Helsby and Alvanley railway station
Helsby and Alvanley railway station was one of two railway stations serving the village of Helsby in Cheshire. The station was the terminus of the Helsby branch operated by the Cheshire Lines Committee and later British Railways. It has since been closed. The other station, Helsby railway station, remains open. Location. The station was located on the eastern side of Chester Road (the A56), in Helsby, Cheshire, England. Alvanley was a village located to the south of Helsby and the station was situated on that side of the town, that, and the fact that the  other station, belonging to the Birkenhead Railway (formerly the Birkenhead, Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway) had opened in 1852 and already taken the name "Helsby", led to the station being called "Helsby and Alvanley". History. The station was planned and authorised by Parliament in 1861 and 1862 as part of the West Cheshire Railway (WCR). Helsby was the terminal station although the prime reason for the lines construction was to provide a freight link to Birkenhead docks via the Birkenhead Railway. In 1865, before the line opened in 1869, the WCR became part of the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) and  it was not long afterwards, in 1875, that the CLC opened its extension to Chester which effectively turned the Helsby branch into a goods branch, this affected how the branch was operated, the station had a chequered, and confusing, history of openings: Construction of the link beyond the station to connect with the Birkenhead Railway at West Cheshire Junction was delayed and the junction did not open until 14 June 1871. Facilities. The passenger station had a single platform with a two-storey station building. On the other side of Chester Road was a goods siding equipped with a 5 -ton crane, there were sidings for the Runcorn and Helsby Stone Co. and BICC (in 1904 it was still the Telegraph Manufacturing Co.). Locomotives had been stabled and turned here since the lines opening as there was a need to change engines to access the Birkenhead Railway as running powers over their railway had not been granted. A two-road engine shed was provided between 1893 and 1929.