All change

Photo courtesy of Ron Turriff

A wonderfully evocative view of Wigan North Western station in the early 1960s around the period we are currently exhibiting New Mills. The LNWR provenance still features on the nameboard to distinguish this main line station from the L&Y Wigan Wallgate station,  served by Rochdale, Bolton to Southport and Liverpool trains at that time and still open today, and the GC who had also served the town. Their station, Wigan Central, continued to support a passenger service to Irlam and Manchester Central until 1964.
Mail sacks are being unloaded from the Cravens set, probably on a local service from St Helens (?) , a Black 5 rumbles through on a southbound van train and the obligatory short-trousered spotter, possibly with Dad, takes all the numbers. The duffel bag with bottle of Tizer and sandwiches must be parked further down the platform!
Magic.
The Wigan Finescale Exhibition is on 10th & 11th September, for full details go to http://www.wiganfrm.org.uk/exhibition.html