The Cheshire Midland Railway was authorised by an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

, passed on 14 June 1860, to build a railway from

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...

on the

Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJ&AR) was a suburban railway which operated an route between Altrincham in Cheshire and Manchester London Road railway station (now Piccadilly) in Manchester. The MSJ&AR line operat ...

(MSJAR) to

Northwich {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

History

The 1860 Act was promoted by landowners and supported by the

Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grimsb ...

(MS&LR). The

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...

(LNWR) were given leave to subscribe to the undertaking but they chose not to and the MS&LR found help from Great Northern Railway (GNR) instead. Ashley Railway Station

In 1861 a further Act modified the route and provided for the official involvement of the MS&LR. Together the MS&LR and GNR formed a joint committee to operate this railway along with three others that had been authorised but were not yet open. Together these railways connected up to provide an alternative route into North Cheshire that avoided Manchester. Each company was to provide an equal amount of capital and four representatives to the joint management committee. This arrangement was confirmed by the Great Northern (Cheshire Lines) Act in Parliament in 1863. This Act had not, however, formally set up a separate legal body, providing instead for the two companies to manage and work the four railways through their existing structures. This arrangement eventually led to the formation of the

Cheshire Lines Committee The Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) was formed in the 1860s and became the second-largest joint railway in Great Britain. The committee, which was often styled the Cheshire Lines Railway, operated of track in the then counties of Lancashire an ...

in 1865. The line was then formally brought under the direct joint ownership of the MS&LR and GNR in 1865 by the Cheshire Lines Transfer Act, 1865. The Act allowed the Midland Railway (MR) to join as an equal partner, which it did in 1866. and finally The

was authorised by The Cheshire Lines Act, 1867 as a fully independent organisation with a board formed from three directors from each of the parent companies. Today the railway forms part of the Mid-Cheshire Line.

Opening

The Cheshire Midland Railway opened in stages: *

Knutsford Knutsford () is a market town in the borough of Cheshire East, in Cheshire, England. Knutsford is south-west of Manchester, north-west of Macclesfield and 12.5 miles (20 km) south-east of Warrington. The population at the 2011 Census wa ...

Mobberley Mobberley is a village in Cheshire, England, between Wilmslow and Knutsford, which in 2001 had a population of 2,546, increasing to 3,050 at the 2011 Census. Mobberley railway station is on the Manchester to Chester line. Manchester Airport lie ...

opened for passenger traffic on 12 May 1862 and for goods traffic on 1 May 1863. *

to Knutsford opened for passenger traffic on 1 January 1863 and for goods traffic on 1 May 1863. A mineral railway ran to the north between Lostock and Northwich, this line, usually known as the Marston branch, provided access to a number of works, mostly connected to salt mining and extraction. They opened for freight only from 17 December 1867 onwards. Northwich station - geograph

Route and stations

The railway started from an end-on connection with the

(MSJ&AR) at Altrincham Junction, just south of station on the MSJ&AR. Initial intermediate stations were at: * Bowdon Peel Causeway, renamed Peel Causeway on 1 January 1899 and renamed on 1 January 1902. * , described as Ashley for Rostherne in some timetables. * . * , original station opened at end of the first stage of construction when the line reached Knutsford. The first station closed and was replaced by a second station when the line was extended to Northwich on 1 January 1863. * Plumbley, renamed on 1 February 1945. * Lostock, renamed sometime later in 1863. * , original station opened with the line on 1 January 1863, it closed on 1 September 1869 and became the goods station from this time. A second station was opened nearby when the line was extended by the building of the

West Cheshire Railway The West Cheshire Railway (WCR) was an early railway company based in Cheshire, England. Early company history The WCR was incorporated on 11 July 1861. In 1861, the WCR requested powers to construct a line from Northwich to Chester, with a br ...

's line onwards to opening on 1 September 1869. The first part, , of this route to Northwich Junction was opened earlier than this to allow

LNWR The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lond ...

services to access to both stations. The line terminated at Northwich Junction where the LNWR line headed south towards Sandbach and the West Cheshire line continued westward. A further station, Plumbley West Platform, is known to have been open for passengers only from sometime in 1915. It was closed by September 1926. The station was sited west of Plumbley.

Public house

The former 'Cheshire Midland' public house by

Hale railway station Hale railway station serves the area of Hale in the south of Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It is also used by people living in the surrounding areas of Bowdon and Hale Barns. The station is located on Ashley Road. It is on the Mid- ...

on Ashley Road,

Hale Hale may refer to: Places Australia *Hale, Northern Territory, a locality *Hale River, in southeastern Northern Territory Canada *Hale, Ontario, in Algoma District United Kingdom * Hale, Cumbria, a hamlet near Beetham, Cumbria *Hale, Greater Man ...

was named after the railway.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * *{{cite book, last1=Mitchell , first1=Vic , last2=Smith , first2=Keith , title=Chester Northgate to Manchester , date=December 2013 , publisher=Middleton Press , location=Midhurst , isbn=9781908174512 Early British railway companies Railway companies established in 1860 Railway lines opened in 1862 Cheshire Lines Committee Lines 1860 establishments in England British companies established in 1860