Why Winsford was 'a veritable Mecca for steam engine enthusiasts'

As well as being the source of it, salt is also produced in its various forms, including industrial use.

This has to be transported about the country; most of these salt products were, until the early 1980s, carried by rail.

Today, however, most of it is carried by road. In the days when virtually all of the salt and salt products were carried by rail, Winsford had three stations for the use of passengers and numerous other goods yards and sidings to serve the salt industry.

The longest Winsford branch line operated initially by the Cheshire Lines Railway was the short branch from Cuddington on the Chester to Manchester line to the Winsford & Over station.

The Cheshire Lines Company (CLC) was unique in owning no locomotives of its own. The picturesque line was about six miles long and had one intermediate station at Whitegate, a tiny village.

Winsford and Over station, at the end of Whitegate Way (Image: Paul Hurley)

The line had an extremely chequered history and was not a very good investment for its shareholders.

The real purpose of the line was to serve the many salt works on the Meadow Bank side of the River Weaver at Winsford; it was a continuation of this line that led to the terminus at Winsford & Over station.

The line opened to passengers on June 1, 1870, and passenger services were withdrawn on January 1, 1874.

It was reopened on May 1, 1886, closed on December 1, 1888, reopened on February 1, 1892, and finally closed to passengers on January 1, 1931. In 1929 the small engine shed at the station was closed.

Engines used on the line were '9B 0-6-0's and '3' 2-4-2T classification.

Whitegate station (Image: Paul Hurley)

From 1929 until 1931, a Sentinel-Cammell steam coach, Number 602, was substituted. After this date, there were several enthusiasts' rail tours.

In October 1953, a rail tour visited the station and the salt works consisting of an ex-Great Central push and pull set hauled by a class 'C13' 4-4-2T No 67436.

Again in March 1960, a rail tour navigated the line consisting of corridor stock hauled by an Ivatt ex LMS 2-6-0 locomotive, No 46472.

The passenger service ran at a loss for virtually all of its existence. The line did not close entirely until June 5, 1967. The track was lifted, and the track bed is now the Whitegate Way countryside walk.

The second Winsford station was called the Over & Wharton station, which was at the end of a short branch from what is now the West Coast mainline.

Whitegate station (Image: Simon Oakes)

This line was also opened to take advantage of the heavy salt traffic on the Wharton side of the river. Lines traversed the many salt mines on what is now Wharton Common.

It was opened in 1882 by the LNWR and closed to passengers in 1947. It was closed to freight in 1982.

Up to this date, lorries carried the salt from the main Winsford salt mine, which is the only one still in existence, to the station.

Although it had a full station, apart from specials, it only carried passengers to Hartford station, where they would change.

In the 1960s, the branch served another purpose: it was used to store withdrawn steam locomotives before their dispatch for scrapping.

Over and Wharton station and goods yard (Image: Paul Hurley)

A new road has been built on the track bed, and all signs of the station have disappeared beneath a supermarket.

The third and only remaining Winsford station is the one on the main line. This is still open and busy with local trains connecting with Crewe, Birmingham, Liverpool and London.

That is Winsford, on the surface, a sleepy little town famous for its salt production, but in the past, a veritable Mecca for steam engine enthusiasts.

There were locomotives from three companies traversing its busy railway network, and several companies provided the rolling stock with their own colours and styles. For instance, each salt mine owner had their own liveried rail wagons.

Winsford may not have been a large industrial area, but its rail network was a match for any larger town.

The Winsford of today has a more diverse industrial base, and it sits comfortably amongst the green and pleasant flatlands of Mid Cheshire, with the West Coast Main Line sweeping as straight as an arrow through the lush countryside.