Oldham Werneth railway station
Encyclopedia
Oldham Werneth railway station was situated on the Oldham Loop Line, 10 km (6¼ miles) north east of Manchester Victoria. The station was situated on Featherstall Road South, in the Werneth
area of Oldham
, in Greater Manchester
, England. Opened on 31 March 1842 it was the oldest of the six railway stations that at one time existed in Oldham.
It predominantly served local Chadderton
, Westwood
and Werneth residents. The station, and all trains serving it, were operated by Northern Rail
.
The station was built originally to serve the Platt Bros. of Oldham
, a huge cotton spinning engineering company, who had their headquarters in Werneth. However, this company no longer exists.
The Middleton Junction and Oldham Branch Railway
formerly ran from Werneth Station down to Middleton Junction. The line included the Werneth Incline which had a gradient of 1 in 27, and was one of the steepest stretches of line regularly used for passenger traffic in the country. The branch line closed on 7 January 1963.
The Oldham Werneth to Thorpes Bridge Junction, Newton Heath line which opened on 17 May 1880 was built to avoid the Werneth Incline. It approached Werneth station from the Manchester direction on a separate two track formation adjacent to the Incline. There was a flat junction between the two lines just beyond Werneth Signal Box and close to the platform ends of the station.
Oldham Werneth railway station closed on 3 October 2009 when work started on the conversion of the Oldham Loop Line to Manchester Metrolink. There were plans to include the station temporarily on the Metrolink network from Autumn 2011 when the line partially reopens to a temporary terminus situated closed to the former Mumps
station. This temporary arrangement is due to continue until 2014 when the route through the town centre is to be completed. However it was confirmed on 23 July 2010 that the station will not re-open and that the area will be served by the future Westwood
stop on the town centre route.
Werneth, Greater Manchester
Werneth is an area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is west-southwest of Oldham's commercial centre and one of Oldham's most ancient localities.-History:...
area of Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. Opened on 31 March 1842 it was the oldest of the six railway stations that at one time existed in Oldham.
It predominantly served local Chadderton
Chadderton
Chadderton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire...
, Westwood
Westwood, Greater Manchester
Westwood is an urban area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It occupies a hillside known as North Moor in the western part of Oldham, close to its boundary with Royton and Chadderton...
and Werneth residents. The station, and all trains serving it, were operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
.
The station was built originally to serve the Platt Bros. of Oldham
Platt Brothers
Platt Brothers & Co Ltd, was a British company based at Oldham, in North West England. They were textile machinery manufacturers, iron founders and colliery proprietors, and by the end of the 19th century, had become the largest textile machinery company in the world, employing over 12,000 workers...
, a huge cotton spinning engineering company, who had their headquarters in Werneth. However, this company no longer exists.
The Middleton Junction and Oldham Branch Railway
Middleton Junction and Oldham Branch Railway
The Middleton Junction and Oldham Branch Railway was opened on 31 March 1842 by the Manchester and Leeds Railway, whose chief engineer was George Stephenson...
formerly ran from Werneth Station down to Middleton Junction. The line included the Werneth Incline which had a gradient of 1 in 27, and was one of the steepest stretches of line regularly used for passenger traffic in the country. The branch line closed on 7 January 1963.
The Oldham Werneth to Thorpes Bridge Junction, Newton Heath line which opened on 17 May 1880 was built to avoid the Werneth Incline. It approached Werneth station from the Manchester direction on a separate two track formation adjacent to the Incline. There was a flat junction between the two lines just beyond Werneth Signal Box and close to the platform ends of the station.
Oldham Werneth railway station closed on 3 October 2009 when work started on the conversion of the Oldham Loop Line to Manchester Metrolink. There were plans to include the station temporarily on the Metrolink network from Autumn 2011 when the line partially reopens to a temporary terminus situated closed to the former Mumps
Oldham Mumps railway station
Oldham Mumps Railway Station opened on 1 November 1847 and served the town of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The station was a primary station located on the Oldham Loop Line north east of Manchester Victoria operated and managed by Northern Rail....
station. This temporary arrangement is due to continue until 2014 when the route through the town centre is to be completed. However it was confirmed on 23 July 2010 that the station will not re-open and that the area will be served by the future Westwood
Westwood Metrolink station
Westwood Metrolink station is a future station proposed in Phase 3b of the Manchester Metrolink and will serve the Westwood area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England.-External links:*...
stop on the town centre route.