History
A proposal for the construction of the dock on most of what remained of the tidal inlet of Wallasey Pool was outlined in the 1920s. Consisting of the main basin and four additional branches, only part of the main dock was eventually built.
Opened in 1933, the dock had a trio of large moveable cranes to unload iron ore, which were dismantled in the late 1990s. Bidston Dock was subsequently closed and was landfilled by 2003.
The dock was served by the Birkenhead Dock Branch railway line and an iron ore train ran regularly to the John Summers Steelworks in Shotton, Flintshire. Due to the nature of the train, a high degree of motive power was required. Class 40s and pairs of Class 25 locomotives are known to have operated on this track, during its latter days. In the steam era, the iron ore train was known to have been hauled by 9F locomotives. Though the dock itself was filled, the northern quayside, on which the cranes were situated, and the railway sidings are still intact, although disused.
Read more about this topic: Bidston Dock
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