Liverpool and Manchester Railway Trust
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lmrailway.bsky.social
Liverpool and Manchester Railway Trust
@lmrailway.bsky.social
An organisation set up to protect original features of and promote the first modern Inter-City railway in the world between Liverpool and Manchester.
"The Rocket" (artist unknown) showing the scene in 1840. Painting is located at Agatha Christie's Greenway home in Devon.
November 28, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Also, the construction shafts for the Wapping Tunnel came down to the side of the tunnel. This photo is the entrance from the tunnel into the Bedford Street shaft, which is partially reopened.
November 28, 2025 at 5:38 PM
What year is this, Ed? Wavertree Lane bridge is LNWR era, and I have never looked into when Parks bridge, Old Lane bridge and Wright's bridge were taken down, so I don't know if they would have all been standing at the same time.
November 28, 2025 at 5:25 PM
It pains to post uncited quotes. One interesting fact that has always been used is that it could take longer to transport cotton from Liverpool to Manchester than it took to get it from the Americas to Liverpool. Turns out the quote is from a Liverpool corn broker called Sir Joshua Walmsley.
September 28, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Locomotive powered for the entire passenger journey.
Timetabled
Ticketed
Dual tracked, never encountering another train coming in the opposite direction
Purpose-built stations
Everything needed for the journey: the track, locomotives and the rolling stock were all supplied by the provider...
September 14, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Today is the 195th anniversary of modern railways. The first inter-city railway opened on this day when eight trains left Crown Street in Liverpool for Liverpool Road in Manchester.

It didn't do a lot of "firsts", it just got the combination right becoming the template for everything that followed.
September 14, 2025 at 11:29 PM
We have finally nailed down that we are looking for Leon Potocki, with this we can start to narrow our search parameters. Count Leon Potocki (1788–1860) was a Polish noble who served the Russian Empire as an ambassador all across Europe. including Lisbon, Naples, Vienna, London and Stockholm.
September 13, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Currently researching the guests present on opening day of the L&MR in 1830. One of the hard ones to find information on is Count Potocki the Russian Ambassador. The problem is there are several simultaneous Counts and most contemporary press reports don't distinguish which is which...
September 13, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Not saying crime was rife in Liverpool in 1978, but apparently, even if it was bolted down, it was not safe. Page 15 of the Liverpool Echo for the 9th June 1978 has two separate railway thefts relating to the Liverpool & Manchester Railway.
August 18, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Next we have a close up of the cutting with and without models of the Moorish arch (model by ‪vrsimility.bsky.social‬) and the two "Pillars of Hercules" chimneys (model by POD). It may be time to remake our Wapping Tunnel route video...
August 16, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Looking at how much Google Earth has improved in recent times. The 1st image is from 2023, which was made to show the location of the cutting in relation to Edge Hill station. The 2nd image is a 2025 version showing a vast improvement in both image quality and 3D modelling of buildings.
August 16, 2025 at 4:32 PM
A nice old photo of Liverpool Road Station from the Sunday Times. Year unknown.
July 27, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Guess where we are now?
July 24, 2025 at 4:43 PM
It's a hard life, on the banks of the Bridgewater canal in Astley. We have been to Chat Moss to see the tracks sink under trains, but modern trains are not heavy enough to see the effect properly... 😕
July 24, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Gah! Forgot to bid on this today. Went for £140 + fees. I meant to bid on it, but was having an eye test 😒
Sepia watercolour by unknown artist in the style of Isaac Shaw. Shows Ducal coaches crossing Water Street Bridge on opening day.
July 22, 2025 at 2:00 PM
This image from the Newland map of 1848 shows the track coming out of the 1829 tunnel, taking the sharp right, then going to the turntable in the top corner, but then that line does not go into coal yards...
July 18, 2025 at 11:55 PM
[1] The 1851 plan of the Edge Hill complex shows the winding vault highlighted in yellow and the station buildings in blue.
[2] The view of the vault from Platform 1
[3] A drawing of the engines and wheel used on Platform 2
[4] The portal for the Victoria Tunnel
July 16, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Network Rail has uncovered the original 1849 rope winding vault for the Victoria Tunnel at Edge Hill. As with the Wapping and Lime Street tunnels, the Victoria used a steam-powered rope haulage system to pull rolling stock up from the North docks.
July 16, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Continuing on about our visit into the 1829 Passenger Tunnel. The Crown Street portal has two distinct cut-outs to allow the coal wagons to make a sharp turn without clipping the portal stonework. So when we visited, the portal and the two cut-outs are visible from the inside.
July 16, 2025 at 2:10 AM
While the stalactites in the 1829 passenger tunnel are quite impressive, if a bit delicate and crumbly, the stalagmites are not at all impressive, this four inch example was the biggest one we found.
July 15, 2025 at 8:17 PM
The 1829 passenger tunnel is the smallest of the three tunnels, connecting the cutting to the Crown Street Passenger Station 250 yards to the west.
July 15, 2025 at 7:40 PM
On Monday, we guided a charity visit into the Edge Hill Cutting. Organised by Network Rail for the Branch Line Society, raising funds for the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. We explored and explained the operation of the Engine Station and investigated the 1829 passenger tunnel that ran to Crown Street
July 15, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Yes, a little "Jinty" That ended its working life at Edge Hill before going to Barry for scrap. Saved and restored and now at the GCR, but minus the unofficial painted signs on either side. www.gcrailway.co.uk/the-railway/...
July 3, 2025 at 4:57 PM
This is carved into the south wall of the Olive Mount Cutting in Liverpool. It shows how much further it is to go to Manchester. Not sure if the markings are every quarter mile. That would need a visit to try to find another one.
July 3, 2025 at 3:09 PM
A bit of then and now for the front of Lime Street Station. Not sure of the date of "then", but I am guessing at a hundred year interval between shots.
July 3, 2025 at 2:56 PM