Midland Times Issue 6

The history periodical for students of the LMS, pre-grouping constituents and BR(M) Issue no. 6 • November 2024

LO O K O U T FO R FUTURE ISSUES OF

MIDLAND TIMES Issue 7 due March 2025

The Transport Treasury also publish a range of other LMS related books too.

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CONTENTS Introduction 3 Reminiscences of Stanier Black Fives

4-9

Penistone 10-23 A potential ‘Runaway’ train over Dava

24-31

Motive power at Bury shed during the latter years

32-39

43049 at Birmingham New Street

40-41

Barnt Green

42-47

The British Railways ‘Clans’ – 1951-1966

48-58

coming soon: The R.C.Riley Colour Collection

59

End of steam rail tours

60-63

Liverpool Riverside

64-71

The Horwich ‘Crab’ Moguls

72-79

The Platform End

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17th April 1964 • Hughes ‘Crab’ Class 6P5F 2-6-0 No. 42732 at Manchester Victoria with the 3.55pm service to Blackburn.

Photo: Horace Gamble © The Transport Treasury

© Images and design: The Transport Treasury 2024. Design and Text: Peter Sikes ISBN: 978-1-913251-89-5 First published in 2024 by Transport Treasury Publishing Ltd., 16 Highworth Close, High Wycombe HP13 7PJ

The copyright holders hereby give notice that all rights to this work are reserved.

Aside from brief passages for the purpose of review, no part of this work may be reproduced, copied by electronic or other means, or otherwise stored in any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the Publisher.

This includes the illustrations herein which shall remain the copyright of the copyright holder.

Copies of many of the images in MIDLAND TIMES are available for purchase/download.

In addition, the Transport Treasury Archive contains tens of thousands of other UK, Irish and some European railway photographs.

www.ttpublishing.co.uk or for editorial issues and contributions email MidlandTimes1884@gmail.com Printed in England by Short Run Press Limited, Exeter.

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W

I N T RO D U C T I O N

elcome to the latest edition of Midland Times where we take a trip around myriad parts of the vast area covered by the Midland region, whether

Riverside – built to take advantage of the growing trans-Atlantic passenger trade which was built in the late 19th Century to avoid trade going south to the port of Southampton.

This issue is then wrapped up with David Cullen’s appreciation of the Horwich ‘Crab’ moguls, accompanied by more excellent photography from The Transport Treasury.

On the centre pages of this issue we have a colour image of a train departing Birmingham New Street station taken by R. C. Riley. The reason for mentioning this is that Mr. Riley’s

that be in the days of the LMS or British Railways.

In this issue we have a short article about Barnt Green, this came about from a conversation I had with a fellow volunteer of The LMS-Patriot Project while we were working on parts of new-build ‘Patriot’ locomotive The Unknown Warrior at Tyseley Locomotive Works. He has so far purchased all issues of Midland

Colour Collection is now in the hands of The Transport Treasury and a series of books has been commissioned to showcase his work. Included in the first two books to be released are a selection of his photos taken in the Midland Region, and is due for publication this year. To see the whole range of albums that are to be periodically released please have a look at page 59, there’s plenty to whet the appetite for everyone.

To make sure you never miss an issue of Midland Times why not sign up to our subscription service? For details visit www.ttpublishing.co.uk, email admin@ttpublishing.co.uk or call us on 01494 708939.

Times and lives in Bromsgrove, and just happened to mention that he used to visit Barnt Green, finding it to be a busy and interesting place to spot in his younger days. I then received an email from another reader requesting an in-depth article about Bedford, which he describes as being a busy but under-rated place. So, both of these suggestions got me thinking that we could make a regular feature of your favourite places from the past, titled ‘My Patch’. It doesn’t have to be a place local to you – although obviously it can be – it could be somewhere you went to on holiday each year or a regular commute to work or just somewhere you felt was a great place to persue your hobby.

So, please feel free to write in and send photos, if you have any, with your memories from years gone by using the addresses

Peter Sikes, Editor, Midland Times email: midlandtimes1884@gmail.com

which are to be found on page 2.

This issue starts with Peter Tatlow reminiscing about Stanier ‘Black Fives’, liking them because of their versatility and ability to undertake a hard day’s work.

Moving on Philip Hellawell writes in detail about a Pennine location that survived closure on more than one occasion and had a complicated history, but still survives on the network today.

We then move further north for Ian Lamb’s account of a possible ‘runaway’ incident as told to him by the footplate crew followed by another motive power account from the Manchester Locomotive Society, this time of Bury shed.

David Anderson’s account of the BR ‘Clan’ class follows the aforementioned Barnt Green article, and includes pictures of all ten of this small class of locomotive that were predominantly used in the north of England and on the Scottish Region.

Roger Geach then takes us on the North West Tour and comes to realise that having plenty of people in the photos is something now to be appreciated, which probably was not the case at the time.

We then feature a long-lost station that was owned and operated by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board – Liverpool

Above: 3rd May 1963 • Stanier 8F 2-8-0 No. 48619 moves off shed at Coalville, Leicestershire with Johnson 2F No. 58143 standing opposite and an unidentified 8F just poking out of the shed. A three road brickbuilt shed was completed here by the Midland Railway in 1890 along with a standard coal stage and 50ft turntable. Around this time the number of engines required at Coalville was steadily increasing due to the amount of coal traffic handled from the surrounding collieries.

The shed was given the code 10B by the MR as it was a sub-shed of Leicester (10). Photo: R. C. Riley © Transport Treasury

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R E M I N I S C E N C E S O F STA N I E R B L A C K F I V E S

H

by Peter Tatlow, President of the LMS Society

ave you ever noticed that in the past potential railway enthusiasts, and they have mainly been boys, probably encountered toy trains and had been lifted up to have a quick peep at some passing train. From this may have developed into a lasting hobby devoted to railway modelling, train spotting, to train performance, railway heritage, and/or railway photography. So, as the interest grew, one learnt more about the industry that had grabbed your attention as applied to whichever branch you had adopted.

As already mentioned, in the years following the Second World War, my railway modelling led to my obtaining a Hornby Dublo 3-rail 00 Gauge Southern Railway 0-6-2T at Christmas in 1947, followed by their LMS Stanier Pacific Duchess of Atholl the next year. With a preferred interest in the LMS, the chassis of the Southern tank was subjected to a number of reincarnations, as crudely made bodies for various types of locomotives were created out of cardboard and later nickel silver/brass. As well as a Southern Class N 2-6-0, I cobbled together a Stanier Class 3P 2-6-2T, his tapered boiler version of the Fowler 2-6-2T, and contemplated the Stanier incarnation of the Horwich ‘Crab’. The tank made a handsome, if incomplete, model, just a pity that in real life the prototype was a little under-boilered, as a consequence of which it does not seem to have enjoyed the best of reputations.

On the Mogul, the adoption of a higher boiler pressure permitted a reduced piston diameter, which in turn allowed the lowering of the cylinders to the horizontal and reputedly resulted in an engine ‘fleet of foot’. Nonetheless, it was soon to be overtaken by the 4-6-0 5P5F, more commonly known as the ‘Stanier Black Five’ capable of a greater range of duties and wider route availability.

As Hornby continued to develop their range, modellers would hope that their favourite prototype might be the next to appear on the market. A British Railways Class 4 2-6-4T had been produced by Hornby in 1954, followed by Great Western 4-6-0 Bristol Castle in October 1957. Fearing they were going to be overlooked, Southern fans persuaded the Editor of the ‘Railway Modeller Magazine’ to run a survey of entrants’ preferred wants.

Not to be outdone, a year later I wrote in support of a proposal to have a poll to assess the market for the LMS Stanier Black Five.

Having encountered the Dingwall and Skye line to Kyle of Lochalsh in ‘Trains Illustrated Summer Annual’ and by now equipped with a 35mm camera and a lineside walking pass, I included a photograph of Black 5 No. 45476 taken at Achnasheen that summer.(1 & 2)

I expressed the view that my liking for the Black Staniers was not so much due to their numbers or beauty, but rather their versatility, reputation and ability to undertake a hard day’s work, whether on an express passenger or heavy freight train. This and my love of Highland scenery had led me to choose to model the Skye line, in particular the Kyle of Lochalsh. On this line, at the time, any other engine than a 5MT, as they had now become under BR’s management, was a rare sight (except the 0-4-4 tank for shunting at Kyle), as 5MTs hauled passenger and goods trains alike.

In the meantime, Hornby had launched their LMS Stanier 2-8-0 8F class of freight locomotive. These had been fitted with Class 3C boilers, which in turn were visually very similar, if a foot shorter, than those of Class 3B carried by Stanier Black Fives, while a Class D boiler was fitted to Stanier’s Mogul(3). It was the realisation that the Hornby 4-6-0 Castle had, like the Duchess of Atholl, been fitted with driving wheels scaled down from 6ft 8½in to 6 feet diameter prompted the thought that a Black Five could be created by placing the Castle chassis under the 8F body, and adding the cylinders and motion of the 8F. In turn the chassis of the 8F could form the basis of a Somerset & Dorset 2-8-0!

The speed with which the LMS wished to introduce these engines, to replace time expired and non-standard stock, meant that they had to go out to the trade and place several contracts for the supply of large numbers until by the outbreak of war in September 1939, 472 had been constructed. Production resumed in 1943 and continued into the BR era until a total of 842 had been accumulated. Naturally with such a large number built over an extended period, variations were enumerable and readers seeking further information are recommended to consult the references listed below(4).

References 1. Freeman Allan G, The other road to the Isles, Trains Illustrated Summer Annual, Ian Allan, 1957, pp34-41.

2. Tatlow P, Class 5s, Railway Modeller, Peco Publications, Vol. 9, 1958, pp290-291.

3. Cook AF, Raising steam on the LMS, RCTS, 1999, p221.

4. Hunt D, James J, Essery RE, Jennison J & Clarke D, Locomotive Profiles & Pictorial Supplements, Wild Swan: a. No. 5 – The mixed traffic Nos. 5000-5224, 2003. b. No. 6 – Nos. 5225-5499 & 4985-4999, 2004. c. No. 7 – The mixed traffic, Caprotti valve gear engines & class summary, 2006.

5. Tatlow P, Achnasheen – Busy times, LMS Journal, No. 16, pp 61-76.

6. Tatlow P, Single line tablet exchange apparatus, Part 2, Manson apparatus, HMRS Journal Vol 22, No. 4, pp 111-121 & 175-176.

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The maker Vulcan Locomotive Works’ advertisement for the initial batch of 70 Stanier 4-6-0 Black Fives (Nos. 5020-5069) delivered in 1934-37.

Vulcan Loco Works – Author’s collection

20th August 1958 • The attractive Stanier version of the LMS Class 3 2-6-2 tank locomotive seen here in the form of No. 40158 leaving Scotstoun East with the 4.28pm Dalmuir to Rutherglen service.

Photo: W. A. C. Smith © Transport Treasury

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Left: 29th May 1936 • An early version of Stanier’s hand was to be found in his revised design of the Horwich 2-6-0 ‘Crab’ and visually much improved, as witnessed by the first member of the class, No. 13245, later renumbered 2945.

The GW safety valves and cover have been promptly replaced by a dome covered top feed and the safety valves repositioned on the firebox. Good as they may have been, rather than produce more, the even more versatile Black Five was multiplied instead. Photo: Unattributed – Author’s collection Below: A later undated shot of No. 42945 at Mold Junction shed. Photo: Neville Stead Collection © Transport Treasury

Below: 10th July 1958 • The first of the author’s photographs to be reproduced in print and accompanied his letter in the Railway Modeller calling for a poll to encourage the production by the trade of a model of this prototype. No. 45476 has just arrived in Achnasheen station with the mid-morning train from Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness. Photo: Author (PT35/11-16)

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As part of a complicated procedure to pass and overtake trains at a crossing loop on a long single line, No. 45479, with a freight train, waits patiently at Achnasheen for a passenger train to arrive from Achanalt, conduct its business and continue to Achnashellach, before following itself(5). Photo: Author (PT35/11-9)

Once the design was settled, Black Fives were produced in large numbers and soon were to be found spread system wide. No. 5036, from the first batch produced by Vulcan Foundry in 1934, is seen at Nottingham (Midland) with an express passenger train, the closely spaced LMS on the tender indicating that it still carries its original lined black livery.

Photo: J.A.G.H. Coltas, Author’s collection

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10th May 1938 • No. 5286 threads a rock cutting at Peak Forest with an express train on the Midland Railway’s route to Manchester. Black it may have been, it wears the short-lived ‘block’ style lettering.

Photo: E. Morten, author’s collection, 995

16th July 1938 • No. 5401 is in charge of an express freight near Lichfield.

The substantial portion of covered goods vans at the front of the train may well be brake fitted, thereby allowing the train to run at a greater overall speed.

Photo: E. Morten, author’s collection, 754

Repainted early in 1948 prior to the issue of instructions for locomotive livery, No. M5476 with BRITISH RAILWAYS emblazoned across the tender is fitted with the Manson single line tablet exchange apparatus on the cab-side, suggests this engine is allocated to the Highland Section running north from Perth, which may well also be the location(6).

Photo: © Transport Treasury

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c.1965 • ‘Black Five’ No. 44998 attracts the attention of a couple of young ‘spotters’ at its home location, Perth.

Photo: © Transport Treasury

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P E N I STO N E

by Philip Hellawell 24th July 1965 • Holbeck Stanier ‘Jubilee’ Class 6P5F 4-6-0 No. 45643 Rodney enters Penistone station with a Summer (Saturdays Only) 10.35 Poole to Bradford Exchange express.

Rodney would have been attached at Sheffield, probably taking over from a Brush Type 2 (Class 31).

Photo: Robert Anderson/The Transport Library

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T

he story of a town with two railways using a shared station, one which started in the Eastern division but ended up in the Midland and which was not scheduled for closure by Beeching but did. The other was in the Midland Region throughout and was scheduled for closure twice, but stayed open and is thriving today.

The Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne & Manchester Railway Company The beginnings of the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne & Manchester Railway Company (SA&M) date from meetings of “influential gentlemen” held in Sheffield on 4th January 1836 and at Manchester the next day. Expecting great profits, following the outstanding success of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, it was hoped that passenger trains would be able to travel from Manchester through Penistone before turning south-east and descending the Don Valley into Sheffield taking about 2½ hours compared with two days taken by horse and cart. Parliamentary approval was finally granted on 5th May 1837, Charles Blacker Vignoles was chosen as the engineer, with Miller and Blackie winning the contract for the Penistone stretch of the line, at a price of £39,000 and, in 1845, their tender to build Penistone station for £387 was also accepted. On 1st October 1838 Lord Wharncliffe, Lord President of the Privy Council, and a keen proponent of railways, arrived by carriage from Wortley Hall to cut the first sod at Woodhead.

Given the difficult Pennine terrain construction of the line was problematical, the cost proving much more than first thought with the result that the directors became at loggerheads with Vignoles, who resigned in December 1839. He was replaced by Joseph Locke on a salary of £1,000 p.a., then engineer to the Grand Junction Railway, who had been educated at Barnsley Grammar School and had been an apprentice to Robert Stephenson. Troubles continued for the company, Lord Wharncliffe resigned, shareholders bitterly criticised the rate of progress, and the Secretary was sentenced to life imprisonment for embezzling £800.

