Aintree Central railway station

Aintree Central railway station was a station located on the North Liverpool Extension Line on Park Lane, Aintree, Merseyside, across Park Lane from the current Aintree station.

Aintree Central
Location
Place	Aintree
Area	Sefton
Coordinates	53.4731°N 2.9584°W / 53.4731; -2.9584
Grid reference	SJ365978
Operations
Original company	Cheshire Lines Committee
Pre-grouping	Cheshire Lines Committee
Post-grouping	Cheshire Lines Committee
Platforms	5*[1][2][3]
History
13 July 1880	Station opened as Aintree Racecourse CLC
1 September 1884	Station renamed Aintree (CLC)
1 July 1950	Station renamed Aintree Central
7 November 1960	Station closed to regular traffic
March 1963	Station closed to race traffic
7 December 1964	Station closed to public goods traffic[4]
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

Railway stations around Aintree
Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway Northern line to Ormskirk Sefton and Maghull Old Roan Aintree Central Aintree (Sefton Arms) Northern line to Kirkby Ford Aintree Racecourse North Mersey Branch to Bootle Fazakerley Northern line to Liverpool Orrell Park Warbreck Northern line to Liverpool North Liverpool Extension Line

Cheshire Lines Committee
Merseyside Lines
Southport Lord Street Birkdale Palace to Southport Ainsdale Ainsdale Beach Northern line Woodvale Freshfield to Liverpool Central Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway Barton Mossbridge Hillhouse Junction Altcar and Hillhouse Lydiate Sefton and Maghull to Ormskirk Old Roan Aintree Junction Southport Junction Aintree Central Aintree Northern line Warbreck Orrell Park Walton to Kirkby Rice Lane to Liverpool Central Fazakerley Junctions Walton on the Hill Huskisson Clubmoor West Derby Knotty Ash & Stanley Broad Green City Line Childwall Gateacre Northern line Liverpool Central Liverpool Central High Level St James Brunswick (original) Egerton Street Junction Brunswick St Michaels Otterspool Aigburth Cressington to Lime Street Garston Liverpool South Parkway Hunts Cross West Junction Hunts Cross to Manchester Central

History

The station opened on 13 July 1880 as Aintree Racecourse for racedays at Aintree Racecourse. It was renamed Aintree on the opening of the Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway on 1 September 1884. In 1950 it was renamed once more becoming Aintree Central.

The line was opened by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC), in direct competition with the L&Y's Liverpool Exchange to Southport Chapel Street service. However, it was never as successful because the CLC's route was much longer than that of the L&Y, serving areas within South Liverpool and along to Hunts Cross, before going north again up to Aintree.

On 7 January 1952 the Liverpool Central to Southport Lord Street service ended, leaving Aintree Central as the terminus for all trains from Liverpool.

The station finally closed to passengers on 7 November 1960 and then to race traffic in March 1963. It finally closed on 7 December 1964 with the withdrawal of freight traffic (except for private sidings).[5]

The official day of a closure is given as the Monday following the date of the last train to run. As this is almost always a Saturday, if 7 January 1952 (Monday) is given as the date of closure, this means the last day of service was Saturday, 5 January 1952. This can be shown by last day tickets bearing the 5 January date

Today, no evidence of the station's existence remains, as the site is buried under an industrial estate, located off Park Lane.

References

1. Fields, Gilbert & Knight 1980, Photo 143
2. Bolger 1984, pp. 26-7.
3. Pixton 2007, p. 51.
4. Bolger 1984, pp. 8-9.
5. Welbourn 2008, p. 107.

Sources

• Bolger, Paul (1984). An Illustrated History of the Cheshire Lines Committee. Merseyside: Heyday Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-947562-00-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
• Fields, N; Gilbert, A C; Knight, N R (1980), Liverpool to Manchester into the Second Century, Manchester Transport Museum Society, ISBN 978-0-900857-19-5CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
• Pixton, Bob (2007). Liverpool Manchester 2:Cheshire Lines. Southampton: Kestrel Railway Books. ISBN 978-1-905505-03-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Welbourn, Nigel (2008). Liverpool and the Mersey (Lost Lines). Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-3190-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

External links

• Aintree Central via Disused Stations UK
• The station on a 1948 OS Map via npe maps
• The station on an 1888-1913 Overlay OS Map via National Library of Scotland
• Photos of the station via ukurbex
• Remains of the station in 1986 via flickr

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Warbreck		Cheshire Lines Committee SCLER		Sefton and Maghull
Warbreck		Cheshire Lines Committee North Liverpool Extension Line		Terminus
Warbreck		LYR Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway		Old Roan