- Chester Northgate railway station
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Chester Northgate 
Site of the former Chester Northgate Station in 2010 Location Place Chester Area Cheshire West and Chester Coordinates 53°11′45″N 2°53′32″W / 53.1958°N 2.8921°WCoordinates: 53°11′45″N 2°53′32″W / 53.1958°N 2.8921°W Grid reference SJ405669 Operations Original company Chester and West Cheshire Junction Railway Pre-grouping Cheshire Lines Committee Post-grouping Cheshire Lines Committee Platforms 2 History 1 May 1875 Station opened 6 October 1969 Station closed Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom Closed railway stations in Britain
A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–ZChester Northgate is a former railway station in Chester, Cheshire that was a terminus for the Cheshire Lines Committee and Great Central Railway. It was the city centre's second station with trains to Manchester, Birkenhead and North Wales.
Contents
History
A former Great Central Class 9K at Chester Northgate Locomotive Depot in 1947.
The station, which was located on Victoria Road in the Newtown area of the city, was originally planned by the West Cheshire Railway in 1865. A year later the company was acquired by the Cheshire Lines Committee. It opened the station on May 1, 1875 for train services to Manchester Central on the Mid-Cheshire Line via Northwich. The CLC track crossed the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and Great Western Railway line over a flying junction at Mickle Trafford.
Chester Northgate had a station building and two covered roofs, it had four tracks with two side platforms. There were also lower level sidings that contained a locomotive yard.[1]
In 1890 the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (renamed Great Central Railway in 1897) completed the 6 miles (9.7 km) Chester & Connah's Quay Railway to Hawarden Bridge. Services from Chester Northgate ran to Connor's Quay via Blacon; and also to Wrexham General and New Brighton, Wirral.
A triangle junction outside the station allowed trains to either terminate at Chester Northgate or pass through the city without stopping. During the Second World War, the station served military personnel that were based at RAF Sealand and at Blacon Camp.
In 1969 a level junction was installed at Mickle Trafford so Manchester trains could be diverted to Chester General.
The station closed on October 6, 1969. The site is now occupied by the Northgate Arena.
Railway line
Although Chester Northgate closed, the line it once served remained open for another 25 years. It was used by the Corus steelmaking plant at Shotton until March 1980.[2] Freight continued to pass the former station on a double-tracked line until 20 April 1984. Goods services resumed on a single-track line on 31 August 1986 before final closure in the early 1990s.[1][3]. The trackbed is now a cycle way.
Services
Part of the former CLC trackbed near Chester.Preceding station Disused railways Following station Mickle Trafford East Cheshire Lines Committee Terminus Disused railways Terminus Chester & Connah's Quay Railway
GCRChester Liverpool Road References
- ^ a b "Station Name: CHESTER NORTHGATE". Disused Stations. 2009-08-21. http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/c/chester_northgate/index.shtml.
- ^ "Shotton Steelworks and Garden City". http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/flintshire/pages/steel.shtml. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
- ^ Oppitz, Leslie (1997). Cheshire Railways Remembered. Countryside Books. p. 111. ISBN 1-85306-458-0.
Bibliography
- Awdry, Christopher, "Encyclopedia of British Railway Companies", Guild Publishing, 1990, reference CN 8983.
- Butt, R.V.J., "The Directory of Railway Stations", Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, England, 1995, ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
Further reading
- Biddle, Gordon (1981). "Chapter 1 – North Cheshire & The Peak". Railway Stations in the North West. Clapham, Yorkshire: Dalesman. p. 9, fig. 2. ISBN 0 85206 644 9. – photo of station platforms and roof
External links
Closed railway stations in Cheshire St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway Birkenhead Railway Chester to Crewe Waverton · Tattenhall Road · Beeston Castle and Tarporley · Calveley · WorlestonMacclesfield to Marple Bollington · Higher Poynton · Middlewood HigherNorthwich to Sandbach Winsford and Over Branch Line Whitegate · Winsford and OverWhitchurch and Tattenhall Railway Sandbach to Kidsgrove Wheelock and Sandbach · Hassall Green · LawtonWarrington and Altrincham Junction Railway Warrington Arpley · Latchford · Thelwall · Lymm · Heatley & WarburtonMid-Cheshire Line Chester Northgate · Mickle Trafford East · Barrow for TarvinChester & Connah's Quay Railway Helsby to Mouldsworth Junction Helsby and Alvanley · ManleyNantwich to Market Drayton Wirral Line Other stations Alsager Road · Balderton · Betley Road · Bosley · Burton Point · Collins Green · Culcheth · Ditton · Macclesfield Hibel Road · Minshull Vernon · Moore · Mow Cop and Scholar Green · Newchurch Halt · North Rode · Over and Wharton · Preston Brook · Radway Green and Barthomley · Sutton Weaver · WillastonCategories:- History of Chester
- Disused railway stations in Cheshire
- Former Cheshire Lines Committee stations
- Railway stations opened in 1875
- Railway stations closed in 1969
- North West England railway station stubs
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