The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-11-19 00:00:00

THE NEW RAILWAYS OF CHESHIRE AND

LANCASHIRE.

In the movement now going on, for extending or im-
proving existing railways, and providing new lines to
meet the wants of districts and towns hitherto without
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 be-
hind other portions of the kingdom, or the least extensive
in its projects ; and it is satisfactory 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 progressed, and its advantages became universally
recognised, 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 commerce of Liverpool is fed,
and which draw from us their raw material. The im_
portant towns of Preston, Lancaster, Bolton, Wigan, &c.,
would not long continue satisfied with the imperfect and
circuitous communication 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 east-
ward, diverging to these towns from Liverpool as a centre,
with a line to the south materially shortening the route to
Birmingham and London.

But, in ddition to these lines, a new feature has pre-
sented 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 extensive docks at
Birkenhead, and the spirit of enterprise existing in that
rising locality, have originated aldesire to connect it di-
rectly with the seats of manufacturing 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 pub-
lic, as well as local, advantage. To enable our readers to
apprehend at a glance the direction and connections of all
these schemes, on either side of our river, we have pre-
pared as accurate a map of the country and the lines pro-
posed, as circumstances would allow, and sufficiently so
to convey a fair idea of their direction and objects, to
which we beg the attention of our readers, while we pro-
ceed 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 Manchester,
Stockport, and Yorkshire. This line commences near
the Sutton station of the Chester and Birkenhead line;
and proceeds, skirting at a short distance from the estu-
ary of the Mersey, by Childer Thornton, Whitby,
Thornton, Elton, and Frodsham, to Preston Brook ; from
thence by Daresbury, Grappenhall, Bollington, Warbur-
ton, Dunham-Massey, Bowden, and Lymm, to Altring-
ham, thus passing through one of the most fertile valleys
in Cheshire, or the kingdom, from which the population
of Manchester at present draw a great portion of their
agricultural produce. From Altringham the line pro-
ceeds by Sale and Ashton-on-Mersey, where it crosses the
river, through Stretford and Choriton-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 adjoining that of the Liverpool
and Manchester and Manchester and Leeds companies,
near the Victoria Bridge.
The distance by this line between Birkenhead, or Liver-
pool, and Manchester, will be about eight or nine
miles more than by the existing railway communication.
There will, however, only be 33 miles of new railway,
viz., from Hooton station to Manchester, to construct ;
and, when we consider the favourable nature of the
country to be traversed, the absence of any gTeat works,
and, above all, the improved state of railway science, since
the Liverpool and Manchester line was formed, its com-
paratively 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 des-
cribed, commencing near Elton and running by Crough-
ton, Backford, and Moston, to a junction with the Ches-
ter and Birkenhead Railway in the townships of Upton
and parish of St. Mary on the Hill, Chester. It is im -
portant to mention that the promoters of this latter line
(generally called the Chester, Preston Brook, and Stock-
port) have joined interests with the direct Birkenhead line.
To connect Stockport with both Birkenhead and Chester,
another branch is proposed to diverge from the main Line
at Altringham, and, passing by Northen, Didsburv, Chea-
dle, Mosely, to join the Manchester and Birmingham
Railway at Heaton Norris, near Stockport. It is also
proposed to connect the line with the Churnet Valley line,