Birkenhead Railways: A Photographic History

The railways of Birkenhead have not been well covered but this photographic album looks to redress that imbalance. The Birkenhead Railway, the main line to this port town situated in the north-west corner of the Wirral peninsula, on the west bank of the Mersey and facing across the river to Liverpool, was operated jointly by the London & North Western and Great Western railways from 1860, and then by the London, Midland & Scottish Railway and the GWR after the 1923 Grouping. This joint ownership thus produced a great variety in locomotives, rolling stock and company styles in a comparatively small area. However, being somewhat out on a limb, Birkenhead did not receive the coverage that many other railway centres enjoyed. The members of the Merseyside Railway History Group have scoured many archives and sources to put together this album of pictures, drawing on the work of photographers to provide a comprehensive review of the railways in the Birkenhead area from the 19th century to the present day.