64-544: Farnworth railway station serves the town of Farnworth , in the Greater Manchester , England . The station underwent several name changes before the present name was adopted in 1974. It lies on the Manchester-Preston Line 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (13.7 km) north of Manchester Victoria , though only local services run by Northern Trains call here. The station received a minor upgrade in 2009, with
128-449: A commercial building, and 19 caravans (or other mobile or temporary structure). Farnworth's Carnegie Library on Market Street is one of the many Carnegie libraries in Europe established by the industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie . The library was built in 1911 and is constructed of red brick with ashlar sandstone dressings, and flat roofed areas surrounding a central dome. It
192-420: A light refurbishment at Wolverton Works and were repainted into a dedicated Northern Electrics livery, although all of these units had been repainted into Northern's livery by mid 2018. Other services operated by Class 319s included Crewe to Liverpool via Earlestown , Liverpool to Warrington Bank Quay and Liverpool to Wigan North Western and Blackpool North . In April 2016, these units transferred to
256-466: A result of ongoing engineering line blockages to progress the delayed electrification scheme mentioned previously (which was more than two years behind schedule) – this was finally completed in November 2018 and Saturday trains began running again the following month. As of December 2022, the station is served on Sundays by services from Wigan North Western to Stalybridge . Farnworth Farnworth
320-496: A saturnalia which was first celebrated in September, 1827, when bull-baiting, badger-baiting, dog fighting, cock fighting, foot racing in almost a state of nudity, grinning through a horse collar, eating a dishful of scalding hot porridge without milk and feeding themselves with their bare hands, and even the more disgusting exhibition of eating a pound of tallow candles, and stripping the wicks through their teeth for wagers, were amongst
384-699: A separate civil parish . In 1899, under the Local Government Act 1894 , Farnworth became an Urban District . In 1939, the district was granted by a charter to become the Municipal Borough of Farnworth . In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 , the municipal borough was abolished and its area became an unparished area of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester . Farnworth has two of Bolton Council's 20 wards , which each are represented by three councillors . At first,
448-434: A tri-mode Class 799 which runs on hydrogen and electricity with the 25 kV AC and 750 V DC equipment retained. Plans for north–south railways across central London go back to the 1940s at least, when there were several proposals in the 1943 County of London Plan which were developed further in a following report in 1946. The Victoria line , which opened in stages from 1968, had been one of
512-461: Is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton , Greater Manchester , England, 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Bolton , 4 miles south-west of Bury (7 km), and 8 miles (12.9 km) northwest of Manchester . Within the historic county of Lancashire , Farnworth lies on the River Irwell and River Croal . At the 2011 Census , it had a population of 26,939. Farnworth derives from
576-512: Is aiming to launch its first trial service conveying parcels and light freight in April 2021, with the Midlands to Mossend now likely to be the debut flow. Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Works is modifying the interiors of the units to accommodate roller cages for parcels, with the aim of operating primarily under electric power but with the 769s using their diesel engines to act as tractor units for
640-509: Is an electric multiple unit passenger train built by British Rail Engineering Limited 's Holgate Road carriage works for use on north–south cross-London services. These dual-voltage trains are capable of operating on 25 kV 50 Hz from AC overhead wires or 750 V DC from a third rail . Built in two batches in 1987–88 and 1990, the units were primarily used on the then-new Thameslink service from Bedford to Brighton and various other destinations south of London. The majority of
704-814: Is home to the Alan Ball Sports Hall, as well as the Peter Kay Theatre. In 2006, Peter Kay filmed a music video at Harper Green with the Scottish band Texas . The Anglican Diocese of Manchester has three active places of worship in Farnworth. The oldest is the Parish Church of St John the Evangelist on Church Street and was consecrated in 1826. The two other active Anglican churches in Farnworth are St Catharine's LEP Church, Highfield Road, Dixon Green, which
