The 228th video of my train spotting adventures.
-----
This video begins in the centre of Liverpool, right at its heart at the old and impressive Liverpool Lime Street railway station. A large, 11-platform (10 overground, 1 underground), DfT Category A "National Hub" station, it was opened in 1836 by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR). It is the oldest still-operating grand terminus mainline station in the world.
-
This came after their existing station, Crown Street in Edge Hill, proved too far from the centre of the city to be a viable terminus hub. In 1833, land was purchased for the construction of the station at £9,000 (roughly £1,080,000 in 2023 money). A twin-track tunnel connected the new station through from Edge Hill, and the station eventually opened 3 years on. Initially, due to the steep incline, trains were decoupled from their locomotives at Edge Hill and allowed to roll into Lime Street via gravity & brake-van assistance. The return journey hauled the carriages up the incline to Edge Hill via a stationary steam engine and a rope at Edge Hill station. By 1870 this practice had come to an end.
-
Within 6 years of opening, expansions were already needed to cater to the vast passenger influx. The first of these expansions was completed in 1849 at a cost of £15,000 (roughly 1,970,000 in 2023 money). This involved a large curved roof to house a larger station complex. Following on from this, a second, larger upgrade came in 1867, which included the present northern arched train shed & its roof. At the time, at a span of 200ft (61 m), it was the largest such structure in the world, and the first train shed roof to be made of iron throughout. In 1879, a second parallel roof was constructed, widening the station even more and making way for additional platforms. The building fronting the station is of Renaissance Revival style, and formerly housed the North Western Hotel. Today, after 2020, it takes the form of the Radisson RED Liverpool Hotel.
-
After the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, Lime Street was subjected to many enhancements, upgrades and alterations, including new signalling systems, a new concourse around the station, and new retail & office spaces. Regular electric rail traffic commenced after the WCML electrification project in 1962; by 1966, the new InterCity branded trains launched from Lime Street to London Euston. Before this, the last ever mainline steam railway service ran from Lime Street to Manchester Victoria and back on August 11th 1968, hauled by Black 5 locomotive 45110 as the Fifteen Guinea Special. It's still in preservation today, currently undergoing overhaul for the 60th Anniversary of the aforementioned special in 2028.
-
Merseyrail opened in 1970, and around the same time all other large mainline stations in Liverpool (such as Liverpool Central surface level) were closed down, with subsequent mainline services all concentrating solely into Lime Street station from then on. In 2003, the Pendolino service operated by Virgin Trains was unveiled at the station. By 2015, electrification of the line from Lime Street to Wigan via St Helens Central was completed, as well as for the former Liverpool and Manchester Railway route. More information can be found on the Wikipedia page!
-----
Filmed on the:
West Coast Mainline
Northern Line (Merseyrail)
-----
Services seen:
AWC) Services towards Runcorn, Crewe, Stafford, Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street, Birmingham International, and onwards to London Euston.
-
LNR) Services towards Liverpool South Parkway, Runcorn, Acton Bridge, Hartford, Winsford, Crewe, Stafford and onwards to Birmingham New Street.
-
TFW) Services towards Liverpool South Parkway, Runcorn, Frodsham, Helsby and Chester.
-
TPE) Services towards St Helens Central, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster (and onwards to Scotland), Liverpool South Parkway, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly, Newton-le-Willows, Manchester Victoria, and onwards to central and Northern England.
-
EMR) Services towards Liverpool South Parkway, Hunts Cross, Warrington Central, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Sheffield and onwards to Derby, Nottingham, and Ely/Norwich.
-
NT) Services towards Edge Hill, West Allerton, Mossley Hill, Liverpool South Parkway, Hunts Cross, Wigan Central, Birchwood, Trafford Park, Deansgate, St Helens Central, Wigan North Western, Earlestown, Newton-le-Willows, Patricroft, Eccles, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Airport, and onwards to other North of England destinations.
-----
Trains seen:
AWC) Class 390 Pendolino
LNR) Class 350 Desiro
TFW) Class 197 Civity
TPE) Class 185 Desiro, Class 802 Nova 2
EMR) Class 158 Express Sprinter, Class 170 Turbostar
NT) Class 150 Sprinter, Class 156 Super Sprinter, Class 195/Class 331 Civity
-----
Please leave a like, comment or even subscribe if you enjoy my content.
Thanks for watching :)

свернуть