Line News & Events

  • Spring 2022 Newsletter

    The North Cheshire Rail Users Group have published their Spring Newsletter ....

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  • Halton Curve Campaign

    29th February 2020

    The North Cheshire Rail Users Group was last night officially recognised for 30 years hard work ....

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  • Frodsham Footbridge Project

    8th December 2019

    A temporary scaffold footbridge will now NOT be provided at Frodsham ....

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  • Castle Park Semaphore Signal Unveiling

    1st June 2019

    30 years of campaigning officially came to an end today on Saturday 1st June as two semaphore signals were unveiled in Castle Park .....

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  • The Halton Curve

    19th May 2019

    The Halton curve finally opened on 19th May 2019 ....

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  • The Early Days of NCRUG

    23rd May 2019

    A look back at the early days NCRUG and its first chairman ....

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History of the Halton Curve

The History of Halton Curve detailed in "The Birkenhead Railway" by T.B.Maud published by the RCTS.

"The London North Western Railways (LNWR) high level bridge across the Mersey", (otherwise the Queen Ethelfreda Bridge), "  between Runcorn and Widnes was opened on 1st February 1869 and  that company's answer to the inadequacy of the ferry facilities at Birkenhead was the new line from Frodsham Junction to Halton Junction which was authorised by the LNWR (Additional Facilities ) Act 1869 and opened on 1st May 1873. The rail distance between Chester and Liverpool (Lime Street) was considerably shortened and the principle North Wales trains were routed over this line instead of to Birkenhead.

However this line was authorised only after concessions had been made to the GWR who opposed it vigorously, in its original form, because of the loss of the Joint Liverpool traffic.  As compensation for  the high cost of the Runcorn Bridge, the Railway and Canal Commissioners had permitted the LNW to charge for an additional six miles equivalent  to the distance via Warrington and a variation of the same principle  was now applied to the Frodsham - Halton Junction curve. Section 8 of the 1869 Act empowered the Joint to charge a toll on all traffic passing from the Joint line on the LNWR over the curve and at a meeting between the General Managers on the 26th March 1873, the following rates were agreed."

"On passenger and goods traffic carried between Lime Street and other Liverpool stations , including Edge Hill and Frodsham the toll to be as for four miles, Helsby six miles and Dunham seven miles. Passenger and goods traffic between Chester and  stations on the Joint line between  Frodsham and Edge Hill ( excluding the latter but including Widnes) were charged the actual mileage rate."


Main Line trains over Halton Curve!

An interesting document has been created by our Member Bob Florence which details the movements of two trains from Birmingham to Liverpool and return and features the times at various points during the journey.

The locomotive numbers are shown, train times and passing times, enjoy.

Click here to view

Railway Magazine - December 2004

It is interesting to note that in the December 2004 issue of the Railway Magazine the expected cost of reinstatement was estimated at £3m and now, in 2016, it is nearer £20m!

Click here to view the article

Historic Timetables from 1938

Find below reproductions of historic timetables from 1938:

Click here   Chester to Liverpool - via Halton Curve

Click here   Liverpool to Chester - via Halton Curve

Click here   Chester to Manchester (includes many long closed stations)

Click here   Manchester to Chester (includes many long closed stations)

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