Bromborough Station

[Johnny Robbo]

Hello all!
Does any one know where I can find old pictures of Bromborough station when it had 4 platforms? I'm quite interested in the old Wirral lines and old pictures of this station seems to be hard to come by!

Cheers!

Hi Dead Cat

Here are two photos (credits: R Casserley & H B Priestley) taken in the early 1960's when the track was still quadrupled, one shot looking towards Chester, the other towards Birkenhead. Note the original station building, since demolished.

These and many other old photos of many other Wirral stations, existing and closed, can be found in "Railway Stations of Wirral" ISBN 1-899241-02-7 published by Ian Boumphrey.

Johnny R

[Waterways]

Why did Bromborough station have 4 tracks? The Merseyrail electric railway stopped at Rock Ferry and the Chester train went from there. I can't see why 4 platforms would be needed as it is on the way to Chester.

[vic synex]

Was it not the main line into Birkenhead Woodside, which was quite a busy station by all accounts?

I believe there was also quite a lot of freight traffic along that stretch, hence the slow and fast lines.

[Johnny Robbo]

Why did Bromborough station have 4 tracks? The Merseyrail electric railway stopped at Rock Ferry and the Chester train went from there. I can't see why 4 platforms would be needed as it is on the way to Chester.

The whole line was quadrupled from Chester to Birkenhead in 1902-8. This was necessary because of the sheer volume of traffic on the route. The GWR Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside route had become the main competitor to the LNWR's Euston to Liverpool Lime Street, carrying not only passengers but also a vast amount of freight traffic to the Birkenhead Docks estate, Cammell
Lairds and the coaling stages at Monks Ferry.

It's hard to envisage now but by the early 1900's the GWR was operating around 25 trains per day each way on weekdays between London & Birkenhead, so one can imagine how impossible this would have become without having fast & slow lines.

Beyond where the Mersey Railway split off towards Birkenhead Central was Green Lane Junction, some 12 tracks wide, and the adjacent Mollington Street goods depot. The original expanse of the tracks at Green Lane can still be seen by looking at the sheer width of the bridges that still cross Green Lane today next to what is now the Rock Retail Park.

Johnny R

[knowhowe]

Here are two photos (credits: R Casserley & H B Priestley) taken in the early 1960's when the track was still quadrupled, one shot looking towards Chester, the other towards Birkenhead. Note the original station building, since demolished.

Thanks for these interesting pictures- bloody fuzzy though...

[The Dead Cat]

Hi Dead Cat

Here are two photos (credits: R Casserley & H B Priestley) taken in the early 1960's when the track was still quadrupled, one shot looking towards Chester, the other towards Birkenhead. Note the original station building, since demolished.

These and many other old photos of many other Wirral stations, existing and closed, can be found in "Railway Stations of Wirral" ISBN 1-899241-02-7 published by Ian Boumphrey.

Johnny R

Brilliant! Cheers for that! I'll have a gander for that book.