In the 19th century Liverpool was the second busiest port in the world. The roads up and down the dock were congested with people, carts and horses. There was a set of tracks along the road, however its horse drawn carriages often had to take to the tarmac to avoid obstacles, making uncomfortable riding for the passengers. A mass transit system was needed to move people off the roads.

The Plan

A plan for a high level railway had been muted by the engineer John Grantham as far back as 1853. These plans were blocked by the dock's engineer, Jesse Hartley, who knew that the railway would make his plans to expand the docks far too costly. It was Hartley who built the surface track along the docks; it was ironic that the congestion this caused firmed up the case for the overhead railway.

In 1877 Alfred Holt, a ship-owner, suggested that what the docks needed was an overhead tramway much like the recent New York El. The original plan was for a single track system with passing loops, however it was not likely to have sufficient capacity for the project amount of passengers. A new plan that was double track throughout was proposed. The track was to run from the most northerly docks in Bootle along the dock road past the Pier Head and onto the most southerly, Herculaneum, dock. The total projected length was just over 6 miles. It would run over the top of the existing dock railway.

A report into the plan suggested that the system needed 8 million journeys a year to break even. The next problem was getting permission to build. The Mersey Docks & Harbour Board was not given permission to build the railway by the UK Parliament. Concerns were expressed that since the MDHB was a non profit organisation, it would not be able to manage the railway. A new company, The Liverpool Overhead Railway Company, was formed in 1888. The land for the Railway was to be leased from the MDHB, but the Railway Company had the powers for compulsory purchase, so in effect the MDHB had found itself a nice way to pick up cheap land.

The Docker's Umbrella

Two features made the Liverpool Overhead Railway different from other elevated railways that had come before it.

The New York 'El' has gaps in between the rails where litter can fall down onto the street below. It was decided that this was unwanted, so the entire track bed was made of rolled steel sheets. The track was attached to long blocks of timber which were themselves attacked to the track bed. The steel track bed sheltered everything underneath the railway, so it gave the LOR its nickname, the Docker's Umbrella.

The choice of motive power was the other thing that made the LOR unique it its time. Steam power was deemed unsuitable. The first reason for this was that the builders did not want sparks flying off the line onto people below. The other reason was that a steam locomotive was heavy. The line was being built to a tight budget and they couldn't afford to make a structure strong enough to support a steam locomotive and train.

The solution was an electric multiple unit. It would draw power from a third rail in the middle of the track. It would be quick, clean and it wouldn't ignite any cargo (or people) underneath. The decision was made in 1861 to go electric; the decision may have been influenced by London's newly opened City and South London Line. The LOR was the first electric elevated rail system in the world, and one of the first rail systems anywhere with automatic signalling.

The Company had to raise £3450,000 (around £329 million today) to get the railway built. They also had to build there own power station. The MDHB were persuaded to invest heavily. The other railway companies in the city did not invest, as they weren't really trusted. This would ensure that the LOR would remain independent throughout its life.

The Company appointed Sir Douglas Fox and J. H. Greathead as Consulting Engineers. Douglas's brother Sir Francis Fox and S. B. Cotterell did a lot of the work. J. W. Willans of Manchester was appointed the building contractor.

The whole line was built on bridges 16 feet in the air. It was planned that all the spans would be of a standard length of 50ft, however the spans could be anything from 30 to 70ft. They were lifted into place by a moving gantry crane. The crane made it possible to lay up to 600ft of track bed a week. Once the bed was in place, the rails could be easily attached.

The railway was finished in January 1893 and was opened by Lord Salisbury, the Prime Minister on 4 February 1893. The line had cost 3466,000 (331 million today) to build. The first trains started running in March.

The LOR was the fourth metropolitan rail system to be opened in the world, after London's tube and the US's two elevated railways in New York and Chicago.

A Success Story

The railway was a success. There was a small problem though, once the working day was over, very few people actually used the railway. Extensions were built into residential areas. Within a year the line had extended to Seaforth Sands in the north, two years later the line into Dingle opened.