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#1733092650843768-536: Is located on Harper Green Road. Farnworth has a number of parks and recreation grounds. The largest is Farnworth Park, close to the town centre, has undergone redevelopment as part of Bolton Council's Children's Strategy. There is also Ellesmere Park on the west side of the town centre, Bradford Street Recreation Ground in New Bury, and Doe Hey Playing Fields in Harper Green. Royal Bolton Hospital (formerly known as
832-771: Is shared with the Methodist Church , and St George's Church, Daisy Avenue, just off Plodder Lane. There had been other Anglican churches in the town but have closed: St Thomas' Church, Church Walk, Dixon Green, opened in 1878 and closed in 1996 but reopened by Farnworth Christian Fellowship in 2008; All Saints' Church, Moses Gate , opened in 1909 and closed c. 2007 ; St Peter's Church, Bradford Street, New Bury, opened in 1886, closed in 2007, and demolished in 2012; St James' Church, New Bury, opened in 1864/5 and closed in 2013. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford has only one church in Farnworth, Our Lady of Lourdes' Church on Plodder Lane. There had been another, St Gregory
896-572: The Fishpool Institution , Townleys Hospital, and Bolton General Hospital ) is in Farnworth. An Emergency Department was added when Bolton Royal Infirmary in Bolton closed in the early 1990s and moved to the Farnworth site. St Gregory's Catholic Club in Farnworth was used to film television comedy Phoenix Nights . Farnworth is north of junctions 3 and 4 of the M61 motorway . The main roads run through
960-643: The Hultons of Over Hulton . In 1666 there were 91 hearths in Farnworth liable to pay tax. The commons were enclosed in 1798. There was a watermill on the River Croal . The town expanded rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries around the coal mining industry. The collieries were part of an extensive mine complex, the Worsley Navigable Levels whose underground canals stretched from the Delph at Worsley and linked
1024-603: The Muslim community. Farnworth F.C. is a youth football that plays its home games at Darley Park, with winter training taking place at Harper Green School. Farnworth Cricket Club, founded in 1870, plays its home games at Bridgeman Park. It participates in the Bolton Cricket League , as do Farnworth Social Circle. Farnworth's Harper Green playing field also hosts the home games of Bolton Hockey Club men's section. British Rail Class 319 The British Rail Class 319
1088-550: The Old English fearn , fern and worth an enclosure. Farnworth was recorded as Farneworth and Farnewrth in 1278 and 1279 and Ffornword in a land survey of 1282. Farnworth was originally a hamlet in Barton . In the 13th century it was held by the Lords of Barton and Manchester. By 1320 Adam Lever, Richard Hulton and Richard Redford held the manor as tenants. Later the manor was acquired by
1152-515: The Royal Bolton Hospital . At the 2011 UK census , the usual resident population for Farnworth had 26,939 inhabitants, of which 13,155 (48.8%) were male and 13,784 (51.2%) were female. The 2011 census recorded a total of 11,961 dwellings in Farnworth, of which were 663 detached houses , 5,345 semi-detached houses , 3,982 terraced houses , 1,701 purpose-built flats , 168 in part of a converted or shared house (including bedsits ), 102 in
1216-575: The Watford Junction to St Albans service and some peak West Coast Main Line services out of London Euston . These replaced the seven Class 321 units that transferred to Abellio ScotRail . In April 2017, one of the five Class 319/4 units, 319455, was swapped for 319433, with the latter receiving a light refresh and a repaint before entering service. In December 2017, West Midlands Trains (a consortium of Abellio , JR East and Mitsui ) took over
1280-451: The 1880 bore was initially retained to permit a limited diesel service over the route to continue during the upgrade work, and after was then abandoned as clearances within are too restricted to allow safe operation with overhead wires. This has also required realignment of the lines approaching it and consequent alterations to the platforms that they serve. Work began in May 2015, when the 1838 bore
1344-474: The 319s over non-electrified routes. Orion unveiled its first modified 319, No 319373, at Eastleigh in August 2020, and from 18 to 20 January 2021 showcased the unit to potential partners and customers at Maritime Transport's Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminal at Birch Coppice. The first of ten Class 768s was scheduled to enter service in 2021. Seven units were transferred to London Midland in 2015 to operate
