The Chester & Connah's Quay Railway ran from Chester Northgate in Chester, Cheshire, England, to Shotton, Flintshire, Wales. It was in use for its full length from 1890 to 1992.
At Dee Marsh Junction it connected with the North Wales and Liverpool Railway. It then crossed the River Dee by means of Hawarden Bridge before joining the Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway at Shotton.
The line today
Open portion
The only section of the Chester & Connah's Quay Railway which remains in use is between Dee Marsh Junction and Shotton, forming part of the Borderlands Line.
Closed portion
The rest of the line closed to passenger trains in 1968, but remained open to freight trains until 1992. Even though steelmaking operations at the British Steel plant at Shotton ceased in March 1980, freight continued to use the double-tracked line until 20 April 1984. Goods services resumed on a single-track line on 31 August 1986 before final closure in June 1992. This was precipitated by the closure of Ravenscraig steelworks in Motherwell, Scotland, as freight trains using the line ran between Ravenscraig and Shotton rolling mill.
Cycle path
Since the line between Chester and Dee Marsh closed, the track has been lifted and the route is now a cycle path, forming part of Route 5 of the National Cycle Network.
Junction maps
A 1906 map showing (right) the western end of the line around Shotton and Saughall
A 1903 map showing the eastern end of the line around Chester and BlaconRailway Clearing House Junction Diagrams showing portions of the Chester and Connah's Quay Railway and neighbouring lines
References
- "Shotton Steelworks and Garden City". Archived from the original on 10 January 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
- Oppitz, Leslie (1997). Cheshire Railways Remembered. Countryside Books. p. 111. ISBN 1-85306-458-0.
External links
- Images of the line in its final operating days
- National Cycle Network Chester to Connah's Quay
- Railscot article on the Chester & Connah's Quay Railway
- Virtual stroll along the railway
| Closed railway stations in Cheshire | |
|---|---|
| St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway | |
| Birkenhead Railway | |
| Chester to Crewe | |
| Macclesfield to Marple | |
| Northwich to Sandbach | |
| Winsford and Over Branch Line | |
| Whitchurch and Tattenhall Railway | |
| Sandbach to Kidsgrove | |
| Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway | |
| Mid-Cheshire Line | |
| Chester & Connah's Quay Railway | |
| Helsby to Mouldsworth Junction | |
| Nantwich to Market Drayton | |
| Wirral Line | |
| Other stations |
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 Cheshire portal | |
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| Great Western Railway |
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| London and North Western Railway |
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| Independent lines |
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