The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-21 00:00:00

iIItURSDA.Y MORN-LNG
~NuVE

NEW RAILWAYS FOR CIIESHIRt

AND LANCASHIRE.
In the rnot;ement stn eYteiiding of
railways, and providing new lines to
meet the wants of districts and towns hitherto with-
out such aids to cheap and expeditious locomotion,
this portion of our country, as it was amongst the
foremost to embrace the advantages of the railway
system, is not behind other portions of the kingdom,
or the least extensive in its projects; and it is satis-
factory to observe that these are, without an exception,
legitimate projects, and such as must eventually be
profitable, as well as useful, in their results. It was
naturally to be expected that, as the system pro-
gressed, and its advantages became universally re-
cognised, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
could not long remain the sole connecting line
between the River Mersey and the manufacturing
districts to the east and north, by which the com-
merce of Liverpool is fed, and which draw from us
their raw material. The important towns of Preston,
Lancaster, Bolton, Wigan, &c., would not long con-
tinue satisfied with the imperfect and circuitous com-
munication originally provided for them ; whilst the
traffic of the south as naturally would require the
shortening of the elbow formed by taking it along
the Liverpool and Manchester line to a junction with
the direct southern line at Warrington. Accordingly,
we now see proposed a number of lines, northward
and eastward, diverging to these towns from Liver-
pool as a centre, with a line to the south materially
shortening the route to Birmingham and London.
But, in addition to these lines, a new feature has
presented itself to us, in the projection of a number
of new railways from the opposite side of the Mersey,
hitherto isolated, to Manchester, Yorkshire, and the
southern counties. The proposed formation of ex-
tensive docks at Birkenhead, and the spirit of enter-
prise existing in that rising locality, have originated a
desire to connect it directly with the seats of manu-
facturing industry; and, accordingly, measures have
been taken for an application to Parliament in the
ensuing session for powers to carry out these projects,
which are far from being insignificant in their extent,
or without a degree of feasibility and public, as well
as local, advantage. To enable our readers to appre-
hend at a glance the direction and connexions of all
these schemes, on either side of our river, we have
prepared as accurate a map of the country and the
lines proposed as circumstances would allow, and
sufficiently so to convey a fair idea of their directien
and objects, to which we beg the attention of our
readers, while we proceed briefly to notice them in
detail. And first we shall examine the Cheshire lines.
The first of these in importance, is that proposed
to connect the Cheshire side of the river with Man-
chester, Stockport, and Yorkshire. This line com-
mences near the Sutton station of the Chester and
Birkenhead line, and proceeds, skirting at a short
distance from the estuary of the Mersey, by Childer
Thornton, Whitby, Thornton, Elton, and Frodsham,
to Preston Brook; from thence by Daresbury, Grap-
penhall, Bollington, Warburton, Dunham-Massey,
Bowden, and Lymm, to Altringham, thus passing
through one of the most fertile valleys in Cheshire, or
the kingdom, from which the population of Man-
chester at present draw a great portion of their agri-
cultural produce. 'From Altringham the line pro-
ceeds by Sale and Ashton-on-Mersey, where it
crosses the river, through Stretford and Chorlton-
cum-Hardy, to a junction either with the Manchester
and Liverpool, or with the Manchester and Bolton
Railway, in Salford. Powers are also proposed to be
taken for the erection of an independent station ad-
joining that of the Liverpool and Manchester and
Manchester and Leeds Companies, near the Victoria-
bridge.
The distance by this line between Birkenhead, or
Liverpool, and Manchester, will be about eight or
nine miles more than by the existing railway com-
munication. There will, however, only be 33 miles
of new railway, viz., from Hooton station to Man-
chester, to construct ; and, when we consider the
favourable nature of the country to be traversed, the
absence of any great works, and, above all, the im-
proved state of railway science, since the Liverpool
and Manchester line was formed, its comparatively
inexpensive character will constitute it a very
formidable competitor with that line, even for the
traffic of Liverpool itself.
To connect Chester with Manchester, Stockport,
&c., it is proposed to make a branch from the line
above described, commencing near Elton and running
by Crouchton, Backford, and Moston, to a junction
with the Chester and Birkenhead Railway in the
townships of Upton and parish of St. Mary-on-the-
Hill, Chester. It is important to mention that the
promoters of this latter line (generally called the
Chester, Preston Brook, and Stockport) have joined
interests with the direct Birkenhead line. To con-
nect Stockport with both Birkenhead and Chester
another branch is proposed to diverge from the main
line at Altringham, and, passing by Northern, Bids-
bury, Cheadle, Mosely, to join the Manchester and
Birmingham Railway at Heaton Norris, near Stock-
port. It is also proposed to connect the line with
the Churnet Valley line, and a proposed Buxton line,
by a branch to Bramhall ; and by two other branches
it is proposed to be connected with the Manchester
and Leeds line near Oldham, and the Manchester and
Sheffield line, between Ashton and Hyde, thus se-
curing a portion of the traffic of Yorkshire, Lincoln-
shire, and Derbyshire.
As might have been expected, at a time when capi-
talists are Eo eagerly seizing hold of every line of
country which offers facilities for railway schemes, so
favourable a country as the route of this line from
Birkenhead to Manchester is not without claimants
to its possession. Amongst these we observe that a
Company, or rather a combination of three powerful
Companies—the Midland, the Sheffield and Manches-
ter, and Manchester and Birminghatn—have given
notice for a line from Altringham to Manchester,
passing by almost the same route as the Birkenhead
and Manchester line. This proposed line, we may
remark, possesses a valuable feature, inasmuch as,
instead of communicating with the Liverpool and
Manchester line, and using their station at Victoria-
bridge, its promoters adopt the southern entrance
into Manchester,
in allowing themselves to be bullied
out of which by the Leeds Company the Liverpool
and Manchester Board committed so fatal a mistake.
We do not think, however, that any serious appre-
hension need be entertained as to the success of
the scheme from this or other competing claims.
On the contrary, we consider it very likely, and in-
deed advisable, that such a compromise will be en-
tered into as will enable the Birkenhead people to go
to Parliament with the influence of these parties in
aid of their own. The giving up a portion of their
scheme into such hands might even operate advan-
tageously, by securing to the Birkenhead Company
a greater portion of the vast traffic of which these
Companies have the disposal. We speak, however,
merely our own opinion, with no authoritative in-
formation as to the course likely to be pursued.
Another project is bey the Directors of the Birken-
head and Chester Railway—viz., a tunnel from their
station in Grange-lane to the docks forming at
Wallasey Pool. Upon this, however, we need not
remark as a novelty, for, in fact, such a communica-

