76-440: Paddy mails , generally considered as being workmen's trains, were operated by, or for many companies to transport their workers to their place of work or between their sites of work. Originally they were operated by railway contractors, on temporary tracks laid to remove spoil from their workings, to transport workers from their "shanty villages" to the work site. Many of these navvies as they were known were of Irish origin, hence
152-740: A crossing of the river at the last moment in return for access for their carts over the intended railway bridge. The Manchester station was therefore fixed at Liverpool Road in Castlefield . The first contracts for draining Chat Moss were let in June 1826. The Rennies insisted that the company should appoint a resident engineer, recommending either Josias Jessop or Thomas Telford , but would not consider George Stephenson except in an advisory capacity for locomotive design. The board rejected their terms and re-appointed Stephenson as engineer with his assistant Joseph Locke . Stephenson clashed with Vignoles, leading to
228-529: A decision that had repercussions across the country and triggered the " railway mania of the 1840s". John B. Jervis of the Delaware and Hudson Railway some years later wrote: "It must be regarded ... as opening the epoch of railways which has revolutionised the social and commercial intercourse of the civilized world". At first trains travelled at 16 miles per hour (26 km/h) carrying passengers and 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) carrying goods because of
304-476: A fixed signal was used, with red and white chequered boards on 12-foot high posts being turned to face trains from one direction if another train was ahead. In 1837 the London and Birmingham Railway conducted trials using a Cooke and Wheatstone telegraph to direct signalling and in 1841 held a conference to propose a uniform national system of coloured signals to control trains, but despite these advances elsewhere
380-422: A level of profitability that would never again be attained by a British railway company. The railway was purposefully designed for the benefit of the public, carrying passengers as well as freight. Shares in the company were limited to ten per person and profits from these were limited. Although the intention had been to carry goods, the canal companies reduced their prices, leading to a price war between them and
456-555: A man but a steam shovel ." Being a navvy labourer became a cultural experience unto its own during the 19th century. Most accounts chronicling the life of a navvy worker come from local newspapers portraying navvies as drunk and unruly men, but fail to provide any mention that families were formed and raised despite the navvy's travelling demands. The navvies working on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway were paid daily and their pay reputedly went on ale , leaving little for food. When
532-549: A mile down the track to stop oncoming traffic. After the opening of the Warrington and Newton Railway four policemen were placed constantly on duty at Newton Junction , at the potentially dangerous points where the two lines met. Initially a gilt arrow was used to point towards Warrington to indicate that the points were set in that direction, with a green lamp visible from the L&;MR line being used to indicate this at night. Later
608-493: A newsletter and charity work. The construction tycoon Sir Samuel Morton Peto encouraged religious services for his workforce, as well as providing some social services to the navvy populations. Many of the navvies employed to build the railways in England during the early part of the 19th century lived in squalid temporary accommodations referred to as " shanty towns ." Due in part to constructing through rural areas, and, in part,
684-632: A riot broke out between the two nationalities in one navvy shanty town, causing local magistrates to arrest 12 individuals. Though, this is not necessarily indicative of relations between the English and Irish in all navvy gangs. Over time, housing arrangements progressed positively, with the structures being built with more care, and even attached land being offered for use so navvies and their families could grow their own food. In addition to their nomadic living arrangements, navvies confronted varying degrees of dangerous work environments that depended both on
760-530: A secondary line between the two cities—the southern route, the former Cheshire Lines Committee route via Warrington Central is for the moment the busier route. This however has already started to change (from the May 2014 timetable) with new First TransPennine Express services between Newcastle/Manchester Victoria and Liverpool and between Manchester (Airport) and Scotland (via Chat Moss, Lowton and Wigan). From December 2014, with completion of electrification (see below)
