FOWS meet every two months at the Walkden Legion Club in Wilfred Road just a few minutes walk from the station.
Our next meeting is on Wednesday (3rd November) at 7.15pm.
Our meetings are open to everyone with an interest in improving the station and services, so if you like to know more about our work and the latest news about the station, why not come along ? New faces are always welcome !
The wait for a green light at the signal outside Salford Crescent station is a familiar experience for travellers from Walkden to Manchester.
We had supposed the wait was something to do with crossing from the mechanical signalling of the Walkden line into the electronically controlled central Manchester area. However a Network Rail source informs us the wait is simply a feature of the timetable … track space through Salford Crescent is limited and sometimes even trains that are running on time have to wait for their gap.
Network Rail have declined to elaborate on plans to modernise the signalling between Hindley and Salford after publishing a notice of intent to close the signal boxes at Walkden, Atherton and Crow Nest (Hindley).
Apparently there are no plans to start the project until late 2012 or possibly later, and consultations with staff have not yet been started.
FOWS have alerted a number of railway heritage bodies to the proposed closure to help ensure the historic signal box at Walkden is not lost to posterity.
For anybody interested in the history of other signal boxes in the north west, we recommend the Line Clear website written by former Walkden signaller Harry Gardner.
The FOWS monthly Station Condition Report for October is now available from our website, and comparison with the report from October last year provides an encouraging reminder of how things have steadily improved in the last 12 months.
Back in Oct 2009 we had no CCTV or pigeon netting of course, and the report contained a depressingly familiar tale of graffiti around the premises, vandalised litter bins, a leaking roof over the stairs, pigeon mess on the platforms, and missing “Walkden” station signs.
Going back another year to October 2008 things were worse still with more vandalism, graffiti and problems with the roof.
Of course we know things could still be better, and we continue to look for way to improve the station, but there can be no doubt how the station has been improved in the last few years. A good time then to say “thanks” to Station Manager Pam Williams whose hard work has brought many of the benefits to Walkden.
Network Rail have revealed plans to close the signal box at Walkden, as well as those at Atherton and Crow Nest Junction near Hindley.
We are waiting to hear more details from Network Rail about their plans for the line and the schedule for closure. We presume the boxes’ closure means the line will be converted to modern colour-light signalling in place of the mechanical “semaphore” signals currently used.
The closure proposal can be read on Network Rail’s website.
Colour light signals will probably mean reduced operating costs for the line (reducing the number of signalling staff required), and is a positive sign of Network Rail’s commitment to the line’s future as a “heavy-rail” (i.e. not tram) route.
Walkden signal box is an historic building dating from the year of the line’s opening in 1888. Although it was clad in modern exterior materials in 2002 we believe that the original building is largely intact beneath and have initiated enquiries about safeguarding its long-term future.
British Transport Police have released an “e-fit” picture of a man wanted in connection with a sexual assault on a Wigan-bound train in September.
Please see the BTP Press Centre Website for the picture and details of the assault which took place on a Friday afternoon between Atherton and Daisy Hill.
Taking the train is an environmentally friendly activity which helps keep carbon emissions down.
So Walkden train users might also be interested in the Manchester Is My Planet programme which is a joint initiative between various government and development agencies to champion all things good and green in the city.
Check out the Manchester Is My Planet website to find out more about their goals and for ideas about things we can all do to help tackle climate change.
We have received a helpful reply from GM Police about the “Pavement Parking” leaflets left on cars last week.
The Police suggest that parking half-on and half-off the pavement is a “common sense approach” on a narrow street provided the vehicle “does not obstruct the pavement to the extent a wheel chair cannot get past“.
This seems an eminently reasonable position and FOWS would therefore urge station users parking along Park Road to bear the Police advice in mind and make sure you leave enough room for a wheelchair to get past your car.
Our thanks to GMP for a quick and practical reply 🙂
Passengers parking their cars on Park Road last Friday returned to their vehices to find a leaflet about “pavement parking” on their windscreens.
The leaflet, apparently from Greater Manchester Police, warns that pavement parking can obstruct pedestrians, damage the pavement, and lead to a fine.
FOWS have written to the Police to ask for clarification on the legalities of parking on the pavement as we do not wish for any station users to fall foul of the law, and we have also explained that the lack of a station car park is a recognised problem for both station users and local residents.
We have also asked if the Police will lend their support to our requests to Salford City Council and GMPTE to provide dedicated off-road parking for the ever-increasing number of people using the station – and thereby helping reduce congestion and pollution in the city.
FOWS Chair Peter Aust recently attended a meeting of the GMITA Rail and Metrolink Networks Committee to explain our work and objectives to the councillors who set rail strategy for the Greater Manchester area. Peter is pictured here with Cllr Doreen Dickinson who chairs the committee.
FOWS were invited, along with FRECCLES (the Friends of Eccles Station), after our recent success at the national Community Rail Awards ceremony in Southend.
GMITA have also released the following press release praising FOWS and FRECCLES achievements and recognition:
Praise for community rail groups
Transport leaders have commended the work of local rail groups, following this year’s round of Community Rail Awards.
Friends of Walkden Station, Friends of Eccles Station and Friends of Glossop Station were among rail volunteers from across the country to receive recognition at the event.
The awards, now in their sixth year, are run by the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACORP) to publicly recognise and reward the efforts of community rail supporters who promote their local services.
Friends of Walkden station achieved second place in the ‘Best Community Rail Event’ category for the Walkden Station Gala, which attracted hundreds of visitors to celebrate the return of a Sunday service to the station after 41 years.
Friends of Eccles Station (FRECCLES) landed third place in the ‘Best Station Garden or Floral Display’ category after wowing judges with their dramatic improvement of the inner-city station.
Friends of Glossop Station member Chris Strogen also came third in the ‘Best Community Rail Image’ category for his ‘Hang on to Your Teddies!’ photograph.
Councillor Doreen Dickinson, Chair of the Rail and Metrolink Networks Committee, said: “Congratulations to the groups on their fantastic achievements. Local rail services play a vital part in communities across the region, and it’s good to see residents coming together and making a real difference in their areas.
“The Walkden and Eccles Stations are two great examples of what can be achieved, and I hope this will inspire more community groups to be creative in promoting their local rail services in the future.”
Friends of Walkden Station\'s Weblog 