Manchester and Bolton Railway

Manchester and Bolton Railway
Company type	Private company
Industry	Railway transport
Predecessor	Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Navigation and Railway Company
Founded	1831
Founder	John Tobin (chairman)
Defunct	1846
Fate	Merged with Manchester and Leeds Railway
Headquarters	Salford, England, United Kingdom
Area served	Lancashire, England
Key people	William Jenkins (first locomotive superintendent), William Hurst (locomotive superintendent)
Products	Passenger and freight rail services

The Manchester and Bolton Railway was a rail line located in historic Lancashire, England, connecting Salford with Bolton. It was developed by the owners of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Navigation and Railway Company, which transitioned from a canal enterprise in 1831. Although initially intended to follow the canal's course, the railway was ultimately constructed alongside the Salford and Bolton canal branches. The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal and Railway Act 1831 (1 & 2 Will. 4. c. lx) authorized the railway's establishment along with a proposed link to Bury, which was never realized due to engineering difficulties.

The line incorporated notable engineering feats, such as a tunnel, with termini at Salford and Trinity Street station. Opening in 1838 for both passenger and freight operations, it was extended to Preston by 1841 and reached Victoria station in 1844. In 1846, the company merged with the Manchester and Leeds Railway.

Currently, this route forms part of the Manchester to Preston Line, although several original stations have since closed.

Background

During the 1820s, various schemes were proposed for a railway connecting Manchester and Bolton. An 1825 proposal envisioned a route from New Bailey in Salford to Park Field in Bolton, including a branch to the Mersey and Irwell Navigation, featuring an inclined plane at Clifton to manage elevation changes. Another plan sought a connection near Eccles through Moorside and Farnworth, but neither advanced past initial stages. By 1830, two additional proposals emerged: one for a Manchester to Preston Railway (which failed), clearing the way for the second plan that evolved into the Manchester and Bolton Railway.

Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Company

In 1830, led by chairman John Tobin, the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Company advocated constructing a railway alongside their canal between Salford, Bolton, and Bury. Engineer Alexander Nimmo validated the scheme’s viability. Shareholders secured passage of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal and Railway Act 1831 (1 & 2 Will. 4. c. lx), which established the "Company of Proprietors of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Navigation and Railway Company." This legislation permitted abandoning the canal stretch between Irwell basin and Prestolee and authorized building a railway "upon or near the line of ... the Canal," including two branch lines to Great Lever and Radcliffe/Bury.

Following objections from local mining interests concerned about losing canal access and insufficient branch railways, an amending bill preserved the canal while allowing railway construction alongside it. The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal and Railway Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4. c. lxix) approved this revised alignment and extended the railway to New Bailey Street in Salford as well as from Bolton’s Church Wharf to Bridge Street, adding smaller local branches.

Construction commenced in 1833 at Salford. Attempts to modify the Bury branch route or extend it to Rawtenstall failed to obtain Parliamentary approval. In 1834, management pursued amendments for the Manchester-Bolton section that resulted in the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal and Railway Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will. 4. c. xxx), aligning the railway similarly to an earlier Manchester to Preston Railway proposal. Although plans included extending from Bolton to Liverpool, this extension was never realized by the company; however, this connection was eventually completed by the Liverpool and Bury Railway in 1848. A Clifton-Bolton branch authorized in 1835 also remained unbuilt.

The Bury branch was never constructed primarily due to engineer Jesse Hartley’s objections concerning expensive tunnels required on steep gradients. Initially designed with three tracks (two for passengers and one for goods), only two tracks were eventually laid. Construction progressed slowly with contracts awarded incrementally. Among significant works was a difficult double-bore tunnel at Farnworth measuring 295 yards built between 1835–1838 to overcome challenging terrain; later on, a narrower single-bore tunnel accommodated one track.

Four parliamentary acts were necessary to secure funding; the railway officially opened on 28 May 1838. By January 1839, more than 228,000 passengers had been transported, with ten locomotives operational by 1841.

William Hurst became Railway Superintendent in 1845. A planned branch linking to the Bolton and Leigh Railway near Daubhill was never constructed. The company shared its Salford railway facilities with the Manchester, Bury and Rossendale Railway Company, collaborating on Clifton Junction station.