836-536: A system of hand-held flags was developed, with a red flag being used to stop a train, green indicating that a train should proceed at caution, blue indicating to drivers of baggage trains that there were new wagons for them to take on and a black flag being used by platelayers to indicate works on the track. Any flag waved violently, or at night a lamp waved up and down, indicated that a train should stop. Until 1844 handbells were used as emergency signals in foggy weather, though in that year small explosive boxes placed on
SECTION 10
#1733106653255912-455: A tiddley wink of pig's ear; keep your mince pies on the Billy Gorman.'" This means the speaker's going for a beer, and asking the person being addressed, to keep his eyes on the foreman. Their exclusionary code usually left outsiders confused. Liverpool and Manchester Railway Manchester Line & stations shown as of 1845 The Liverpool and Manchester Railway ( L&MR )
988-418: A variety of collisions and derailments. On 23 December 1832, a passenger train ran into the rear of another passenger train at Rainhill. A passenger was killed and several were injured. On 17 April 1836, a passenger train was derailed whilst travelling at 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) when an axle of a carriage broke. There were no fatalities. The original Liverpool and Manchester line still operates as
1064-527: Is supplemented by an additional all-stations service between Liverpool and Earlestown, which continues to Warrington Bank Quay . Between Warrington Bank Quay, Earlestown and Manchester Piccadilly, there are additional services (at least one per hour) operated by Transport for Wales , which originate from Chester and the North Wales Coast Line . In 2009, electrification at 25 kV AC was announced. The section between Manchester and Newton, including
1140-634: The London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway to form the London and North Western Railway . During the Industrial Revolution , huge tonnages of raw material were imported through Liverpool and carried to the textile mills near the Pennines where water, and later steam power, enabled the production of the finished cloth, much of which was then transported back to Liverpool for export. The existing means of water transport,
1216-558: The Manchester and Leeds Railway . The line opened on 4 May 1844 and Liverpool Road station was then used for goods traffic. On 8 August 1845, the L&MR was absorbed by its principal business partner, the Grand Junction Railway (GJR), which had opened the first trunk railway from Birmingham to Warrington in 1837. The following year the GJR formed part of the London and North Western Railway . The Liverpool and Manchester Railway
1292-577: The Mersey and Irwell Navigation , the Bridgewater Canal and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal , dated from the 18th century, and were felt to be making excessive profits from the cotton trade and throttling the growth of Manchester and other towns. Goods were transported between Liverpool and the factories around Manchester either by the canals or by poor-quality roads; the turnpike between Liverpool and Manchester
1368-529: The Oystermouth Railway near Swansea (1807). The original promoters are usually acknowledged to be Joseph Sandars , a rich Liverpool corn merchant, and John Kennedy , owner of the largest spinning mill in Manchester. They were influenced by William James . James was a land surveyor who had made a fortune in property speculation. He advocated a national network of railways, based on what he had seen of
1444-451: The Port of Liverpool and the cotton mills and factories of Manchester and surrounding towns. Designed and built by George Stephenson , the line was financially successful, and influenced the development of railways across Britain in the 1830s. In 1845 the railway was absorbed by its principal business partner, the Grand Junction Railway (GJR), which in turn amalgamated the following year with
1520-575: The 1840s, but were not considered cost effective until much later in the 19th century, especially in Britain and Europe where experienced labourers were easily obtained and comparatively cheap. Elsewhere, for example in the United States and Canada, where labour was more scarce and expensive, machines were used. In the States the machine tradition became so strong that "[...] the word navvy is understood to mean not
1596-718: The 20th century, they were the predominant workforce. The construction of canals in Britain was superseded by contracts to construct railway projects from 1830 onward, which developed into the railway manias , and the same term was applied to the workmen employed on building rail tracks , their tunnels , cuttings and embankments . There were 250,000 navvies employed during the apex of British railway expansion efforts. Navvies working on railway projects typically continued to work using hand tools, supplemented with explosives (particularly when tunnelling, and to clear obdurate difficulties). Steam-powered mechanical diggers or excavators (initially called 'steam navvies') were available in
