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Wigan Branch Railway
The Wigan Branch Railway was an early British railway company operating in Lancashire. It was constructed to link the Wigan coalfield to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR). Background The Wigan Branch Railway obtained an Act of Parliament on 29 May 1830 to build a branch line from the Liverpool and Manchester Railway L&MR at Parkside to Wigan. The Act included another branch off the Wigan line (the Springs branch) to collieries in the district. The Act stipulated that the railway must be built by L&MR engineers and in June 1830 Charles Vignoles was appointed engineer at a salary of £500 (equivalent to £ in ). He was familiar with the area having been involved with the L&MR. The line was promoted by a number of Wigan coal proprietors, one of whom, Ralph Thickness was the first chairman. The railway from Parkside on the L&MR ran to Chapel Lane in Wigan. The Parkside station was inconvenient for Wigan Branch passengers as it was on the Liverpool side of the junctio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashire was created by the Local Government Act 1972. It is administered by Lancashire County Council, based in Preston, and twelve district councils. Although Lancaster is still considered the county town, Preston is the administrative centre of the non-metropolitan county. The ceremonial county has the same boundaries except that it also includes Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen, which are unitary authorities. The historic county of Lancashire is larger and includes the cities of Manchester and Liverpool as well as the Furness and Cartmel peninsulas, but excludes Bowland area of the West Riding of Yorkshire transferred to the non-metropolitan county in 1974 History Before the county During Roman times the area was part of the Bri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Hargreaves (early Railway Operator)
John Hargreaves JP (22 October 1800 – 18 December 1874) was an English carrier, railway entrepreneur and manufacturing businessman. John and his father, also called John Hargreaves, were carriers in the north west of England at the time when railways were being built and taking business away from the canals. Personal life John Hargreaves was born on 22 October 1800 in Lancashire, England. He married Mary Hick (born 1813), daughter of Benjamin Hick of Benjamin Hick & Sons, on 19 October 1836 in St Peter's Parish Church, Bolton le Moors. The Hargreaves lived in Bolton, initially at Newport House and then at Rose Hill. Hargreaves served as a town councillor from 1845 to 1848 and was a local magistrate. In later years the Hargreaves purchased the Selwood Park Estate in Sunninghill, Berkshire. Hargreaves died in 1874, aged 74, leaving eight surviving children and his widow well provided for, his fortune amounting to £600,000. Railway carrier In the 1830s Hargreaves was al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railway Lines Opened In 1832
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prepared flat surface, rail vehicles (rolling stock) are directionally guided by the tracks on which they run. Tracks usually consist of steel rails, installed on sleepers (ties) set in ballast, on which the rolling stock, usually fitted with metal wheels, moves. Other variations are also possible, such as "slab track", in which the rails are fastened to a concrete foundation resting on a prepared subsurface. Rolling stock in a rail transport system generally encounters lower frictional resistance than rubber-tyred road vehicles, so passenger and freight cars (carriages and wagons) can be coupled into longer trains. The operation is carried out by a railway company, providing transport between train stations or freight customer facil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