In 1846, ownership passed to the Manchester and Leeds Railway, which merged into the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1847. Subsequent consolidations included absorption into London and North Western Railway (1922) and London, Midland and Scottish Railway (1923). Following nationalization under the Transport Act 1947, it became part of British Railways.

Route

Originally, the line terminated at Salford railway station located on New Bailey Street in Salford. The railway traversed through stations including Pendleton, Clifton Junction, Dixon Fold, Stoneclough, and Farnworth before reaching its endpoint at Bolton railway station. In 1841, the route was extended northwards to Preston via the Bolton and Preston Railway. The northern extension towards Blackburn was completed in 1845. Furthermore, the arrival of the Liverpool and Bury Railway in 1848 established connections from Bolton eastwards to Bury and Rochdale, as well as westwards to Wigan and Liverpool. From Salford, the line was prolonged over multiple bridges and along Chapel Street to connect with Victoria Station in 1844. By 1858, these routes had been incorporated into the growing network of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

Design

The track initially consisted of broad-based parallel rails weighing , laid to a gauge of . These were subsequently replaced by heavier rails weighing to accommodate increased locomotive loads. Major engineering works included a tunnel at Farnworth, constructed through clay and reinforced with brick or masonry lining. Turntables were installed at both terminal stations.

A total of thirty-three bridges were built alongside stone drainage systems designed to protect the cuttings. Several bridges originally featured only clearance between their supports, raising safety concerns due to extremely limited space—sometimes as narrow as —between passing vehicles and structural elements. An 1846 report from an Inspector of Railways classified these bridges as hazardous. Additionally, the rail spacing on these bridges was narrower than the standard , measuring merely . This design flaw contributed to fatal accidents involving train guards.

Locomotive types and coaches

The company procured four Bury Type locomotives from Bury, Curtis and Kennedy named Victoria, Fairfield, Manchester, and Bolton. Additionally, two locomotives were acquired from George Forrester and Company (Forrester and Buck), along with two more from William Fairbairn & Sons. Between 1844 and 1845, two further Bury-built 2-2-0 locomotives were added to the fleet. Passenger coaches comprised first and second class compartments; first class accommodated 18 passengers while second class held 32. Third class was briefly introduced in June 1838 but was discontinued by December due to passengers shifting from higher classes. The company operated a total of 15 first class and 22 second class carriages.

The Manchester and Bolton Railway's locomotive workshop was situated in Salford, bordered by the railway line, the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal, and East Ordsall Lane. Established in 1839, this facility maintained M&BR locomotives and, following the 1846 merger with the Manchester and Leeds Railway (M&LR), continued servicing locomotives for the Bolton division until October 1849 when maintenance operations were centralized by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR) at Miles Platting. The Salford workshop was demolished prior to 1865.

William Jenkins held the position of first locomotive superintendent from May 1839 until February 1845 before transferring to M&LR's Miles Platting works. He was succeeded by William Hurst, who became 'outdoor locomotive superintendent' for LYR in October 1849, while Jenkins assumed responsibility for 'indoor' duties.

Fares and services

At the outset, the cost for a first-class ticket covering the ten-mile route was two shillings and sixpence (2s 6d), which would correspond to more than £10 in current currency, while second class was priced at 2s. On 11 June 1838, a new fare schedule was introduced, setting first class at 2s, second class at 1s 6d, and third class at 1s. Tickets for passengers were collected during the journey onboard the train.

Freight rates were established between 3d and 4.02d per ton for each mile traveled.

The first service, hauled by the locomotive Victoria, departed Manchester promptly at 8:00 am and arrived in Bolton after 26 minutes and 30 seconds. The railway initially used right-hand running rails—a practice uncommon in England—but transitioned to left-hand operation following its connection with the MB&RRC at Clifton. On weekdays, ten trains operated in each direction daily, with an additional two services on Sundays; the trip from Salford to Bolton took roughly 35 minutes.

External links

March 1843 timetable from Bradshaw's Railway Monthly (XVI) (text) (scan)