The greatest trouble of all was the difficult construction of the Woodhead Tunnel, where an average of 400 men working in appalling conditions were kept employed. The building of this three mile tunnel tragically cost the lives of 26 navvies, all “caused by their own neglect” according to Thomas Nicholson, the contractor. Trains began running on the Lancashire side, reaching Glossop from Manchester by Christmas 1842, and Woodhead in August 1844. Meanwhile, the first public trains ran through Penistone from Sheffield to Dunford Bridge on 14th July 1845.

Finally, the single bore tunnel was opened to traffic on 22nd December 1845 after seven years construction, and the route was complete. Upon arrival of the first train in Manchester at 12.15 p.m. a band was playing “See the Conquering Hero Comes”.

In 1847 a second tunnel, to ease bottlenecks, was started with improved workers’ facilities, opening on 2nd February 1852, this time involving a death toll of 28, but due to an outbreak of cholera.

The town Penistone, population 12,665, lies in the foothills of the Pennines, being a market town in the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, and mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Today it is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley which is eight miles to the east and lies 14 miles north-west of Sheffield and 29 miles east of Manchester. The surrounding countryside historically was predominantly rural, small hamlets and livestock farms surrounded by fields and dry stone walls prevailing in the area.

However, the presence of the railway led to a transformation when in 1864, Charles Cammell & Co. of Sheffield paid £94,000 to buy the Penistone Steel and Iron Works, one of the first steelworks to house Bessemer Converters which revolutionised steel making.

The town’s population grew from 860 to 3,073 by 1901, the main items of manufacture being railway track, fishplates, and axles plus marine propellers, spindles and shafts, etc.

The company later merged with Laird Bros. of Birkenhead in 1903 to form the famous Cammell Laird shipbuilders, which built over 1,350 ships, including HMS Ark Royal in 1937, the first British warship to be designed as an aircraft carrier. After being sunk in the Second World War, the yard was commissioned to build another carrier of the same name in 1950. In 1929, the railway rolling stock arm of Cammell Laird was spun off and merged to become the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage & Wagon Co., which built numerous trains for London Underground and Diesel Multiple Units for British Rail.

Downturn in demand for steel in the 1920s decimated the British steel industry, and the closure of the Penistone works in 1930 left the town reeling with some 1,000 men (30% of the population) being thrown out of work. Local councils met to consider how they could alleviate the suffering and came up with a series of road improvement schemes, including the making of Wentworth Road. In 1935 David Brown & Sons, Ltd., manufacturers of farm tractors, gears for Spitfire engines and steering systems for Centurion tanks, purchased the site to set up an iron foundry to make heavy castings, specialising in huge gear wheels, which were exported worldwide. This Huddersfield engineering company would later achieve fame for their ownership of two car manufacturers – Aston Martin and Lagonda from 1947 to 1972 (the DB in Aston Martin models from DB5 onwards stood for David Brown).

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Woodhead Tunnel • The first bore (on the right) was completed in 1845, followed by the second to the north of that in 1852. Note that the castellations of the old tunnel portals are even embellished with ‘arrow slits’ in the central column. The magnificence of these tunnel portals was matched by the original station building which had to be demolished to make way for the new third tunnel on the south side (completed 1953). All three tunnels survive although the turrets and battlements of the originals have long since been removed. Tunnel 3 carries high voltage power cables for National Grid plc. Photo: H. Cartwright © Transport Treasury

Seven passenger trains in each direction between Manchester and Sheffield ran daily, with three on Sundays. Third class fare from Penistone was 2/4d to Manchester and 1/6d to Sheffield, first class being 5/6d and 2/9d respectively. Passengers caught smoking were liable to a fine of £2. Journey time for stopping trains from Penistone to Manchester was about 1 hour 20 minutes but expresses could do the trip in one hour and took 25 minutes to Sheffield.

Most of the early coke-fired locomotives were built by Sharp Roberts and Co. of Manchester in a dark green livery. The repair workshops were in the care of Yorkshireman Richard Peacock (1820-1889), who had joined the SA&M in 1841 and founded Gorton Locomotive Works, although he left shortly before it was completed in 1848. Peacock had encountered German-born Charles Frederick Beyer at a meeting near the Lickey Incline in 1847, later forming the famous steam locomotive manufacturer Beyer, Peacock & Co., at Gorton Foundry, Openshaw in 1854.

The company went on to build almost 8,000 locomotives, its wide range of products including the articulated Beyer-Garratt design. Over the lifetime of this design, a total of 1,636 Garratts

ran on 86 railways in 48 countries, of which Beyer, Peacock built 1,116 at their Gorton works.

The largest, heaviest, and most powerful steam engine ever to be seen in Britain was Class U1 6-cylinder Beyer-Garratt No. 69999, with a unique 2-8-8-2 wheel arrangement and weighing 178 tons. Built in 1925, and designed for banking work from Wath on the Worsborough Incline it did work through Penistone on occasions. In 1949, whilst the line was being electrified, the engine was transferred to work on the Midland Region’s Lickey Incline near Bromsgrove and was finally withdrawn in 1955.

The Sheffield Iris described the carriages of the SA&M as some of the most splendid ever to adorn a railway line, being painted in light claret, the doors of first and second class carriages decorated by the company’s coat of arms displaying the shields of the three towns. Guards’ uniforms were dark green with red edging, whilst ticket collectors wore double-breasted frock coats with red edging. Each station had a railway policeman, one of whose duties being to use hand signal lamps showing red (for stop), green (for caution) and white (for all clear).

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station with the L&Y but transferred their passenger traffic to the Midland’s higher level Court House station, soon after it opened in May 1870. (Although regarded as the town’s top station for decades, necessary viaduct repairs led to Court House being closed in 1960, since when all passenger traffic has been concentrated on the site of Exchange station, now known as Barnsley Interchange.)

Whilst passenger traffic was clearly valuable, the development of the high quality Yorkshire coalfield in the late 19th Century provided much of the financial yield for this section of the railway. A junction at West Silkstone had provided a further branch to Wath, ideally located between Doncaster and Barnsley, the two major centres of the Yorkshire coalfield. A large part of this coalfield’s output was transported through Penistone with over 40 trains a day heading across the south Pennines for industrial Lancashire. To facilitate this, a marshalling yard at Wath was constructed in 1907 with two groups of 31 sidings spread out in a ladder arrangement, copied from USA practice.

The Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway Together with the Sheffield & Lincolnshire Junction Railway and the Great Grimsby & Sheffield Junction Railway, the SA&M became the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (MS&L) on 1st January 1847. In the mid-1850s steam coal began to be used instead of coke for fuel and carriages with varnished teak exteriors like those of the Great Northern Railway (GN) were introduced. In those days footplate crews worked an average of twelve hours a day with little protection from the weather.

Even though the SA&M main line was still to be completed, the directors instructed Joseph Locke to survey a branch from just east of Penistone through Barnsley to join the North Midland main line at Royston in 1842. The Bill, which was unsuccessful in the 1844 and 1845 sessions of Parliament, eventually passed in 1848 at which time the scheme was reduced to a 7½ mile Barnsley Branch. This opened in stages, goods trains were introduced on 12th February 1857, although passenger traffic had to wait until 1st December 1859 when the SA&M was allowed to share use of the L&Y’s enlarged Barnsley Regent Street station (later known as Exchange). Station stops were opened on this branch line at Dodworth (1854) and Silkstone (1855).

From June 1864, the MS&L became joint owners of this

The Bullhouse Bridge Accident The worst accident in the area took place on 16th July 1884 when the 12.30pm express passenger train from Manchester London Road had just left Woodhead Tunnel and was gathering speed on

The unique 2-8-8-2 Beyer-Garratt No. 69999 built by Beyer, Peacock in June 1925 at their nearby factory in Gorton outside Manchester.

Seen here at Dewsnap yard where coal trains from Wath through Penistone ended up before being sorted for onward transfer to the Lancashire power stations. Photo: Neville Stead Collection © The Transport Treasury

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the downhill gradient towards Penistone. The driver reported hearing a crack as they banked through a curve near the bridge and it transpired that a driving wheel crank axle had fractured, causing the wheels to spread outwards which distorted the track.

The Gorton-built 4-4-0 locomotive No. 434 and a Cheshire Lines horse box coupled behind were derailed but remained upright. However, the carriages behind the horse box broke away from the coupling, the first five Great Northern carriages bound for London being derailed and effectively continuing in a straight line off the embankment and into the road. The following five MS&L carriages, heading for Grimsby Docks, were also derailed but less badly affected. Nineteen bodies were recovered from the wreckage and five other passengers died later from their injuries.

With 24 fatalities, many of whom were women, it was at the time the fifth worst accident in UK railway history and received widespread national press coverage.

The subsequent Inspector’s report concluded that the accident could not have been foreseen or prevented, but it did question the use of iron rather than steel for important components such as axles.

being the 1,428 feet long Grade ll-listed Lockwood viaduct, 136 feet above the valley to the top of the parapet. There are 32 arches of 30 feet span, the roads at either side of the valley passing through oblique arches of 42 feet and 70 feet. Designed by John Hawkshaw (knighted in 1873), the master mason was Job Hirst of Kirkheaton, whose final work was as a sub-contractor on the Ribblehead viaduct where he died aged 57 in December 1872.

So proud of Lockwood viaduct was the L&Y that it even featured on promotional postcards.

The 972,000 cubic feet of sandstone for the viaduct was quarried from the railway cutting at Berry Brow. The total cost was £33,000, construction beginning in late 1846 and being completed in March 1849. Rather than using blocking courses which comprise layers of stone of the same height, Hawkshaw (as with his Bottom Hall viaduct at Lightcliffe on the Halifax to Bradford line) elected to use ‘snecked rubble’ construction for the arches which he said was able to support great pressure and resist the vibration of trains travelling at speed.

Construction difficulties delayed the opening of the route, with the first train running on 1st July 1850 (contemporaneous with the opening of a branch to Holmfirth). This was almost a year later than the opening of the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway & Canal Company (H&M) line from Stalybridge into Huddersfield, the Huddersfield & Manchester Railway having absorbed the Huddersfield Canal Company on 30th June 1845.

Both the H&M and the LD&M became part of the London and North Western Railway (LNW) in July 1847.

Most unusually, the L&Y’s Penistone line was physically separated from all of the company’s other lines, and therefore dependent on running powers being granted by the H&M/ LD&M to allow the L&Y to traverse the section from Heaton Lodge to Huddersfield. In return for this, the L&Y had to grant running powers to H&M/LD&M over the Calder Valley line from Heaton Lodge to Thornhill Junction. A secondary route, the H&SJ, was mainly used by local traffic but also trains from Halifax and Bradford, including expresses to Sheffield, some of which went on to London – at first Kings Cross but, from 1900, Marylebone. Diverging from the main route, in addition to Holmfirth, were attractive branch lines, running along valleys to Meltham (opened 1869) and Clayton West (1879).

The original station at Penistone was opened by the MS&L on 14th June 1845 at the end of Bridge Street. After the arrival of the H&SJ in 1850, its original location being to the north of the town meant that passengers with connections had to walk about half a mile between the two companies’ lines. Eventually, chairman of the MS&L, Edward Watkin, proposed in 1869 that a completely new station should be built at Penistone. An agreement was

The Huddersfield & Sheffield Junction Railway The Huddersfield and Sheffield Junction Railway (H&SJ) bill was unopposed and received Royal Assent on 30th June 1845, the same day as the Leeds, Dewsbury & Manchester (LD&M) bill, the vision being to join up with that railway at Huddersfield and the SA&M at Penistone, the initial capital being £400,000 issued in 8,000 shares.

The first chairman was Joseph Armitage, and vice-chairman Charles H. Jones. Two routes were considered in November 1844, the cheaper one through the Kirkburton valley was discounted and the directors opted for one through the more populous Holme Valley. The first sod of this railway was cut at Penistone, also by Lord Wharncliffe, on 29th August 1845.

The H&SJ agreed to amalgamate with the Manchester & Leeds Railway (M&L) on 27th September 1845, following which John Hawkshaw became chief engineer and John Fraser resident engineer. The merger proposal succeeded and, on 27th July 1846, the H&SJ became part of the M&L which, with further amalgamations, became the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (L&Y) on 9th July 1847, giving them a direct interest in Huddersfield which had been rashly rejected in 1843 when the general manager of the M&L told a public meeting that “Huddersfield was not worth stopping an engine for.”

The 13½ route miles ran south through attractive West Riding countryside, cutting across several river valleys involving four major viaducts, fifty-seven bridges and six tunnels (totalling nearly two miles.) The finest of the line’s structures undoubtedly 14

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Top left: Ex-L&Y Aspinall Class 1008 2-4-2T No. 10713 at Penistone in 1934.

Photo: George Barlow Top Right: 9th April 1960 • A two-car DMU on the 1.20pm arrival crossing the viaduct into Penistone station.

Photo: Alec Swain Middle: 8th August 1980 • Penistone Viaduct with a two-car DMU working the 11.38 SheffieldHuddersfield. Photo: Milepost 92½ Right: 8th October 1977 • View of Penistone station, mainly of the L&Y (east) side. Photo: G. H. Taylor All photos: © The Transport Treasury

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foundations during a flood caused part of the 330 yard long Penistone viaduct to collapse. L&Y Hughes 2-4-2 tank engine No. 661 had moved on to the viaduct to run around empty stock standing on the platform. The second and third arches plunged 90 feet into the Don Valley below taking the locomotive with it although, fortunately, Driver Lockwood and Fireman Buckley from Mirfield were able to escape to safety.

The viaduct was closed for six months whilst repairs took place, a temporary halt at Barnsley Road being created. It took three weeks to cut the engine into movable sections which, typical of the L&Y, were loaded into 14 wagons, dispatched to Horwich works and used to rebuild the loco using new frames, side tanks and chimney (the original ending its days as a planter at Brockholes station). The locomotive continued to run until 1944, whilst the viaduct was reopened in August 1916 with through Bradford to Marylebone expresses reinstated.

therefore reached with the L&Y in 1871 for a tender of £9,200 from Weatherley and Rymer of York to be accepted for construction of a joint station near the Huddersfield junction.

The new Penistone station was opened on the 1st February 1874, with the MS&L platforms being on the west and the L&Y ones on the east. The station included refreshment rooms and First, Second and Third class waiting rooms, a footbridge, and a subway. It had six platforms, two of them 500 feet long, with canopies to provide shelter from the rain. Materials from the original L&Y station were used to rebuild Silkstone station, and the site was then used exclusively for goods traffic. A turntable, the pit for which still exists, and has been excavated, was installed to the west of the Barnsley line at Penistone. In later years this was also used for turning engines coming off the Huddersfield line, albeit with difficulty as it necessitated crossing over the main through lines to access and leave, a procedure which is said to have required 32 points/lever changes.

A major interruption to services during World War 1 occurred around 4.30 p.m., on 2nd February 1916, when scouring of

The Great Central Railway Edward Watkin, who became Chairman of the MS&L in 1864 and was knighted in 1868, was a very ambitious man and had a grand plan to link the industrial heartland of Lancashire and Yorkshire with continental Europe through a new ‘London Extension’ and a channel tunnel. To this end he became chairman of the South Eastern Railway and, in 1872, chairman of the Metropolitan Railway. Granted running powers over 40 miles of the Metropolitan Railway from Quainton Road, it then only needed a short spur, passing under Lord’s cricket ground, from Metropolitan tracks at Canfield Place to reach its new terminus at Marylebone.

