Farington railway station

Farington
A freight train passing through in 1957
Location
Place	Farington
Area	South Ribble
Operations
Original company	North Union Railway
Pre-grouping	NUR
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Platforms	4
History
31 October 1838	Station opens as Farrington
October 1857	renamed Farington
7 March 1960	Station closes to regular traffic
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
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Farington railway station served Farington, south of Preston in Lancashire, England.

History

The station opened on 31 October 1838 under the ownership of the North Union Railway, and was originally named Farrington.^[1] In October 1857 it was renamed Farington.^[2] It became a junction in 1846 when the Blackburn and Preston Railway opened its line from Blackburn, which joined the main line a short distance to the south. This link only survived in regular use for four years however, as a dispute between the B&PR's successor the East Lancashire Railway and the NUR over access to the main line to Preston and the sizeable tolls the ELR had to pay to use it led to the latter company building its own independent route into the city. Thereafter original B&PR link fell into disuse and was severed (though it eventually reopened in 1886 with the main line junction altered to face south), whilst the station reverted to a purely local role, served by stopping trains between Wigan North Western and Preston on the main line. This was quadrupled at the end of the 19th century and the station expanded to four platforms as a consequence.

Farington station was closed by the British Transport Commission on 7 March 1960,^[3] (before the Beeching Axe of 1963) and was subsequently demolished. West Coast Main Line trains run through Farington and still carry many inter-city and semi-local services and the East Lancashire Line crosses over the line close by.

Lostock Hall railway station (on the East Lancashire Line) and Leyland railway station (on the West Coast Main Line) are the nearest stops to the village.

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  Farington Station remains, view northward 1959,

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  Farington Station remains, with trainspotter 1959

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  Return holiday express at Farington in 1959

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  Farington Junction in 1962

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  Site of Farington railway station 1992

References

1. Butt 1995, p. 95
2. Butt 1995, pp. 94,95
3. Butt 1995, p. 94

Bibliography

• Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 95. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.

Coordinates: 53°43′18″N 2°41′50″W / 53.7217°N 2.6972°W