SECTION 20
#17331066532551672-457: The Enquiry of 1846, which eventually led to the need for the formation of and evaluation by a Select Committee on Railway Labourers 1846. The natural tension between locals and outsiders sometimes bred distrust of the navvies. Occasionally, this strain between the two would result in violence such as riots, or death. One such instance occurred at Sampford Peverell in 1811. John Chave, a local who
1748-486: The Liverpool and Manchester Railway continued to be controlled by policemen and flags until its merger with the Grand Junction Railway in 1845. On opening the L&MR represented a significant advance in railway operation, introducing regular commercial passenger and freight services by steam locomotives with significant speed and reliability improvements from their predecessors and horse carriages. The L&MR operation
1824-420: The cable haulage was indisputable but the steam locomotive was still untried. The L&MR had sought to de-emphasise the use of steam locomotives during the passage of the bill, the public were alarmed at the idea of monstrous machines which, if they did not explode, would fill the countryside with noxious fumes. Attention was turning towards steam road carriages, such as those of Goldsworthy Gurney's and there
1900-537: The development of colliery lines and locomotive technology in the north of England. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company was founded on 20 May 1824. It was established by Henry Booth , who became its secretary and treasurer, along with merchants from Liverpool and Manchester . Charles Lawrence was the Chairman, Lister Ellis, Robert Gladstone, John Moss and Joseph Sandars were the Deputy Chairmen. A bill
1976-543: The drainage ditches either side of the railway. The railway over Chat Moss was completed by the end of 1829. On 28 December, the Rocket travelled over the line carrying 40 passengers and crossed the Moss in 17 minutes, averaging 17 miles per hour (27 km/h). In April the following year, a test train carrying a 45-ton load crossed the moss at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) without incident. The line now supports locomotives 25 times
2052-600: The early days of the L&MR meant accidents were not uncommon. All were investigated by the L&MR board or Management Committee. Fatal accidents to travelling passengers were rare, the first two years seeing one for over a million passengers carried, though injuries were more commonplace. These were often caused by passengers failing to heed company regulations and advice. Staff accidents were more commonplace, with some staff preparing to take what later would be considered to be inadvisable risks and disregarding regulations. Locomotives, wagons and infrastructure were involved in
2128-457: The first to be fully timetabled ; and the first to carry mail . Trains were hauled by company steam locomotives between the two towns, though private wagons and carriages were allowed. Cable haulage of freight trains was down the steeply-graded 1.26-mile (2.03 km) Wapping Tunnel to Liverpool Docks from Edge Hill junction. The railway was primarily built to provide faster transport of raw materials, finished goods, and passengers between
2204-694: The great majority of navvies in Britain were English. He also stated that "only the ubiquitous Irish can be regarded as a truly international force in railway construction," but the Irish were only about 30% of the navvies. By 1818, high wages in North America attracted many Irish workers to become a major part of the workforce on the construction of the Erie Canal in New York State and similar projects. Navvies also participated in building canals in Britain, and by
2280-581: The growing rail network. Although Fairbairn tested the girders before installation, not all were so well designed, and there were many examples of catastrophic failure in the years to come, resulting in the Dee bridge disaster of 1847 and culminating in the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879. The line was laid using 15-foot (4.6 m) fish-belly rails at 35 lb/yd (17 kg/m), laid either on stone blocks or, at Chat Moss, wooden sleepers . The physical work
2356-496: The initials LMR stamped upon them. This reduced the problems of drunken navvies and eliminated the local farm labourers freeloading from the food caravans. Tokens and a description of their use can be found in the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester . In the mid-1800s some efforts were made by evangelical Anglicans led by Elizabeth Garnett to administer to the perceived religious needs of navvy settlements, with preaching,
Paddy mail - Misplaced Pages Continue
2432-409: The latter resigning as resident Surveyor. The line was 31-mile (50 km) long. Management was split into three sections. The western end was run by Locke, the middle section by William Allcard and the eastern section including Chat Moss , by John Dixon. The track began at the 2,250-yard (2.06 km) Wapping Tunnel beneath Liverpool from the south end of Liverpool Docks to Edge Hill . It
