Courting on the Buckley Line
Last updated: 23 July 2007
Q: Janice Davies, Connah's Quay: "Does anyone remember the Buckley Line? I would love to hear some stories about it. My mum and her sisters did all their courting up there among the bluebells."
This page has now been closed as more information has been added to the Flintshire History mini site where further comments can be added.
your comments
Paul Davies. The Buckley Society
Please see our society web site at www.buckleysociety.org.uk for details of a recently released book about the Buckley line. There is also a feature on the book contained within the BBC web pages.
Mon Jul 23 12:18:08 2007
Glyn Roberts from Crewe
If you would like to see an 1882 map showing the route of the Buckley to Connnahs Quay railway go to www.old-maps.co.uk, type in 'Buckley', then click 'Search' and scroll across the first map to the right and you should pick up the line near Buckley Station.
Mon Mar 12 07:56:25 2007
Chris Conah Liverpool Rd Buckley
Remember the Buckley Railway well especially the over bridge on Liverpool Rd. As children we used to pick crab apples from the local farm (the Stud).
Mon Apr 24 09:19:13 2006
Steve Edwards, Walsall (ex mountain view)
The Buckley railway crossed Liverpool Road on an overbrige on its way to Northop, it had a branch to a coal pit and crossed Church Road on a level crossing. I went to Buckley infants (1959) school next to the church and used to watch trains shunted across church road, my grandmother from drury worked as a clerk at buckley old station in drury for the great central railway in 1910, when I was a child the line was worked by wrexham GWR pannier tanks. I only ever saw a diesel an 03 this was in 1963 it was shunting at standard fire brickworks. There are several good books on this railway with excellent pictures.
Thu Mar 9 11:20:24 2006
mark
i think the line crossed over the road just past wepre drive on the left going towards mold,just by the sub station.
you can see part of what looks like the old bridge.
Sat Jan 21 19:50:45 2006
JOE FROM BANGOR
I REMEMBER IT WELL. I USED TO HAVE TO CROSS IT AS A CHILD ON MY WAY HOME FROM SCHOOL.
IT WAS BUILT IN THE MID 1860S AS THE BUCKLEY RAILWAY, AN INDEPENDANT PRIVATE COMPANY BUT WAS SOON ABSORBED INTO THE WREXHAM MOLD & CONNAHS QUAY RAILWAY WHERE IT PASSED THROUGH A SUCCESSION OF OWING COMPANIES IE MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD & LINCOLN RAILWAY. GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY, LONDON NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY FINALLY TO BRITISH RAILWAYS. THE SECTION CONNAH,S QUAY TO NORTHOP CLOSED IN 1959 BUT THE TRACK WAS NOT PULLED UP UNTIL A FEW YEARS LATER. THE SECTION NORTHOP TO BUCKLEY STAYED IN USE UNTIL ABOUT 1964 WHEN IT WAS ALSO PULLED UP.
ITS LENGTH WAS ABOUT 8 MILES & IT HAS A FASCINATING HISTORY WITH SOME MAJOR ACCIDENTS DUE TO ITS STEEP GRADIENTS. IT WAS ONCE QUOTED AS THE MOST PROFITABLE SECTION OF RAILWAY IN THE UK TRANSPORTING CLAY PRODUCTS [BRICKS TILES PIPES & COAL FROM THE FLINTSHIRE COALFIED]& CONVERSLY SENDING PIT PROPS FROM CONNAHS QUAY TO THE SAID MINES.
IT RAN SPECIAL EXCURSIONS TO CONNAHS QUAY WHERE DAY TRIPPERS COULD TAKE IN THE SEA AIR ON THE BANKS OF THE DEE!!!BUT NEVER RAN A PERMANENT PASSENGER SERVICE ALTHOUGH HAVING A PLATFORM @ CONNAHS QUAY STATION & A STATION @ BUCKLEY [OLD BUCKLEY STATION] WHICH WAS THE TREMINUS OF THE LINE FROM WREXHAM FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS AS THE LINE BUCKLEY TO BIDSTON [STLL USED TODAY] WAS NOT BUILT UNTIL ABOUT 30 YEARS AFTER THE BUCKLEY RAILWAY. IT HAS ITS OWN FLEET OF ENGINES WITH AN ENGINE SHED NEAR THE PRESENT DAY NAVAL CLUB IN CONNAHS QUAY. IT SERVED IN EXCESS OF 10 COLLIERIES AT VARIOUS TIMES & ABOUT AS MANY AGAIN CLAY PITS & BRICKWORKS.
IT SUPERCEEDED THE HORSE DRAWN WEPRE TRAMWAY WHICH RAN A SIMILAIR COURSE BUT NOT EXACTLY THE SAME ENTERING THE DOCKS VIA THE CURRENT DAY DOCK ROAD. THE SECTION BETWEEN CONNAHS QUAY MOLD ROAD BRIDGE [ROUGHLY WHERE WEPRE LANE JOINS MOLD ROAD] & NORTHOP WAS ITS MOST SCENIC SECTION PASSING THROUGH A SYLIAN VALLEY WITH STREAM & SMALL SANDPIT ON ONE SIDE. I COULD GO ON FOR PAGES BUT I THINK I HAVE WRITTEN ENOUGH FOR NOW.
Wed Dec 14 19:48:33 2005
Owen Davies, Connah's Quay
The Buckley Rail Line ran from the Dock Road area of CQ near the Old Quay House public house, up under the Rail bridge, now part of the Cycleway to Chester, the railway has a steady climb up to Buckley where it went over or under Mold Road to Northop Hall then to Buckley.
Sun Nov 13 16:08:27 2005
David Morris from Shotton
The Buckley line was built to transport mainly bricks and coal from Buckley to the docks in Connah's Quay. There were two or three small steam locamotives, one was called 'Puffing Billy'. What I would welcome is a clear map showing the course the line took. I want to know particularly whether it passed between Globe Way and Rhuddlan Road. Any ideas?
Mon Oct 17 11:29:09 2005
Meryl, CQ
Immy, The Buckley line was a rail line running from Mold Road in Connahs Quay to Buckley.
Sun Sep 25 19:32:32 2005
Immy
What is the Buckley line?
Sat Jul 23 19:17:33 2005
