In this post, I explored the line between Wigan North Western and Hutton. This is the second post in a series examining Britain’s branch lines, which serve communities and provide a vital alternative for those who don’t drive or prefer public transport. The idea behind this series is to capture quick photos of each platform along the route to give you a glimpse of what it’s like to ride the line.

The first stop along the branch is Bryn, the first an last stop in Greater Manchester before heading towards Merseyside and the next station along of Garswood. The line is rich in history with another branch heading off from St Helens Central station heading towards Rainford & Ormskirk stations, however sadly that line is no longer in use, part of it is now a foot path.

If you would like to see some posts about Disused Railways from the likes of the Wirral Way, Liverpool Loop Line, Runcorn Gap & Much more I would love to know your thoughts in the comments! However back to the line, from Bryan our next station is Garswood the first in the Merseyside Boundary.

From Garswood, we head left towards St Helens Central, running alongside a rather large reservoir, which is really cool to see and gives the line its own character. There are also some industrial services here, though I’m not quite sure what they make or produce. It adds a very industrial feel near St Helens, which I do like.

Approaching St Helens, I admire the station building’s use of glass, which also features in my fourth Every Station post, coming out after this one. The station is situated just on the edge of St Helens, and it’s a short walk into the town centre, which I covered earlier in my Every Station blog.

After St Helens Central, the next station is Thatto Heath, which is heading quickly towards Huyton on the Mainline towards Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester. Hutton is quite an interesting station with four platforms and serves as a major junction. However, heading from Thatto Heath, our next stop is Eccleston Park, the penultimate station on the branch.

From Eccleston Park, our next and final station on the branch is Prescott, the home of Shakespeare, which is interesting to note. As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of history along this line, with two disused railways from St Helens to St Helens Junction, continuing to Rainford and Ormskirk, which would have connected to the Mersey Network.

And finally as we branch onto the mainline towards Liverpool Lime Street I decided to exit the train here and get the Bus back to Liverpool mainly as I needed to get a cable to charge my phone, Huyton is a four platform station with services to Wigan, Liverpool & Manchester providing a direct connection to Manchester Airport.

Thanks again for joining me on this journey along the Wigan North Western branch line to Huyton. The next branch I plan to explore will be from Hamilton Square to West Kirby, stopping at stations like Conway Park, Birkenhead, and Bidston for the Borderlands line, among many others, until reaching West Kirby, the end of the line.

But for now, have you ever ridden this line from Liverpool or Wigan? I rather like it, especially during the autumn months. They seem to stand out during this time of year, especially Eccleston Park and Thatto Heath, with the trees turning to an autumnal colour. It is just stunning.