Thus, in March 1899, it became one of the great trunk railways – much to the annoyance of those already established. In advance of the opening of its London Extension the MS&L changed its

The excavated Penistone turntable.

Sheffield Darnall’s Thompson Class B1 4-6-0 No. 61179 being turned on the Penistone turntable.

Photo: John McCann, Online Transport Archive

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name to Great Central Railway on 1st August 1897. Although Watkin had retired owing to ill health by 1894, the appointments of John George Robinson as Locomotive Superintendent in 1900 and Sam Fay as General Manager in 1902 heralded the glory days of the GC when the railway did indeed become great.

From 1900, the L&Y, in conjunction with the GC, ran an express service (later known as the ‘South Yorkshireman’) from Bradford to London Marylebone, via Huddersfield, Penistone, and Sheffield Victoria, at which point GC locos took over haulage. The journey took around 5½ hours.

construction of a new double-line tunnel was approved, a project completed under BR control on 30th May 1954, sadly involving six fatalities. In the meantime, a further 57 EM1s were built at Gorton, not Doncaster, from 1950 to 1952 giving the class a reduced total of 58 rather than the 70 originally envisaged.

A major problem was the freight route from Wath, which had to climb the infamous Worsborough Incline for seven miles, including a three mile stretch at a gradient of 1 in 40. It typically took two steam locos hauling plus two bankers at the rear nearly two and a half hours to move an 850-ton coal train from Wath to Dunford Bridge. By contrast, the journey could be done in only 66 minutes with an EM1 hauling and another one banking at the rear. The fuel and pollution savings were, therefore, very substantial.

In early 1943, during the Second World War, a tank ramp had been built at Penistone at the edge of the marshalling yard off Green Road. The purpose was to offload and reload huge numbers of army tanks, which would come from Newton Chambers &

The 1923 Grouping Grouping took effect on 1st January 1923, when the GC became part of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), whilst the L&Y, having merged with the LNW on 1st January 1922, became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). Although large parts of the GC system were located to the west of Midland metals, having the GC in the LNER made commercial sense insofar as it ensured the continuation of competition down the spine of England taking in the cities of Sheffield, Nottingham, and Leicester en-route to London.

On 13th November 1936, the Railway Gazette reported that the LNER intended to electrify the route via Penistone between Manchester and Sheffield plus the freight branch to Wath.

A report by Lord Weir in 1931 had recommended a standard UK overhead electrification system of 1,500 volts DC (other than on the Southern Railway). Unique for the Penistone route was that all classes of traffic would be electrically hauled, the first such instance in Britain, and was to be carried out under a Government Assisted Scheme. Major factors which led the LNER to adopt electrification were the heavy traffic, the exceptional gradients encountered, and its favourable position in relation to power supply access.

In January 1939, an order was placed for 70 EM1 Bo-Bo locomotives to be built at Doncaster, with the unusual attribute of having eight different braking systems. However, due to the outbreak of war, the order was reduced to just one prototype locomotive which was numbered 6701 (later 6000) which, after trials, was loaned to Dutch Railways in September 1947.

Having run 325,000 miles on the continent, it did not return until 25th March 1952 when it was renumbered 26000 and formally christened Tommy (a name which had been bestowed by the Dutch, as it was what they called British foot soldiers).

Meanwhile, in August 1947 the Minister of Transport had given approval to resume the electrification programme, though by then the two Woodhead tunnels were in a very poor state and beyond economic viability to make suitable for overhead wiring.

So, in the twilight days of the LNER on 25th November 1947,

Above: The Second World War tank ramp at Penistone.

Below: Located on the Trans Pennine Trail information from the Penistone History Archives describes the role the area played in the D-Day landings. Photos: © Author

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Co., Chapeltown, north of Sheffield, a company which made over 1,000 Churchill tanks. The Army was responsible for the loading work, one of the Land Masters in charge of operations being Denis Healey (later Major) of the Royal Engineers – a Member of Parliament from 1952 to 1992, and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979. Once offloaded, the tanks were driven to Langsett where a training school was set up to train tank drivers in preparation for the D-Day landings.

onward dispatch to Lancashire power stations by steam, then diesel, haulage.

Penistone was the hub of this new system as the nerve centre was a revolutionary state of the art Electric Control Centre built next to the line and equipped to handle the 11 sub-stations and 12 track section cabins on the route, with extra capacity if ever needed. The building still exists as the Lavender International NDT Training Centre. The location was an obvious choice, Penistone lying roughly halfway between the two major conurbations.

Arriving at the V-shaped junction at Penistone station in the 1950s and into the 60s via the ex-L&Y line was to enter a different and quite magical world. In addition to the overhead catenary, the unique electric locomotives looked like nothing else on the network. Not only that but they made a very distinctive and quite pleasant whining noise as they moved.

Wednesday 28th February 1968 was certainly a memorable day for me as I caught a train, with my wife Ruth, from Huddersfield to Penistone, changing there for one to Sheffield Victoria. Not only did I have a successful interview for a job with Midland Bank that day, but also the train to Sheffield was hauled

by EM2 No. 27006 Pandora. Little did I know at the time that, only three days later, the whole class would be withdrawn.

However, they were certainly out in force on that penultimate day of February as my notes tell me that I also observed 27002 Aurora, 27004 Juno and 27005 Minerva, along with eight EM1s.

The only steam engine seen on the day was Stanier 2-8-0 8F No. 48617 from Northwich depot as it trundled through Huddersfield with a slow freight train heading east.

In the event the EM2s were retired from service on 2nd March 1968 and stored at Bury MPD, being officially withdrawn in October that year. Subsequently sold to Netherlands Railways

British Railways Nationalisation on 1st January 1948 effectively turned the ‘Big Four’ railway companies into separate regions of the new British Railways, with the Great Central route part of BR’s Eastern Region, a situation which pertained for ten years until 1958 when it was reallocated to the Midland Region. The Midland was the old rival and, with them in control, the fate of the London Extension was sealed. As recommended by Dr. Beeching, the systematic run down of the old GC main line began. Traffic was progressively transferred to the former Midland route until final closure in 1969. The LNER’s splendid Robinson, Gresley and Thompson engines being replaced by largely worn out Stanier Royal Scots and Black 5s, although the BR Standard 9F 2-10-0s continued to operate the ‘Windcutter’ coal trains.

Back to the Woodhead route, on 14th September 1954 a special from Kings Cross was the first passenger train, hauled by immaculately turned out LNER-designed EM2 Co-Co 27000 Electra, from Sheffield Victoria through Penistone to Manchester London Road. The EM2 passenger locos which became Class 77 (although they didn’t last long enough to carry that number series) were, imaginatively, all given names from Greek and Roman mythology. Most of the traffic, however, was always goods trains from Wath to various sidings east of Manchester for

14th March 1958 • Class EM2 Co-Co No. 27006 at Manchester London Road.

Photo: Jim Flint/Jim Harbert © Transport Treasury

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30th July 1966 • Recently transferred from Holbeck to Farnley Junction, Stanier ‘Jubilee’ No. 45562 Alberta approaches Dodworth with the 9.06am (Saturdays Only) Bradford Exchange to Poole service. Photo: Mike Mitchell © Transport Treasury

against the 24 allowed, but the inevitable happened when the narrower loading gauge of the ex-L&Y line resulted in the lefthand of the protruding cylinders of Woolston Grange damaging the wooden platform edge at Denby Dale, sheering the engine’s cylinder rivets in the process. Leeds Control, concerned that it might get stuck in Morley Tunnel, instructed the Huddersfield inspector that, under no circumstances, must the Grange be allowed forward from there.

Black Five No. 45048 and Farnley men were dispatched from Huddersfield Hillhouse shed (55G, previously 25B) to relieve 6858 and, after some ill-feeling from the Low Moor crew about hand-over, causing a 51 minute delay, the train finally got under way, regaining six minutes upon arrival in Leeds. Hillhouse men then took 6858 down to the shed where its fire was dropped and the engine put away under a security cordon awaiting a decision for its return south. It wasn’t long before the spotting fraternity started to appear in numbers and, on one occasion, the police had to be called to move them on. Several days passed before a decision was taken to allow Woolston Grange to leave Hillhouse under its own steam, which it did at 00.50 on Wednesday 26th August heading for Wolverhampton Oxley depot. Worked by Farnley men as far as Crewe and limited to 35mph, it ran as special train 8Z02 (out of gauge load) via Stalybridge and Stockport.

(Nederlandse Spoorwegen) in September 1969, the class continued to haul express passenger trains until June 1986 (with the exception of 27005 Minerva, which was dismantled for spares). They were replaced on BR by the EM1 (later Class 76) freight locos, of which the last twelve (26046 to 57) were earmarked for passenger duties and themselves given names from Greek and Roman mythology. Whilst they were less suitable for such trains than the EM2s, being 15 tons lighter and 9 feet shorter, they did bring a greater degree of standardisation, since the EM2s only ever numbered seven in total, of the 27 once planned.

Greatest highlight Something which couldn’t possibly happen but did, occurred on Saturday 15th August 1964 when the 8.55am Bournemouth West to Leeds City express was unable to be taken on from Oxford by its booked relief engine from Leeds to continue north over the GC line, due to an oil train derailment at Didcot. To cover this, Oxford shed provided 4-6-0 No. 6858 Woolston Grange to go as far as Nottingham Victoria. However, with no replacement engine available at Nottingham, the Grange continued to Sheffield Victoria.

A GWR engine at Sheffield Victoria was unprecedented but, with no loco available here either, the remarkable decision was taken to continue on to Penistone under the wires, the Low Moor crew only agreeing to do so if accompanied by a loco inspector, which they were.

When they reached Penistone, the Low Moor men were quite enjoying themselves and agreed to work on alone to Huddersfield.

There followed a lightning run which took only 18 minutes

Closure proposals There were two routes between Manchester and Sheffield and, although the original line through Penistone had seen extensive investment, it was the Midland Railway’s Hope Valley route, 19

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25th August 1964 • Ex-GWR 68XX ‘Grange’ Class 5MT 4-6-0 No. 6858 Woolston Grange at Huddersfield MPD awaiting its return south.

Photo: Robert Anderson/The Transport Library

Penistone viaduct viewed from the south east. Photo: Author

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not opened until 50 years later in 1894, which had more intermediate stations. Moreover, the electrification system of 1,500 volts DC was already considered obsolete as early as 1956 when the British Transport Commission decided that all future electrification projects would be based on the new 25,000 volt AC system, which was used on the West Coast main line. Following the Beeching Report of 1963, British Railways suggested the segregating of passenger and freight traffic between Manchester and Sheffield, passenger trains on the Hope Valley line and express freight through Penistone. Eventually, on 5th June 1967, BR announced plans to withdraw passenger trains through Woodhead. BR admitted that Penistone station was well used and that receipts were good but said they could not let that stand in the way of running fast freight over the line. Following a lengthy public enquiry, the transport minister gave his consent in August 1969, regular passenger services to Sheffield Victoria being withdrawn on 3rd January 1970. Christian Wolmar in his excellent book “British Rail, a new history” opines that closure was one of the biggest mistakes of the era and believes that Labour should have reversed the decision, it being much regretted today given the east/west road and rail congestion in the north and Midlands.

Albeit with a much longer journey time, Penistone did retain passenger links as DMUs from Huddersfield were extended to Sheffield Midland by reversal at Nunnery Junction on to the exMR Nunnery Colliery branch. Sadly, the absence of a passenger service through Woodhead coupled with the subsequent decline in coal and steel traffic plus the, by then, obsolete traction system made it easy for BR to bring about the electric line’s total closure, the final train being a Harwich to Liverpool Speedlink service on 18th July 1981 pulled by 76006/14 between Rotherwood and Guide Bridge. One does wonder if the Woodhead route had survived, along with the GC’s London Extension, would HS2’s massive expense have been necessary. The GC connected the major cities of Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham and Leicester plus Rugby to the capital. It fostered great loyalty from its employees and had a self-contained and compact main line with a generous loading gauge and no level crossings.

Of the two original Woodhead tunnels, one subsequently

suffered from roof collapses and the other was used by National Grid PLC to carry a 400kV electricity link under the Peak District National Park. Despite hopes that the newer tunnel might remain available for re-use in the future, National Grid took the decision in 2008 to use it for the electricity link and, in 2013, the Government announced that the Victorian tunnels would be sealed off.

Ironically, although the ex-GC route through Penistone was not scheduled for closure by Beeching, but did, the ex-L&Y route from Huddersfield was scheduled to close but didn’t. It had been under constant threat from 1963 but, in April 1966, Barbara Castle, the recently appointed Labour transport minister, refused consent to the Beeching Plan closure of six conurbation services, including Exeter to Exmouth, York to Harrogate, and Manchester to Buxton. Perhaps surprisingly, the Penistone line was one of them, although stations became unstaffed on 9th October and the train service virtually confined to peak hours.

Hopes of keeping the line open into the future were compromised again with a major local government reorganisation

by Prime Minister Edward Heath, effective from 31st March 1974.

This included the abolition of the ancient and much loved Yorkshire Ridings, the West Riding of which was the largest and most urbanised as its southern part contained the great industrial cities of Yorkshire, including Leeds and Sheffield, whilst its north encompassed some of the finest of the Yorkshire Dales. This left the Penistone railway line passing through two new counties – West and South Yorkshire, whose transport interests did not coincide.

In a rare British example of devolution, the new county authorities had been required to manage their own integrated transport networks by means of Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs), with the ability to finance local rail services if they desired to keep them open. West Yorkshire PTE agreed in 1977 to take responsibility for all lines apart from the Clayton West branch which closed in 1983, by then the last surviving L&Y branch. As regards the Huddersfield–Penistone line, West Yorkshire supported it as far as the county boundary at Denby Dale, hoping that South Yorkshire PTE would reciprocate to allow the through service to continue. However, South Yorkshire refused on the grounds that costs were out of proportion to usage between Penistone and Sheffield.

Knowing that South Yorkshire was interested in improving the Sheffield to Barnsley service, BR therefore suggested re-routing the trains which would also bring cost savings. After inconclusive negotiations, BR pressed South Yorkshire for a decision, otherwise closure would go ahead in May 1983. Belatedly, South Yorkshire approved support for a diverted service in March for one year only and the diversion took place from May when 21

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Stanier ‘Black Five’ No. 44912 departing the ex-L&Y platforms at Penistone on a Huddersfield-Sheffield service.

Photo: John McCann, Online Transport Archive

One aspect of this reorganisation was the absence of a countywide strategy for transport issues, complicated by the fact that PTEs were administered by the abolished councils. To overcome this, the West Yorkshire PTE was reconstituted from 1st April 1986 as a joint committee of the five metropolitan boroughs in West Yorkshire, which quickly moved to publish a rail plan by which all routes in the County would be retained. Support for the Huddersfield to Penistone line was thereby renewed during 1987 and the closure threat lifted.

