Hays Chemicals

Hays Chemicals had a factory in the Sutton area of St Helens, England.

St Helens &
Runcorn Gap Railway
Legend
UpperRight arrow Liverpool & Bury Railway
Rainford Junction
Left arrow Skelmersdale branch
LowerLeft arrow Liverpool & Bury Railway
Rainford Village
Rookery
Old Mill Lane
Crank Halt
Moss Bank
Pilkington
Gerards Bridge
St Helens Central
(original GCR station)
St Helens Central
Peasley Cross
Hays Chemicals
Sutton Oak
Robins Lane Halt
St Helens Junction
Clock Face
Union Bank Farm Halt
Farnworth & Bold
Appleton
Ann Street Halt
Warrington Arpley
Warrington Bank Quay
High Level│Low Level
Whitecross
Sankey Bridges
Fidlers Ferry & Penketh
Fiddlers Ferry power station
Cuerdley
Tanhouse Lane
Widnes Central
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Cheshire Lines Committee
(Liverpool–Manchester)
Hough Green
Widnes South
Runcorn Gap
(second)
Runcorn Gap
(first)
Widnes Dock
Ditton Mill
Ditton Junction
Halebank
Speke
1864 extension
to Liverpool
Church Road Garston
Garston Container terminal
Garston Dock
Liverpool South Parkway
Allerton
West Allerton
Mossley Hill
Sefton Park
Wavertree
Edge Hill
Liverpool Lime Street
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The factory was controversial, locally, for actual and feared escapes of toxic chemicals.[1]

The factory was the last customer to use the remains of the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway's original main line.[2][3] Trains accessed the factory from the north,[4] leaving the Liverpool to Wigan Line at St Helens Central Station Junction and travelling through Peasley Cross.[5] In its final years the tracks south of the factory had been lifted.

Hays closed in April 2002.[1] Trains continued until 27 September of that year.[6] The factory has since been levelled.[7]

The track was left in place after closure. At August 2015 it was plainly visible heading away southeast from the south end of St Helens Central, though pallisade fencing crosses the line.

References

  1. ^ a b Wainwright, Stephen. "The History of Industry in Sutton Part 1". Sutton Beauty.
  2. ^ "Sutton Oak Junction to St Helens Station Junction". Railway Codes.
  3. ^ "St. Helen's and Runcorn Gap Railway". Grace's Guide to British Industrial History.
  4. ^ 37chief - Mr C's footage (28 February 2008). 37886 on the Hays Chemicals trip, St.Helens. YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Bridge 2013, p. 42
  6. ^ "Peasley Cross". Disused Stations UK. 20 April 2010.
  7. ^ radiocaroline199 (25 March 2011). Hays Chemicals St Helens. YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Sources

  • Bridge, Mike, ed. (2013). Railway Track Diagrams Book 4 Midlands & North West. Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-7-4.

53°26′22″N 2°42′47″W / 53.439359°N 2.713192°W / 53.439359; -2.713192