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#17330926508431408-568: The Class 319 is slightly different from contemporary electric units due to restrictions in the loading gauge in Kings Cross Tunnel, which meant that other dual-voltage units were not suitable. They were also required to have emergency end doors in the cabs, due to the twin single-bore layout of Smithfield tunnel preventing normal train evacuation. Two sub-classes of Class 319 units, 60 Class 319/0s and 26 Class 319/1s, were originally built. Over
1472-534: The Class 319 units operated by London Northwestern Railway were withdrawn on 27 November 2023 after being replaced by Class 730 units. With the first units entering service for Thameslink in 1988, Class 319s were a mainstay on the Thameslink network for almost three decades. In early 2015, the first batch of units were withdrawn from the network after being displaced by Class 387 units. Twenty Class 319/3s transferred to Northern Rail for newly electrified lines in
1536-481: The Class 319/0 sets (319014–020) were refurbished and dedicated to express services between London Victoria and Brighton, before later finding work on peak-only London Victoria to Guildford via West Croydon and London Victoria to Horsham via Three Bridges services. The dual-voltage capability was also used to introduce new services linking Rugby and Gatwick Airport via the West Coast and West London Lines in
1600-612: The Great's Church on Presto Street, but it closed in 2004. Other Christian places of worship in the town include Farnworth Christian Fellowship on Church Walk, Trinity Methodist Church on Market Street, Farnworth Baptist Church on Trafford Street, the United Reformed Church on Albert Road, and the Salvation Army Citadel on Brackley Street. The Sughra Mosque on Granville Street, the only mosque in Farnworth, serves
1664-471: The MSO, where stowage for a refreshment trolley and a small serving counter were also fitted. Units involved were renumbered from 319014–020 to 319214–220. They retained their low-density layout, but the lounge area was replaced by standard seating following their return to use on Thameslink services. In the period 1997–99, Thameslink arranged for all of its 319/1 units to be converted at Eastleigh Works for use on
1728-567: The North West of England for service with Arriva Rail North , with the remainder being placed into storage at Long Marston . The six remaining Class 319 units were withdrawn from Thameslink service on 27 August 2017, around 30 years after their initial introduction to service. Following their withdrawal, a number of additional units were allocated to the North West and the West Midlands to boost capacity. To operate on newly electrified routes in
1792-524: The North West of England, Northern Rail received twenty Class 319/3 units after they were replaced by brand new Class 387 units. The first Northern Rail service to be operated by Class 319s was the Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport via Chat Moss service on 5 March 2015. From 17 May 2015, the Liverpool Lime Street to Wigan North Western via Huyton route followed suit. The first batch of units which transferred to Northern Rail underwent
1856-536: The North West, with the first units entering service in March 2015 after a light refurbishment. A further seven units left the network in 2015, transferring to London Midland to replace their Class 321 units, which had transferred to Abellio ScotRail . Since the introduction of the new Class 700 units in June 2016, Class 319s departed the network as new trains have entered service. A further batch of twelve units transferred to
1920-413: The Thameslink blockade, some minor interior updating took place such as recovering seats with an updated Thameslink moquette. First-class compartments were refurbished with new carpet, retrimmed seats and chrome-plated heater panels, apart from unit 319444, which retained its 1997-designed interior. A later refresh was unveiled by the then-new operator First Capital Connect on 26 October 2006. Unit 319425
1984-441: The Thameslink brand in 1988. As the Thameslink service was to use a route with 25 kV AC OHLE north of Farringdon and along the branch to Moorgate , and 750 V DC third-rail electrification south of Farringdon, the Class 319 trains were equipped for dual-voltage operation. They were also the first British Rail units to use modern thyristor control in place of a camshaft and resistor bank. The body shape of
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2048-530: The addition of automated electronic information display systems and automated announcements audio system similar to the system at Lostock station . A more substantial rebuild, involving platform realignment, was undertaken in 2015-2016 as part of works to electrify the Manchester-Preston line. The station has a ticket office, which is staffed from 06:30 to 13:00 on weekdays only (closed Saturdays and Sundays). Outside of these times, tickets must be purchased on