2508-502: The levels of the track and how he calculated the cost of major structures such as the Irwell Viaduct. The bill was thrown out on 31 May. In place of George Stephenson, the railway promoters appointed George and John Rennie as engineers, who chose Charles Blacker Vignoles as their surveyor. They set out to placate the canal interests and had the good fortune to approach the marquess directly through their counsel, W. G. Adam, who
2584-405: The limitations of the track. Drivers could, and did, travel more quickly, but were reprimanded: it was found that excessive speeds forced apart the light rails, which were set onto individual stone blocks without cross-ties. In 1837 the original fish-belly parallel rail of 50 pounds per yard (24.8 kg/m), on sleepers started to be replaced. The railway directors realised that Crown Street
2660-413: The line began to be used instead. Trains were controlled on a time interval basis: policemen signalled for a train to stop if less than ten minutes had elapsed since a previous train had passed; the signal to proceed at caution was given if more than ten minutes but less than seventeen minutes had passed; otherwise the all clear signal was given. If a train broke down on the line, the policeman had to run
2736-409: The line was carried out by James in 1822. The route was roughly the same as what was built, but the committee were unaware of exactly what land had been surveyed. James subsequently declared bankruptcy and was imprisoned that November. The committee lost confidence in his ability to plan and build the line and, in June 1824, George Stephenson was appointed principal engineer. As well as objections to
2812-428: The local inhabitants of the regions the navvy worked in, when they arrived. In many cases, though, as time passed, the local establishments benefited from navvy business, which strengthened relations, and even forged friendships with an occasional local helping teach reading and writing to some navvies. Many slang terms were used as a method of communication among navvies, which facilitated bonding amongst them, as it
2888-479: The name given to the trains (see: Paddy ). Once the main line was built the name passed to the workmen's specials, which in many cases, were operated along the main line railways and sometimes operated by the main line companies to an exchange point where the trains were taken over by the industrial company. In a time before the provision of pit-head baths it was illegal to travel in a normal service train in working clothes, so special trains were provided, usually of
2964-474: The navvies negative reputation, two-thirds of the railway construction sites had housing erected specifically for the navvy. Initially, the housing "huts" were constructed quickly and meant to be temporary. As a result, little thought was given to comfort, let alone sanitation, which was actually a prominent issue for everyone during the Victorian era . Shanties "were clearly unhealthy places in which to live, and it
3040-464: The other. Even in the 21st century, adjacent tracks on British railways tend to be laid closer together than elsewhere. The line opened on 15 September 1830 with termini at Manchester, Liverpool Road (now part of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester ) and Liverpool Crown Street . The festivities of the opening day were marred when William Huskisson , the Member of Parliament for Liverpool,
3116-460: The pattern for European practice and practice in many other places. Even before the L&MR opened, connecting and other lines were planned, authorised or under construction, such as the Bolton and Leigh Railway . The best-known accident associated with the L&MR was the death of William Huskisson , hit by the locomotive Rocket on the opening day. Thereafter the pioneering and evolving nature of
Paddy mail - Misplaced Pages Continue
3192-719: The pit bottom and the working coal face. Navvy Navvy , a clipping of navigator ( UK ) or navigational engineer ( US ), is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects and occasionally in North America to refer to mechanical shovels and earth moving machinery. The term was coined in the late 18th century in Great Britain when numerous canals were being built, which were also sometimes known as "navigations". A study of 19th-century British railway contracts by David Brooke, coinciding with census returns, showed that
3268-525: The previous bill. From Huyton the route ran directly east through Parr Moss , Newton , Chat Moss and Eccles . In Liverpool, the route included a 1.25-mile (2.01 km) tunnel from Edge Hill to the docks, avoiding crossing any streets at ground level. It was intended to place the Manchester terminus on the Salford side of the River Irwell, but the Mersey and Irwell Navigation withdrew their opposition to