From May 1988 the Huddersfield to Sheffield service was increased to an unprecedented hourly interval whilst Sunday trains were reintroduced for the first time since 1965. Traffic received a boost with the opening of a new station at Sheffield’s giant Meadowhall retail complex in September 1990. The success of the line’s retention is underlined by the fact that the 2024 timetable shows 17 trains each way Monday to Saturday leaving Huddersfield at hourly intervals between 6.13 a.m. and 10.47 p.m., with 11 on Sundays between 9.10 a.m. and 7.15 p.m. However, typical journey times of 1 hour 18 minutes for the 37 miles to Sheffield are over 20 minutes slower than in the 1980s, and a significant barrier to through journeys.

the branch to Barnsley had been upgraded and singled. By this time, however, West Yorkshire PTE had withdrawn support as a protective move against being saddled with a dead-end at Denby Dale. After the trial year, South Yorkshire agreed permanent support together with plans for an extra train each way and a reopened station at Silkstone.

However, this time, West Yorkshire refused to renew support at the price demanded by BR on the grounds that most passengers were travelling beyond the county boundary and were not the sole responsibility of its PTE. During 1983, BR therefore published a formal closure proposal in respect of the Huddersfield to Denby Dale section, so the situation had now reversed with South Yorkshire PTE saying that, even if the through route closed, they would maintain support for a Sheffield–Barnsley– Penistone service.

A mere twelve years after the new Authorities were established, the Thatcher Government abolished the Metropolitan County Councils on 31st March 1986, for reasons that were not altogether clear. The Shire counties still exist to this day, but for the urban areas the odd situation is that seven counties ceased to exist administratively, even though they have not been incorporated into any other county. Consequently, the metropolitan counties continue to exist but only as geographical entities, living a shadowy semi-existence, since the police force and fire service continue to label themselves by the long defunct county name.

The present day In November 2023, Kirklees Council, supported by Barnsley Council, secured £48 million from the Conservative government’s 22

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Levelling Up Fund to enhance rail infrastructure on the Penistone line. The plan is to partially reverse the single tracking which took place in 1969 and again in 1989 by adding double track sections and additional passing loops, making line speed improvements (currently only 50 mph in places), and installing new fibre broadband. This, it is hoped, will create quicker and more reliable train services with a view to generating both jobs and housing. Accessibility to stations will be improved and enable people along the Huddersfield, Penistone, Barnsley, and Sheffield corridor to access work, education, and leisure more efficiently whilst also reducing their carbon impact.

In the absence of regional government, West and South Yorkshire now have what are called combined authorities, made up of an elected Mayor and the democratically elected council leaders from the partner councils. In the case of South Yorkshire, these are Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield, plus leaders from five non-constituent district councils. West Yorkshire’s members are Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield, plus non-voting members from the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and the City of York (which has never been in any of the three Ridings nor any of the four Metropolitan Counties of Yorkshire). Both these Combined Authorities are partners in the Penistone line upgrade project which also includes Network Rail, Northern Rail, and Sheffield City Council.

The Penistone Line carries a million passengers a year now but with new rolling stock, quicker and more regular journey times it is hoped that the figure will continue to grow over time towards a half-hourly rail service in the future.

Summary With de-industrialisation Penistone has recovered its rural charm, being a charismatic market town set in the rolling hills of the southern Pennines and is well worth a visit, preferably by using the train service which has survived, despite what at times seemed impossible odds. Trains use what were platforms 5 and 6 of the joint station, on which a short section of the old canopy with the original MS&L support brackets of the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway still exists. Much of the former GC trackbed now forms a very scenic and attractive part of the western section of the Trans Pennine Trail, a 212 mile coast to coast Sustrans route from Hornsea to Southport.

The author would like to thank Sue Fretwell and Roger Simpson OBE for their assistance in compiling this article.

Bibliography The Huddersfield & Sheffield Junction Railway – Martin Bairstow – Amadeus Press Ltd. The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway – John Marshall – David & Charles EM1 & EM2 – John Hooper – Book Law Publications The Woodhead Route – Anthony Dawson – Amberley Books The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway in the 20th Century – Eric Mason – Ian Allan The Great Central Then and Now – Mac Hawkins – David & Charles

20th June 1964 • Stanier 'Jubilee' 6P5F 4-6-0 No. 45562 Alberta at Penistone. Photo: Robert Anderson/The Transport Library

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A P OT E N T I A L ‘RU N AWAY’ T R A I N OV E R D AVA

by Ian Lamb

Night time pictures are naturally hard to come by, but this view of a day-time service gives an impression of a typical ‘Up’ Morayshire train of the time. It is an Inverness to Glasgow (Buchanan Street) service coasting into Boat of Garten behind Perth based Class 5 4-6-0 No. 44698. Don’t be fooled with what appears to be ‘wrong line working’; at this point on approaching the station both tracks run parallel, but the nearside one is that of the former GNSR ‘Speyside line’ which follows the River Spey northwards whilst the Highland route heads overland across Dava summit.

Photo: A. E. Bennett © Transport Treasury

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T

his article features the ubiquitous ‘Black 5’ – known as ‘Hikers’ to Highland railwaymen – but the substance is about a night train between the central belt of Scotland and the north. Whilst today our trains may be almost clinical – if not sterile – where ‘fail sure’ systems are concerned compared with the steam era almost seventy years ago, this should not in any way detract from the multi-skilled loco crew of that time.

When Stanier produced his most successful mixed traffic engine (destined to be the largest class of any locomotive in Britain), not only did he send the first of them up to Perth for testing on the Highland lines, but this class more or less dominated the routes to and from Inverness for almost the whole of their working life.

One of the first engines, LMS No. 5025, became very familiar with this part of the world and, after a major rebuild, can be found working on the Strathspey Railway at its original home at Aviemore Motive Power Depot. It was in Scotland that these engines were best appreciated throughout the LMS system, proving to be reliable climbers of the long gradients through the Grampians and further north.

Generally speaking when one talks about a northbound sleeper, invariably they are referring to the time-honoured West Coast Route ‘The Royal Highlander’ from Euston to Inverness or the former East Coast ‘Aberdonian’ between Kings Cross and Aberdeen/Fort William. Very few people seem to realise that for a while – particularly in the post-nationalisation period – a night train ran between Glasgow/Edinburgh and Inverness (joined at Perth) with a connection at Aviemore for the Moray towns. It is this latter spur that this article refers to.

Fast forward to Tuesday 12th July 1960, and my records of the day… or night!

Traditionally Glasgow’s Queen Street Station was my point of exit from the city, but the former Caledonian’s Buchanan Street was under threat of closure and I’d always fancied an overnight trip to the north. What a way to kill two birds with one station!

One of Stanier’s first ‘Black Fives’ (or ‘Hikers’ to Highland railwaymen) 4-6-0 No. 5025 rests at Aviemore shed, is now ninety years old and still in steam on the Strathspey Railway.

Photo: © Hendy Pollock

BR Sulzer Type 2, D5115, was in immaculate condition at the head of the 11.15 p.m. train to Inverness. On this occasion the train consisted of 13 vehicles including four bogie utility vans – three next to the engine, and one on the tail. Departure was eight minutes late, and sleep was spasmodic, cramped up in a reasonably packed compartment, recalling stops at Stirling and Perth. Thereafter, I did not wake up until beyond Culloden on the last run to the Highland capital.

On arrival at Inverness I discovered the train’s motive power to be two ‘Black 5s’, Nos. 44698 and 44998, both of Perth (63A) shed.

It was great to see the sunshine again, though cold as the train backed on to the Rose Street triangle.

I regularly met with 97 year old Jock Hay, who recalled – 1955 to be exact, in the depths of winter – that a ‘Black 5’ had been prepared through the night at Aviemore MPD to take the Moray connection onwards. Rostered to the engine, and booked on at 3.30 a.m., were driver Jocky Robertson and fireman Jock Hay. After all necessary checks and preparation at the nearby shed, the 4-6-0 soon made its way across myriad points and crossings at the station’s throat to await the arrival of the northbound train. Fireman Jock takes up the story: “It was a dark winter morning when we departed Aviemore with our Black Five engine at 4.40 a.m. and soon arrived at Boat Above: 1952 • Jock Hay (left) and Jocky ‘The Mole’ Robertson (right) near Inverness station between duties.

Left: 3rd August 1968 • No. 45025 on shed at Carnforth.

Photo: John Tolson © Transport Treasury

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Meanwhile, Jocky had also heard the train moving off, and had the presence of mind – knowing that he couldn’t reach the engine – to jump into one of the passenger coaches with the intention of pulling the emergency communication cord. To his relief the train came to a halt before he pulled the cord. He dashed up to the footplate, mighty relieved to see me, ‘Thank God you’re here’ he said: ‘I thought you were underneath the train!’

How had this happened? When we arrived at ‘the Boat’, Jocky probably slapped on the brake as normal, but the vacuum hosepipe at the end of the train had come away slightly from the dummy plug because the split-pin had not been pushed home.

When Alex, the guard, was inspecting the back of the train, he noticed the pin was loose and by pushing it home restored the vacuum which in turn released the brake. Jocky had left the footplate to check out the vacuum problem, but in doing so had unfortunately forgotten to shut off the regulator.”

Thankfully, none the worse for our escapade, the passengers were blissfully unaware that their train had almost run away. Now with steam up – and Jocky trailing a ‘fag’ in his mouth and a grin on his face – we were off like the clappers into the night, sparks flying from the chimney as we ascended towards Dava.

Sadly Jocky Robertson passed away in 1960, but I’ll always remember the good times we had, his ready smile and cheery countenance. Today I can look back at those happy days and enjoy these wonderful memories.

of Garten station with the ‘Hiker’ stopping opposite the Station Master’s House.

Alex, the guard, unloaded the papers, mail bags, etc, and gave Jocky the ‘green light’ to go. He opened the large ejector to increase the brake pipe to 21 inches vacuum and at the same time also the regulator, expecting the engine to move. IT DIDN’T! Only 15 inches of vacuum could be achieved, insufficient to release the brake on the train.

I lit my ‘crusie’ (flame light), jumped down on the track and uncoupled the vacuum hosepipe between the engine and the coach.

On returning to the cab I checked the vacuum gauge which had increased to 21 inches so returned beneath the train to couple up the vacuum hose pipes. For the moment I laid my ‘crusie’ lamp on the platform and shouted to Alex that we had no vacuum. Jocky was passing at that moment and picked up the ‘crusie’ saying he would check further back along the train.

As I coupled up the hosepipes I could hear the brake pistons coming down from the brake cylinder click, click, click! I decided it was time to get out from under the train and hopped back on to the platform.

The next thing I heard was the engine chuff, chuff, chuff and she was away – on her own with no driver! With that I took off, running down the dark platform, tackety boots clattering. The downward slope of the platform was fast approaching, but I could just make out the tender handrail illuminated by the firebox. This I grabbed, and just managed to haul myself into the cab. With my heart pounding I got hold of the regulator and stopped the train.

24th September 1960 • BR Sulzer Type 2 D5121 rests at Aviemore with a northbound freight train.

Photo: W. L. Stevenson © Transport Treasury

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The two ‘Hikers’ that replaced D5115 at Perth are shown on other duties. Above: 27th April 1957 • No. 44998 leaves Perth General Station with a relatively heavy load of passenger coaches. Below: 28th August 1959 • No. 44698 takes water at Grantown-on-Spey (West) with a southbound passenger service over the original Highland main line. The latter locomotive was a regular on the original Highland route, and is reputed as achieving the fastest time ever between Grantown-on-Spey and Dava Summit. Photo: W. A. C. Smith © Transport Treasury

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16th June 1962 • Once again Stanier 4-6-0 No. 44978 appears on the scene, taking ‘centre stage’ at Aviemore Motive Power Depot whilst being prepared for further duties. Photo: Leslie Freeman © Transport Treasury Boat of Garten • The end of the platform beyond the station house can be clearly seen, showing how short a distance Jock Hay had over sixty years ago to stop the train. This scene shows marvellous preservation work by the Strathspey Railway members. Photo: Ian Lamb

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Above: 1950s • Boat of Garten station looking north. Not only is the timelessness of the station layout apparent, but the two-coach train eventually bound for Craigellachie on the GNSR ‘Speyside Line’ rests quietly behind its simmering engine, awaiting a Highland railway connection. Photo: A. E. Bennett © Transport Treasury Left: 22nd June 2009 • Jock Hay on Platform 2 at Inverness Station where all the great trains such as ‘The Royal Highlander’, the ‘Clansman’ and – of course – ‘The Highland Chieftain’ (which Jock regularly drove as far as Perth) came and went.

He began his railway career on the LMS at Forres on 16th November 1940 and retired as Diesel Loco Instructor at Inverness on 28th June 1987. Most of his railway experience was gained over 21 years at Inverness MPD. He died three years ago aged 97, so close to his century.

The nameboard highlights places that over the years were very familiar to Jock.

For the students of Gaelic it is easy to translate “mouth of the River Ness” into the English language.

But, time moves on, and railways must go with it. The modern rebuilt platform plus the Class 158 train in the background merge well into the original Highland Railway station shed. The paraphernalia of today’s railway system is stored tidily, ready for use as required.

Above: 1947 • Jock Hay, as a fireman, on the footplate of ‘Black 5’ LMS No. 5171 at Aviemore MPD.

Photo: Ian Lamb

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

Dava station 30th August 1965 • Dava railway station was opened in 1864 by the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway, one year after the route was completed. As seen here, looking north, the station was provided with two platforms, thus providing a passing loop which included water columns and is situated 15 miles from Forres and 16 miles to the first junction at Boat of Garten. The station did provide some facilities for the area which included a post office.

At 985 feet above sea-level, Dava was the third highest station on the Highland Railway network. The summit that followed south of the station (Dava Summit) reaches 1,052 feet. The station was located in sparsely populated moorland, along a dirt track near the junction of the A939 and A940, the surrounding area is wild moorland (The Dava Muir).

Goods services at Dava were first to end; the date being 27th January 1964. Passenger services continued until 18th October 1965, when the station closed completely. The station building, stationmaster’s house, and platforms still remain. The stationmaster’s house is a private residence. No replacement bus services were provided to or from Dava, meaning that this remote area has not been served by public transport since the railway closed.

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

M OT I V E P OW E R AT B U RY S H E D D U R I N G T H E L AT T E R Y E A RS

by David Young Courtesy of Chris Tasker, Manchester Locomotive Society – all photos © MLS Collection

B

ury shed was situated on the east side of the Bury (Bolton Street) – Radcliffe (Central) line and was accessed from Baron Street. It was constructed in 1876, replacing an earlier shed which had been opened during the 1840s by the East Lancashire Railway.

Bury Shed was coded 20 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (into which the ELR had been absorbed) and became 26D under the LMS in 1935. In September 1961, the code became 9M, which was retained until the shed closed in April 1965.

Bury was largely a freight-oriented shed, especially after the line between Bury (Bolton Street) and Manchester (Victoria) via Prestwich was electrified by the LYR in 1916. Until then, Bury

had provided motive power for the passenger trains on this line.

The electric sets were housed in the former ELR works, which adjoined the steam shed, and many of the electric train drivers were recruited from the steam shed footplate staff. Although there was a reduced requirement for passenger steam power at Bury after the electric services began, there were still over 50 locos at Bury shed in 1923.

