Seaforth Sands Railway Station
History
The station opened on 30 April 1894, as a northern extension from Alexandra Dock with a total cost of £10,000. In 1901 the country's second moving escalator was installed in the station. The escalator was later removed, in 1906, due to multiple occurrences of long skirts becoming trapped in the machinery.
With the LOR's second northern extension to Seaforth & Litherland on 2 July 1905, a 'through' station was built alongside the terminus. The original terminus platforms remained in use until 1925 when they were demolished and replaced by a large carriage shed.
It was the last overhead station before the junction with the North Mersey Branch. The weight gauge meant that while LOR trains could operate on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway electrified network, the reverse was not true.
As LOR trains ran at a lower voltage than the Lancashire and Yorkshire electric trains, LOR trains were permitted to operate with their motors in series mode only on the North Mersey Branch.
The station was victim to a serious arson attack on 4 February 1956; the attack occurred overnight, with evidence of an old tyre having been found inside the station building. Fifty firemen fought the fire, which consumed two trains and damaged the station buildings, bringing it under control within an hour. The total damage caused was around £30,000 and required the complete rebuilding of one of the platform buildings.
The station closed, along with the rest of the line, on 30 December 1956. No evidence of this station remains.
References
- ^ "Extension of the Liverpool Overhead Railway". Liverpool Mercury. 30 April 1894. p. 5.
- ^ "The Dockers' Umbrella: City railway served Liverpool's busy port". Liverpool Echo. 23 April 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ Bolger, Paul (2007). The Docker's Umbrella: A History of Liverpool Overhead Railway. The Bluecoat Press. p. 8. ISBN 187256805X.
- ^ "Big Blaze at Seaforth Station: Arson is Suspected". Liverpool Echo. 4 February 1956. p. 4.
- ^ Bolger, Paul (2007). The Docker's Umbrella: A History of Liverpool Overhead Railway. The Bluecoat Press. p. 14. ISBN 187256805X.
External links
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Terminus | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway |
Seaforth & Litherland | ||
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway North Mersey Branch |
Linacre Road | |||
Gladstone Dock (LOR) | Liverpool Overhead Railway | Terminus |