I'm doing a bit of digging on Bromborough Railway Station, my local station as a lad.

Does anyone have any photos of the station pre-1970's, particularly when the line was quadruple tracked? I'm especially interested in the building top right above the bridge in photo 1 and far left in (the poor quality – sorry) photo 2. I’m sure I read somewhere that this was the old station building (original 1840s?) before the line was quadrupled in 1906 and the ‘new’ station building moved to the other side of the bridge. Can anyone confirm? If so, why did it remain so long? When was it demolished? I seem to remember it as a small boy (early to mid 6os).
I’ve never found a roadside (i.e. front) picture of the ‘old’ building either, so if anyone can point me in the right direction, or better still post a picture on here, it would be most welcome.
Cheers

There's a pic similar to your first one & identical to your second one in "Railway Stations of Wirral". The lines to the right are the original ones; those on the left were added when the line was quadrupled as far as Ledsham Junction. You are right that the building on the right is the original station building., but I don't know any more about it.
Here's a map from 1912 showing both buildings, so the original was on the opposite side of the road.

Chris, that map, could you put up a slightly bigger area for me? I have just bought a house in greenfields Ave, off allport Rd, runs along side of railway line, north on pic, would like to see what other buildings were there back then. Mines a 1930`s so know it wont show, just curiosity if you dont mind mate.

Nothing much there in 1912 mate.

The building you refer to is the Station Master's house. I believe it was demolished when the pedestrian footbridge was built. The building on the right of the first picture (mainly the canopy showing) is still extant and was shown on a survey of the line dated 1883 as the booking office and waiting rooms.
The building seen through the arch in the first photo is the goods shed which just sbout survived the last time I went past a few months ago; it is also shown on the survey.
The two lines still in use today are the original ones from before the quadrupling.

Thanks for the replies so far chaps.

Chris, that enlarged map shows the locations of the waiting shelters on the island and up fast platforms – I suspected that’s where they were, but I didn’t have the details – thanks. Interesting that they were further down the platform than the shelter on down slow – I guess that that building didn’t need to be touched at the quadrupling.


This one? (Photo 1) – A photo I took in c1981 before the coming of the electrics. Signal box still there too. And thanks for your info too – appreciated.


Hose – here’s a clipped bit of a photo showing the down fast starter at the end of the platform at Bromborough. There’s a house in Greenfields Ave in the background. (Photo 2) Not yours is it?
Can’t actually point you at the full picture because the website appears to be down at the moment.

Thanks again all.

Thanks Chris, Mine is just about where Greenfields farm is!
Interesting to see the large house on the corner of Dibbinsdale Rd and the lodge. Still there, but flats now i think but still has the stable block at the back!!

That's the one. The gate that can just (about) be seen below the DMU and the foot crossing across the tracks was for the signalmen to access their box. The box was closed when the line was resignalled in May 1985.

Hi Billy,

For information - the line was quadrupled in 1902, from Green Lane Junction to Ledsham Junction on the Chester line. I have seen plans for a 4 track Capenhurst station. I have the exact dates somehwere.

I "worked" (unofficially) Bromborough signal box many times from 1977 through to it's abolition in May 1985 (as Keith says)

Hi Beast,

Thanks for the date - I stand corrected (don't know where the 1906 came from!). I'd be very interested to hear more on the 4 track to Capenhurst too - if you locate the details, could you post here? I always wondered why they chose after Ledsham to make the junction - i would have thought Hooton was the more obvious place?

Thanks again.

I too have always wondered about the doubling of the tracks only as far as Ledsham Junction. I suppose the major problem with going all the way to Chester would have been the cost of doubling the viaduct after Mollington.

I've always assumed (without any evidence, of course) that the traffic levels at the time were able to be handled eficiently with the existing facilities.
I have seen a sketch (not to scale)for Mollington station and it appears the layout would have been similar to Spital, Bromborough and Ledsham stations.
Land was purchased to quadruple the line to Chester and is still owned by Network Rail. This is why the fencing from the closed Upton by Chester station towards Chester is a distance from the railway on the north east side of the line.

As Keith says, I would hazard a guess that the 4 tracks continued to Ledsham to allow for goods traffic arriving / departing Hooton to be kept to the slows, out of the way of the passenger stuff on the fasts.