
Ticket for one of the Workman trains which
operated along the loop dating from
13th September 1945.
Supplied by Les Fifoot.
For more information and pictures click here
Tanhouse Lane.
The station at Tanhouse opened on 1st September 1890 and was located in a very industrialised area. From the outset the station was popular with people travelling to and from work. The early owners of the line ran Workmens trains which terminated there, this practice lived on into B.R. days and until ultimate closure, with the first service of the day terminating there. The station suffered from the rising popularity of the motor car and was recommended for closure, along with the line in the Beeching Report of 1963. Closure arrived on the 5th October 1964 with the final services having run on 3rd October 1964. The goods yard adjacent to the station continued to be used up until the mid to late 1990's for the delivery of cement to the Blue Circle terminal on Tanhouse Lane. After standing derelict for a number of years the whole area was turned into a public park with a short length of the Widnes Loop retained as a feature and as a reminder of its railway heritage. A short section of the station wall can be seen.

Tanhouse Lane station shortly before closure.
1964.
Photo by Gordon Howarth.

ICI Pilkington Sullivans locomotive Kestrel in between duties stands at the rear of Tanhouse Lane station. The wall behind the loco is that of the westbound waiting room.
11th April 1959.
Photo by Jim Peden.
Reproduced with permission from the Industrial Railway Society.

Blue Circle Cement Sentinal shunter H002 draws a rake of wagons from Tanhouse Yard into the terminal. The telegraph pole to the left of the train can be seen in the next shot.
1990's
Photo by Terry Callaghan.

The section of original Widnes Loop line left insitu as a reminder of the railway heritage in the area. The telegraph pole to the left of the line is visible in the previous shot.
26th October 2012
Photo by Terry Callaghan.

A fascinating Great Central and Midland Joint Monthly
Return ticket for the short journey from Widnes Central
to Tanhouse Lane.
Supplied by Les Fifoot.
For more information and pictures click here
Further Information.
Books.
Lost Stations of North West England by Paul Wright.
Widnes and St Helens Railways by Bob Pixton.