tion was a necessary adjunct to these docks.
To the south of lhester important projects are also
on foot. Notices have been given of an application
to Parliament for the necessary powers to construct
a line of railway, commencing at Shrewsbury, and
passing, almost in a direct line, by Hadnall and
Wem, approaching the town of Wellington, which it
passes a little to the left, then crossing a detached
portion of Flintshire, and proceeding thence, on the
Cheshire side of the valley of the Dee, to Chester.
This line will make the distance by railway between
Shrewsbury and Chester about thirty-six miles ; and,
in connexion with the proposed Shrewsbury and
Wolverhampton line, will form a competing line
from Birkenhead and Chester to the south. A re-

ference to the map in our paper will show the capa-
bilities of this line to accommodate, by branches, the
important mineral and agricultural towns and dis-
tricts through which it passes.
A connexion is also proposed to be formed between
the Chester and Holyhead line and the manufacturing
districts of Lancashire and Yorkshire, by means of
a branch to the proposed Birkenhead and Manchester
line, the value of which, as affording to those districts
a shorter route for the passengers and goods traffic of
Ireland and the mineral produce of Wales, we shall
not enlarge upon, having already exceeded the limits
we proposed to devote to the Chester undertakings.
On the Lancashire side of the Mersey, one of the
most striking prospects is the line from Liverpool to
Bolton and Wigan. This line passes through the
heart of the great coal district of Lancashire, inter-
secting the Wigan coal beds, and proceeding by those
of Pemberton, Winstanley, Billinge, Knowsley, &c.,
through Walton and Bootle to a station near the
North Docks of Liverpool. By this line the im-
portant towns of Chorley, Preston, &c., will also
obtain a shorter communication with Liverpool.
By another line, commencing at the north end of
Liverpool, it is proposed to connect that port still
more directly with Ormskirk and Preston ; and, by
the formation of branches from it, to join the pro-
posed Blackburn and Burnley line near Blackburn,
and to form a communication with Southport.
We come now to an examination of the lines pro-
jected by the Grand Junction, and first, as the most
important to this town, we take the line by which it
is proposed to shorten the route into Liverpool. The
branch by which this is to be effected commences in
the township of Kekewick, runs through those of
Daresbury, Norton, and Runcorn, and crosses the
river at a narrow about two miles above Runcorn.
From this point it proceeds, almost in a direct line,
by Cuerdley, Widness, Upton, Speke, and Childwall,
crossing in its course the Runcorn dap Railway, to
a junction with the Liverpool and Manchester Rail-
way at or near Huyton. By the formation of this
line a saving of distance is effected between the two
points of about eight miles.
Another important line of the same Company is
that proposed from Crewe to communicate with New-