Waterfoot railway station

Waterfoot railway station served Waterfoot, Rossendale near Rawtenstall, Lancashire, England from 1848 until the line closed in 1966.

Waterfoot
General information
LocationWaterfoot, Rossendale
England
Coordinates53.6918°N 2.2525°W / 53.6918; -2.2525
Grid referenceSD834217
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyEast Lancashire Railway
Pre-groupingLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-groupingLondon Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
27 March 1848 (1848-03-27)Opened as Newchurch; terminus of line
1 October 1852Line extended to Bacup
1 August 1881Renamed Waterfoot for Newchurch
by 1922Renamed Waterfoot
5 December 1966 (1966-12-05)Station closed

History

The railway line from Rawtenstall to Bacup, an extension of the East Lancashire Railway (ELR), was authorised on 27 July 1846.[1] Construction began in 1847, and it was intended that it would be completed by 1 December the same year. The route required tunnels beyond Newchurch, and the expense of these meant that construction was curtailed, and the line was opened as far as Newchurch, where a station was opened on 27 March 1848.[2][3]

Construction of the line onwards to Bacup resumed in 1851, and this was opened on 1 October 1852.[2] The ELR amalgamated with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway on 13 May 1859.[4] The whole line between Rawtenstall and Bacup was single-track at first; work to double the track began in 1878, and was completed in 1881.[5]

The station, originally named Newchurch, was renamed Waterfoot for Newchurch on 1 August 1881;[3][6] and the name was simplified to Waterfoot by 1922.[6]

The station was closed on 5 December 1966.[6]

Route
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Clough Fold   Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Rawtenstall to Bacup Line		   Stacksteads

References
  1. Marshall, John (1969). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, volume 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 109. ISBN 0-7153-4352-1.
  2. Marshall 1969, p. 116
  3. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 169. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  4. Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. p. 73. CN 8983.
  5. Marshall 1969, pp. 116–7
  6. Butt 1995, p. 242

Further reading
  • Lost Railways of Lancashire by Gordon Suggitt (ISBN 1-85306-801-2)


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