3344-510: The proposed route by Lords Sefton and Derby, Robert Haldane Bradshaw , a trustee of the Duke of Bridgewater 's estate at Worsley , refused any access to land owned by the Bridgewater Trustees and Stephenson had difficulty producing a satisfactory survey of the proposed route and accepted James' original plans with spot checks. The survey was presented to Parliament on 8 February 1825, but
3420-540: The railway company's most ancient coaches. There is a preserved example of such a vehicle from 1869 at the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley . Most of the services were terminated due to competition from motor buses in the 1930s. One much loved line was the Southwell Paddy . Since their main line demise the name has continued in use being applied to the underground man-riding trains which operate between
3496-415: The railway. The line did not start carrying goods until December, when the first of some more powerful engines, Planet , was delivered. The line's success in carrying passengers was universally acclaimed. The experience at Rainhill had shown that unprecedented speed could be achieved and travelling by rail was cheaper and more comfortable than travel by road. The company concentrated on passenger travel,
3572-528: The same as the track gauge itself, so that it would be possible to operate trains with unusually wide loads up the middle during quiet times. Stephenson was criticised for this decision; it was later decided that the tracks were too close together, restricting the width of the trains, so the gap between tracks ( track centres ) was widened. The narrowness of the gap contributed to the first fatality, that of William Huskisson , and also made it dangerous to perform maintenance on one track while trains were operating on
3648-456: The terrain, and the locals' reception of them. Due to limited safety protocols, navvies were frequently injured or killed on the job. For each mile of rail laid, there was an average of three work-related deaths, which was even higher when working on sections that required tunnelling. The particularly high incidence of navvy mortality during the construction of the Woodhead Tunnel prompted
3724-649: The two routes between Manchester and Liverpool will have much the same frequency of service. On the original route, a new (May 2014) hourly First TransPennine Express non-stop service runs between Manchester Victoria and Liverpool (from/to) Newcastle), an hourly fast service is operated by Northern Rail , from Liverpool to Manchester, usually calling at Wavertree Technology Park , St Helens Junction , Newton-le-Willows and Manchester Oxford Road , and continuing via Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport . Northern also operates an hourly service calling at all stations from Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Victoria. This
3800-424: The two towns closed shortly after the railway opened as it was impossible to compete. Within a few weeks of the line opening, it ran its first excursion trains and carried the world's first railway mail carriages; by the summer of 1831, it was carrying special trains to the races. The railway was a financial success, paying investors an average annual dividend of 9.5% over the 15 years of its independent existence:
3876-559: The use of locomotives on this part of the line. To determine whether and which locomotives would be suitable, in October 1829 the directors organised a public competition, known as the Rainhill trials , which involved a run along a 1 mile (1.6 km) stretch of track. Ten locomotives were entered for the trials, but on the day of the competition only five were available to compete: Rocket , designed by George Stephenson and his son, Robert ,
SECTION 50
#17331066532553952-577: The vicarage. Thus he became the world's first widely reported railway passenger fatality. The somewhat subdued party proceeded to Manchester, where, the Duke being deeply unpopular with the weavers and mill workers, they were given a lively reception, and returned to Liverpool without alighting. A grand reception and banquet had been prepared for their arrival. The L&MR was successful and popular, and reduced journey times between Liverpool and Manchester to two hours. Most stage coach companies operating between
4028-615: The weight of the Rocket . The railway needed 64 bridges and viaducts, all built of brick or masonry , with one exception: the Water Street bridge at the Manchester terminus. A cast iron beam girder bridge was built to save headway in the street below. It was designed by William Fairbairn and Eaton Hodgkinson , and cast locally at their factory in Ancoats . It is important because cast iron girders became an important structural material for
