PENNY chocolate bars, racing pigeons and the ice-cream seller's bike spring to mind when Rose Jervis remembers Westleigh Station.

Railway memories came flooding back for Rose, of Lakeside, Leigh, when she read a Journal review, and subsequently reader Mrs M Foster's letter, following publication of Leigh author Dennis Sweeney's latest local railway book.*

The ex-Hayes' mill worker's railway memories go back to her schooldays when she carried her father Bill Burrows' homing pigeons.

Rose recalls:"My father had racing pigeons and also trained them to take messages for the Army. They were beautiful.

"I used to take a basket of pigeons to the station over the Parsonage. The basket was weighed by station master Mr Albert Jones. He would put a stamp on the basket - I remember the large Gloy bottle with the brush.

"I would wait for the train coming past Hayes' Mill from Bolton."

The basket was destined for Helsby where the pigeons were liberated.

Job done, Rose would then go to the station vending machine for a penny bar of Fry's chocolate. In winter months she'd often sit by the coal fire in the cosy waiting room and perhaps stand on top of the station footbridge steps.

What a surprise when the locos passed under - "boy, hot steam up your skirt" Rose remembered, laughing

As a teenager she'd go with a group of pals on the 5.30 train to Bolton and go roller skating at the Nevada returning by 11 o'clock on a Saturday night.

Reflected Rose:"All that for half-a-crown (12p). Happy days. If only we had them back."

Through trains to Porthmadog, bike rides to Newton-le-Willows, waving to train passengers, are all just memories now.

She admits the modern day retail park is great for people in the Wigan Road area of Leigh.

"But I still loved the station," she says.

"I loved going back for the empty baskets and seeing Dominic Manfredi's ice cream bike waiting near the station steps by the Council school. Hokey Pokey ices, fantastic!

"So thank you for reminding me of railway memories."

*"A Lancashire Triangle" - Part Two, packed with pictures of local railway scenes and detailed information, is available from the Journal Office, 44/46 Railway Road, Leigh - price £25. Copies of Part One are also available.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.