Churchtown railway station was on 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 ...

(WLR) in England. It opened in 1878 and served the

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 ...

suburb of Churchtown.

History

In the Churchtown area, the railway ran above the streets on an embankment, and crossed Cambridge Road on an iron bridge. The station was on the east side of Cambridge Road immediately after the bridge, with the booking office situated at street level, on the westbound side of the station, roughly where Churchtown Medical Centre stands today. Originally services ran from

Southport Central Southport Central is an 18,130 m² mixed Use, multi-purpose development at the corner of Scarborough and Lawson Streets in Southport, Queensland, Australia. It comprises three towers with integrated shopping and commercial precincts with a tota ...

Preston Fishergate Hill Preston Fishergate Hill was a railway station at the bottom of Fishergate Hill in Preston. It formed the northeastern terminus of the West Lancashire Railway which built a direct railway link between Southport and Preston. The station was also ...

. However, upon the WLR's absorption by the

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 ...

in 1901, both termini were closed to passengers and became goods depots. Services then ran from

Southport Chapel Street Southport railway station serves the town of Southport, Merseyside, England. The station is the terminal of the Southport branch of the Northern Line of the electric Merseyrail network and the diesel-operated Manchester-Southport Line. It is ...

to Preston. The section of the Southport-Preston line running from Southport Chapel Street station to Crossens station was electrified by the LYR in 1904 using the same 630V DC system as had been installed on the Liverpool-Southport line a few months earlier. Consequently, after this date, travellers from Churchtown station used both electric and steam-hauled trains. Upon closure of the West Lancashire Railway in 1964, Churchtown station was demolished within days, to prevent any possible acts of vandalism and arson, as the station had been made entirely of wood (as with

Penwortham Cop Lane railway station Penwortham Cop Lane was a railway station on the West Lancashire Railway in England. It served the town of Penwortham in Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metrop ...

), along with both of its platforms. The bridge was dismantled during 1965 and the embankments on either side removed soon afterwards.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Churchtown Railway Station Disused railway stations in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton Buildings and structures in Southport Former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway stations Beeching closures in England Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1964 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1878