Located on the Liverpool to Manchester line, the station is very close to Liverpool South Parkway to the west, and lies on the line which serves Warrington central. This is more commonly known as the Southern route or Cheshire line.
Halewood is a relatively new station, having been only opened in 1988. Another station was situated to slightly west, which was closed in 1951. That station utilised a triangle junction where goods trains operated. Despite being on a popular line, services at that station decreased significantly after the war, and so a decision was made to close it.
This current station is perched above an embankment, and is reached by a combination of winding ramps and steps, ,more on these later. I cannot find any press cuttings or web pages relating to the opening of this station, so yet again if you know any further detail, please write in the comments below.
Access to the Manchester bound platform is by a series of four ramps. The first two are 25 metres, then 15 metres, then 25 metres with a rest platform between each or, via the first slope and then up two separate flights of steps with 25 steps in total.
Access to the Liverpool bound platform is off Hollies Road via three slopes each 50 metres long with rest platforms. Or by two flights of stairs with 18 steps with an intermediate rest platform.
There is a small ticket office at road level, at time of writing staffed during morning peak hours.
A video featuring the station when I visited in 2022 is below :
The station was opened in 1891 by the London and North Western railway, and unfortunately after research this is the only thing of note I have found about the station. If you know any more please write a comment, I am sure that myself and other readers would be interested to know.
The station lies on a slight curve and has a one story station building. Access is either a side road or ramp, the crossing of the line being done via the road bridge. Looking at the building, although old, I have a feeling that it may not be original.
There is however an older building next door, however this seems to be a pumping station.
At time of writing, passenger traffic is provided by class 331 electric multiple units, although older class 319’s may still also be seen
A quiet station with some interesting buildings is the best way to describe Eccleston Park. It a shame that there is no facts about history to be found, but I am sure someone will help us out on that. For the enthusiast sight lines are good, but there isn’t much in the way of services through the station.
I have produced a video for this railway station, which can be viewed below :
The station lies on the Liverpool to Manchester Line and is the first one after leaving Edge Hill. The Alstom railway depot is on the line to the north just after the spur from or to Edge Hill.
Mossley Hill opened in 1864 as Mossley Hill for Aigburth. It and Allerton were the only stations opened on the line when the St Helens Railway extension from Speke to Edge Hill opened. The entire station including platforms were replaced in July 1891, when the Edge Hill to Speke line was quadrupled.
The station was renamed from Mossley Hill for Aigburth to Mossley Hill on 6 May 1974
To the North of the station, on the route towards Edge Hill are the sites of two former stations, that of Sefton Park and Wavertree stations.
A wide variety or rolling stock can be seen from this location, and at time of writing this includes Class 150, 156 158 and 195, plus passing pendolinos. When I visited in 2022 occasional Transpennine class 68 hauled services also came through the station.
Mossley Hill has a very interesting station design. All platforms are of an island design, and even from the outset these seem to have been reached by ramped walkways, which is obviously a great idea. It would be nice however to see these refurbished, as the station building does look very well looked after.
For the enthusiast, plenty of traffic and good sight lines make for good photography and videography.
Below is a video taken in 2022 when I visited the station.
Thatto Heath is on the Liverpool to Wigan city line, the stations of St Helens Central and Eccleston Park being to the east and west respectively.
The station was opened in 1871, the same time as the line, and is set within a very slight cutting. Extensive research as as yet to yield no other significant history surrounding the station, so if you know any different please e-mail myself so that I can update this blog, I and others would be very interested to read about the history of the station.
It is located in the area of St Helens, and a notable claim to fame is that Thatto Heath is the birthplace of British comic actor Johnny Vegas. As far as the station is concerned you can see it is very picturesque, with stone walling which does seem to be very well looked after. A small ticket office exists, and this does seem quite old, but again I cannot find out whether this was the original location or not.
Although Northern supplies the passenger services, the station is significantly Merseyrail branded.
I visited the station in 2022 and below is a video of the visit.
Opened in 1856 by the South East Railway, Snodland would be part of the extension of the line already in place between Paddock wood and Maidstone.
The Strood bound platform has a wall with canopy, which was unique to the South East railway network, as no other station had such a spectacular canopy over the down platforms. This was because it was attached to the large goods shed.
Snodland did not have a main station building from the outset, this being provided around 2 years after opening, and like most along the line was of a unique configuration. A two story brick built building, was more suited to a town station, but it certainly made a statement.
Goods facilities were positioned on the Maidstone bound side, and consisted of the aforementioned goods shed. A siding was also provided on the Strood bound side, it terminated just behind the platform.
The signal box next to the level crossing appeared in 1892, and the footbridge was built two years later. A familiar clapboard design for the signal box was chosen, and an extension to this can be seen, which was completed in the 1930’s.
This arrangement continued until the 1960’s, when the goods facilities closed, however the shed was not demolished until the 1980’s, with only the retaining wall being kept utilising that opulent Maidstone side canopy. There is nothing left of the sidings in the present day.
The station and building has been well looked after since 2010, and this included upgrade works on the footbridge in 2020, and this is also when the snodland mural appeared on platform one.
