The Railways of Port Sunlight
Presenter: Mike Lister
The Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales branch held its first face to face meeting in Chester for over 18 months on Monday 18 October. 21 members were entertained by Mike Lister on a talk about the Railways of Port Sunlight. He covered its origins, back in the 19th century, and its development, heyday and subsequent decline until final closure.
It was fascinating to hear about the layout of the railway on the factory site and how it operated. It was certainly a busy railway, with over 300 of its own wagons and many engines, both steam and diesel. It was interesting to hear of the connection with the main line and the many employees’ outings to many points around the country. The company ran its own commuter trains from Chester and Liverpool and even had a small railway around Port Sunlight village.
Mike demonstrated huge knowledge of the railways in Port Sunlight and his desire to keep the history of the railway alive and fully recorded for future generations was impressive to hear.