The Bolton and Leigh Railway (B&LR) opened for goods traffic in 1828, followed by passenger services in 1831.
[2] One of these inclines was situated north of Atherton Bag Lane railway station with the line climbing up through Chequerbent before dropping towards Bolton.
[4] The station was sited south of the Turnpike road (now the A6) near to the engine winding house.
[3][1] To avoid these inclines, and allow steam locomotives to haul trains for the entire journey, the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), successor to the B&LR, built deviations over easier gradients.
[1] The station closed on 2 February 1885 and was replaced by a new Chequerbent only a short distance away on the same day.