2112-509: The day Mondays to Fridays. A small number of early morning services run to/from Wigan North Western . Services were suspended for several months due to the tunnel and station upgrade works mentioned above – they have now resumed, as the project has been completed. Originally planned to end in October 2015, this was subsequently extended to the December 2015 timetable change. The extension to the works
2176-494: The earlier units, with the addition of first-class seating at one end of the train for use on longer-distance Bedford to Brighton services. Like the first batch, standard-class seating was of a 2+3 layout. First-class seating was in 2+2 layout. Units were formed in the arrangement DTCO+MSO+TSO+DTSO. Individual vehicles were numbered as follows: Vehicles were numbered in two ranges, corresponding to units 319161–180 and 319181–186. A more modern Brecknell Willis high speed pantograph
2240-448: The fleet remained in use on the Thameslink route after its reshaping and privatisation in 1997. Some of the fleet was also used by Connex South Central and latterly Southern on various services operating out of London Victoria , including flagship expresses to Brighton. A total of 44 sets were converted to Class 769s which is a mixture of Bi-mode multiple units (BMU) and Tri-mode multiple units. Two Class 319s have been converted to
2304-556: The installation of a first-class compartment at one end, in the DTSO(A) vehicle and the removal of some seating in the centre of each vehicle to give 2+2 layout. Cosmetic improvements included new carpets and seat coverings, as well as application of the navy-blue Thameslink livery. Upon completion, these units were renumbered as 319421-460 and moved on to the Bedford to Brighton service, branded as 'Thameslink Cityflier'. From 2003 to 2005, during
2368-462: The mines to the Bridgewater Canal . Other industry included iron foundries and cotton mills . The owner of Farnworth Paper mills, T. B. Crompton, patented a continuous-drying process which contributed to the mechanisation of papermaking in 1821. The adjoining open land of Halshaw Moor became an area for recreation for the town, hosting the annual Halshaw Moor Wakes that were described as
2432-652: The north-east by the River Croal which forms the boundary. Will Hill Brook forms the northern boundary. The underlying rocks are the coal measures of the Manchester Coalfield . Districts in Farnworth include Dixon Green and New Bury . The town has grown along the Manchester to Bolton road, the A666 and the A575 road to Worsley and Eccles . Plodder Lane, the B6199 , goes west past
2496-566: The operation of the West Midlands rail franchise, with the seven Class 319 units initially leased by London Midland transferring to the new operator under the London Northwestern Railway brand. A week after the start of the new franchise, West Midlands Trains leased additional Class 319 units, which had previously operated with Thameslink . These extra units enabled the company to take their Class 350/1 and 350/3 Desiro units out of service for their planned refurbishment. All of
2560-545: The orgies on these occasions. Lying within the boundaries of Lancashire since the early 12th century, Farnworth constituted a township and chapelry within the ecclesiastical parish of Deane . In 1837 Farnworth became part of the Bolton Poor Law Union which took responsibility for funding the Poor Law in that area. In 1863, a Local board of health was established for the township, and in 1866, it also became
2624-452: The range 319001–060 and had a maximum speed of 100 mph (161 km/h). Each unit consisted of four steel carriages: two outer driving trailers, an intermediate motor with a roof-mounted Stone Faiveley AMBR pantograph and four DC GEC G315BZ traction motors (two per bogie), and an intermediate trailer housing a compressor , motor alternator and two toilets. Seating was standard-class only, in 2+3 layout. The technical description of
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2688-452: The routes suggested in these plans. Another involved reviving the disused Farringdon to Blackfriars route for passenger trains, and this began to be considered seriously in the 1970s. The British Railways Board then developed plans for what would become Thameslink, and the newly created business sector of Network SouthEast inherited responsibility for the project in 1986. Services between Bedford, Farringdon, Blackfriars and Brighton began under
2752-402: The scheduled completion date. The newly widened tunnel reopened on 14 December 2015, after a scheduled engineering possession on the preceding weekend to connect and test the track & signalling equipment. The first train through was the 05:30 on 15 December from Horwich Parkway station, and the first passenger to use it was former councillor Andrew Morley. At the end of January 2016, the tunnel