4104-555: The workers were unfit to work, monies were subtracted from their wages and meal tokens were issued. These tokens could be handed in at meal caravans for a bowl of soup and a portion of bread. At first the token was a slip of paper called a "flimsy" because of its thickness. In today's terms it would be similar to a grade called " bank paper " . As these tokens could be copied by the forgers , the Liverpool and Manchester Railway supplied its contractors with six-sided food tokens that were surrendered for meals. These were cut from brass and had
4180-417: Was a division in the L&MR board between those who supported Stephenson's "loco-motive" and those who favoured cable haulage, the latter supported by the opinion of the engineer, John Rastrick . Stephenson was not averse to cable haulage—he continued to build such lines where he felt it appropriate—but knew its main disadvantage, that any breakdown anywhere would paralyse the whole line. The line's gradient
4256-433: Was a relative of one of the trustees, and the support of William Huskisson who knew the marquess personally. Implacable opposition to the line changed to financial support. The second bill received royal assent as the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Act 1826 ( 7 Geo. 4 . c. xlix) on 5 May 1826. The railway route ran on a significantly different alignment, south of Stephenson's, avoiding properties owned by opponents of
4332-576: Was carried out by a large team of men, known as "navvies", using hand tools. The most productive teams could move up to 20,000 tonnes of earth in a day and were well paid. Nevertheless, the work was dangerous and several deaths were recorded. In 1829 adhesion-worked locomotives were not reliable. The experience on the Stockton and Darlington Railway was well-publicised, and a section of the Hetton colliery railway had been converted to cable haulage. The success of
4408-776: Was derived from a George Stephenson recommendation that was accepted at an L&MR board meeting in July 1826: "Resolved that the width of the Wagon Way between the rails to be the same as the Darlington Road , namely 4 feet 8 inches clear, inside the rails". This enabled the Stephensons to test their locomotives on the lines around Newcastle on Tyne before shipment to Lancashire. The L&MR used left hand running on double track, following practice on British roads. The form of couplings using buffers, hooks and chains, and their dimensions, set
4484-496: Was described as "crooked and rough" with an "infamous" surface. Road accidents were frequent, including waggons and coaches overturning, which made goods traffic problematic. The proposed railway was intended to achieve cheap transport of raw materials, finished goods and passengers between the Port of Liverpool and east Lancashire , in the port's hinterland . There was support for the railway from both Liverpool and London but Manchester
4560-476: Was designed to concentrate the steep grades in three places, at either side of Rainhill at 1 in 96 and down to the docks at Liverpool at 1 in 50 ) and make the rest of the line very gently graded, no further than 1 in 880. When the line opened, the passenger section from Edge Hill to Crown Street railway station was cable hauled, as was the section through the Wapping Tunnel , as the act of Parliament forbade
4636-571: Was drafted in 1825 to Parliament, which included a 1-inch to the mile map of the railway's route. The first bill was rejected but the second passed as the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Act 1826 ( 7 Geo. 4 . c. xlix) in May the following year. In Liverpool 172 people bought 1,979 shares, in London 96 took 844, Manchester 15 with 124, 24 others with 286. The Marquess of Stafford held 1,000, making 308 shareholders with 4,233 shares. The first survey for
SECTION 60
#17331066532554712-428: Was easy for passengers to get down and stretch their legs, despite being instructed not to, particularly as there was an interval between the delayed passing trains. Huskisson decided to alight and stroll alongside the train, and on spotting the Duke decided to start a conversation. The Rocket was spotted heading in the opposite direction as people shouted at Huskisson to get back on the train. The Austrian ambassador
4788-470: Was found impossible to drain the bog and so the engineers used a design from Robert Stannard, steward for William Roscoe , that used wrought iron rails supported by timber in a herring bone layout. About 70,000 cubic feet (2,000 m ) of spoil was dropped into the bog; at Blackpool Hole, a contractor tipped soil into the bog for three months without finding the bottom. The line was supported by empty tar barrels sealed with clay and laid end to end across
4864-412: Was frequently used for a laugh, or as a method of asking for someone to watch your back, while you sneaked a smoke break, or went off for a drink. Much of the terminology appears to be fluid, relying primarily on rhyming with the intended meaning. One example provided by Daniel William Barrett, in his book, Life and Work Among The Navvies , contains the following navvy slang; "'now, Jack, I'm goin' to get
