In LNWR days Chester was an open station and tickets were generally taken elsewhere — some at the ticket platform outside Chester General but more usually at a preceding station. Taking tickets required a stop of several minutes, which accounts for rather long stops of a few up trains.

The ‘club’ trains

The best known trains on the line were probably the ‘club’ trains between Llandudno and both Liverpool and Manchester — so called because they conveyed club carriages to which only subscribers were admitted. (Were they known as ‘club trains’ in LNWR days? They certainly were under the LMS.)

The down ‘Manchester club’ left Llandudno at 8.10 daily and passed Helsby at 9.31. It returned at 16.55, with a Bangor portion detached at Colwyn Bay, and passed Helsby at 17.33. The Liverpool train left Llandudno at 8.15 on Mondays and Tuesdays (only on Mondays in the winter. timetable), with a Birmingham portion detached at Chester. For the rest of the week departure was at 8 10, as a second portion of the Manchester train, from* which it was detached at Chester.

The corresponding up Liverpool train left Lime Street at 16.00. The front portion of this train was for Bangor; a Holyhead portion was detached at Chester (and attached there to the 13.20 boat train

from Euston); the Llandudno part was detached at Llandudno Junction. The down train passed Helsby at 9.41 on Mondays (Tuesdays, too, in Summer) and 9.37 on other days; up, the passing time was 16.29.

Boat trains and their connections

In the down direction, through portions for Manchester were included in the day Irish Mail at 12.05 (advertised as 12.00 in the public timetable) and 17.30 from Holyhead; there was also a Liverpool portion in the 17.30. These were all detached at Chester and passed Helsby at 14.15 (12.05 Manchester), 19.30 (17.30 Liverpool) and 19.45 (17.30 Manchester). The night service was provided by a separate Liverpool (via Warrington) and Manchester train at 2.15 from Holyhead, 4.30 passing Helsby; the train was divided at Warrington. This was a regular train, unlike the apparently corresponding up train which, clearly in most years, was regular only from Liverpool and Manchester to Chester.

In the up direction, the 8.30 (day Irish Mail), 13.20 and 19.30 boat trains from Euston all attached Manchester–Holyhead portions at Chester. These trains left Exchange at 10.45 (Helsby 11.47—11.48), 15.40 (Helsby 16.39) and 21.30 (Helsby 22.40—22.45 — a stop for taking Chester tickets). Through carriages from Liverpool