2816-422: The shorter-distance Luton to Sutton / Wimbledon services, then known as 'Thameslink CityMetro'. These units lost their first-class seating and were renumbered into the 319/3 series. They were painted in a navy-blue and yellow livery at this time. Various refurbishments have taken place since 1999, including: Units 319021-060 were refurbished for Thameslink at Railcare Wolverton from 1997 to 1998. Work included
2880-605: The south-east of the station is Farnworth Tunnel, which had two single-track bores, although when built it had one double-track bore. Originally there was intended to be a cutting, but a tunnel was substituted. This was dug from both ends and also from a shaft at the centre; the main difficulty in construction being the nature of the ground, which consisted of wet sand and clay. It is 295 yards (270 m) long, although Network Rail has erected tunnel entrance nameboards that incorrectly read 294 yds. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) route north from Blackburn to Hellifield
2944-448: The then-new franchise operator Arriva Rail North , who later leased an additional fifteen Class 319s to operate on newly electrified services from Blackpool North , with these commencing in May 2018. In December 2016, it was announced that some 319 were to be converted to Class 769 Flex bi-mode multiple units by Brush Traction at Loughborough , and were planned to enter service with Arriva Rail North in 2018. In August 2019, it
3008-587: The town are the A666 (Farnworth and Kearsley By-Pass ), the A575 (Egerton St/Albert Rd/Worsley Rd), the A5082 (Buckley Lane/Long Causeway), the A6053 (Bolton Rd/Market St/Manchester Rd), and the B6199 (Plodder Lane). Farnworth and Moses Gate railway stations are served by Northern which operates services on the Manchester to Preston Line . Farnworth has nine primary schools and three secondary schools. Harper Green School
3072-545: The train or prior to travel. Step-free access to both platforms is via ramps from the station entrance. The station was first opened by the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Railway on 29 May 1838, and was originally named Tunnel . This station closed in 1841, but was reopened in September 1845, when it took the name of Halshaw Moor . In May 1852 it was renamed Halshaw Moor and Farnworth ; in January 1870 Farnworth and Halshaw Moor ; and finally on 6 May 1974 it became Farnworth . To
3136-561: The unit formation is DTSO(A)+MSO+TSO+DTSO(B). Individual vehicles were numbered as follows: Vehicles were numbered in two ranges, corresponding to units 319001–046 and 319047–060. The gaps in the number series ( e.g. 77382–77429) were filled by the Class 442 units, built around the same period. The DTSO(B) vehicles originally featured a lockable sliding door between the driving cab and the first set of power doors and tip-up longitudinal seating to enable parcels to be carried securely. This facility
3200-576: The wards were called Farnworth North and Farnworth South, but following name and boundary changes in 1980 the eastern side of the town is covered by the Farnworth ward and the western half side is covered by the Harper Green ward. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 , the Radcliffe-cum-Farnworth constituency was established with one Member of Parliament (MP). The constituency
3264-450: The years, the units have been refurbished, creating five sub-classes, of which four still exist. Class 321 passenger units and Class 325 postal units were developed from the Class 319 design, using similar traction equipment and the same steel body design, with revised cab designs. The 325 units used a Networker style cab design. The first batch of 60 units, built in 1987 and 1988, was classified as Class 319/0. Units were numbered in
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#17330926508433328-537: Was abolished in 1918 with Radcliffe becoming part of the Heywood and Radcliffe constituency , and Farnworth having its own Parliament constituency. The Farnworth constituency continued until it was abolished in 1983 and became part of the Bolton South East constituency . Farnworth measures about two miles from east to west, and one from north to south with an area of 1,502 acres (608 ha) on land sloping towards
3392-404: Was also fitted. All were converted to Class 319/3 in the late 1990s. In 1997, seven of the Class 319/0 sets were converted especially for use on Connex South Central express services between London Victoria and Brighton. Work carried out at Railcare Wolverton included new, lower-density seating, a disabled toilet, and a special 'lounge' seating area in the saloon space below the pantograph in
