Chester & Connah's Quay Railway
Encyclopedia
The Chester & Connah's Quay Railway ran from Chester Northgate
in Chester
, Cheshire
, England
to Shotton
, Flintshire
, Wales
.
It was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
(which later became the Great Central Railway
) and was opened on 31 March 1890.
At Dee Marsh Junction it connected with the North Wales and Liverpool Railway
. It then crossed the River Dee
by means of Hawarden Bridge
before joining the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway
at Shotton
.
The only section of the Chester & Connah's Quay Railway which remains in use is between Dee Marsh Junction and Shotton, forming part of the Borderlands Line
. The rest of the line closed to passenger trains in 1969, but remained open to freight trains until 1992. Even though steelmaking
operations at the Corus plant
at Shotton
ceased in March 1980, freight continued to use the double-tracked line
until 20 April 1984. Goods services resumed on a single-track line
on 31 August 1986 before final closure in 1992..This was precipitated by the closure of Ravenscraig steelworks
in Motherwell, Scotland
, as freight trains using the line ran between Ravenscraig and Shotton rolling mill.
Since the line between Chester and Dee Marsh closed, the track has been lifted and the route is now a cycle path, forming part of Route 5 of the National Cycle Network
.
Chester Northgate railway station
Chester Northgate is a former railway station in Chester, Cheshire that was a terminus for the Cheshire Lines Committee and Great Central Railway...
in Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Shotton
Shotton
-Places:England* Shotton, Northumberland, a village in the County of Northumberland* Shotton, Peterlee, a village in County Durham* Shotton, Sedgefield, a village in County Durham* Shotton Colliery, a village in County DurhamWales...
, Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
It was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
(which later became the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
) and was opened on 31 March 1890.
At Dee Marsh Junction it connected with the North Wales and Liverpool Railway
North Wales and Liverpool Railway
The North Wales and Liverpool Railway , was the name given to the joint committee formed to construct a railway between Bidston, on the Wirral Railway and Hawarden on the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway's Chester & Connah's Quay Railway from Chester to its link with the Wrexham,...
. It then crossed the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
by means of Hawarden Bridge
Hawarden Bridge
Hawarden Bridge is a railway bridge over the River Dee, near to Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. It was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , as part of the Chester & Connah's Quay Railway...
before joining the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway
Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway
The Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway was incorporated on 7 August 1862 to build a line from Wrexham to Buckley.-Overview:The Buckley Railway had already been incorporated on 14 June 1860 to build a line from that town to a junction with the London and North Western Railway Chester-Holyhead...
at Shotton
Shotton railway station
Shotton railway station serves the town of Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. It is situated where the Borderlands Line crosses the North Wales Coast Line. All passenger services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales, which manages the station....
.
The only section of the Chester & Connah's Quay Railway which remains in use is between Dee Marsh Junction and Shotton, forming part of the Borderlands Line
Borderlands Line
The Borderlands Line is the railway line between Wrexham, Wales, and Bidston, Wirral, England.Passenger train services are operated by Arriva Trains Wales between Wrexham Central and Bidston. Trains run every hour Monday to Saturday daytime, every two hours after 18:45 and on Sundays...
. The rest of the line closed to passenger trains in 1969, but remained open to freight trains until 1992. Even though steelmaking
Steelmaking
Steelmaking is the second step in producing steel from iron ore. In this stage, impurities such as sulfur, phosphorus, and excess carbon are removed from the raw iron, and alloying elements such as manganese, nickel, chromium and vanadium are added to produce the exact steel required.-Older...
operations at the Corus plant
Corus Group
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
at Shotton
Shotton, Flintshire
Shotton is a town in Flintshire, north Wales, lying on the River Dee. The name derives from the Old Norse words sjò and tùn . It is continuous with the towns of Connah's Quay and Queensferry in what is called Deeside...
ceased in March 1980, freight continued to use the double-tracked line
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
until 20 April 1984. Goods services resumed on a single-track line
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
on 31 August 1986 before final closure in 1992..This was precipitated by the closure of Ravenscraig steelworks
Ravenscraig steelworks
The Ravenscraig steelworks, operated by Colvilles and latterly by British Steel, consisted of an integrated iron and steel works and a hot strip steel mill. They were located in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland....
in Motherwell, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, as freight trains using the line ran between Ravenscraig and Shotton rolling mill.
Since the line between Chester and Dee Marsh closed, the track has been lifted and the route is now a cycle path, forming part of Route 5 of the National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
.
Junction maps
External links
- Images of the line in its final operating days
- National Cycle Network Chester to Connah's Quay
- Railscot article on the Chester & Connah's Quay Railway
- Virtual stroll along the railway