Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway

The Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway was authorised by an Act passed 22 July 1861 to build a railway from Stockport on the Stockport and Woodley Junction Railway (ST&AJ) to Broadheath on the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) owned Warrington & Stockport Railway and to Timperley on the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR). The line would be 8 miles 17 chains (13.2 km) in length.

Joint committee

The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) and the Great Northern Railway (GNR) subscribed equally to finance the building of the railway. Together the MS&LR and GNR formed a joint committee to operate the railway along with three others. This eventually lead to the formation of the Cheshire Lines Committee in 1865.

Opening and Operations

The ST&AJR opened from Portwood, east of Stockport, to Deansgate Junction, on the MSJAR, on 1 December 1865 with the section from Skelton Junction to Broadheath Junction, on the LNWR, opening on 1 February 1866.

A new station Stockport Tiviot Dale was opened. This station remained in use until closure on 2 January 1967. Other stations opened in early 1866 were at Cheadle, Northenden and Baguley.

The ST&AJR served as a very useful 'avoiding line' to the south of Manchester and carried a very heavy freight traffic which funnelled in from several routes from both east and west and required hard working by the crews of the steam locomotives to clear this 'bottleneck' for the following trains.

Modern times

Having seen no passenger trains for many years, they were re-introduced when Manchester's tram network, Metrolink, took over the direct Manchester to Altrincham line (ex-MSJAR). Trains from Manchester to points beyond Altrincham now travel via Stockport over this line which today forms part of the Mid-Cheshire Line. The intermediate stations have not been re-opened.

References

* Griffiths, R.P., "The Cheshire Lines Railway", The Oakwood Press, 1947.