Bradley Fold railway station

Bradley Fold railway station served Bradley Fold and Little Lever from 1849 to 1970 on the now closed line between Bury and Bolton. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) opened it's line through the station site on 20 November 1848 but the station, in common with others on the line did not open then, it was shown in the December 1848 timetable but with no trains stopping there, the first trains to stop did so from January 1849. The station was located where Bradley lane crossed the railway via a level crossing, the station building was to the north of the line and east of the road. By 1850 a siding was provided to the south of the station to access Tonge Lane Colliery, the siding had access to the line in both directions using a 'Y' junction, there was no map evidence of other facilities.

In 1870 a correspondent writing to the Bolton Chronicle described the station's facilities as First, then, allow me to say that the cabin, which serves for first, second, and third-class waiting room, booking office, telegraph office, parcel office, office for the goods clerk, and lamp room, occupies a space of about twelve feet by nine feet, at one side of which is a form which will hold about six persons, The platform on the other side of the line is so barren that it cannot boast even a slab shed to shelter passengers from the inclemency of the weather. The wood cabin which serves for all the purposes named above, and some others occasionally, was erected some twenty years ago, and to all it will have to re- main other twenty years longer. The station became a junction when the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) opened its Prestwich branch line from a junction to the east of the station to Radcliffe South Junction (just south of Radcliffe New railway station) on 1 December 1879. By 1894 the station was listed as having passenger and goods facilities including a 5 ton crane, the Ordnance Survey map showing one siding to the south of the line. By 1910 the siding to the colliery had closed, there were several more siding shown to the south of the line. The road still crossed the railway via a level crossing but a footbridge had been provided adjacent to the road. The station was renamed Bradley Fold for Little Lever in April 1921. The station closed to goods traffic on 1 August 1963 and completely on 5 October 1970.