Area Bolton 11 June 1831 (1831-06-11) Station opened | Grid reference SD672058 2 February 1885 (1885-02-02) Station closed | |
 | ||
Place Chequerbent, Westhoughton Pre-grouping London and North Western Railway Original company London and North Western Railway Similar Darcy Lever railway st, Irlams o' th' Height railway st, Staley and Millbrook railway st | ||
Chequerbent railway station was a railway station in Westhoughton to the south-west of Bolton, Greater Manchester, on the line between Bolton and Leigh. It was open from 1831 until its replacement in 1885 by a later station.
History
The line of the former Bolton and Leigh Railway (B&LR) opened for goods traffic in 1828, followed by passenger services in 1831 commencing with an excursion from Bolton to Newton for the Aintree races. The first station at Chequerbent opened on 11 June 1831. The route included a number of steep inclines which were worked using ropes hauled by stationary engines, as opposed to locomotives on the flatter sections of the line. To avoid these inclines, and allow steam locomotives to haul trains for the entire journey, the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), successor to the B&LR, built deviations over easier gradients. This required the resiting of several stations, including Chequerbent. The station thus closed on 2 February 1885 and was replaced by a new station only a short distance away on the same day.