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Southbound
Platform
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The Southbound platform is by
far the most interesting of the three in terms of architecture. The main buildings are
unusual in many respects, but are unmistakably L&YR. The tall stone chimneys - which
seem almost out of proportion with the rest of the buildings - can be seen in many other
locations in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Even the later buildings at Horwich show similar
(if less pronounced) traits. As
stated elsewhere, the two buildings were demolished around 1970 and have been replaced
with a succession of "bus shelter" type structures, none of which lasted a 10th
of the 120+ years of these buildings.
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 This photograph dates from
1965 - well into the BR
era, but all the L&Y features indicated on the 1900 map are still present.
Photographs (left and below) by Eric Blakey courtesy of the
Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society
The
Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society
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 This shot, taken from an
elevated position, shows more clearly the semaphore signalling which controlled both the main line
and the branch to Crows Nest and Hindley. Horwich Fork Junction is barely out of sight
under the road bridge.
The elevated position for this shot is
provided by the long footbridge which spanned both the main line and the
goods yard, linking all three platforms. A second footbridge, to the left of
the road-bridge, provided
direct access to the Manchester-bound platform from Station Road. When both of these
bridges were demolished some time around 1970, a new bridge was provided, crossing
the main lines, allowing access to this platform from the Preston-bound
side. Interestingly, in 2003, there has been discussion
in the local Council about providing a new structure which would allow wheelchair access
to the Southbound side. It seems likely that this structure will be in a similar location
to the original.
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 One
of my small number of photographs from around 1981. This one shows a class
47 on a parcels and passenger service heading towards Bolton and
Manchester. As with the photograph on the Northbound
page, there is little here to distinguish the shot from one taken in the
new millennium - other than the motive power. Today, the line sees no
freight and passenger trains are exclusively diesel multiple units (DMUs).
When this shot was taken, the junction was
still in use, but is hidden by the train.
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 A
technically accomplished photograph of my finger (age 14)!
In the background, you may be able to make
out another class 47 on a similar working to the picture above.
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