The post-Grouping years saw the replacement of the LYR 0-8-0s at Bury by the Fowler ‘Austin Seven’ 0-8-0s and there was an influx of LMS Class 2P 4-4-0s to share the remaining passenger turns with the ex-LYR ‘Radial’ 2-4-2T locos.

During the British Railways period, there were several

In 1945, Bury housed the following 31 locos: Company/Class

Numbers

Total

LMS 7F ‘Austin Seven’ 0-8-0

9557/90-1/4, 9665-7

Total 7

LYR 2P ‘Radial’ 2-4-2T

10736/55, 10872/4/8

Total 5

LYR 2F 0-6-0ST

11338, 11419/81/6-7/9, 11504

Total 7

LYR 3F 0-6-0

12129/64-5, 12245-6, 12382, 12455, 12554/79-80/4, 12615

Total 12

By Nationalisation (1st January 1948), the allocation had changed, following the introduction of Stanier 2-6-4Ts and 8F 2-8-0s: LMS 4P Stanier 2-6-4T

2473-4/6, 2629

Total 4

LMS 8F Stanier 2-8-0

8768-9

Total 2

LMS 7F ‘Austin Seven’ 0-8-0

9557/90-1/4, 9665-7

Total 7

LYR 2P ‘Radial’ 2-4-2T

10823/72/5/92

Total 4

LYR 2F 0-6-0ST

11338, 11419/81/6-7/9, 11504

Total 7

LYR 3F 0-6-0

12129/39/59/64-5, 12245-6, 12382, 12455, 12554/79-81, 12608/15

Total 15

By 1959, there were further changes in the allocation, as follows: LMS 4MT Stanier 2-6-4T

42444/55/60, 42550

Total 4

LMS 5MT ‘Crab’ 2-6-0

42700/12/9/30-1, 42820

Total 6

LMS 2MT lvatt 2-6-0

46406/14/6-7/36

Total 5

LMS 3F ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0T

47584

Total 1

LYR 3F 0-6-0

52129, 52289, 52443, 52527

Total 4

WD 8F ‘Austerity’ 2-8-0

90194, 90205/19/26, 90364, 90408/19, 90555/68, 90626, 90718

Total 11

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

5th May 1968 • Class EM2 Co-Co Nos. 27000 + 27005 in store at Bury following withdrawal and pending sale to Dutch Railways.

All seven of the class were present at the time.

c.1958 • Stanier Class 4MT 2-6-4T No. 42444 arriving at Bury Knowsley Street with a local train for Rochdale.

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

Bury shed had several ‘Crab’ 2-6-0s on allocation up to October 1964, including the now-preserved 42700, which was a regular visitor to Blackpool with excursions over the Whitsun holiday period in 1963, and was also noted on Rochdale–Southport and Ramsbottom–Bury–Radcliffe–Bolton–Liverpool (Exchange) excursions. In July 1963, during Bury’s annual summer holiday period, ‘Crabs’ appeared on the electric Bury–Manchester line to work the 09.40 Whitefield–Blackpool (Central) excursion, composed of non-corridor stock. Other duties for Bury’s ‘Crabs’ included a Bury (Knowsley Street)–Bacup pick-up freight via Ramsbottom. Bury had several 4F 0-6-0s of both ex-MR and ex-LMS types for duties such as this and, as late as 1963, 43880 and 43913 were noted on the 16.45 Bacup–Bury–Moston Sidings freight.

Bury shed was home to many representatives of the wellknown ex-LYR Class ‘A’ 0-6-0s and several spent lengthy periods there – indeed, 52129 was not withdrawn from 26D until August 1961. In addition to short-haul freight workings around the Bury area, these locos could be found shunting at the many yards and works premises in the vicinity, together with the 0-6-0 saddle tanks. Heap Bridge is one such location which comes to mind and another is Tottington Junction, where ‘Jinty’ 47584 was the regular shunter.

As the ex-LYR 0-6-0s were withdrawn, they were replaced by lvatt Class 2 2-6-0s 46405-6/12/4/6-7/36/9, which stayed until Bury shed closed in April 1965 and then moved to Bolton.

Bury had several WD 2-8-0s for the longer-distance freight workings, especially along the Calder Valley main line into Yorkshire, but No. 90408, which was the last of its class at Bury

noteworthy developments which affected Bury locos. From 25th March 1951, the electric service on the Bury–Holcombe Brook line was discontinued and replaced by a motor train worked by a ‘Radial’ 2-4-2T (50731 and 50829 featured in these workings, which consisted of an ex-LYR open saloon for passengers boarding/alighting at the intermediate halts, plus one ex-LMS suburban coach). On 4th May 1952, the Holcombe Brook branch closed to passenger traffic, together with the stations at Woodhill Road, Brandlesholme Road Halt, Woolfold, Sunnywood Halt, Tottington, Greenmount and Holcombe Brook. 50651/5 from 26D worked the last trains and were widely photographed. On 26th July 1953, the RCTS organised a railtour to Holcombe Brook, in which 50855 (26C) participated.

When Bacup shed (26E) closed in October 1954, five additional Stanier 2-6-4Ts, 42619-20/49-51, moved to 26D for the extra passenger duties but, by early 1955, they had all moved elsewhere, leaving other members of the class on 26D’s books until the last three, 42444/60 and 42550, left in September 1962 for Bolton, no doubt owing to displacement by DMUs. In February 1956 new DMU sets (later Class 101) arrived at Bury to work the Manchester–Bury–Rawtenstall–Bacup service and these Met-Camm sets were housed in part of the Bury steam shed. The coming of these DMU sets displaced Standard Class 4 2-6-4Ts 80044/6/60-1/93, which had come to 26D in January 1955 and left for Newton Heath (26A) in February 1956. However, during the summer of 1954, 80086-90 had arrived as new engines, after construction at Brighton Works, and stayed at 26D until the summer of 1956. They were noted at Manchester (Victoria) on passenger services from Bury via Clifton Junction.

24th April 1951 • Bury shed with resident Stanier Class 4MT 2-6-4T No. 42476.

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

Now preserved Crab 2-6-0 No. 42700 passing Bury South signal box with an Excursion train, probably bound for the Lancashire Coast.

electric locos E26000 Tommy (Class 76) and E27000-6 (Class 77), which were considered to be surplus to requirements on the Woodhead route (the locos of Class 77 were later exported to Holland) and, not least, preserved ‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0 No. 5596 Bahamas, which spent a short period at Bury until a transfer to the Dinting Railway Centre could be arranged.

The Bury shed building was demolished in November 1975 after all the stored locos had been removed but, in 1993, following the conversion of the Bury–Manchester line to Metrolink, the former EMU shed at Buckley Wells (located to the east of the steam shed) became available for the use of the preserved East Lancashire Railway’s locos. These locos had previously used the former 19th Century ELR goods shed at Castlecroft, situated just to the north of Bolton Street station, which has recently been converted into a Transport Museum after refurbishment.

in May 1964, was noted shunting PW wagons at Whitefield on 3rd March 1963. At the time of closure, Bury had Class 5 4-6-0s 45104, 45252, 45318/77/81 and 45415 on its books, for duties which would formerly have (probably) been given to ‘Crab’ 2-6-0s, and the Class 5s all moved to Bolton, together with 8F 2-8-0s 48106, 48333, 48469, 48523 and 48652.

The BR Standard 2-6-4Ts in the 80XXX series, previously referred to, were not the only newly-built locos to be sent to 26D during the 1950s, as Standard Class 2 2-6-2Ts 84016-9, newly constructed at Crewe Works, arrived at Bury in October 1953.

They only stayed until June 1954, before moving to Fleetwood, and details of their workings whilst at Bury are difficult to ascertain – presumably, they worked from Bury to Bacup, amongst other duties?

When Bury shed closed, most of the locos and footplate staff, and some of the duties, went to Bolton shed, although 46406/12 went to Newton Heath. After closure, the shed was used for the storage of 25kv AC electric locos E3036/8/41-2/4-5, which were awaiting rectifier modifications. The problems with the rectifiers were not resolved satisfactorily and the locos were later officially withdrawn from traffic. Also stored at Bury were 1,500v DC

Reference In conclusion, I am indebted to the following for helpful information: RCTS ‘The Railway Observer’ Midland Railway Society – BR Steam Loco Shed Allocations (1950-68) East Lancashire Lines – Bury to Heywood and Rawtenstall (J. Wells and E. F. Bentley) (Foxline Publications) 35

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

Jinty 0-6-0T No. 47584, at Buckley Wells approaching Bury Bolton Street.

The shed can be seen in the left background.

3rd February 1952 • Ex-LYR Aspinall Class 5 2-4-2T No. 50647 on Bury shed.

36

3rd February 1952 • Fowler Class 7F 0-8-0 (also known as ‘Austin 7s’) Nos. 49508 and 49666 on shed being prepared for their next duties.

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

c.1951 • LYR Aspinall Class 5 2-4-2T No. 50651 preparing to leave Bury Bolton Street with a motor train for Holcombe Brook.

Early 1950s • LYR Aspinall Class 2F 0-6-0ST No. 51419 with a short freight at Bury Knowsley Street in the early 1950s.

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

4th February 1962 • A general view of the shed and yard.

Below: April 1963 • Ivatt Class 2MT 2-6-0 Nos. 46414 and 46439 await their next duties.

Manchester Locomotive Society The Society has an extensive and varied collection of books, photographs and archive material covering locomotives, rolling stock, architecture and signalling. In addition the library has a comprehensive collection of timetables and publications from other societies. All of these are available to members for an affordable annual subscription. We also have regular talks on railway subjects in our clubrooms at Stockport station, and weekly informal meetings for research, assisting the cataloguing of acquired material, or just ‘chatting’.

The members-only section of the website includes a searchable collection of, for viewing at home, over 100,000 digitised photographs (a fraction of our total collection) as well as archive listings. We also have an email group for notices, queries and discussion.

Membership information email: membership@manlocosoc.co.uk or write, including an S.A.E., to: MLS Membership Secretary, 26 Alcester Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 3QP

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

43049 AT B I R M I N G H A M N E W ST R E E T 4th March 1961 • Ivatt Class 4MT 2-6-0 No. 43049 departs Birmingham New Street on an unrecorded working. Entering service from Horwich Works in November 1949, No. 43049 was at the time a local engine allocated to Saltley, where it remained until September 1962 before transfer to Heaton Mersey (9F) and then Carlisle Kingmoor (12A) in November 1964. Withdrawal from service took place in August 1967. Photo: R. C. Riley © Transport Treasury

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BA R N T G R E E N article inspired by Barry Mathews 11th July 1964 • Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73093 at Barnt Green with the 4.40pm Birmingham-Gloucester service.

Photo: Alec Swain © Transport Treasury

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

B

bouncing across the platform. At that time there was a large waiting room on that side with a ticket window, now removed.

Close to that stood a green-painted W H Smith bookstall run by Mr. C. B. Fallick. On summer Saturdays the sound of holiday special trains climbing the Lickey Incline with their bankers was clearly audible and then shortly afterwards they would ‘burst out’ from under the road bridge at the end of the platform. They were mostly hauled by Black Fives, sometimes a Patriot and occasionally a Midland Compound valiantly hauling one of those long trains. The Compounds typically hauled most of the Birmingham-Worcester local trains and he would travel down and up the Lickey Incline to school once a day for six years, acquiring a lifelong love for those locomotives and the hollow bark of their exhaust.

The Evesham loop line through Redditch and Evesham was used in Midland and LMS days as a relief route for freight traffic to avoid the steeply graded Lickey Incline in addition to carrying local passenger traffic, but under British Railways auspices it was closed to passengers south of Redditch in October 1962 due to the poor condition of the track (formal closure occurring on 17th June 1963) and completely in July 1964.

The remaining part of the branch north of Redditch had seen its service in the hands of DMUs and improved to hourly in April 1960, only for it to be listed for closure in the Beeching Report of 1963 along with Barnt Green station itself. As a precursor to this, the timetable was drastically cut back in May 1964, with only a handful of mostly peak period services being retained. However the route was reprieved in August 1965 after protests from local rail users and the area’s four MPs. Stopping trains on the main line southwards toward Worcester Shrub Hill and Cheltenham Spa were withdrawn in April 1966 (though the station at Bromsgrove survived), leaving the unstaffed station to be served by the few surviving Redditch to Birmingham trains for the next 14 years. The BR timetable of 1972 lists just four trains in each direction serving all of the surviving local stations on the route – two return trips in the morning peak, one at midday, one in the evening and no Sunday service.

The service level was eventually boosted in May 1980, when hourly trains were reintroduced between Longbridge and Redditch as an extension of the recently commissioned Birmingham Cross-City Line from Lichfield City. This frequency was increased to half-hourly in 1989 and in 1992 the route was electrified (though only the centre main lines were wired beyond Longbridge – the outer lines remain diesel-only and are designated as goods loops). A limited service has also returned to the main line platforms in recent years, provided by trains on the Birmingham New Street–Worcester–Hereford line.

arnt Green station is situated 9½ miles south west of Birmingham New Street in north Worcestershire and is at the point of a Y-shaped junction between the main line towards Bromsgrove, Worcester and the south west, and the branch line to Redditch, now part of the Cross-City Line.

It has platforms on both lines, until 2018 only the Redditch line platforms saw regular services, however since Cross-City Line services were extended to Bromsgrove, the main line platforms now also see regular use.

The main line through Barnt Green was built and opened by the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway (B&GR) in 1841, but it was not until 1844 that Barnt Green station was opened. The B&GR was linked to the Bristol and Gloucester Railway in 1845 to create a through route to the West Country and then became part of the Midland Railway’s expanding network in 1846. The station became a junction in 1859 with the opening of the Midland Railway’s branch line to Redditch. This was subsequently extended through to Evesham and Ashchurch in stages between 1866 and 1868.

The Midland then opened a second route into Birmingham New Street (the Birmingham West Suburban Railway) in 1885 to provide an alternative to the original B&GR main line via Camp Hill, which was becoming increasingly congested at its eastern end (which it shared with the LNWR main line from Euston and the Midland’s own route from Derby).

Though the station was used as an interchange between the two lines from the outset, its main line platforms were initially staggered – the northbound platform being located north of the junction and initially connected to the two southbound ones by a foot crossing. This was replaced by a footbridge in 1895.

A second platform on the branch was provided in 1894, when the first 350 yards from the junction were doubled. A more comprehensive rebuilding scheme came in 1928, when Cofton Tunnel was demolished and replaced by a wide cutting, so that the main line towards Northfield and King’s Norton could be quadrupled by the LMS (who had taken over ownership of the station at the 1923 Grouping). This saw the Birmingham-bound platform relocated south of the junction to create the layout still in use today.

A correspondent who lived close to Barnt Green station from the Second World War onwards reminds us that it stood on an important NE-SW express route. It was part of the route of ‘The Pines Express” for a long time. As a child he would stand on the Worcester-Birmingham platform with his sister, seeing ambulance trains painted dark green with red crosses passing through. Other troop trains held American soldiers and when they saw us, they threw sweets and coins to us which came 43

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

Above: 25th April 1937 • 1892-built Johnson Class 1P 0-4-4T No. 1348 with a local ‘stopper’ at Barnt Green.

Below: 25th April 1937 • The driver of Saltley-based Fowler LMS Class 4F 0-6-0 No. 4133 poses on the buffer beam at Barnt Green station.

