HEAPEY
A closer view of Heapey Station and the Railway Hotel
Taken from the train on 11/4/1957, a similar view to the photo above (from the HC Casserley collection - © RM Casserley)
On the Chorley to Blackburn line, Heapey Station opened on 1st December 1869. It was the first station reached after leaving Chorley. At 455 ft high it was a tough climb for
the engines (and firemen) as the climb was 1 in 60. It was often busy with passenger and goods traffic. It was a popular dismounting point with ramblers making their way to
White Coppice and the moors close by. Goods trains took produce from the farms, and also the mills at Wheelton and Heapey. The line closed to passengers on 4th January
1960. The station buildings on the Chorley bound line (i.e. the left side platform in the picture below) survive today and have had extensions added to them. The remaining
buildings have been demolished. The station is now a private residence, and a kennels/cattery.
There were two large factories in Heapey, namely the Royal Ordnance and Heapey Bleach Works. Both had their own line into the
factories. See below for more details
Mr Makinson, who, for many
years was the Stationmaster at
Heapey
A busy Heapey Station in 1906. A Chorley bound train has just pulled in and passengers are alighting from the coaches. Just past the distant signal box, the sidings to
Heapey Bleach works branched of to the left. The main line to Chorley went to the right, behind the Goods Shed. The station hardly changed at all over the next fifty
years
Fifty years later and little has changed. Passenger boarding and alighting this Blackburn bound train
Taken in the mid to late 1950s, It is taken from the Chorley end of the Blackburn platform near the goods building and its platform. This building survives today and is a
private residence. Anyone know who the lady is?
Just south of Three Lane Ends a cobbled drive runs down to the station and goods yard. It is still there today. At the foot of the
slope was the Blackburn bound platform, which had a stone built shelter for passengers in bad weather. Beyond the platform was
a freight platform, along with crane and goods warehouse. The Chorley bound platform had a two story building incorporating the
Station master’s house, ticket office, waiting room, Ladies Room and Gents toilets. Opposite the warehouse on the other side of
the tracks was a signal box. To the left of this was the spur off to Heapey Bleach Works just over half a mile away. Under Coppice
Lane bridge and half a mile to the east was the line into the ROF and its sidings
2001
2009
© www.white-coppice.co.uk 2022
Permanent Way gang at Heapey Station. The Railway pub is in the distance
Taken from almost the same location as the photo above, A Fairburm 2-6-4T stands at Heapey Station bound for Chorley
Heapey Railway Station - taken from near the goods shed
Heapey Station and the sidings to Heapey Bleach works (bottom) and the ROF above. Note the signal box controlling the ROF sidings.
LMS Hughes Crab No. 42718 passing through the station with a small freight train in the mid 1950s. This loco was built at Horwich 28/5/1927 and withdrawn on 18/5/1963
