On Tuesday 18th August, I’m heading out on another adventure as I visit every single station between Kirkdale and Ormskirk, following the line north from Merseyside and crossing the county boundary into Lancashire. This journey takes me from the urban surroundings of Liverpool and through the towns and communities along the route, eventually reaching Ormskirk, where I’ll complete today’s challenge. Every station is another one ticked off the map as I continue my quest to visit every single railway station in the country. It’s another step closer to that huge goal, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this line has to offer along the way.

I caught my first train of the day from Moorfields, a station I’ve already visited in a previous post as part of my Every Single Station challenge. Rather than heading straight to Kirkdale and having to wait around 15 minutes for the next service, it made much more sense to start my journey here and make the most of the time. I boarded the train and headed north towards my first new station of the day, Walton. With the journey underway, it was time to get off and explore another station, ticking Walton off the list as I continue making my way towards Ormskirk and eventually across the county boundary into Lancashire.

From Walton, I caught my next train to Kirkdale, where the two northern branches of the Merseyrail network, towards Headbolt Lane and Ormskirk, come together before continuing towards the city centre and Liverpool Central. I had around 10 minutes at Kirkdale, giving me just enough time to make my connection before boarding the next train towards Old Roan. After arriving at Old Roan, I continued along the line to Orrell Park, where I decided to mix things up and catch a bus to Aintree rather than continuing entirely by rail.

From Aintree, I made my way back onto the railway and continued my journey towards Maghull North, another station to tick off as part of today’s challenge. It was a slightly different way of tackling the route, combining both trains and buses to make my way between the stations. With Maghull North now visited, I was getting closer to crossing the boundary into Lancashire and continuing onwards towards Ormskirk, with plenty more stations still to explore along the way.

I’m now at Orrell Park station, which was originally opened as a halt and sits on the route between Headbolt Lane and Wigan Wallgate. It’s a rather pleasant little station, with plenty of plants, shrubs and greenery around the platforms, giving it a much more welcoming feel than some of the busier stations along the route. Rather than catching the train from here, I decided to take the bus to Aintree, specifically the 300 service, which gave me a slightly different way of continuing today’s challenge. From Aintree, I would then make my way back onto the railway and head further north towards Maghull North, before continuing on to Maghull itself, where I planned to take a short break and grab something to eat before carrying on with the journey towards Ormskirk and across the county boundary into Lancashire.

Whilst at Maghull North station, I only had a few minutes to wait before my next train arrived to take me the short distance to Maghull. One interesting piece of local history worth mentioning is that Frank Hornby, the inventor, businessman and creator of Hornby Model Railways, was born nearby. Hornby went on to become a hugely influential name in the world of model railways, so it’s quite a fascinating connection to have right here along the route. It’s always little bits of local history like this that make visiting every station so much more interesting, as there’s often a story or connection to discover at each stop.

Once I arrived at Maghull, I decided it was time for a well-earned break before continuing with the challenge. I stopped off at the lovely café on the platform and grabbed myself a bite to eat, giving me the chance to recharge and take a little time away from the trains. With some food inside me and the next part of the journey ahead, I was ready to continue northwards towards Ormskirk, getting ever closer to crossing the boundary from Merseyside into Lancashire and ticking off even more stations along the way.

Maghull Station dates back to 2 April 1849, when it opened as part of the Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway, a route which was soon taken over by the East Lancashire Railway. At the time, Maghull was a much smaller settlement than the town we know today, with agriculture still playing a major role in the local area. The arrival of the railway was therefore a significant development, providing Maghull with a direct connection towards Liverpool and Ormskirk and helping to open up the area to further growth. The original railway itself continued beyond Ormskirk towards Preston, meaning that the route through Maghull was once part of a much longer railway connection rather than simply the Merseyrail branch line we know today.

Maghull actually had another railway station in the past. Sefton and Maghull station opened in 1884 on the Cheshire Lines Committee’s Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway, providing another route towards Southport. Unfortunately, that station was relatively short-lived, closing to passengers in 1952, leaving the original Maghull station as the town’s surviving railway station. It’s fascinating to think that while I’m standing on the platform today waiting for a modern Merseyrail Class 777, I’m doing so at a station that has been serving passengers for more than 175 years and has witnessed an enormous transformation in both the railway and the town around it.

From Maghull, I caught my next train heading further north towards Aughton Park, with the end of today’s journey now getting firmly into sight. Aughton Park would be my second-to-last station before reaching Ormskirk, so I was beginning to feel that I was getting very close to completing this section of the line. After another short journey, I arrived at Aughton Park and took some time to explore the station before continuing with the challenge.

From Aughton Park, I then made my way to Town Green, my final station before Ormskirk. With each stop, I was getting closer to crossing the county boundary and reaching Lancashire, which was one of the main highlights of today’s adventure. Town Green was another station ticked off the list, leaving just one final stop ahead of me — Ormskirk — where I would complete this stretch of my Every Single Station challenge.

I then boarded my final train from Ormskirk, heading back towards the city centre after completing the main part of today’s journey and crossing into Lancashire along the way. Rather than continuing all the way into Liverpool, I decided to make the most of the journey and hop off at Sandhills for a little bonus station. It was a great way to finish the day, and it also brought me one step closer to completing the entire Merseyrail network. With Sandhills now ticked off, I’ve only got the line between Liverpool and Southport left to complete, meaning I’m getting ever closer to having visited every station across the Merseyrail network!

I then boarded my final train from Ormskirk, heading back towards the city centre after completing the main part of today’s adventure. Having crossed the county boundary and visited every station between Kirkdale and Ormskirk, it felt great to have another section of the network completed. Rather than travelling all the way into the city, I decided to make the most of the journey and get off at Sandhills for a little bonus station. With Sandhills now ticked off, I’m getting closer to completing the entire Merseyrail network, with only the stations between Liverpool and Southport left for me to visit. And with that, another successful day of my Every Single Station challenge comes to an end! If you’ve enjoyed following along, let me know in the comments if you’ve travelled along this line or visited any of these stations yourself, and stay tuned for the next adventure as I continue working my way towards every single station in the country!