Notes: Red Rock station was situated on the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (LYR) and the Lancashire Union Railway (LUR) joint Boars Head and Blackburn line which opened on 1 November 1869 for goods services. Boars Head was located on the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) main line that linked Wigan and Preston. The 6-mile joint line was constructed because the Wigan coal owners wanted better transportation links to the mills and factories of North East Lancashire. The coal owners also wanted a line that would allow trains to go south and gain direct access to Garston Dock where shipping charges were far less than at the Liverpool docks.

Red Rock station opened on 1 December 1869 when passenger services were introduced. The station was located on the western edge of the small settlement of Red Rock on the north side of Red Rock Lane a short distance to the west of the Lancaster Canal.

The line was a double track railway and two platforms were provided. They were staggered the down platform (Blackburn direction) being closest to Red Rock Lane to which it was connected by a sloping footpath. The south end of the up platform (Wigan direction) was opposite the north end of the down. On each platform there was a stone built single storey building in the mock Tudor style.

Red Rock was provided with substantial goods facilities. They were located to the west of the down platform and included three sidings, a large brick built goods shed and a 5-ton lifting crane. The sidings connected to the main line to the north of the down platform.

Passenger services ran between Wigan and Blackburn.

The down waiting room at Red Rock was kept locked as it was maintained for the use of the Lindsay family who lived at Haigh Hall.

On 16 July 1883 the LUR was vested into the LNWR and the line became LNWR/LYR Joint.

The December 1895 timetable showed seven trains in each direction Monday-to-Saturday. One of the up trains, the 8.50am to Wigan, stopped only when required. On sundays there were two trains in each direction. By this time a signal box had opened to the north of the down platform just beyond the point where the goods sidings connected to the main line. The box was an LNWR Type-4 with a brick base and upper cabin.

The Railway Clearing House Handbook of Stations 1904 listed Red Rock as being able to handle general goods and livestock.

On 1 January 1922 the line it passed into the sole ownership of the LNWR for a year before that company became part of the London Midland Scottish Railway (LMS) on 1 January 1923.

The July 1922 timetable had shown eight trains in each direction Monday-to-Saturday with no trains on Sundays. Ten years later the Summer 1932 timetable also showed eight trains in each direction Monday-to-Saturday as seen in the table below.

In 1946 the Lindsay family moved away from Haigh Hall and the down platform waiting room was opened for public use.

On 1 January 1948 Red Rock became part of British Railways [London Midland Region] (BR[LMR])  The timetable for the summer of 1948 showed four up and two down trains Momday-to-Saturday and no trains on Sundays. The up trains all ran to Wignan North Western and the down to Blackburn.

With such a poor level of service BR[LMR] withdrew the passenger service from 26 September 1949.

Red Rock station remained in use for goods services until 2 September 1957 (although from 6 December 1954 it had been downgraded to an unstaffed public siding).

After final closure the station was abandoned and left to deteriorate.

In the mid-1960s the line was singled.  Goods services and passenger diversions operated up until 5 October 1971 after which the line officially closed. A 1974 Ordinance Survey map of the area shows the line still in situ.

Today, the station building remains albeit incorporated into a large residence as does the former goods yard and track bed which leads into Adlington.

Tickets from Michael Stewart and route map by Alan Young

Sources: Townley, Smith & Peden, 'The Industrial Railways Of The Wigan Coalfield' (Runpast Publications), Bob Pixton, 'Main Line Railways Around Wigan', (Runpast Publications)

See also Boars Head & White Bear