RETRO: Pictures and stories that were making the Wigan news decades ago

Train-spotters, a cattle market and a famous artist are among the subjects of the latest gallery of historic pictures and stories mined from the Wigan Today archives.

By Michelle Adamson

Published 18th Dec 2022, 15:45 BST

Wigan news

Tudor Minstrel, the last train on its way to do the Waverley run from Carlisle to Edinburgh passes through Wigan North Western Station in April 1966.
The Waverley line was a double track line which first opened in 1849 and was due to close under the Beeching Axe of many passenger lines throughout the British Isles at that time.

1. 1966

Tudor Minstrel, the last train on its way to do the Waverley run from Carlisle to Edinburgh passes through Wigan North Western Station in April 1966. The Waverley line was a double track line which first opened in 1849 and was due to close under the Beeching Axe of many passenger lines throughout the British Isles at that time. Photo: Frank Orrell

Enthusiasts gather to watch the last train, Tudor Minstrel, on its way to do the Waverley run from Carlisle to Edinburgh, pass through Wigan North Western Station in April 1966.

2. 1966

Enthusiasts gather to watch the last train, Tudor Minstrel, on its way to do the Waverley run from Carlisle to Edinburgh, pass through Wigan North Western Station in April 1966. Photo: Frank Orrell

A train derailed near Platt Bridge Junction signal box in the 1960s.

3. 1960s

A train derailed near Platt Bridge Junction signal box in the 1960s. Photo: Frank Orrell

Tudor Minstrel, the last train on its way to do the Waverley run from Carlisle to Edinburgh attracts a lot of interest as it passes through Wigan North Western Station in April 1966.
The Waverley line was a double track line which first opened in 1849 and was due to close under the Beeching Axe of many passenger lines throughout the British Isles at that time.

4. 1966

Tudor Minstrel, the last train on its way to do the Waverley run from Carlisle to Edinburgh attracts a lot of interest as it passes through Wigan North Western Station in April 1966. The Waverley line was a double track line which first opened in 1849 and was due to close under the Beeching Axe of many passenger lines throughout the British Isles at that time. Photo: Frank Orrell