Both photos: Milepost 92½ © Transport Treasury

44

TO REDDITCH

A

Viewed from the train, the driver of Ivatt 2-6-0 No. 43013 collects the tablet from the signalman of the 1894-built Barnt Green Single Line signal box, which was sited on the same side as the Up platform. The first signal box controlling the junction was opened in 1883 when the line was single immediately from the junction with the Gloucester & Birmingham Railway main line. When the Redditch branch was doubled for 350 yards the signal box was moved nearer Redditch by the same distance.

Photo: James Harrold © Transport Treasury

BARNT GREEN C SINGLE LINE JUNCTION SIGNAL BOX

TO GLOUCESTER

B

C

BARNT GREEN c.1955

D

9th September 1959 • Barnt Green looking north (Birmingham platform).

Bridge No. 111

A

Coal Bins

Ca le Dock

D

FROM BIRMINGHAM

A Redditch service arrives off the Birmingham main line. Photo: Alec Swain © Transport Treasury

9th September 1959 • Barnt Green looking north (Redditch platform).

BARNT GREEN MAIN LINE JUNCTION SIGNAL BOX

B

Bridge No. 112

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

29th August 1960 • A view of the ex-Midland Railway Barnt Green station from the Birmingham end showing an unidentified Stanier 8F passing through on an express freight.

Photo: Milepost 92½ © Transport Treasury

25th April 1937 • Ex-MR Class 4F 0-6-0 No. 4139 at Barnt Green station.

Photo: Milepost 92½ © Transport Treasury

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11th July 1964 • Stanier Class 6P Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45653 Barham pictured passing through Barnt Green from the Gloucester direction with a northbound express. Photo: Alec Swain © Transport Treasury

11th July 1964 • An unidentified ‘Peak’ arrives at Barnt Green with a southbound service.

Photo: Alec Swain © Transport Treasury

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THE BRITISH RAILWAYS ‘CLANS’ – 1951–1966

by David Anderson

T

(all images by the author unless stated)

he responsibility for the development of the British Railways Standard locomotive building policy was down to Robert Riddles, Roland Bond and Stewart Cox, with the Derby Drawing Office co-ordinating the design of the ‘Clan’ 4-6-2s.

In November 1949, ten 2-cylinder 6P5F Standard ‘Clan’ Pacifics were authorised for construction specially for mixed traffic service on the Scottish Region. The new engines, built at Crewe, were designed as a scaled-down version of the first 25 ‘Britannia’ class 4-6-2s for the Eastern and Western regions and accordingly named after Scottish Clans.

Built between 1951-52, the Clans had higher running plates than the ‘Britannia’ class, 6 foot 2 inch diameter driving wheels, roller bearings, taller steam domes and chimneys and a lower axle loading of 18½ tons with a tractive effort of 27,520 lbs against the 32,150 lbs of the Britannia.

The Clan tenders were the same as those supplied to the first batch of ‘Britannias’, designated BR1 with a water capacity of 4,250 gallons and a 7 ton capacity coal space. As with the Standard Class 7 Pacifics draught screens were later fitted between the engine cab and tender.

During 1953-54 the only alteration carried out to the class was a reduction in the diameter of the engines’ blast pipes to improve steaming. Prior to this date problems had occurred when the driving wheels were found to have moved on their axles, resulting in the ‘Clans’ being recalled to Crewe for attention.

It was proposed that the ‘Clans’ would be employed on the former Highland Railway route between Perth and Inverness.

However, at the time of delivery, the engines’ insufficient adhesion power together with an adequate number of Stanier Class 5 4-6-0s still available to handle traffic over this difficult route meant the proposal was not proceeded with. Another

factor which influenced the decision was the extra expenditure required to fit the engines with tablet catchers.

The first two engines of the class, Nos. 72000 and 72001, both entered traffic on 29th December 1951. All of the ‘Clans’ were run in on trains between Crewe and Birmingham. The initial five Pacifics, Nos. 72000–04, were allocated to Glasgow Polmadie.

The remaining five, Nos. 72005–09, to Carlisle Kingmoor.

At a formal ceremony at Glasgow Central station on 16th January 1952, The Lord Provost of Glasgow named No. 72000 Clan Buchanan.

The Polmadie allocation soon found regular express passenger train work from Glasgow Central to Manchester and Liverpool usually loaded to ten coaches. The ‘Clans’ were also used on less demanding duties between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Princes Street, on local passenger workings together with mixed traffic and parcel train haulage to Perth, Ayr and less frequently on the Glasgow, Gourock and Greenock route. The Carlisle Kingmoor-based ‘Clans’ became established on the Glasgow St. Enoch to Stranraer route – the ‘Port Line’ – and on the Settle to Carlisle section to Leeds and Bradford with the ‘Waverley’ express and all station passenger workings over the West Coast main line from Carlisle to Glasgow Central via Carstairs Junction.

As a prelude to the possible transfer of five ‘Clans’ to the former Great Eastern railway route which would release five of the ‘Britannias’ for service on the Midland Division of the London Midland Region, No. 72009 Clan Stewart was sent south to Stratford Depot in September 1958 to evaluate its capabilities on passenger workings from Liverpool Street to Clacton via Colchester. However, after a month’s trial, it was returned to Kingmoor as its performance failed to match up to the bigger ‘Britannia’ pacifics already established on the route or outperform the abilities of an average Class B1 4-6-0.

48

July 1961 • With the station clock showing 3.10pm No. 72000 Clan Buchanan heads southbound through Barassie station, Ayrshire with a Glasgow St. Enoch–Ayr parcels train.

Note the immaculate station gardens and building. Kilmarnock (Barassie) Championship golf course is to the rear of the station.

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

11th April 1960 • The first engine of the ‘Clan’ Class 4-6-2s, No. 72000 Clan Buchanan, on the West Coast main line to the south of Crawford with a Glasgow Central to Blackpool holiday relief service. Named after a Scottish Clan with origins in the lands on the eastern shores of Loch Lomond. Clan motto: Clarior Hinc Honos (Henceforth forward the honour shall grow ever brighter).

In October 1957, three of the ‘Clans’ (Nos. 72002/05/06) were transferred to Edinburgh Haymarket and St. Margarets sheds to replace the workings of the V2 2-6-2s on seed potato and sugar beet traffic, but owing to their unpopularity with the shed crews, they were soon returned to their former sheds.

In June 1956, No. 72001 Clan Cameron was based at Fort William for a week to haul special seven coach trains to Spean Bridge on the West Highland Line on the occasion of a gathering of Clan Cameron members at Achnagarry Castle, the ancestral home of Cameron of Lochiel. Fort William engine crews reported 72001 to be a rough rider and too long in the wheelbase for the West Highland curves.

With the quickening pace of dieselisation and the demise of steam power an order for a further fifteen engines of the ‘Clan’ class,

Nos. 72010-24, for the Scottish and Southern regions of British Railways scheduled to commence in May 1954, was cancelled.

The first ‘Clans’ to be taken out of service were Nos. 72000-o4 in December 1962. The decision to withdraw them from Polmadie shed was part of the Scottish Region’s intent to get rid of steam power on passenger workings as quickly as possible. Nos. 72000-04 were stored at Polmadie until May 1963 when they were moved to Parkhead and by October they had been towed to Darlington Works for scrapping. This left Nos. 72005-09 at Kingmoor, but their withdrawal was inevitable and No. 72005 Clan MacGregor was taken out of service in May 1965 followed in the same year by No. 72009 Clan Stewart and No. 72007 Clan Mackintosh. No. 72008 Clan MacLeod was condemned in April 1966, leaving No. 72006 Clan Mackenzie as the final survivor until withdrawal in May 1966.

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

Taking into account the British Railways modernisation plan of 1955 together with the changeover from steam to diesel and electric traction and also the availability of the remaining steam engine fleet operating in the Scottish Region, it is perhaps surprising that the ‘Clan’ Pacifics were ever built.

In retrospect, the class were reportedly below par with regard to their performance in service during their short lives and not particularly popular with their crews, especially at Polmadie.

However, the ‘Clans’ were quite highly regarded in operation from Kingmoor and worked a higher mileage than their Glasgow counterparts mainly during the haulage of the Stranraer boat trains up to the time of their withdrawal.

Despite criticism, the ‘Clans’ were visually a handsome and impressive design and with only ten of the class in British Railways service, they held a rarity value for enthusiasts and photographers alike.

THE ‘CLANS’ – in service from Glasgow Polmadie (66A) and Carlisle Kingmoor (12A/68A) from 1951-1966 Number

Name

Disposal/Notes

72000

Clan Buchanan

72001

Clan Cameron

72002

Clan Campbell

72003

Clan Fraser

72004

Clan MacDonald

72005

Clan MacGregor

Withdrawn on 1st May 1965. Disposed of at Arnott Young, West of Scotland Shipbreakers, Troon.

72006

Clan Mackenzie

Final survivor of class. Cut up by J. McWilliam, Shettleston.

72007

Clan Mackintosh

Cut up by G. H. Campbell, Airdrie.

72008

Clan MacLeod

Cut up by J. McWilliam, Shettleston.

72009

Clan Stewart

Cut up at Motherwell Scrap Co., Wishaw.

Nos. 72000-04 were withdrawn from service on 29th December 1962.

Cut up at Darlington Works by February 1964.

Names allocated to the 15 engines, building of which was scheduled in May 1954 but subsequently cancelled 72010

Hengist

72011

Horsa

72012

Canute

72013

Wildfire

72014

Firebrand

72015

Clan Colquhoun

72016

Clan Graham

72017

Clan MacDougall

72018

Clan MacLean

72019

Clan Douglas

72020

Clan Gordon

72021

Clan Hamilton

72022

Clan Kennedy

72023

Clan Lindsay

72024

Clan Scott

Nos. 72010-14 were not allocated ‘Clan’ names as they were intended for service on the Southern Region.

The proposed building of 72025-34 were destined for service on the North Eastern Region, no names had been finalised.

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

5th June 1954 • Clan No. 72001 Clan Cameron pictured at Carstairs. A West Highland Scottish clan with one main branch, Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches, its traditional lands are in Lochaber and encompass Ben Nevis. Clan motto: Let us unite.

2nd June 1956 • No. 72002 Clan Campbell in Perth shed yard after working in from Glasgow (Buchanan Street) with a parcels train.

In its first year of service No. 72002 covered a distance of 65,000 miles. Clan Campbell historically was the largest, most powerful of all the Highland Clans. Their lands are in Argyll, the chief of the clan was the Duke of Argyll. Clan motto: Ne Obliviscaris (Forget Not).

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

16th April 1956 • Clan No. 72003 Clan Fraser about to leave Polmadie shed to back down onto its train at Glasgow Central to work a Manchester and Liverpool express. Clan Fraser of Lovat, a Scottish clan of French origin associated with Inverness and the surrounding area from the 13th Century. Clan motto: Je suis prest (I am ready).

26th June 1957 • Clan No. 72003 Clan Fraser departs with a freight from Larkfield Sidings, Glasgow.

Photo: Neville Stead Collection © Transport Treasury

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18th April 1956 • No. 72004 Clan MacDonald makes heavy weather of an afternoon four-coach all stations service from Carlisle to Glasgow Central, north of Harthope on Beattock Bank. Clan MacDonald hails from the western Highlands and Islands of Scotland, hence the clan leader’s title of Lord of the Isles. Clan motto: Per mare per terras (By sea and by land)

27th April 1955 • No. 72005 Clan MacGregor at Glasgow Corkerhill showing the higher running plate and smaller diameter boiler than the Britannia class as well as the taller steam dome and chimney and folded concertina draught screen between the engine and tender.

Senior Highland clan with connections to King Kenneth 1. Outlawed for two centuries after a power struggle with the Clan Campbell.

54

6th June 1959 • No. 72005 Clan MacGregor heads out of Carstairs Junction with the morning Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria to Glasgow Central express.

With whistle blowing after a brief stop to allow the Edinburgh Princes Street through coaches to be detached. Note the horse box in the train’s formation.

Clan motto: S Rioghal mo dhream (Royal is my race).

30th September 1961 • No. 72006 Clan Mackenzie working the 9.50a.m.Euston-Perth departs from Symington station, South Lanarkshire. Clan Mackenzie is a Scottish clan, traditionally associated with Kintail and lands in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands. Clan motto: Luceo non uro (I shine not burn).

Photo: Neville Stead Collection © Transport Treasury

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

7th July 1958 • No. 72007 Clan Mackintosh ascends Beattock Bank at Auchencastle with a Liverpool/Manchester to Glasgow train.

Note the 12-wheel restaurant car, third coach from the loco. A Scottish clan from the Inverness area with strong associations with the Jacobites. Clan motto: Touch not the cat bot a glove (‘Bot’ means ‘without’).

7th July 1958 • No. 72008 Clan MacLeod heads through Beattock station with a northbound express, the 2.10pm Manchester-Glasgow service, without stopping for banking assistance. A Scottish clan mainly associated with the Isle of Skye, with two main branches at Harris and Dunvegan. Clan motto: Hold fast – Stand your ground.

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9th April 1955 • No. 72009 Clan Stewart, based at Carlisle Kingmoor, prepares to leave Carstairs Junction station with the 9.30am Glasgow Central to Liverpool and Manchester express (10.17am from Carstairs).

A Scottish Highland and Lowland clan. The clan is recognised by Court of the Lord Lyon. Clan motto: Virescit vulnere virtus (Courage grows strong at a wound).

58

G IN M N O O C SO

• T H E R . C . R I L E Y C O LO U R C O L L E C T I O N •

Transport Treasury Publishing are proud to present a unique series of 15 colour albums featuring the best of the R. C. Riley colour archive.

To be released at intervals and printed in strictly limited numbers, the series will grow into a unique record both of the contemporary railway scene and also that of the work of one of Britain’s leading transport photographers.

www.ttpublishing.co.uk

Published by Transport Treasury Publishing Ltd.

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

END OF STEAM RAIL TOURS

I

by Roger Geach

have picked a few original slides to share with you from my collection which came from a photographer who travelled on a number of special trains back in the 1960s. Towards the end of steam these tours became more and more prolific as the deadline of August 1968 and the end of BR steam was approaching.

Now I, like many others, frowned if people appeared in the picture and may well have discarded such images in the bin. Years later though my view has changed, the inclusion of people, be it other railway enthusiasts or railway staff carrying out their duties, is now very interesting. It also allows us to look back at the fashion of the time along with the uniforms worn and the equipment that was in use – high visibility clothing had not yet been introduced.

Unlike modern times one could wander pretty free to capture your picture, onto the track and around the yards and sheds. In fact some tours advertised the fact that a shed visit was part of the itinerary.

On 20th April 1968 The Manchester Rail Travel Society and the Severn Valley Railway Society jointly ran the ‘North West Tour’, starting from Birmingham New Street behind an electric loco to Stockport where steam locos Nos. 45110 and 44949 were provided to work forward via Peak Forest, Chinley and Romiley to Stalybridge for another loco change. Nos. 73134 and 73069 then took the train from Stalybridge to Bolton via Copy Pit. No. 48773 then worked back to Stockport via Bury, Rochdale and Oldham Mumps. The final steam leg was behind Class 9F No. 92160 via Skelton Junction, Warrington Low Level and Ditton Junction to Liverpool. The return from Liverpool to Birmingham New Street was by an electric loco. I hope you enjoy looking at the photos that follow of this rail tour and it makes me wonder if any of the readers of Midland Times were on this train, let us know if you were.