1897 saw the railway hit the magic number of 8 million journeys a year. It was now making money. 1906 saw the line extended to join the Lancashire & Yorkshire railway that ran from Liverpool Exchange to Southport¹ and Aintree Racecourse². Most trains ran just to the first station on the Southport line, Seaford and Litherland. This allowed LOR trains to get passengers from the outer suburbs. It also allowed race day specials to run to Aintree. The railway was also a tourist attraction in its own right and gave visitors to the city a great view over the Mersey docks.

By the end of the First World War the rolling stock was getting old. Despite making a profit, there was not enough money to buy new trains so all the old ones were completely refurbished. 1919 saw 19 million passenger journeys, its peak figure, but hard times were around the corner.

The End of the Line

A number of factors put pay to the Liverpool Overhead Railway. The first was the change of the nature of the how the docks worked. The telephone meant that fewer messengers needed to pop from dock to dock. Ships were getting bigger and fewer, and eventually some cargos and passengers started to travel by air. The economic decline of the 1920s and 1930s hit the LOR hard.

Another reason was the Corporation of Liverpool itself. It ran the tram service. Trams, while slower, were much more flexible and reached many more suburbs than the railway. Because the Corporation subsided it, tram fares were much cheaper than train fares.

Being 16 feet in the air, the LOR had much higher maintenance costs than other railways. Not only did the track and station have to be maintained, but so did seven miles worth of bridge and supports. By 1954 the iron and steel was corroding and a detailed study took place to see how much money it would take to repair and how long it would take to make a profit again. The numbers just did not add up.

The line closed at the end of December 1956. The demolition process that started near the end of 1957 saw to it that very little of the line remains today.

Other Lines

While The Liverpool Overhead Railway is probably the most famous of the Railway lines in Liverpool Dock, there were many others. A goods only railway ran under the entire length of the Overhead Railway and had tracks branching off into most of the docks. Some of the tracks of this railway still exist.

The mainlines railways all wanted their pieces of the action. The London and North Western Railway, London Midland and Scottish, The Cheshire Lines Committee³ and the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway all had goods and passenger terminals up and down the port.

Stations

Most stations on the line were of similar design. They had two uncovered platforms, each connected to street level by sets of stairs. Like all of the line, they were 16 feet above street level. From north to south, the stations were:

• Seaforth Sands

Seaforth Sands was opened in 1894 as the line was extended from Alexandra Dock. The station was enclosed by a roof. Britain's second escalator was installed at the station in 1901 to improve access. The resultant compensation claims from women who had their long dresses ripped meant that it only lasted five years.

The Liverpool Overhead Railway started a tram service from the station to Crosby in 1900. In 1905 an extension to a junction with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was opened. This allowed trains to run to Seaforth and Litherland on the Southport lines and also race day trains to Aintree.

The station was seriously damaged in February 1956 after an arson attack. The station was repaired but was closed along with the rest of the line at the end of the year.

The station stood next to carriage sheds, just to the west of Cosby Road South, Knowsley Road and Rimrose Road. It was next to Gladstone Dock station on the surface line and served the Gladstone Docks.

• Gladstone Dock

The station opened in 1930 and shouldn't be confused with the LNWR station of the same name which was further north. It was built to serve the newly opened Gladstone Dock complex. Since the station backed onto the LMS goods yard only the northbound platform had access to the street, passengers wanting to head south had to use one of the two footbridges to cross the tracks.

The station was in the dock estate, west of Regent road and Grove Street.

• Alexandra Dock

This was the original northern terminus of the line in 1893. It served the Alexandra Docks complex. The station sat next to Regent Road, south of Church Street. It was just south of the huge LMS North Mersey and Alexandra Docks Goods Station.

• Langton Dock

The station opened in 1896 and closed in 1906. There is no trace left of the short lived station. The station which sat west of Regent Road was next to Langton Branch Dock. Alexandra Dock terminus on the LNWR was just to the east.

• Brocklebank Dock

This station served Brocklebank Dock and Timber Slipway. It sat west of Regent Road between Seymour Street and Millers Bridge.

