Blackrod Station - Horwich Branch Platform
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The Horwich branch platform appears to have originally been a rough affair, topped with small cobbles until it was rebuilt from concrete components (probably by British Railways). Access to the platform was either down the cobbled road from Station Road or across the long footbridge from the other two platforms. The platform seems to have provided nothing more than a small wooden shelter for its passengers, but it is unclear whether the structure shown in the photos on this page is original or whether it replaced an earlier L&YR building.
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For many years, the Blackrod branch was worked by a Hughes Railmotor set. In fact, the Blackrod / Horwich branch was the last place in which one of these sets could be seen, finally being replaced by BR standard tank locos in the 60s. Both the Hughes and later units were operated in a push-pull arrangement whereby the driver could sit in either the locomotive or the end of the back carriage, and still control the train. This was achieved using an arrangement of levers and wires.
This photograph shows the branch platform just a couple of years before closure. The steps to the wooden footbridge can be seen on the left and on the right are the buffers on the head-shunt for the Cook & Nuttall lines. There's more about the Cooke & Nuttall Vale Paper Mill here and on the maps page. Photograph by Eric Blakey courtesy of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society |
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Photographs of Blackrod in the various books which cover the area, tend to concentrate on the Branch platform and the locomotives and stock used on the "Horwich Jerk". Photographs also show a Sentinel steam railcar and in the final years, diesel railcars (DMUs) used on the Branch. Larger locomotives were often used on the services to Chorley and Bolton.
This photograph was taken in October 2003. Peering through the brambles and nettles which have grown, unchecked over the last 15 years, the remains of the branch platform can still be seen. The concrete supporting pillars and some of the platform edge are still intact. The ground occupied by the rest of the platform and buildings has been put to use by various companies which now inhabit the old station yard. As a child, from the signalbox, I remember seeing this structure very much intact, but while the line itself was still in use for the Locomotive Works, passenger trains had already been absent for more than a decade. |
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Photos of the Hughes railmotor and Sentinel railcar can be found in the following books:
Railways In and Around Bolton - An Historical Review
Includes a photograph showing a Hughes Railmotor in 1947. The book also shows good views of the platform and track layout, including one of the signal box and Cook & Nuttalls sidings.
The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway - Then & Now
This book includes an interesting photograph of a Hughes set, viewed from the "rear" rather than the Locomotive end of the train
More Recollections of a Bolton Engineman
This is book 2 of a quadrilogy of books by the late Jim Markland (Foxline) and contains an excellent wide shot of the station, taken from the road 50850 is in charge of the "Horwich Jerk" here as the 12.13pm from Horwich approaches Blackrod on 2nd January 1960.
Here are a few more photos from our Blackrod Station Photo Archive...
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The "Horwich Jerk" sits at the branch platform, with the Cook & Nuttall Vale Paper Mill as a backdrop. 22-04-1947 Photo : H.C.Casserley |
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The Branch Platform 01-06-1964 Photo : H.C.Casserley |
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The Branch Platform, 1968 Photo : Bernard Mills |
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84014 propels a Blackrod - Horwich service over the crossover Photo : Ben Brooksbank |