3456-424: Was caused by excessive wet sand deposits being discovered in the overlaying land by Network Rail engineers, severely hampering progress of the boring machine. The station reopened (along with the tunnel) on 14 December 2015. Prior to the May 2018 timetable change, no evening weekday service operated aside from a solitary late evening train to Bolton and Wigan. As of July 2018, Saturday trains were replaced by buses as
3520-509: Was closed, filled in with cement and re-bored to a larger diameter using the largest tunnel boring machine ever built in Britain. During tunnelling, the workers ran into loose/soft sand, which caused the project to be delayed from October to December and also led to the temporary closure of some lanes on the A666 road above for safety reasons. The TBM finally bored through on 25 October 2015, 21 days after
3584-553: Was completed on 1 June 1880, and the Midland Railway (MR) proposed to use this route for a through service between Manchester Victoria and Scotland. The MR intended to use Pullman cars , which were larger than the L&;YR coaches, and it was found that some of the tunnels on the route were too small and would need to be enlarged. Among these was Farnworth tunnel, which was also in need of extensive repairs; so instead of enlarging it, it
3648-548: Was confirmed that all 319s were planned to leave Arriva Rail North to be replaced by 17 of the 26 Class 323 units operated by West Midlands Trains . This was expected to occur once new rolling stock is in operation with West Midlands Trains. However instead the Class 319s were replaced by Class 331 units. On 1 March 2020, following the collapse of previous operator Arriva Rail North, the Northern 319s transferred to new government-owned operator Northern Trains . In September 2023 it
3712-566: Was decided to build a second tunnel alongside, to the south-west of the original. The new down (northbound) single-line tunnel was commenced on 26 April 1880 and brought into use on 5 December that year, although Parliamentary approval for its construction had not been obtained: it was applied for in February 1881 and granted retrospectively (as part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Act 1881, 44 & 45 Vic chapter 135) on 18 July that year. Once it
3776-417: Was designated as a Grade II listed building on 29 September 1999 and celebrated its centenary on 11 April 2011. Farnworth Little Theatre, established in 1948, is an amateur theatre group and is situated on Cross Street. The town has two leisure centres. The first is Farnworth Leisure Centre with a swimming pool and is located on Brackley Street. The second one is Harper Green Community Leisure Centre and
3840-438: Was in use, the two tracks through the original tunnel were replaced by a single track along the centre; the tunnel lining was repaired and thickened, and this tunnel then formed the up (southbound) single-line tunnel. As part of the electrification scheme of the 2010s, the original tunnel has been enlarged to allow sufficient clearance for the overhead wires and for both lines to be routed through it once again. During this period,
3904-502: Was once again closed to enable replacement of the temporary tracks and their replacement with tracks suitable for 100 mph running. Overhead wiring was later installed through the tunnel and electric trains were introduced along the route from Monday 11 February 2019, initially utilising Class 319 electric multiple units . There is an hourly service northbound to Southport via Bolton and Wigan Wallgate and southwards and eastwards to Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge throughout
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#17330926508433968-410: Was rarely used and the sliding door has been removed. Unit 319011 is the only remaining member of the 319/0 subclass; all others were converted to Class 319/2 or Class 319/4 in the late 1990s, or Class 768s Class 769s or Class 799s in the 2010s or scrapped. Built in 1990, this second batch of 26 units was numbered in the range 319161–186. The formation of the second batch of sets was similar to that of
4032-453: Was renamed Transforming Travel for the occasion and showcased the following improvements: The refresh took place at Railcare Wolverton works and also featured both a mechanical overhaul (under the solebar) and a full exterior relivery, again in vinyl. Some Class 319/4 units have had their Stone Faiveley AMBR air and spring pantograph replaced by the more modern Brecknell Willis High Speed air-only pantograph design. Orion High Speed Logistics
4096-431: Was reported that Northern Trains planned to withdraw its Class 319 fleet by the end of 2023, later delayed until January 2024. Northern Trains withdrew its Class 319 fleet on 2 January 2024. When British Rail was privatised in the mid-1990s, the first 13 units (319001–013) were used for outer-suburban services by Connex South Central , with some temporarily losing their 25 kV AC overhead equipment. Seven more of
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