Notes

 

Liverpool to Southport[edit]

Electrification of the Southport route was begun in 1902. It was increasingly popular for commuting and pleasure trips, but suffered from competition from the Cheshire Lines Railway. Electric traction was seen as cleaner than steam locomotives, and with coal prices rising, potentially cheaper. At the time, concerns were being expressed, especially in the railway press, that engineering developments in Britain was being overtaken by electrification projects in America and Switzerland. Preston-based Dick, Kerr and Company was responsible for the traction systems and the L&YR built the rolling stock.^[1] A 625 V DC four-rail system was adopted. A live rail was outside the running rails 3 ft 11+1⁄2 in (1.207 m) from the centre of the track and 3 in (76 mm) above the top of the running rails.^[1]A return rail, cross-bonded to the running rails, was positioned centrally between the tracks.^[2] The route was 23+1⁄2miles (37.8 km) long and gaps were left at 46 level crossings. The L&YR built a power station at Formby, generating 7.5 kV AC, conveyed to four sub-stations by underground cables.^[1]

The first batch of trains were open saloons 60 ft (18 m) long and 10 ft (3.0 m) wide, initially in four-car sets.^[1] The two driving motor cars were third class, weighed 46 long tons (47 t) powered by four 150 hp (110 kW) motors. The traction current was controlled from driving cabs at both ends of the train. The two trailers were first class or third class and weighed 20 long tons (20 t).^[2] Doors were provided at the ends of the cars and electric lighting was installed. The trains had an automatic vacuum brake.^[1] The line between Liverpool Exchange and Southport opened on 22 March 1904. Seven trains an hour left Liverpool, one express and three stopping trains to Southport, and three terminating at Hall Road. Electrification meant the journey time of stopping trains to Southport was reduced from 54 to 37 minutes.^[1] In 1905–6 a further eight motor coaches, six first-class trailers and six third-class trailers were built to slightly different design, followed by six more 65 feet 7 inches (20 m) long motor coaches in 1910.^[3] To cope with the heavy traffic to the Grand National at Aintree, three trains of ten coaches were converted to allow them to be marshalled between the Southport direct-control motor coaches.^[4] The LY&R stock began to be replaced by new stock in 1940, which became the British Rail Class 502 and all LYR examples had been withdrawn by 1942.^[4]

Liverpool to Ormskirk[edit]

The line to Ormskirk was electrified in stages, reaching Ormskirk in 1913, with different, incompatible EMUs. Initially, 12 third-class motor coaches with gangways on their outer ends and six third-class trailers were built, followed in 1910–14 by seven first-class and 23 third-class trailers, four driving trailer thirds, and eight motor coaches with 250 horsepower (190 kW) motors.^[3] After the 1923 grouping the line was part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), and in 1926–27, eleven LMS electric units were built for the Ormskirk route, not withdrawn until 1964.^[4]

Liverpool Overhead Railway[edit]

Connections were built with the Liverpool Overhead Railway (LOR) at Seaforth & Litherland to a new station beside LOR's Seaforth Sands station and from the North Mersey Branch route to Aintree. From 2 July 1905, LOR trains began to run through to Seaforth & Litherland.^[5] In 1906 the L&YR electrified the line to Aintree. The L&YR built special lightweight EMUs and from 1906 began running services over the LOR from Dingle to Southport and Aintree.^[5] Regular services to Aintree were withdrawn in 1908, and after this special trains ran only twice a year, on Jump Sunday and the following Friday for the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse. Through services from Dingle to Southport were withdrawn in 1914, passengers changing at Seaforth & Litherland.^[5] The trains were used on Crossens local services to Southport until 1945.^[4]

Electric locomotive[edit]

An experimental electric locomotive (rebuilt from a 2-4-2 steam locomotive) was introduced in 1912 for goods traffic and earned the nickname Beetle. This had four 150 horsepower (110 kW) motors and could pick up current from the third rail on the main line or from overhead wires in Aintree and North Mersey yards. It was withdrawn and scrapped around 1919/20.