This picture shows the scrum of people on the platform at Stockport, almost hiding 45110 and 44949 from view.

Interesting to note how smart the men are, many wearing shirts and ties. All rather different from 2024.

A similar scene at Stalybridge.

No. 73134 with 73069 have taken over the tour, however not much chance here to get an unobstructed view of the locomotives. Gricers all over the platforms!

At least one person here has a movie camera, not that he would have got much of a shot from here.

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At Bolton there was a chance to photograph Stanier 8F No. 48773 at the platform with less people around.

The Manchester Rail Travel Society’s headboard can be seen prominently along with 1Z77, the reporting number of the special.

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NORTH WEST TOUR – Manchester Rail Travel Society/Severn Valley Railway Society – Route: 1Z77 – 20th April 1968 E3180

Birmingham New Street – Stockport

45110 & 44949

Stockport – Disley LNW – Buxton No.1 – Peak Forest Junction – Chinley – Romiley – Guide Bridge East Junction – Stalybridge

73134 & 73069

Stalybridge – Standedge – Hebden Bridge – Copy Pit – Rose Grove – Blackburn – (2) – Bolton

48773

Bolton – Bury Knowsley Street – Rochdale – Oldham Mumps – Dean Lane – Thorpes Bridge Junction – Philips Park No.1 Junction – Droylsdon – Denton Junction – Stockport

92160

Stockport – Northenden Junction – Skelton Junction – Warrington Bank Quay LL – Ditton Junction – Liverpool Lime Street

E3093

Liverpool Lime Street – Birmingham New Street

See table to the right for tour timings.

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1Z77 timings – Saturday 20th April 1968 Location

Booked

Actual

Birmingham New Street

08.45d

08.45

?a – 09.02d

09.09 – 09.10

?a – 09.48d

09.43 – 09.48

10L22a – 10L37d

10.22 – 10.39

Wolverhampton HL Crewe Stockport Whalley Bridge

10.58

11.00

Buxton No.1

11.16

11.33

11.28

11.41

Peak Forest Jn Chinley

11p40a – 11p50d 11.45½ – 11.55

New Mills South Jn

11.55

Romiley

12.07

12.12

Hyde Jn

12.15

12.19

Guide Bridge Jn (East)

12.18

12.21

12L28 – 12L38

12.30 – 12.48½

Stalybridge

12.01½

Diggle

12/51

13/05

Hebden Bridge

13/49

13/55½

Hall Royd Jn

13/54

14/01½

Copy Pit

14/05

14/12

Gannow Jn

14/14

14/21

Rose Grove

14L16 – 14L44

14.24 – 14.47

Blackburn

15.05

15.16

15L31 – 15L39

15.55½ – 16.07

15.48

16.32

15p55a – 16p06d

16.39 – 16.48

Bolton Bury Knowsley Street Broadfield Rochdale

16.14

16.58

Oldham Mumps

16.26

17.13

Dean Lane Philips Park No.1

16.38

17.23

16*43 – 16*51

17.30

Droylsden

16.58

17.37

Denton Jn

17.02

17.41

Stockport

17L17 – 17L25

17.52 – 18.18

Northenden Jn

17.33

18.25

Skelton Jn

17.40

18.30

Ditton Jn

18.14

19.02

Liverpool Lime Street

18L31a – 18L56d

19.20 – 19.31

Crewe

19.40a – ?d

20.27 – 20.32

Wolverhampton HL

20.21 – ?d

21.13 – 21.15

20.40a

21.31

Birmingham New Street

Timetable reproduced with permission from Gary Thornton at www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk Left: The photo stop at Chinley. Note the tour participants spread out all over the platforms and track.

Some may recall Chinley like this with its covered footbridge, platforms and sidings. The tour was blessed with good weather throughout the day.

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LIVERPOOL RIVERSIDE

L

iverpool Riverside was a railway station owned by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (MD&HB) and located at Liverpool’s Pier Head ocean liner terminal.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century Liverpool had become the main port for the trans-Atlantic passenger trade.

This, however, was threatened in the 1880s due to the port of Southampton taking trade away from Liverpool, one of the reasons for this was the passenger railway facilities that had been developed there close to the berths from which the ships sailed.

A floating landing stage at Princes Dock, close to the Pier Head, was used at Liverpool, none of the major railway termini were located near this location, and passengers with their luggage transferring between trains and ships had to be transported by road through crowded streets. The MD&HB obviously did not want to lose passenger liner trade to Southampton so a decision was made to build a passenger station adjacent to the Princes Landing Stage.

The station was opened on 12th June 1895 and was located at the end of a ½ mile branch that connected to the MD&HB ‘main line’ which ran north/south along the length of the docks (a dockside tramway was worked at that time by horses).

A south-to-east spur was put in from the MD&HB line to the

WATERLOO GOODS

TO SOUTHPORT, PRESTON AND WIGAN

GREAT HOWARD STREET GOODS

London & North Western Railway (LNWR) Waterloo Goods station which gave access to the real main line railway that had a fast route to London Euston.

Comprised of two main platforms of 795 feet and 698 feet, with a centre release track between them, and a 560 feet bay platform, all covered by a roof. Beyond the buffers the station entrance was a two-storey building, the first floor containing MD&HB offices, while on the ground floor there were booking facilities, waiting rooms, an inspector’s office and a refreshment room. It was rebuilt in 1945 after bomb damage. On the opposite side of Princes Parade from the station were the Customs examination rooms and the floating Princes Landing Stage, where the ships berthed.

On the opening day the first passenger train to use Riverside station was an LNWR train from Stafford which included through coaches from London Euston, attached to another train, the service was to connect with the sailing of the White Star company liner ‘Germanic’.

The MD&HB had intended that Riverside station would be used by all of the main line railway companies which provided passenger services to Liverpool. As well as the LNWR, the Great Northern Railway (GNR), the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway

LIVERPOOL RIVERSIDE AND WATERLOO GOODS BRANCH c.1920

TO CANADA DOCK

TUEBROOK

WATERLOO TUNNEL (852 yards)

RIVERSIDE STANLEY

EXCHANGE LIVERPOOL OVERHEAD RAILWAY

LIME STREET

VICTORIA TUNNEL (1 mile 947 yards)

CENTRAL RIVER MERSEY

PARK LANE GOODS

EDGE LANE EDGE HILL

WAPPING TUNNEL (1 mile 351 yards)

CROWN STREET GOODS

TO MANCHESTER (EXCHANGE)

WAVERTREE 64

TO MANCHESTER (LONDON ROAD AND CENTRAL)

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

c.1936 • A double-headed boat train hauled by two ex-LNW 0-6-2 ‘Coal Tanks’ departing from Liverpool Riverside and the Boat Train stock is shown as it moves slowly away from the station. Photos: R. A. Shone © Transport Treasury

(LYR), the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) and the Midland Railway (MR) all ran express passenger services to Liverpool in 1895. The problem was that the lines to Riverside were operated at little more than walking pace.

Access to the MD&HB main line for all of the companies except the LNWR was at some distance from the station. The MR, which connected to the MD&HB via the Cheshire Lines Committee line at Brunswick in the south docks, did carry out a trial run, running a train along the MD&HB line from Brunswick to Riverside soon after it had opened. It took so long to reach the station that the MR dropped the idea of providing services.

This left the LNWR in a monopoly position with regard to train services to Liverpool Riverside. Riverside was not served by timetabled train services in the usual way; instead services were run in conjunction with the arrival and departure of ships and advertised alongside those sailings. Liverpool Riverside became a busy station and a major employer of local people. Hundreds of porters were required to carry the luggage of passengers between trains and ships. The cream of Edwardian society from both sides of the Atlantic passed through Riverside station as did many thousands of emigrants. Because of this the station was kept in immaculate condition by the MD&HB. 65

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

In the early years mail was handled at Riverside station. Liners on the New York and Liverpool route would typically deposit 2,000 or more mail bags. They would be unloaded and after passing through customs they would be carried to the station. On the platform they would be tallied by mail officers and then they would be loaded onto special trains that would carry them to their destinations.

The way in which passenger trains were operated to Liverpool Riverside was dictated by weight restrictions on the swing bridge, the curvature of the track on the MD&HB lines and the steep gradient up Edge Hill through two long tunnels. Two LNWR 0-6-2 Webb Coal Tank locomotives were allocated to the task of hauling the trains between Edge Hill and Riverside. They were light enough for the bridge, could handle the sharp curves and had the power to haul the trains uphill to Edge Hill. Between Waterloo Goods station and Liverpool Riverside station the trains moved extremely slowly with an MD&HB employee walking in front with a red flag. It was an interesting feature of the line between Waterloo Goods and Riverside that it threaded through streets and dockside wharves, sharing its route with road vehicles and hundreds of people.

To open the line for a train the signalman had to walk about ¾ mile fitting six Annett’s keys* into locks at the swing bridge and points. A pilot with a red flag walked a similar distance in front of each train that arrived and departed. *In British railway signalling, an Annett’s key is a form of trapped-key interlocking that locks levers or other items of signalling apparatus, thereby serving as a portable form of interlocking. The purpose is to prevent access from sidings to the running line without authority. When not in use, the key is normally held in an Annett’s lock that is fixed to the lever or concerned apparatus.

The Annett’s key takes its name from its inventor, J. E. Annett of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. Annett patented his design in 1875; in 1881 that patent was bought out by Saxby and Farmer.

In British railway usage, the key may be held in a locked container in the signal box that can only be opened when the corresponding signal lever is turned to danger for traffic on the running line; the lever is locked in position until the key is returned.

Alternatively, the key may be attached to the train staff for the section of running line containing the entrance to the siding. At manually-worked level crossings remote from signal boxes the key to the gates can only be removed for use when the signals for the running line are locked at danger.

The outbreak of the First World War on 4th August 1914 did not at first bring disruption to the Trans-Atlantic passenger trade but after the sinking of the Lusitania on 7th May 1915 there was a downturn which made Riverside station a quieter place, 66

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

16th April 1955 • The Pilotman has a look of concentration on his face while the swing bridge is being closed before allowing ‘Patriot’ 4-6-0 No. 45550 to proceed into Liverpool Riverside station.

Photo: Courtesy The LMS-Patriot Project © Manchester Locomotive Society

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

16th April 1955 • No. 45550 now slowly crosses the swing bridge and affords the driver and fireman a view of Princes Dock.

Photo: Courtesy The LMS-Patriot Project © Manchester Locomotive Society

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

but in revenue terms it was more than compensated for by Liverpool being the main entry point for imported goods from the Americas. Following the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin two army divisions were ordered to go to Ireland and Liverpool was chosen as the point of departure. The initial plan was for the LNWR to run troop trains to Liverpool Lime Street and then march the troops to the waterfront. Liverpool had a very large Irish population and the local police recommended that the troop trains be run to Riverside station where the soldiers could be loaded directly onto ships. The running of the trains required special working arrangements along the Riverside branch where additional railway employees had to be deployed. In all 64 troop trains were run. Troop trains were also run in the other direction carrying soldiers who arrived home from various operations in British Empire countries.

On 6th April 1917 the United States entered the First World War and during the months that followed, over 844,000 US servicemen and nurses passed through Liverpool, with Riverside station handling a large proportion of them. The LNWR ran a total of 1,684 trains for the US forces.

After the war the Trans-Atlantic trade picked up again and entered its ‘golden years’. Liners had grown to be ever larger and many trains were required to deal with the passengers.

Now in the hands of the LMS, the early 1930s saw Riverside being served by an average of eight trains per week.

It was not only for the liner trade that trains were run to and from Riverside. Trains also operated to connect with sailings to the Isle of Man, especially during the TT Motorcycle Race week.

The problem of having to change engines at Edge Hill caused much discussion between the LMS and the MD&HB. The two ex-LNWR tank engines were ageing and the LMS would have preferred to be able to run their express locomotives directly to Riverside. Thoughts were given to strengthening the swing bridge and easing the curves but nothing was done before the Second World War broke out on 3rd September 1939.

During the Second World War Liverpool Riverside station was even busier with troop trains than it had been in the First World War. After the USA entered the war their troops were brought into Great Britain through Liverpool and via Riverside station. During the war period 4,648 special trains ran to and from the station and 1,707,545 soldiers passed through it.

After the war thoughts returned to the issue of access to Riverside station by main line locomotives. The main line railways were nationalised as British Railways on 1st January 1948 but Riverside station and the line to Waterloo Goods remained the property of MD&HB. Plans were made to strengthen the swing bridge and ease the curves on the Riverside line by singling

it. The works, scheduled for 1950, would require Riverside to be closed for a period. However in October 1949 a ship belonging to the Belfast Steamship Company – Ulster Queen – struck the swing bridge and damaged it, leaving a train and two locomotives stranded in the station. By careful running they were able to pass over the bridge the following day and return to Edge Hill. The MD&HB decided to bring the strengthening works forward.

Riverside was out of use until March 1950. When it reopened main line express locomotives were able to run into Liverpool Riverside for the first time. No change of locomotive at Edge Hill was necessary and the aging LNWR tank locos were retired.

The post-war period was not as busy for Riverside as the 1920s and 1930s; nevertheless there were still plenty of trains connecting with sailings. The MD&HB continued maintaining the station in pristine condition. On 20th September 1960 British Railways carried out a naming ceremony for two of its main line locomotives used on boat trains at Liverpool Riverside station; these were English Electric type 4 (later Class 40) numbers D211 and D212. D211 was named Mauretania and D212 Aureol after ships that had sailed from Liverpool. The two locomotives were brought to Riverside coupled together. Upon arrival they were positioned side-by-side for the naming ceremony.

The growth of airline services in the 1960s resulted in reduced numbers of sailings, therefore fewer trains were required. Also in that decade the change of locomotive at Edge Hill resumed for the first time since October 1949 because the line from Liverpool to London was electrified in stages between 1961 and 1966 and the wires did not extend down the branch to Riverside.

By the late 1960s only two companies – Canadian Pacific and Elder Dempster Lines – had scheduled sailings from Liverpool.

Riverside station became a popular venue for rail tours during the 1960s. Some, such as the SLS/MLS ‘Merseyside Rail Tour’ of 6th June 1959, actually started from Riverside station (see right).

There was even a visit by a DMU as part of the ‘Liverpool Docker’ rail tour on 22nd February 1969.

By 1970 trains to Riverside were so infrequent that the MD&HB decided to close the station. The very last train to depart was a troop train returning from Northern Ireland leaving Liverpool Riverside on 25th February 1971, appropriately behind a Class 40 locomotive. The lines within the station were lifted shortly after closure but the tramway-style route to Waterloo Goods remained in situ into the 1990s and sections of it could still be seen in 2015.

The station building remained in use as waiting rooms and booking offices for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. until the early 1980s.

The trackbed within the station was filled in up to platform level and for many years was used for car parking until the station was demolished in 1990 and the site redeveloped.

