November 1826, it was discovered that the Wapping Tunnel would pass under houses by Great George Square, and it was decided to redirect the tunnel to avoid them. The tunnel goes under many houses along its length, so what was so special about these large and expensive houses of Great George Square?

When you think about contemporary images of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the most recognisable are a collection of images by Thomas Talbot [T.T.] Bury. Initially, six plates were published in 1831, then an expanded 2nd edition (12 plates)(1832) and 3rd edition (15 plates)(1833).

Sorry to go down the rabbit hole a bit with this... Darron Keeling's reply to our original Facebook post really planted a seed. So, the theory is that the door on the left was raised when the platform was raised, while the one on the right was abandoned, bricked up and left unaltered.

Latest slide added to the collection. The stunning Duchess of Hamilton, taken at Bold Colliery in the evening sun during the Rocket 150 event. She now has her fancy streamlining bodywork refitted and sits alongside Mallard at the NRM in York.

We are pondering the meaning of the Hobbit doorway at Rainhill Station. The two existing theories are a) the doorway was from when the platform was much lower b) it was a recess for a water fountain. My favourite theory is that the door next to it was the same height, but rose with the platform.

Just a pretty photo of the back of the Huskisson Monument at Parkside. It desperately needs restoring. Hopefully, something can be done before the 200th

I went on a scavenge on Britain from Above and came away with this image of Wavertree Nook Bridge. I don't think it is original, as it looks metal, rather than the original Ashlar stone arch that vaulted from the rock walls of Olive Mount cutting. Also, an image of the real world location.

I have overlaid the 1831 map of Manchester onto a modern view to accurately line up the now gone Jones's Bridge No.3. There is no big revelation, since the now gone Church Street marries up with the truncated North Phoebe Street.

We know that there were 1/4 mile markers along the length of the line, but according to the 1850 OS map, there were markers every 1/8th of a mile. The markers showing the distance from Liverpool, then the markers showing the distance from Manchester, roughly an eighth of a mile along the track.

Stay with me, this becomes on topic quite quickly 😜 A 2008 photo of the café in Otterspool Park, which sits on the site of Otterspool House, the home of John Moss. Liverpool banker, Slave owner and Deputy Chairman of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway

Help. I've had this image on my computer for a couple of years, and I've totally forgotten what station it is supposed to be. It was supposed to be a station on the L&MR, but no clue if that is true. Anyone got any ideas?

Wishing everyone a merry and peaceful Christmas!

I have started looking into a property I didn't even know was a thing until this week. No. 2 Lionel Street in St. Helens. It sits across from St Helens Junction station and is dated to circa 1830, and was a public house/hotel. Grade II listed with a possible link to the railway. tinyurl.com/56mfekwu

At the Manchester end of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway. A sketch giving the context for the Liverpool Road terminus. Mid 1830s.

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.

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.

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...

I don't know if @rwldproject.bsky.social can help, but I was wondering when the first-ever railway-based suicide happened? I looked into it, and the date 1852 pops up, but no further details. #MorbidCuriosity

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.

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.

A nice old photo of Liverpool Road Station from the Sunday Times. Year unknown.

Guess where we are now?

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... 😕

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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/...

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.

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.

Far too many Rocket 150 Photoshop jobs are queued up here at Trust Towers. This was the first frame of a recently purchased set of 36 negatives. The subject is the NBR loco "Maude" (named after a general, not a woman) preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/65243-maude-...

Having a little rummage through the archives here at Trust Towers... Two different staff ID badges from Rocket 150 from 1980.

Before wooden sleepers, rails were held in place by large stone sleeper blocks. These examples remain in Crown Street Park in Liverpool, but you will be hard pressed to find them these days, since nature has reclaimed them.

This 212 foot tunnel under Tunnel Road at Edge Hill is the only original length of the 1836 Lime Street tunnel. In the latter half of the 1870s, the rest of it was opened up into the open cutting, you see through the Grade II listed portal.

The latest addition to our archives, the eBay listing claims it is an NRM pin badge. It has a low quality homemade look to it, but interesting enough either way.

Wracked with guilt over the previous failed attempt to share a spherical photo of the first railway viaduct in the world, is is a boring old 2D image of the landmark from 2019. We need to go back and see the results of Network Rail's 2024 renovation.

Posting as a test. These 360 degree spherical photos work on Facebook, so trying this of the the Sankey Viaduct on bluesky to see if they offer the same immersive experience here (Which doesn't seem likely)

For auction at Bonhams in a few weeks. A bit rich for my blood, but something I have always wanted to see in person. www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auctio...

I think that was the largest, and certainly youngest and most diverse audience I've ever spoke to last night for the ICE hosted by Liverpool John Moore's University. Brilliant stuff. Some horribly technical questions I couldn't answer (Not a civil engineer).

On a day of firsts, we finally got to get up close to the White Street air vent of the Wapping tunnel. For years it was fenced off in wasteland, but now it is at the heart of a new apartment block. It appears to have night time illumination! We shall have to come back after dark [POD]

We finally did it! We managed to get all the stake holders for the Edge Hill cutting estate to come visit the cutting. In this photo we have Network Rail, Liverpool City Council, Railway Heritage Trust, Rocket 200 Steering Group, Manchester Histories, Liverpool University and ourselves. #Rocket200

We are currently prepping for another visit into the Edgehill cutting, the birthplace of modern railways.

On the 2nd July 1827, George Stephenson reported to the Directors that he expected the excavation of the Wapping Tunnel to be completed in 12 months time. It was reported complete on the 9th June 1828. Not bad George...not bad...

Just seen a rerun of an episode of Digging for Britain involving out very own archaeologist and Trustee Anthony Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social who lent his skills & knowledge to the 1722 Waggonway project in Prestonpans up in Scotland. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis... (queued to the actual section)

Today the Echo ran a segment on the Wapping tunnel. It contains comments from myself in 2017, but after more research, we now know the Myrtle St. vent was never built. We have seen plans for it, but for some reason it was never actually constructed.[POD] www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpo...

A while back, David Giddins donated a collection of Rocket 150 slides and as is often the case at this age, they can start to deteriorate. This was the worst slide in the collection and I battled with it for several months. It is never going to be perfect, but it is as good as it is going to get.

If you are fond of a bit of ceramics, there is a large quantity of L&MR contemporary jugs going under the hammer on the 23rd of April down in that there London. There are 14 relevant lots. Check them out on The Salesroom website www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/search...

Hate to be shallow and superficial, but more than happy to give someone a plug if they make something nice and shiny and LMR related, much like this evocative artwork by Dennis Markus called "Planet Crossing the Moss." egoistegallery.com/collections/...

May be of (eventual) interest. aboutmanchester.co.uk/manchesters-...