Manchester - Southport Line via Wigan and Bolton: Bescar Lane - Burscough Bridge Junction
Our journey today starts at Southport Chapel Street and follows the line to Manchester Victoria via Bolton using Google Streetview images. Should you use the individual Google navigation tools, and wish to restore the page to its default views, just refresh the page.
As it takes a few seconds for each of the Google maps to be retrieved, the line is broken into sections, and generally these are station-to-station. Each Google Streetview image is presented facing the direction of travel, in this case eastwards. The intention is that to see the northwards view, the Google navigation tool needs to be used.
Bescar Lane halt and crossing. The platforms both used to be opposite each other, but the Southport-bound platform is now west of the crossing, so not holding-up road traffic unduly whilst station work is carried out.
Midge Hall LaneNew Lane station is a delight as the original building still stands.
Burscough Bridge Junnction, Sation and L&YR signal box. At one time there was a three-way junction here: to the left and the north was a spur to the Liverpool - Preston line, whilst to the right and the south was a connection towards Liverpool. This latter connection was used for Orangeman's day traffic, taking the pressure off the more direct Liverpool - Southport line. One of the missed opportunities was to re-instate the Preston spur when the Preston - Southport line closed, as this would have allowed a reasonably effective replacement for excusrions traffic from the north and east heading towards Southport - but, of course, BR was pulling out of the excursion market. To see Burscough Bridge Station, reverse the direction of the camera.
Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Map 1961
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