4940-472: Was killed. The southern line was reserved for the special opening train, drawn by the locomotive Northumbrian conveying the Duke of Wellington , the Prime Minister, in an ornamental carriage, together with distinguished guests in other carriages. When the train stopped for water at Parkside , near Newton-le-Willows , it was intended that the other trains should pass in review on the northern line. It
5016-570: Was largely indifferent and opposition came from the canal operators and the two local landowners, the Earl of Derby and the Earl of Sefton , over whose land the railway would cross. The proposed Liverpool and Manchester Railway was to be one of the earliest land-based public transport systems not using animal traction power. Before then, public railways had been horse-drawn, including the Lake Lock Rail Road (1796), Surrey Iron Railway (1801) and
5092-414: Was not uncommon for a navvy community to be overtaken by cholera, dysentery or typhus ." In addition to these unhygienic living conditions, navvies shared housing, some even sleeping on floors. The majority of navvies were Englishmen, with 30% of the group being Irish. While this ratio varied from navvy shanty town to shanty town, sleeping arrangements were segregated. In at least one documented instance,
5168-417: Was pulled back into the carriage, but Huskisson panicked. He tried to climb into the carriage, but grabbed the open door, which swung back, causing him to lose his grip. He fell between the tracks and the Rocket ran over his leg, shattering it. He is reported to have said, "I have met my death—God forgive me!" The Northumbrian was detached from the Duke's train and rushed him to Eccles , where he died in
5244-457: Was regionally well known for living in a "haunted house," was approached by a group of drunk navvies. The encounter left Chave feeling threatened, so after proceeding home with the navvy group in tow, he used a gun to shoot a warning shot into the crowd, which hit and killed one of the group members causing a riot to ensue. The death was later deemed a justifiable homicide . As newspapers reported on similar conflicts, anticipated tensions grew for
5320-419: Was shown to be inaccurate. Francis Giles suggested that putting the railway through Chat Moss was a serious error and the total cost of the line would be around £200,000 instead of the £40,000 quoted by Stephenson. Stephenson was cross examined by the opposing counsel led by Edward Hall Alderson and his lack of suitable figures and understanding of the work came to light. When asked, he was unable to specify
5396-485: Was studied by other upcoming railway companies as a model to aspire to. More recently some have claimed the operation was the first Inter-city railway, though that branding was not introduced until many years later and neither Manchester or Liverpool achieved city status until 1853 and 1880 respectively, nor would the distance between them qualify as long-haul . The subsequently widely adopted gauge of 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm )
5472-511: Was the first inter-city railway in the world. It opened on 15 September 1830 between the Lancashire towns of Liverpool and Manchester in England. It was also the first railway to rely exclusively on locomotives driven by steam power , with no horse-drawn traffic permitted at any time; the first to be entirely double track throughout its length; the first to have a true signalling system;
5548-402: Was the first railway to have a system of signalling . This was undertaken by policemen, who were stationed along the line at distances of a mile or less. Initially these policemen signalled that the line was clear by standing straight with their arms outstretched. If the policeman was not present, or was standing at ease, this indicated that there was an obstruction on the line ahead. Gradually
5624-405: Was the only one to successfully complete the journey and, consequently, Robert Stephenson and Company were awarded the locomotive contract. The line was built to 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) ( standard gauge ) and double track . A decision had to be made about how far apart the two tracks should be. It was decided to make the space between the separate tracks
5700-479: Was the world's first tunnel to be bored under a metropolis. Following this was a 2-mile (3 km) long cutting up to 70 feet (21 m) deep through rock at Olive Mount , and a 712-foot (217 m) nine-arch viaduct, each arch of 50 feet (15 m) span and around 60 feet (18 m) high) over the Sankey Brook valley. The railway included the 4 + 3 ⁄ 4 -mile (7.6 km) crossing of Chat Moss. It
5776-482: Was too far away from the centre of Liverpool to be practical, and decided in 1831 to construct a new terminus at Lime Street . The tunnel from Edge Hill to Lime Street was completed in January 1835 and opened the following year. The station opened on 15 August 1836 before it had been completed. On 30 July 1842, work started to extend the line from Ordsall Lane to a new station at Hunts Bank in Manchester that also served
#254745