The Kent Community Rail Partnership are active along the whole line, and at this station the Sunflower Mural was installed in January 2022, which aims to help raise awareness of hidden disabilities and that everyone is different. This was part of a community lead station improvement by the students of Five Acre Wood.
At time of writing, the majority of services are provided by Class 375 electric multiple units. However, two Class 395 Javelin electric multiple units run to St Pancras in the morning, with two returning services in the early evening.
Snodland is a great station on the line. Most of the original fabric is still here, which is great to see. Not only that, but with recent refurbishments and the murals which have been installed, it is also a very pleasant place to catch a train. For the enthusiast, it has good sight lines, and normally a few freight trains a day. I highly recommend a visit.
A video of Snodland railway station is to be seen below.
Opened in 1856 by the South Eastern Railway, Cuxton was one of 5 stations on the northern half of the Medway Valley Line. Initially, It only had a single siding beside the line towards Strood.
The station building like many on the line was fairly unique. A mock Tudor design was chosen, similar but much smaller to that at Wateringbury. You can still see the hexagonal chimneys, and the stone window surrounds. The facilities on the Maidstone bound side were less opulent, being just a small wooden waiting shelter.
In 1931 a siding appeared beside the Maidstone bound line beyond the crossing, and a goods loop appeared just north of the station on the Strood bound side. This would be turned into a freight loop in 1961, but was eventually decommissioned in 1990, and no evidence of it remains.
The station building above sadly closed in 1989, but in recent years has been maintained and still is a fantastic building to look at, especially from platform 2.
This view from the 1961 footbridge shows the line towards Maidstone.
The lovely signal box above was opened in 1892, and is great to see still standing. However the manual barriers were replaced by automatic ones in the late 2010’s.
Freight is a regular sight on this line, mainly hauled by class 66 or 59 diesel locomotives, but you can see other classes on occasion. Railtours will also pass though at various times during the year.
I really enjoy vising Cuxton, although it is fairly quiet, the overall ambience of the station is very pleasant, and the addition of new waiting shelters and the planters give it a fresh look. For the enthusiast, sight lines are very good and usually there is good mix of freight to be enjoyed.
Opened in 1904 as just Elmstead, the station was actually quite large considering that even from the outset not many stopping services would be provided. The four track section would enter two separate tunnels on the London bound direction at the end of the platforms.
The station building on the coastbound side is very good for a quiet station, with extensive canopies either side. There was a building on the London bound side also, but this was demolished sometime in the 1960s’
All the platforms are served by a long footbridge, originally fully covered, but part of that was removed in the renovations of the 1960’s. This remaining cover has been repaired and repainted in the last few years and looks great.
On thing of note is that the station never had any goods yard, the one at nearby Chislehurst being sufficient. It did however have its own signal box, positioned on the coastbound side of the London bound platform. However this became out of use in 1960 when a new power box was installed at Chislehurst.
The station only really uses platforms 3 and 4 as stopping platforms, the other two lines being used for through traffic, although their platforms still remain.
The Elmstead Wood gardening club look after the super green areas on platforms two and three. A recently added feature to these gardens are these fantastic bear carvings by Will Lee which were provided by the Chislehurst Society, and form part of a bear trail, the website details of which I will leave below.
It is a great area to walk through, and perhaps relax a little while you wait for your train. The gardening club is always keen for volunteers so please visit their site by following the link below if you wish to help out.
Main statistics:
Elmstead Woods opened in 1904
It has four trains in both directions off-peak, with additional trains during peak hours.
the entry and exit figures for 2019-2020 were 1, 033, 002
Elmstead woods is a great place to sit and relax whether you are a railway enthusiast or not. Its recent refurbishment is fantastic and the well-tended gardens make this a very pleasant station indeed.
I visited this railway station for the first time in March 2022, and at that time it seemed that the building was undergoing some demolition within. I subsequently found out that this was part of a regeneration project, which was to create a community hub.
Fast forward to January 2023, and I attended an open day at the Station which not only celebrated the opening of this community space, but also asked the local people what they would like to come from the rooms within the building.
A potted history
Opened in 1884, it was one of many which appeared on the Maidstone and Ashford railway. From the outset it had a crème brickwork building with icicle style valance, and this is pretty much the same today.
Hollingbourne is quite a rural station, but this did not stop it from having an extensive goods facility. All sidings were on the London bound side, one of which was a dock line. The others were around 500 ft in length, all of which connected with the London bound line.
A through brick goods shed was inbetween the dock and other sidings, however access to the building was only to be done by running in the opposite direction on the London bound line to join with the connection to the yard. A bit of an inconvenience, but space constraints were to blame.
A signal box, typical of the time was placed at the east of the Ashford bound platform. This not only controlled the yard, but a significant portion of the line to and from the station.
Nothing much changed until the 1960’s, when the goods yard closed, just before electrification came to the line in 1961. This electrification meant a concrete footbridge needed to be installed at the same time to remove the need of the foot crossing.
The signal box continued in use until 1984, when the Maidstone East panel took over block signalling duties, and the semaphore signals were replaced with 3 aspect colour ones. Also at this time the station building was cleaned and refurbished.
