Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Bidston Aerodrome

Aye there sure was matey - http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/s/seacombe/index.shtml

Wonderful site for the history of Britain's lost railway's.

Good site that used it before but never knew about Seacome untill i just looked at the book for mark hehe nice...

Anyway back on topic LOL

The seacombe line ran down the cutting that the motorway approach to the tunnel uses now,behind Rosthern Ave in Wallasey.
My Dad lived there and watched the steam trains from the end of the garden.If you look at the cutting walls (probably best if your not driving) you can still see remains of a station, as they lowered the cutting for the motorway.

Hello folks.... Mr Smartarse here. The picture shows the branch veering left to Seacombe. The "main line" heads towards B'head North. Taken from the footbridge at Bidston Station.

The pic. shows 3rd rail. These lines weren't electrified by the LMS until 1938. Probably a typo in the book. Timber ramps are seen at the nearest set of points. These were to stop any loose 4th rail (Mersey Section) collector shoes clattering the running rails. The 4th rail system was scrapped in 1956/57, so the pic. is prior to then.

As the white painted ends of the conductor rail ramps are freshly painted, I would guess that this pic. was taken straight after electrification.

The branch to the left was only used normally by the steam trains (passenger to Seacombe and Ore trains to Bidston Dock). It was electrified for emergency use only by the electric stock and the odd Sunday working. Being part of the "Bidston Triangle", it was the only place electric units could be turned end for end - until the "Loop" was built in the 70's.

As the conductor rail was always covered in rust on this short section, the odd electric train that ventured onto it made Blackpool illuminations look pretty dull by comparison !

MMmmm..... maybe I should get out more ??

Morning History buffs.Could we please stay on topic

Sorry !

If you look in one of the photos you can see the two towers of the church on St Hillarys Brow. I have looked at the gap between the two and tried to line it up with what we have got today. The only place which I can get close to this, is on the top of the bridge of the Bidston bypass that passes over the M53 ?

I am pretty sure there was a racetrack where the photo processors is/was beside the link road - an old airport and a racetrack are very similar - will check it out later.

If the golf clubhouse is still in the same place then this would have been a ready made road to approach the airport if the grid reference above is correct.

Ah, the racetrack was on a 1948 map.

AND the wartime one at West Kirby (strictly Saughall Massie I suppose)

Loads about RAF West Kirby
HERE
Here is a pic I took of the memorial by the old main gate recently

good topic guys Never new about this.very interestin

Yes, I remember RAF West Kirby, although I was never posted there. I seem to remember the nearest station was Meols.

Post war there WAS a plan to convert the West Kirby site to be a "Wirral Airport". In a Birkenhead Development book I have shown to Mark there is a very brief mention of that plan and of it being 'passed to a committee' for further consideration. I KNOW that once upon a time (15+ years ago) I had another book that was probably produced as a result of the output from that committee. The book contained artist's impressions of how such a Wirral Airport would look and contained a lot of guestimates/ wishful thinking about what such a facility would do for the loacl economy.

I have searched and searched for that book, but with no resuolt. I never throw anything away (as my wife will tell you!) so one day it will turn up.

Snod