North Union Railway

North Union Railway
Overview
LocaleLancashire
Dates of operation22 May 1834–26 July 1889
PredecessorWigan Branch Railway and Preston and Wigan Railway
SuccessorLondon and North Western Railway and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
North Union Railway
1834 – 1889
Maxwell House
(
closed
1844
)
Preston
Preston
Butler Street
(ELR)
Victoria Quay goods
Preston
Fishergate Hill
(WLR)
Farrington
(renamed Farington)
Golden Hill
(renamed Leyland)
Euxton junction
Euxton (NUR)
Euxton (B&PR)
Coppull
Chorley
Rawlinson Bridge
Standish Lane
(renamed Standish)
Adlington
White Bear
Blackrod
Red Rock
Boar's Head
Lostock Junction
Bolton Trinity Street
Wigan
Wigan Goods
Springs branch
Ince Moss Junction
Bamfurlong
Golborne
LNWR Winwick cut-off
(opened 1864)
Preston Junction
(renamed Lowton)
Parkside
(second)
Parkside
(original)
North Union Railway
and predecessor:
Other lines
(not all shown):
Great Central Railway
predecessors:
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
and predecessors:
Manchester and Leeds Railway
predecessors:
London and North Western Railway
and predecessors:

The North Union Railway was an early British railway company, operating two main routes, from Parkside to Preston and from Bolton Trinity Street to Preston, all in Lancashire. The northerly part of the routes sharing the line from Euxton to Preston.

The company was created in 1834 with the first parliamentary authorised railway amalgamation. The two companies amalgamated were the Wigan Branch Railway (WBR) and the Preston and Wigan Railway (P&WR). In 1844 the company acquired the Bolton and Preston Railway (B&PR).

The company operated independently until 1846, then under joint lease of London and North Western Railway (L&NWR) and Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&Y) but continuing as an independent company until 1889.

In 1889 it was absorbed by the lessees with the line from Parkside to Euxton going to the L&NWR and the line from Euxton to Bolton (the former B&PR) being taken by the (L&Y). The section from Euxton to Preston becoming jointly owned.

Most of the line eventually became part of the West Coast Main Line (WCML).