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Glazebrook East Jn to Skelton Jn, March & April 2020.
Only a few miles from home, but a disused railway I haven't really explored very much previously. Having said that, I did travel over it throughout on a railtour on 06/03/1982, then later from Skelton Jn as far as Partington works on a railtour on 29/02/1992.
The line from Glazebrook East Jn to Skelton Jn was built by the Cheshire Lines Committee and opened for freight traffic in March 1873, and September 1873 for passenger traffic.
In 1893 the western end of the route was raised to carry the line over the Manchester Ship Canal, this was the so-called "Railway Deviation No.4". To ensure that rail traffic was not interrupted, the deviation was built alongside the original route until complete and approved for use; only then was the original route cut by the canal works. This, and the fact that both sides were re-used for industrial sidings, means that the original route is still mostly visible to this day.
Local passenger train services ceased in 1964 and the line last carried through passenger services in 1966. The costs of maintaining the bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal at Cadishead were cited as the reason for final closure as a through route in 1984. A single track was retained from Skelton Jn to serve the chemical works at Partington, but this closed in 1993.
As there are a lot of photographs, which were mostly taken in March & April 2020, I have separated the route into sections with an album for each: West Timperley area, Partington area, Partington and Carrington branch, and Cadishead area (including Glazebrook).