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

MERSEYSIDE RAIL TOUR – Reporting Number: W600 – 6th June 1959 Stephenson Locomotive Society/Manchester Locomotive Society 49173

Liverpool Riverside – Waterloo Dock

47404 + 49173*

Liverpool Riverside – Waterloo Dock – Edge Hill

49434

Edge Hill – Atlantic Dock Junction – Canada Dock

49224

Canada Dock – Atlantic Dock Junction

49434

Atlantic Dock Junction – Bootle Junction – Alexandra Dock

49224

Alexandra Dock – Bootle Junction

–

Bootle Junction – Marsh Lane Junction – North Mersey Branch Junction – Sefton Junction – Aintree CL Junction

–

Aintree CL Junction – Aintree Central

–

Aintree Central – Altcar & Hillhouse

–

Altcar & Hillhouse – Aintree Central

–

Aintree Central – Ormskirk – Skelmersdale – Bushey Lane Junction – Randle Junction – Rainford Village – St. Helens Shaw Street – Widnes South – Ditton Junction – Speke Junction – Church Road (Garston)

–

Church Road (Garston) – Garston Dock

49434

Garston Dock – Church Road (Garston) – Allerton Junction – Edge Hill – Liverpool Lime Street

*49173 failed at Edge Hill with a cracked cylinder.

Below • Ex-LNW Class G2a 0-8-0 No. 49173 at Liverpool Riverside station. Photo: Neville Stead Collection © Transport Treasury

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

THE HORWICH ‘CRAB’ MOGULS

G

by David Cullen

eorge Hughes (9th October 1865–27th October 1945) was the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the old Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. When the L&Y was taken over by the London and North Western in 1922 he became C.M.E. of the amalgamated companies. Following the Grouping Programme of 1923 which created the ‘Big Four’ railways, he became the first C.M.E. of the London, Midland and Scottish into which the L&Y then merged. He created a number of steam locomotives for the L.M.S. including the 4-6-4T ‘Dreadnought’ tanks.

Hughes’ most remarkable creations were surely a fleet of 2-6-0 ‘Moguls’. Eleven batches were constructed in all, two at Horwich in Lancashire in 1926-27 with a further two in 1929-30. The other seven orders were built at Crewe. Begun in 1926, production was completed in 1932. Two hundred and forty-five of these Moguls were constructed between the two sites.

Hughes retired in July 1925 after just two and a half years as C.M.E. His successor was ex-Midland Railway man Henry Fowler. It was under his leadership that the new Moguls began operation, following some design input on his part. A mixedtraffic type locomotive, it received the glowing appraisal; “The engine became at once, and remained, one of the best on the L.M.S.”

It further received the nickname ‘Crab’ from its unique appearance, given powerful-looking, steeply inclined cylinders, surmounted by high running-boards, necessary for compatibility with loading gauge restrictions. It has been suggested the nickname stemmed from the prominent valve gear in motion resembling a crab’s pincers. Not surprisingly, railway management preferred the term ‘Horwich Mogul’.

Fowler’s input to the design included long travel valves, vacuum controlled steam braking and ‘clack valves’ (essentially non-return valves allowing injector feed-water to enter the boiler while preventing steam and boiler water seeping out). Initially an L&Y design of tender was to be incorporated. However, Fowler insisted a Derby type be substituted, despite being noticeably narrower than the locomotive.

They were allocated a number of power classifications during service. These comprised figures denoting power range on a scale from 0 to 9; 0 being the least powerful and 9 the most.

Accompanying letters referred to the type of train they were intended for hauling. Through their service they carried the classifications 4, 5P4F, 5P5F, 6P5F and ultimately 5MT. ‘P’ referred to passenger working and ‘F’ to freight. ‘MT’ denoted mixed traffic, effectively a locomotive ‘maid-of-all-work’.

In L.M.S. days they were numbered 13000 –13244, then 2700–

Hughes ex-L&Y Class P1 4-6-4T ‘Dreadnought’ No. 11112 in LMS livery. Neither location or date were recorded.

Photo: Neville Stead Collection © Transport Treasury

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

The first of the Hughes/Fowler ‘Crab’ class, No. 2700. Neither location or date were recorded.

Photo: © Transport Treasury

2944 under a renumbering programme of 1933. Under Nationalisation they were renumbered 42700–42944 by British Railways. To their technical specifications. Power came from two outside cylinders of 21 inch diameter by 26 inch stroke. Piston valves operated by Walschaerts gear controlled steam flow. Steam was generated by an L.M.S. type G9HS boiler containing 1,521 sq.ft. of heating surface, this later reduced to 1,505 sq.ft.

A superheater was fitted, this having elements with a total heat exchange surface of 307 sq.ft. Grate area was 27½ sq.ft. Maximum steam pressure was 180 lbs per sq. inch. Driving wheel diameter was 5ft. 6ins. and the bogie 3ft. 6½ins. Tractive Effort, a theoretical value giving indication of hauling ability, was 26,580 lbs. For a two cylinder simple expansion locomotive tractive effort is calculated with the formula; D2 x S x P

In 1931, Nos. 13118, 13122, 13124, 13125 and 13129 were adapted with Lentz valve gear, a system using ‘poppet’ type valves. Instead of sliding, these open and close in similar manner to the valves of an internal combustion engine. In 1953 this was replaced by Reidinger gear, the system allowing for superior, infinitely variable cut-off adjustment for reducing steam consumption at speed. The following year, tests carried out at Rugby’s testing station showed a maximum steaming rate of 16,000 lbs per hour.

Modifications to blastpipes and chimneys increased this to 20,000 lbs. However, despite this improvement they remained the only locomotives to benefit.

When William Stanier took over as C.M.E. in 1932, he stamped his mark on the Mogul by designing his own tapered-boiler version. Having previously been at the Great Western Railway, he well knew the superiority of the G.W.R.’s tapered boilers over the ‘parallel’ type, having a single diameter their entire length.

Following G.W.R. practice, the tapered form then effectively became an L.M.S. signature.

Sadly, accidents can occur through an incalculable number of causes. The very nature of operation renders railways susceptible.

Unfortunately a number of Crabs were involved.

On 23rd February 1937 No. 2765, heading a freight train, derailed at West Hampstead, then in Middlesex, now north-west London. On 27th August 1950, No. 42885 was on shunting duty at Penmaenmawr in Denbighshire, Wales. It was mistakenly sent onto the main line where ‘The Irish Mail’ train ran into it.

Tragically six fatalities resulted.

On 19th May 1957 No. 42806 was derailed at Parkhouse,

W D = cylinder diameter, S = piston stroke and W = driving wheel diameter, all expressed in inches. P = 85% of full steam pressure, allowing for an estimated 15% reduction in flowing from boiler to cylinders.

The Crabs were a fraction under 59ft. 4ins. in length. In full working order they weighed 108 tons 4 cwt. 66 tons for the locomotive and 42 tons 4 cwt for the tender, its coal bunker holding 5 tons and water space 3,500 gallons.

They gave a good account of themselves, particularly in Scotland, where they handled heavy mineral trains over some notoriously difficult routes. They quickly became the favoured locomotives for such duties, even following the introduction of new mixed traffic 4-6-0s designed by William Stanier.

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three locomotives, Nos. 42864, 42893 and 42930. Withdrawals began in earnest the following year when sixty-one were taken out of service. 1963 saw another fifty-two withdrawn. 1964 saw a further fifty-four. Forty-eight departed in 1965 and twenty-five in 1966. The final two Horwich Moguls, Nos. 42727 and 42942, were withdrawn in 1967.

Two hundred and forty-two went for scrap, leaving three surviving into preservation. These are B.R. Nos. 42700 (initially L.M.S. No. 13000, then 2700), B.R. No. 42765 (L.M.S. No. 13065, then 2765) and B.R. No. 42859 (L.M.S. No. 13159 then 2859).

At the time of writing No. 2700 is in the National Railway Collection at York.

No. 42765 is owned by the East Lancashire Railway, resplendent in L.M.S. crimson livery and carrying its original number 13065, although at the moment withdrawn from service. No. 42859 is in private ownership. Evidently there are plans for returning the locomotive to steam, this is expected to involve a long-term endeavour. I wish that endeavour every success.

Ayrshire. On the night of 21st January 1960, hauling a twenty wagon goods train, No. 42881 derailed along with eight wagons at Langcliffe, north of Settle in North Yorkshire. This occurred following track damage caused by motion gear failures of a locomotive heading an eight carriage express in the opposite direction. Damage was extensive, with all the express’s carriages affected. 42881 tore out the right-hand sides of the first three and caused further damage to the rearmost five. Tragically there were five fatalities with a further eight persons sustaining injuries.

A resulting inquiry identified the cause as maintenance staff having failed to properly secure slide-bar nuts, access to which was known to be difficult. This caused components of the locomotive’s rod assembly to detach, including the connecting rod itself which tore into the track ahead of 42881 with such catastrophic results. A remedial redesign of securing components was to follow.

Despite sterling performances, the Crabs had a tendency to ‘prime’ if the boiler became over-full or the water was contaminated in some way. From the reaction, this earned them the unflattering second nickname of ‘Frothblowers’.

Returning to the original nickname Crab. An alternative suggestion to the ‘pincers’ theory was that the footplate crew would experience a scuttling motion when the locomotive was working hard. Whatever the truth, the name stuck, eventually I feel expressing not derision, but affection for these valued work-horses.

They survived in service until 1961. With B.R. moving toward the phasing out of steam, withdrawals began in that year with

Data Sources Classic British Steam Locomotives by Peter Herring.

Model Steam Locomotives by Henry Greenly. www.collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk • www.commons.wikimedia.org www.hattons.co.uk • www.janfordsworld.blogspot.com • www.lner.info www.national-preservation.com • www.preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com www.steamlocomotive.com • www.en.wikipedia.org • www.wikiwand.com Hughes ‘Crab’ No. 42882 passes the signal box at Beattock Summit on an unrecorded date. Photo: © Transport Treasury

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MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

Above: 1954 • ‘Crab’ No. 42725 undergoing testing at Rugby Test Plant.

Photo: John McCann, Online Transport Archive Below: 4th May 1963 • ‘Crab’ 6P5F 2-6-0 No. 42788 at Chinley.

Photo: Robert Anderson/The Transport Library

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Top: 8th September 1962 • No. 42838 arrives at Blackburn station. Photo: Neville Stead Collection © The Transport Treasury Centre: 1st May 1962 • Hughes ‘Crab’ Class 6P5F 2-6-0 No. 42897 at Knighton Tunnel, Leicester with a Cricklewood-Derby milk empties working.

Photo: Horace Gamble © The Transport Treasury Bottom: 23rd June 1962 • Hughes ‘Crab’ 6P5F 2-6-0 No. 42795 departs from Sheffield Midland.

Photo: Robert Anderson/ The Transport Library

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20th August 1964 • Hughes ‘Crab’ 6P5F 2-6-0 No. 42827 at Huddersfield on a petrol tanker train.

Photo: Robert Anderson/The Transport Library

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

22nd June 1961 • Hughes-Fowler ‘Crab’ 2-6-0 No. 42742 passes through Newton-on-Ayr with an up freight.

Photo: J & J Collection, Sid Rickard

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26th January 2018 • Looking resplendent in its LMS Crimson Lake livery, ‘Crab’ 2-6-0 No. 13065 sits in Rothley Sidings during the GCR Winter Gala. Photo: © Peter Sikes

T H E P L AT FO R M E N D The view south from Garsdale station. Photo: Ron Smith © Transport Treasury.

In future issues our aim is to bring you many differing articles about the LMS, its constituent companies and the London Midland Region of British Railways.

We hope to have gone some way to achieving that in this issue.

Midland Times welcomes constructive comment from readers either by way of additional information on subjects already published or suggestions for new topics that you would like to see addressed. The size and diversity of the LMS, due to it being comprised of many different companies, each with their differing ways of operating, shows the complexity of the subject and we will endeavour to be as accurate as possible but would appreciate any comments to the contrary.

We want to use these final pages as your platform for comment and discussion, so please feel free to send your comments to: midlandtimes1884@gmail.com or write to: Midland Times, Transport Treasury Publishing Ltd., 16 Highworth Close, High Wycombe HP13 7PJ.

Many thanks for the copy of Midland Times No. 4, I was pleasantly surprised to see the photograph on page 13.

The ‘young lad’ is in fact yours truly, a photograph taken by another enthusiastic schoolboy from Edinburgh on a special excursion to Blackpool for the illuminations – probably in September 1952 for the cost of 28/-, this was only a short time before the Harrow Disaster in October.

A small typo error on page 25, Dumfries is spelt incorrectly, whilst on page 8 the caption bottom right of the two ‘Scots’ at Euston, No. M6138, was The London Irish Rifleman rather than Regiment.

Thanks again for publishing my Perth feature and best wishes to all at The Transport Treasury.

Yours sincerely, David Anderson Thank you for the latest Midland Times 5. Well researched, well illustrated and written, thoroughly enjoyable.

I would appreciate a future in-depth article on Bedford as a railway centre, much under-rated. As well as being the divergent point for the two Midland lines into London, firstly via Hitchin to Kings Cross and ultimately to St. Pancras, Bedford was also the hub of branch lines and cross-country routes, notably Oxford-Cambridge (not to mention its shed’s treasured collection of vintage Midland motive power). Now of course with its modernisation it is the outer terminus of what must be one of the best commuter services in England! There seems a lot to write about which I have not yet seen fully covered in any other article.

Please continue with your excellent work.

Kindest regards, (Rev) Michael Turner Editor. Thank you Michael for your kind words and look out for your request being included in a future edition of Midland Times.

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The Transport Treasury for high quality digital images taken from our original negatives and transparencies captured by the camera of railway enthusiasts throughout the years.

The Transport Treasury collection of railway photographs is a privately owned archive of images comprising over 500,000 items (growing all the time) and is operated by Robin and Sarah-Jane Fell who make railway, bus and tram photographs available digitally to publishers, authors and enthusiasts.

Many famous railway photographers have chosen The Transport Treasury to care for their collection of photographs e.g. Dr. Ian C. Allen, A. E. Bennett, Hugh Davies (Photos from the Fifties), Colin Garratt, Richard H. N. Hardy, George Heiron, Roy Hobbs, David Idle, Alan Lathy, Mike Mitchell, R. C. Riley, John Robertson, Eric Sawford, W.(Bill)A.C. Smith, Alec Swain, Roy Vincent to name but a few.

If you have negatives or colour slides of railway subjects then we would like to hear from you.

We welcome donations of material to our archive and we also accept collections on loan, or purchase material in certain circumstances.

16 Highworth Close, High Wycombe, Bucks. HP13 7PJ • Telephone 01494 708939 • Mobile 07572 104250 www.transporttreasury.co.uk

MIDLAND TIMES • ISSUE 6

27th August 1939 • Samuel Johnson Class 1134 0-4-0T No. 1518 pictured in its LMS guise inside Derby shed. Built by the Midland Railway at Derby Works in 1897 as No. 1134A it was renumbered in 1907 to 1518. The class totalled 10 engines, all built at Derby between 1897 and 1903. They had various cab arrangements, open back and fully enclosed both with open sides, during BR days they even had a fully enclosed cab with sides extending up from the bunkers. After a working life of over 60 years No. 1518 was withdrawn by British Railways from Lower Darwen (24D) in Feburary 1958. Photo: Les W. Perkins © Transport Treasury

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