Citizendia

This article concerns the original railway of that name: for the heritage railway see East Lancashire Railway

The East Lancashire Railway (ELR) was created by an Act of Parliament in 1846, as an amalgamation of two railway schemes. This article is about the present East Lancashire Railway for the previous incarnation see East Lancashire Railway 1844-1859 Overview Consolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one

Contents

Formation

The original Act of the Manchester and Bolton Railway authorised a branch to Bury, but this was not constructed, and the powers were allowed to lapse. Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, north-northwest of the city of Manchester, west-southwest of In 1843, the Manchester and Leeds Railway decided to extend their Heywood coal branch to Bury, and the sight of the surveyors caused considerable anxiety in the town. The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839 connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, north-northwest of the city of Manchester, west-southwest of The Leeds company (described as the "Lies and Mancheater Railway" in a contemporary poster, and "the most brutal line in the kingdom" by the inhabitants of Huddersfield) was not popular, and some of the influential inhabitants (led by John Grundy, a rich cloth merchant) decided to take matters into their own hands. A meeting was held in the Old Red Lion, Bury, in September, 1843, promoting the railway as a means of affording direct communication between Bury and Manchester, with the extension to Rawtenstall as an afterthought. Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, north-northwest of the city of Manchester, west-southwest of Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, north-northwest of the city of Manchester, west-southwest of Rawtenstall (pronounced "Rottenstall" ˈrɒtənˌstɔːl or ˈrɒʔnˌstɔːl is a town at the centre of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, The promoters wished to reach the intended Manchester station at Hunts Bank (Victoria Station) by means of a junction with the Manchester and Leeds Railway at Collyhurst, hoping that this would induce the Leeds company to abandon its own scheme. Manchester Victoria station is the second of Manchester 's mainline railway stations The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839 connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Collyhurst is an area of the City of Manchester, in North West England.

However, the Leeds directors played them along, while pressing ahead with their own plans. Fortunately, the Bury Provisional Committee saw through this trickery, and came to an agreement with the Manchester and Bolton Railway, reaching Victoria Station by means of a junction at Clifton. (All the land between there and Bury was owned by the Earl of Derby and the Earl of Wilton, who were both prepared to give immediate possession. Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, north-northwest of the city of Manchester, west-southwest of Earl of Derby is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers 1st Earl of Derby under a creation of 1139 Earl of Wilton, of Wilton Castle in the County of Hereford is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. )

The Manchester, Bury, and Rossendale Railway was thus incorporated in 1844. Public interest was aroused by the scheme, and pressure was exerted to extend the line further, but it was too late to incorporate this in the Parliamentary Bill. Consequently, a separate Bill was promoted, incorporating the Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington and Colne Extension Railway in 1845, though clauses enabled subsequent amalgamation with the original company.

The routes

The united line (known as the East Lancashire Railway from 1846) was opened in stages:

In the meantime, the Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway was acquired. Liverpool, Ormskirk & Preston Railway, was formed in 1846. It was purchased by East Lancashire Railway. This gave direct access from the East Lancashire towns to Liverpool Docks. The Port of Liverpool is the name for the enclosed dock system that runs from Herculaneum Dock to Seaforth Dock, in the city of Liverpool,

The ELR was now guided by Cornelius Nicholson, something of a Victorian polymath - he was an ex-mayor of Kendal, a promoter of the Caledonian Railway, and a correspondent of Wordsworth. Kendal is a Market town and Civil parish within the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish Railway company operating in Scotland Nicholson modelled himself upon George Hudson, the Railway King, and proposed a railway empire based upon Bury. George Hudson (probably 10 March 1800 - 14 December 1871) English railway financier known as the "Railway King" was born Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, north-northwest of the city of Manchester, west-southwest of His wilder schemes (which included promoting a line to Scotland) came to nothing, but the ELR certainly expanded.

A separate approach to Preston was constructed, to avoid paying tolls to the North Union Railway; the original line was extended from Rawtenstall to Bacup in 1852; and branches constructed to Southport and Skelmersdale. Preston ( ˈprɛstən is a city and local government district in Lancashire, England, located on the River Ribble. The North Union Railway was an early British Railway company formed in 1834 Rawtenstall (pronounced "Rottenstall" ˈrɒtənˌstɔːl or ˈrɒʔnˌstɔːl is a town at the centre of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, Bacup is a town within the Rossendale borough of Lancashire, England. Southport is a seaside town on the Irish Sea coast situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in England, UK. Skelmersdale is a town in West Lancashire, England. It lies on high-ground on the River Tawd, to the northeast of Liverpool, south-southwest

The East Lancashire Railway built the Skelmersdale Branch from Ormskirk to Skelmersdale and Rainford Junction, which opened on 1 March 1858. The Skelmersdale Branch (SKE connected the Liverpool Ormskirk and Preston Railway at Ormskirk with Skelmersdale, Rainford Junction with the Ormskirk is a Market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool, and southwest Skelmersdale is a town in West Lancashire, England. It lies on high-ground on the River Tawd, to the northeast of Liverpool, south-southwest Rainford is a village in North West England, five miles north of the town of St Helens in Merseyside. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1858 ( MDCCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Passenger services ended on 5 November 1956, goods to Rainford finished on 16 November 1961 and Skelmersdale on 4 November 1963. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Battle of Clifton Junction

Unfortunately, Nicholson's ambitions, especially the promotion of the ELR as part of an alternative trans-Pennine route, had made a serious enemy. In 1847 the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&Y) had been formed from the Manchester and Leeds Railway and the Manchester and Bolton Railway, upon which the ELR relied for access to Manchester. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839 connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North The Leeds company tried to cause delays by insisting upon inspecting every ticket at Clifton Junction. The result was the so-called Battle of Clifton Junction in 1849.

This curious episode began when L&Y inspectors stopped a Manchester-bound ELR train and demanded to see the tickets. The ELR guard said that they had all been collected at the previous station. The train was forbidden to proceed. To make sure, a large baulk of wood had been placed upon the track, and an empty L&Y train stood beyond it. (The L&Y were intending to convey the ELR passengers to Manchester after their point had been made). But the ELR had hidden a gang of navvies on their train. While the two sides argued, they removed the baulk. The order was given to proceed. Alas, there was still the train on the line in front of them! The ELR train tried to push it, but the L&Y train was put into reverse. While these two trains grappled, the ELR remembered that they had a ballast (stone) train in the vicinity. They reversed it down the opposite line directly on to the Bolton line, effectively blockading it. The contest continued for several hours until both sides gave up.

Amalgamation

In August 1859 the ELR and the L&Y amalgamated.

References

External links

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