canal network. There was already at least one private railway operating in the area, in 1812 Robert Daglish had constructed a railway to carry coal from Orrell Colliery in Winstanley, near Wigan to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, this railway used "Blenkinsop and Murrays" patent cog and rack steam locomotives to haul the coal wagons. A little further north the Lancaster Canal had been built in two sections joined in 1797 by a five mile long tramroad.
The railway as planned was 13 miles shorter than the canal route to Liverpool, and one mile shorter to Manchester. There was only one level crossing on the line, at Golborne Gates where the Warrington to Wigan turnpike crossed the railway.
Preliminary surveys had been completed in 1829, followed by an initial public meeting held in Wigan on 7 November that was reported by a Liverpool newspaper: