Liverpool and Manchester Railway

This article is about the historical railway. For the current line from Liverpool to Manchester, see Liverpool–Manchester lines. Liverpool and Manchester RailwayA lithograph of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway crossing the Bridgewater Canal at Patricroft, by A. B. Clayton.OverviewHeadquartersLiverpoolLocaleLancashireDates of operation1830–1845SuccessorGrand Junction RailwayTechnicalTrack gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gaugeLength31 miles (50 km) vteLiverpool andManchester Railway Legend 1830–1845 Liverpool Crown Street Crown Street Tunnel & incline Wapping goodslater Park Lane goods Wapping Tunnel & incline Lime Street Lime Street Tunnel & incline Edge Hill (original) Edge Hill (new) Edge Hill railway works Wavertree Lane Olive Mount cutting Broad Green Roby Huyton Colliery line Huyton Quarry Rainhill Skew Bridge Rainhill Lea Green St Helens & Runcorn Gap Rly St Helens Junction Collins Green Sankey Viaduct overSankey Brook & Sankey Canal Earlestown Warrington & Newton Rly Newton Bridge Parkside (original) Wigan Branch Railway Parkside (new) Kenyon cutting Kenyon Junction Kenyon & Leigh Junction Rly Bury Lane Flow Moss Chat Moss embankment Astley Lamb's Cottage Barton Moss Bridgewater Canal Patricroft Eccles Gortons Buildings Cross Lane Ordsall Lane River Irwell Liverpool Road Victoria Lancashire & Yorkshire Rly ManchesterLine & stations shown as of 1845 The Liverpool and Manchester Railway[1][2][3] (L&MR) was the first inter-city railway in the world.[4][i] It opened on 15 September 1830 between the Lancashire towns of Liverpool and Manchester in England.[4] It was also the first railway to rely exclusively on locomotives driven by steam power, with no horse-drawn traffic permitted at any time; the first to be entirely double track throughout its length; the first to have a true signalling system; the first to be fully timetabled; and the first to carry mail.[5] Trains were hauled by company steam locomotives between the two towns, though private wagons and carriages were allowed.

Cable haulage of freight trains was down the steeply-graded 1.26-mile (2.03 km) Wapping Tunnel to Liverpool Docks from Edge Hill junction. The railway was primarily built to provide faster transport of raw materials, finished goods, and passengers between the Port of Liverpool and the cotton mills and factories of Manchester and surrounding towns. Designed and built by George Stephenson, the line was financially successful, and influenced the development of railways across Britain in the 1830s. In 1845, the railway was absorbed by its principal business partner, the Grand Junction Railway (GJR), which in turn amalgamated the following year with the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway to form the London and North Western Railway.[6] Illustration of the Rocket hauling a passenger train on the L&MR in 1830 During the Industrial Revolution, huge tonnages of raw material were imported through Liverpool and carried to the textile mills near the Pennines where water, and later steam power, enabled the production of the finished cloth, much of which was then transported back to Liverpool for export.[7][8] The existing means of water transport, the Mersey and Irwell Navigation, the Bridgewater Canal and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, dated from the 18th century, and were felt to be making excessive profits from the cotton trade and throttling the growth of Manchester and other towns.[9][10] Goods were transported between Liverpool and the factories around Manchester either by the canals or by poor-quality roads; the turnpike between Liverpool and Manchester was described as "crooked and rough" with an "infamous" surface.[10] Road accidents were frequent, including waggons and coaches overturning, which made goods traffic problematic.[11] The proposed railway was intended to achieve cheap transport of raw materials, finished goods and passengers between the Port of Liverpool and east Lancashire, in the port's hinterland. There was support for the railway from both Liverpool and London but Manchester was largely indifferent and opposition came from the canal operators and the two local landowners, the Earl of Derby and the Earl of Sefton, over whose land the railway would cross.[9][12] The proposed Liverpool and Manchester Railway was to be one of the earliest land-based public transport systems not using animal traction power.

