The

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

and Preston Junction Railway was formed in 1884, and totaled 7 miles. In 1897 it became part of

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in northern ...

, and on 1 May 1901, its northern terminus switched from to . It connected the

West Lancashire Railway The West Lancashire Railway (WLR) ran northeast from Southport to Preston in northwest England. History Construction was started by Samuel Swire the Mayor of Southport, on 19 April 1873. It opened on 15 September 1882. A branch was construct ...

's lines to the north of Southport to the

CLC CLC may refer to: Religion * Christian Life Centre, a number of individual and networked Pentecostal churches in Australia * Christian Life Community, an international association of lay Christians * Church of the Lutheran Confession, an American ...

Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway The Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway was an early British railway company operating in the then county of Lancashire. It was constructed to link the Cheshire Lines Committee railway at Aintree to Southport. It operated from 1884 to 19 ...

Altcar and Hillhouse railway station Altcar and Hillhouse was a railway station located on the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway near Great Altcar, Lancashire, England. The station opened on 1 September 1884, and from 1887 to 1926 also served as the southern terminus ...

. Known also as the Barton branch, it ran from 1 September 1887 to 21 January 1952. The Barton branch was notable for the "

Altcar Bob The Altcar Bob was a train service introduced in July 1906 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway on the Barton Branch of the Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway. The service was so named because it terminated at , though from 1926 ...

" service, introduced in July 1906. The short section of line that contains is still open and has replaced a section of the original

Manchester and Southport Railway The Manchester and Southport Railway in England opened on 9 April 1855. It merged with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1854. The route is still in use to day as Northern's Manchester to Southport Line. Route *Manchester Victoria railw ...

. This northern part was electrified in 1904 and then de-electrified sixty years later.

References

* Cotterall, J.E., (1982), ''The West Lancashire Railway'', The Oakwood Press, * Nock, O.S. (1969), ''The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway - A Concise History'', Ian Allan,

External links

On The Track of Altcar Bob
Historic transport in Merseyside Historic transport in Lancashire Pre-grouping British railway companies Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Closed railway lines in North West England Railway companies established in 1884 Railway companies disestablished in 1897 British companies disestablished in 1897 British companies established in 1884 {{England-rail-transport-stub