• Canada Dock

This station was next to Canada Branch Dock No.1 and Canada Graving Dock. It was west of Regent Road near its junction with Bankfield Street. Canada Dock station on the LNWR and Bankfield & Canada Dock Station on the Lancashire and Yorkshire were on the opposite side of Regent Road.

• Huskinsson Dock

The station opened 1896 as a replacement for Sandon Dock Station. It served Huskinsson Docks and the north part of Sandon docks. The station stood west of Regent Road near Sandhills Lane and next to Huskinsson Branch Dock No.1. The Cheshire Lines Railway's Sandon & Canada Goods Station stood to the east.

• Sandon Dock

This station opened up with the line but only lasted until 1896 when it was replaced by Nelson Dock and Huskinsson Dock stations. It was at the south end of the Sandon & Canada Goods Station.

• Nelson Dock

The station opened 1896 as a replacement to Sandon Dock. It served Bramley-Moore Dock and Nelson Dock. The Lancashire and Yorkshire's North Dock Goods Station and Cattle Station were just to the east. The station was just to the south of the junction of Waterloo Street and Fulton Street.

• Clarence Dock

This station was closed briefly in 1906. It was between the Clarence Graving Docks and the junction of Waterloo Road and Saltney Street. It also served the Trafalgar Docks complex, Salisbury Dock, Collingwood Dock and Stanley Dock. It was just south of the massive Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse⁴ and north of the Power Station by Trafalgar Docks

• Princes Dock

Prices Dock Station sat at the junction of Waterloo Road and Roberts Street. It served the Waterloo Dock complex, Prince's Half Tide Dock and Prince's Dock. The \'85 Railway line from Liverpool Waterloo Station to Liverpool Riverside ran almost under the station. During the war Princes Dock station was hit by a bomb and was too badly damaged to be repaired.

• Pier Head

Pier Head was the busiest station on the line. It formed an interchange with the Pier Head tram station and Mersey Ferry terminal. It was also one of the nearest stations to the city centre. Being a busy station, the platforms were covered.

The station was on Strand Street just outside the Royal Liver building.

• James Street

James Street was the interchange with underground railway coming from Birkenhead under the Mersey. It was at the junction of Strand Street and James Street.

• Custom House

Custom House station opened up outside Liverpool's magnificent Customs and Excise building. It was situated between Canning Dock and Salthouse dock near the Albert Dock. During the war the building was destroyed by the Germans. The station was renamed Canning in 1947 to avoid confusion. As the station for the customs building, it was deemed prestigious enough to be a fully covered station.

• Wapping Dock

Wapping Dock station is one of the only parts of the line where a trace still remains. Some of the iron support struts still exist on the warehouse turned apartment block on the west side Challonor Street opposite the junction with Blundell Street. The station served the Wapping, Kings and Queens docks.

• Brunswick Dock

This station was situated on Sefton Street and served Brunswick and Coburg docks. The LMS railway had a few goods stations just to the east of the station.

• Toxteth Dock

Toxteth Dock station was situated at the junction of Sefton Street and Park Street. The current Tower Street along the line there the track and station stood. It served Toxteth Dock. The LMS railway had goods stations and depots just to the west while the Cheshire Lines Committee had a large goods station to the east.

• Herculaneum Dock

This was the original southern terminus from 1893 to 1896. When the line into Dingle was being built, they knew that they couldn't use the original station which sat facing onto Herculaneum Dock. The new station was a few hundred meters further north and sat on the side of Harrington Dock.

The Dingle line passed to the east of the old station which was converted into carriage sheds.

• Dingle

The extension to Dingle opened in 1896. This was the only section of line that was in a tunnel, bored into the sandstone rock. The line passed the edge of Herculaneum Dock on a steel trellis bridge, crossing the Cheshire Lines route to Hunts Cross and into the tunnel under Dingle. The station was opposite the bus station off Park Road near Dingle Lane. The Cheshire Lines railway had their own goods yard built underneath the entrance to the Overhead's tunnel.

In 1901 a train arrived on fire, the air flowing though the tunnel fanned the flames. 6 people died in the disaster and the station was closed for a year.

More of the line around Dingle remains than anywhere else. The tunnel portal, long since sealed, still is visible, as is the entrance to the station.