Around the 1990’s however the ticket office was closed, but thankfully the building was kept, and even had a re-roof at some point. Fast forward to 2021 and the Kent Community Rail Partnership in association with Sustrains put forward a plan to convert the majority of the building to community use. The plan was accepted in April 2021.
So here were are today with the help of Southeastern railway, Kent community rail partnership and of course the local community, especially Maria Domican who has worked tirelessly throughout to bring this building back to life.
The new community hub
Now lets take a look at the transformation that has occurred to the station building. The shutter and window work is excellent, but before we see more of the finished product, here are a few photographs taken during the extensive building work.
This final photo of the vaulted ceiling shows the extent of the roof.
Unfortunately due to the inevitability of how much the rooms would cost to heat if the ceiling remained this high, a decision was made to put in a false ceiling, although as you can see it is still of quite a height. The timbers can be accessed however through a hatch.
The area you see above is the main hall, which could be used for many events. Everyone attending the open day was asked to fill in a questionnaire, which asked the community what they would like to see within the building, and I am pleased to report that many were indeed filled in and handed back.
The area above is the kitchen, which when fully fitted, should be able to cater for commuters and school children in the morning. It will however require volunteers to be run, something which the organisers are looking for. Of course there is direct access to the main hall from here.
A book library seems to have already been set up in the main hall, which is great.
This smaller area above is to be found the other side of the hall, and could possibly be used as a small office space, perhaps for those working from home to come and sit quietly.
Off of this room is a fully accessible toilet, to which a baby changer may be installed in the near future.
The station at Hollingbourne has really been transformed into a fantastic community hub, and the interest from the community on the day was fantastic to see. I really hope that the space will be used regularly. I have some links below If you wish more information or to even volunteer.
Dunton Green was opened in 1868 by the South Eastern Railway Company, and it had a familiar clapboard station building similar to that of the one at Hildenborough. It also had a single siding on the London bound side, and this was incorporated into a proper running line when a branch line to Westerham was opened in 1881.
This branch line had its own station building as well as a three-story high signal box. As this new branch line cut through access to the village, a subway was constructed to gain access, but more on this later.
Three new goods sidings were also constructed at this time on the branch line section. The signal box had a short life however, as a signal modernization scheme in the early 1900s had it demolished in favour of a two-story design. By 1934 the newly formed southern region began the electrification program and Dunton Green had its platforms lengthened, with the first electric train running through the station from 1935.
Dunton Green railway station
Unfortunately Dunton Green’s recent history is less illustrious. In 1961 the branch line closed, and over the next 35 years the station went into rapid decline, culminating in the complete removal of the station in the mid-1990s and at time of writing, a new station building has never been rebuilt at this location.
Dunton Green railway station
This picture is of the subway which still connects the station to Dunton Green village (credit for these are below as I was unable to photograph on the day of my visit)
At time of writing passenger traffic is provided by class 465 or class 376 electric multiple units.
Class 465Class 376
The statistics for Dunton Green are that it opened in 1868, it has two trains per hour in both directions off-peak and Saturdays, with additional trains at peak times (this is reduced to only one train per hour in both directions on Sundays).
The entry and exit figures for 2019-2020 were 258 682.
The absence of a station building (at time of writing) really makes a visit to this station unappealing if you are a casual enthusiast. However, the location and relatively good frequency of service makes the stations survival a must. Photography and videography are ok, but I would advise that perhaps a visit to another railway station on the line nearby could wield better and more atmospheric results.
Below is a video filmed in 2021:
Thanks for reading, I’ll leave you with my tagline :
Hildenborough was opened in 1868 by the South Eastern Railway company. It is the only station between the larger Tonbridge and Sevenoaks stations. Unusually for the time, the platforms were not staggered, but placed opposite each other from the start.
As with all others on the line, crossing the track was done by means of a foot crossing placed at the end of the Tonbridge bound side. The station when it opened had one single siding placed on the coastbound side, and this was joined by two further sidings on the London bound side in the 1890s. A third was added by the end of the century.
The substation you see below was put here during the 1960s as part of the electrification scheme, and replaced the siding on the coastbound platform.
Hildenborough railway station – view to platform 2 and substation
In this view from the bridge towards Tonbridge, you can clearly see the break in the third rail in the foreground. This is where the staff foot crossing used to be. The line curves away from the station as it leaves towards Tonbridge.
The station building seen here below original, however it had external rendering work done to protect the station in the 1950’s, but at least it survived the cull which many succumbed to in the 1960’s. A further building is adjacent to it, which is currently owned by a coffee shop.
Hildenborough railway station
This view from platform 2 shows the original features quite well including the sash windows which were common for the southeast railway.
Hildenborough railway station platform 1
At the time of writing, passenger traffic is undertaken either by class 375 electric multiple units, or during the peak times, class 466 electric multiple units may also be seen.
The passenger entry and exit figures for 2019-2020 were 573 762.
Hildenborough offers good sight lines for the Enthusiast and the original station building gives it lots of character, however the electric substation is quite noisy and can impact videography. at times. But that should detract from the fact that Hildenborough is still a thoroughly lovely station which is well maintained.
Rainham Rail Enthusiast 