Astley Green Colliery

[4][a] The Clifton and Kearsley Company's coal reserves were becoming depleted in the Irwell Valley at a time when demand for coal on the Lancashire Coalfield was at its highest and in 1907 its subsidiary company sank a 24-inch (610 mm) bore hole at Astley Green, north of the Bridgewater Canal to investigate untapped reserves of the concealed coalfield.

[5] The headgear of No.1 pit survives, it is made from wrought iron lattice girders with riveted plates at the joints and one small and two large wheels mounted at the top.

[6] In 1912 a twin tandem compound 3300 horsepower winding engine built by Yates and Thom of Blackburn, the largest ever used on the Lancashire Coalfield, was installed at No 1 pit.

The tramway was out of use by 1913, when its sidings and tipping plant were sold to the Clifton and Kersley Coal Company to be used by the new colliery.

A mineral line and exchange sidings to connect with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway east of Astley Station a mile and a half to the south was built across Chat Moss using similar construction methods to the earlier railway, tree trunks and branches overlain with pit waste, to provide a foundation for the rails.

[9] An 0-4-0 saddletank, "Astley", from Pecketts of Bristol was bought in 1908 and used on the construction of the line as was "Winnie", a contractor's 0-4-0 tank engine hired from Thomas Mitchell and Sons of Bury.

After 1929 the Astley Green was on Manchester Collieries' Central Railway system based on Walkden Yard.

[11] A narrow gauge railway has been created at the site of Astley Pit Museum and is one of the attractions for visitors.