manchester manchester railway historic county lancashire england connecting built manchester converted canal company mile long railway originally built line canal eventually built alongside arms canal act parliament allowed construction connection bury technical constraints meant built railway required significant earthworks including yard tunnel railway termini railway station station railway opened passenger freight services extended preston victoria railway station manchester amalgamated manchester leeds railway railway use today manchester original stations longer use history background 1820s number proposals railway manchester advanced submitted parliament line included branch line plan included use inclined plane allow railway access higher ground scheme connect planned liverpool manchester railway near reach schemes progressed early stages planning proposals connect towns manchester preston railway unsuccessful leaving open way second scheme known manchester manchester led chairman began promote construction railway line canal bury employed assess proposal reported possible far expressed capable judging present view canal shareholders sought bill railway manchester august obtained act parliament act authorised abandonment canal basin empowered company build line manchester bury near line canal branch lines authorised giants seat bury mainly objections local owners lost access canal supply route branch railways built company agreed bill canal allow new railway constructed alongside company obtained act allowed build railway new alignment act allowed extension railway terminus canal bridge street smaller branches allowed construction railway started company attempted alter route bury branch extend receive parliamentary approval july committee management applied parliament act amend line railway manchester amendment railway course proposed manchester preston railway authorised parliament work proceeded slowly clauses added proposed act including continuation railway liverpool continuation built liverpool built connection line authorised connection bury built mainly objections company engineer bury branch required yard tunnel gradient time difficult expensive proposition initially tracks goods passengers built work proceeded slow pace fashion contracts awarded portions work occasion demanded advertisements appealed quantities stone blocks support rails construct parts proposed addition embankment hall advertisement november year advertised contracts construction bridges structures finish line difficult section railway tunnel required cut double bore tunnel yards long built driven sides large vertical shaft centre later joined narrower single bore tunnel line routed traffic routed original tunnel acts parliament required raise necessary funds line opened report directors january railway carried passengers inception company locomotive engines took company branch line join communicate junction near line built company later shared railway including station manchester bury worked construct junction railway station company taken manchester leeds railway lancashire following year amalgamated london company amalgamated london midland scottish railway company transport act british railways route original terminus railway station passing fold line ended railway station line extended preston route northwards followed years later whilst liverpool bury railway arrival gave links eastward bury westwards line extended yards bridges chapel street victoria station lines expanding lancashire system design rails broad based parallel form weighed pounds yard gauge feet inches rails later replaced pound yard rails discovered insufficient carry weight trains significant earthworks required route yards tunnel constructed favour cutting tunnels built clay lined entirely brick masonry placed terminus thirty bridges constructed stone drainage facilities water railway company forced change design bridges insufficient room given locomotives carriages track pass bridge supports feet wide inches space vehicles bridge supports report inspector railways december concluded dangerous november guard named killed railway skull found fractured july guard named killed struck support reported distance rails bridges feet normal distance feet locomotive types coaches company purchased locomotives bury curtis kennedy bury acquired railway coaches second class class carriage held passengers second class carriage held passengers class carriages introduced june discontinued december company found passengers second class cheaper class company class carriages second class carriages services initially class passenger shillings half crown entire mile journey mile equivalent values second class mile june new structure introduced class costing second class class passenger tickets taken transit freight charged maximum rate minimum ton mile respectively train use new line pulled victoria left manchester arrived minutes seconds later second train pulled trains originally ran right hand set rails unusual practice england railway later changed left hand running connection trains ran direction weekday sundays journey took minutes
Manchester and Bolton Railway