Before then, public railways had been horse-drawn, including the Lake Lock Rail Road (1796),[13] Surrey Iron Railway (1801) and the Oystermouth Railway near Swansea (1807).[14] A replica L&MR coach and the Rocket at the Rocket 150 event in 1980 The original promoters are usually acknowledged to be Joseph Sandars, a rich Liverpool corn merchant, and John Kennedy, owner of the largest spinning mill in Manchester. They were influenced by William James.[15][16][17] James was a land surveyor who had made a fortune in property speculation. He advocated a national network of railways, based on what he had seen of the development of colliery lines and locomotive technology in the north of England.[18] The Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company was founded on 20 May 1824.[19] It was established by Henry Booth, who became its secretary and treasurer, along with merchants from Liverpool and Manchester. Charles Lawrence was the Chairman, Lister Ellis, Robert Gladstone, John Moss and Joseph Sandars were the Deputy Chairmen.[20] Liverpool and Manchester Railway Act 1826Act of ParliamentParliament of the United KingdomLong titleAn Act for making and maintaining a Railway or Tramroad from the Town of Liverpool to the Town of Manchester, with certain Branches therefrom, all in the County of Lancaster.Citation7 Geo. 4. c. xlixDatesRoyal assent5 May 1826Other legislationRepealed byGrand Junction Railway Act 1845Status: Repealed A bill was drafted in 1825 to Parliament, which included a 1-inch to the mile map of the railway's route.[21] The first bill was rejected but the second passed as the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Act 1826 (7 Geo. 4. c. xlix) in May the following year.[22] In Liverpool 172 people bought 1,979 shares, in London 96 took 844, Manchester 15 with 124, 24 others with 286. The Marquess of Stafford held 1,000, making 308 shareholders with 4,233 shares.

Survey and authorisation[edit] Stephenson's viaduct crosses the Sankey Brook, and the remains of the Sankey Canal. The viaduct is in use to this day. The first survey for the line was carried out by James in 1822. The route was roughly the same as what was built, but the committee were unaware of exactly what land had been surveyed. James subsequently declared bankruptcy and was imprisoned that November. The committee lost confidence in his ability to plan and build the line[23] and, in June 1824, George Stephenson was appointed principal engineer.[24] As well as objections to the proposed route by Lords Sefton and Derby, Robert Haldane Bradshaw, a trustee of the Duke of Bridgewater's estate at Worsley, refused any access to land owned by the Bridgewater Trustees and Stephenson had difficulty producing a satisfactory survey of the proposed route and accepted James' original plans with spot checks.[25][24] The survey was presented to Parliament on 8 February 1825,[26] but was shown to be inaccurate. Francis Giles suggested that putting the railway through Chat Moss was a serious error and the total cost of the line would be around £200,000 instead of the £40,000 quoted by Stephenson.[27] Stephenson was cross examined by the opposing counsel led by Edward Hall Alderson and his lack of suitable figures and understanding of the work came to light. When asked, he was unable to specify the levels of the track and how he calculated the cost of major structures such as the Irwell Viaduct. The bill was thrown out on 31 May.[28][29] In place of George Stephenson, the railway promoters appointed George and John Rennie as engineers, who chose Charles Blacker Vignoles as their surveyor.[30] They set out to placate the canal interests and had the good fortune to approach the marquess[clarification needed] directly through their counsel, W. G. Adam, who was a relative of one of the trustees, and the support of William Huskisson who knew the marquess personally.[31] Implacable opposition to the line changed to financial support.[32] The second bill received royal assent as the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Act 1826 (7 Geo.

4. c. xlix) on 5 May 1826.[33] The railway route ran on a significantly different alignment, south of Stephenson's, avoiding properties owned by opponents of the previous bill. From Huyton the route ran directly east through Parr Moss, Newton, Chat Moss and Eccles. In Liverpool, the route included a 1.25-mile (2.01 km) tunnel from Edge Hill to the docks, avoiding crossing any streets at ground level.[32] It was intended to place the Manchester terminus on the Salford side of the River Irwell, but the Mersey and Irwell Navigation withdrew their opposition to a crossing of the river at the last moment in return for access for their carts over the intended railway bridge. The Manchester station was therefore fixed at Liverpool Road in Castlefield.[34] Liverpool and Manchester Railway Act 1827Act of ParliamentParliament of the United KingdomLong titleAn Act for amending and enlarging the Powers and Provisions of an Act relating to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.Citation7 & 8 Geo. 4. c. xxiDatesRoyal assent12 April 1827Other legislationAmendsLiverpool and Manchester Railway Act 1826Repealed byGrand Junction Railway Act 1845Status: RepealedText of statute as originally enacted Liverpool and Manchester Railway Act 1828Act of ParliamentParliament of the United KingdomLong titleAn Act to enable the Company of Proprietors of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to alter the Line of the said Railway, and for amending and enlarging the Powers and Provisions of the several Acts relating thereto.Citation9 Geo. 4. c. viiDatesRoyal assent26 March 1828Other legislationRepealed byGrand Junction Railway Act 1845Status: RepealedText of statute as originally enacted Liverpool and Manchester Railway Act 1829Act of ParliamentParliament of the United KingdomLong titleAn Act for enabling the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company to make an Alteration in the Line of the said Railway, and for amending and enlarging the Powers and Provisions of the several Acts relating thereto.Citation10 Geo. 4.