Hays Chemicals

Hays Chemicals had a factory in the Sutton area of St Helens, England.

St Helens & Runcorn Gap Railway
Liverpool and Bury Railway Rainford Junction Skelmersdale branch Liverpool and Bury Railway Rainford Village Rookery Old Mill Lane Crank Halt Moss Bank Pilkington Glass Gerards Bridge Liverpool–Wigan line to Wigan North Western St Helens Central (original GCR station) St Helens Central Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway Liverpool–Wigan line to Liverpool Lime Street Peasley Cross Hays Chemicals Sutton Oak Liverpool and Manchester Rly to Manchester Victoria Robins Lane Halt St Helens Junction Liverpool and Manchester Rly to Liverpool Lime Street Clock Face Union Bank Farm Halt Farnworth & Bold Appleton Ann Street Halt Warrington and Stockport Railway Vladivar Vodka distillery Warrington Arpley Chester–Warrington line to Chester Warrington Bank Quay High Level │ Low Level West Coast Main Line Whitecross Sankey Bridges Fidlers Ferry & Penketh Fiddlers Ferry power station Cuerdley Widnes loop to Sankey Tanhouse Lane Widnes Central Cheshire Lines Committee (Liverpool–Manchester) Hough Green Widnes South Runcorn Gap (second) Runcorn Gap (first) swing bridge Widnes Dock Ditton Mill Weaver Junction–Liverpool line (LNWR) to Weaver Junction & Euston Runcorn Bridge Ditton Junction Halebank Speke 1864 extension to Liverpool Church Road Garston Garston Container terminal Garston Dock Garston and Liverpool Railway to Hunts Cross Hunts Cross chord Liverpool South Parkway to Liverpool Central Allerton West Allerton Mossley Hill Sefton Park Wavertree Liverpool and Manchester Rly Edge Hill Liverpool Lime Street

The factory was controversial, locally, for actual and feared escapes of toxic chemicals.[1]

The factory was the last customer to use the remains of the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway's original main line.[2][3] Trains accessed the factory from the north,[4] leaving the Liverpool to Wigan Line at St Helens Central Station Junction and travelling through Peasley Cross.[5] In its final years the tracks south of the factory had been lifted.

Hays closed in April 2002.[1] Trains continued until 27 September of that year.[6] The factory has since been levelled.[7]

The track was left in place after closure. At August 2015 it was plainly visible heading away southeast from the south end of St Helens Central, though pallisade fencing crosses the line.

References

1. Wainwright, Stephen. "The History of Industry in Sutton Part 1". Sutton Beauty.
2. "Sutton Oak Junction to St Helens Station Junction". Railway Codes.
3. "St. Helen's and Runcorn Gap Railway". Grace's Guide to British Industrial History.
4. 37chief - Mr C's footage (28 February 2008). 37886 on the Hays Chemicals trip, St.Helens. YouTube.
5. Bridge 2013, p. 42
6. "Peasley Cross". Disused Stations UK. 20 April 2010.
7. radiocaroline199 (25 March 2011). Hays Chemicals St Helens. YouTube.

Sources

• Bridge, Mike, ed. (2013). Railway Track Diagrams Book 4 Midlands & North West. Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-7-4.