Rainford Village railway station was on the railway line from St Helens to Rainford Junction, then

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston. Ormskirk is known for its gingerbread. Geography and administr ...

, England.

Opening and early history

The station was opened on 1 February 1858 by the

St Helens Canal and Railway Company St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway was an early railway line owned by a company of the same name in Lancashire, England, which opened in 1833. It was later known as St Helens Railway. It ran originally from the town of St Helens to the area whi ...

(SHC&R). The SHC&R was absorbed by the

London & 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 Lon ...

(LNWR) on 29 July 1864. From 1 January 1923 the LNWR became part of the

London Midland & Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally u ...

(LMS). From 1858 until November 1861, the station was named '

Rainford Rainford is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England, north of St Helens. At the 2011 Census, the population was 7,779. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the earlies ...

', but it was thought this would cause confusion with Rainford Junction railway station and the word 'Village' was added.

Location and facilities

The station was located immediately north of the level crossing over Crosspit Lane. The main station building for trains to St Helens was on the east side of the twin tracks (furthest from the village centre). A lightly constructed wooden building on the opposite side of the tracks sufficed for passengers towards Rainford Junction and

, next to which was the signalbox which controlled the level crossing gates.

Nearby railway halts

Two small lightly built railway 'halts' were constructed nearby to serve other parts of the Rainford area.

Rookery A rookery is a colony of breeding animals, generally gregarious birds. Coming from the nesting habits of rooks, the term is used for corvids and the breeding grounds of colony-forming seabirds, marine mammals ( true seals and sea lions), and ...

, adjacent to Rookery Lane, existed from 1865 until 18 June 1951. Old Mill Lane, adjacent to Pilkington Brothers sand washery a mile south of the village, opened on 1 October 1911 and closed on 18 June 1951.

Passenger train service

The three stations were served by local steam loco-hauled trains, some originating in Ormskirk, with others starting at Rainford Junction. In July 1922, thirteen LNWR trains left Rainford Village for St Helens (Shaw Street) each weekday, all carrying only third class passengers, first class accommodation not being provided. By July 1946, the LMS timetable showed ten weekdays passenger trains to St Helens, still described as 'one class only'. In 1951 the Up service consisted of five trains on weekdays with three extra on Saturdays, all stations to St Helens. The rolling stock was "Third Class Only". No trains called on Sundays. The Down service was similar. British Railways took over the LMSR on 1 January 1948 and withdrew the passenger service on 18 June 1951, closing the station.

Use of the line by goods trains and post-closure history

Rainford Brewery was situated a short distance west of the station. It was rail connected between at least 1890 and 1925. Victoria Colliery's Nos 3 and 5 pits were connected to the line a short distance north of the station. The colliery went into liquidation in 1891. Around 1900 an engineering firm was established on the colliery site and the siding's connection was renewed in 1905. Over time the engineering works became an oil works, which continued to use rail until August 1961, though cessation was not formally agreed until September 1963. Goods trains continued to pass through the village until 6 July 1964 when the line north of Mill Lane was closed and lifted. Much of the railway's route through Rainford has been converted to a 'linear park', with shorter stretches used for housing.

References

Notes

Sources

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External links

A detailed history via ''Disused Stations UK''

The station on an 1888–1913 Overlay OS Map via National Library of Scotland

{{Closed stations Merseyside Disused railway stations in St Helens, Merseyside Former London and North Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1858 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1951 Village railway station