Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Green Lane station

As some of you will know, I'm interested in the layout of Green Lane station, in particular, what the huge girders over the tracks are for. I'm pretty well convinced, looking at the 1909 map, that there was never a rail track over those girders, so maybe they were just to support the wall of the main line tracks. It's all overgrown there now, so impossible to see from the road. If I were younger & fitter, I'd find a way of getting up there to explore. Does anybody know what the situation is there?

Cheers, Chris.

The victorians were into enginering and fancy overhead structures it was most likely a building or sumthing that they had put up there and it no longer exists due to falling down or it not being maintaind and being in disrepair

Thanks for the idea. If there was any structure there, it had disappeared by 1909. The site is so narrow that I don't honestly think anything was ever there. It really needs someone to go & take a look.
Cheers, Chris.

there may have still been a victorian structure over it just maybe a roof or sumthing small and narrow ... id go and take a nose with a few people but dont think my ickle body could handle it, you would need a few of the boys to go and have a nose

That's what I'm hoping for.

ask scott ... scott dus anything .. hes always finding mad mishons to fill up his time

i used to climb all over that station think the beams are jus part of the structure cos the old line to the goods yard and woodside staion run behind the wall at the far side of the beams(lookin from the car park)

Yes, that's what I think; would like some pictures though.

I might have a look for you tomorrow Chris if the weathers not too bad.

I'm sure Whelan would be up for it.

As already mentioned, I'm thinking they provide some sort of support for the main lines.

when i were a lad one of my mates actually "flumped" off the beams down to the platform!think they put a grill over it after.

That would be great. You can't see anything from ground level because of the growth of trees & shrubs.
Also, what's with that strange triangular brick building near Green Lane bridge? Looking at it on Live Search it seems to be hollow.
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...hx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

An update. I think I've solved the question. If you look at the attached extract from the 1909 OS map, you can see a line leaving the main line at the South end of the Chamberlain St. bridge. This then travels over the Green Lane bridge & leads to the Mollington St. sheds. If you then look at the Live Search link in my previous post, you can see there's space for an extra track at both bridges. This track would have run right above & next to the platform of the station below. I'm now pretty certain the girders are to support that track. It would be interesting to know if there's any evidence left, such as old rails or sleepers. Even if not, it's often possible to see the impression of where the sleepers were.
This still leaves the question of the triangular brick construction, which has no apparent purpose.
Over to you young explorers.

Cheers, Chris

Sorry Chris, I didn't get around to doing it today, maybe tomorrow though.

triangle bit prob a lift shaft, the girders are there to hold the land apart, if they had to carry a track, they would have to be supported from much deeper down. if they dig a hole in the street 6 foot deep they use acro props to keep the sides in check

green lane was originally a terminus during steam days and was left uncovered for comfort. said girders also supported station roof via suspension