janrapacz

Glad to hear the cover picture was of interest and will allow you to finish off the viaduct. Book is available from https://willowherbpublishing.com/

Here is the front cover showing B1 crossing Queensbury Viaduct with a light load. The book is a hardback and in full colour, Available from https://willowherbpublishing.com/https://willowherbpublishing.com/

MIDLAND RAILWAY OUTPOST: Lancaster - Morecambe - Heysham by Martin Bairstow ‘Well worth it. Superb books’ ‘Highly recommended’ ‘Loads of superb colour photographs of old trains and boats/ships in the area’ 'Beautifully bound and presented, Willowherb Publishing’s latest themed books are a joy to devour and reflect upon.' A nostalgic look back at the railway and shipping operations in the Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham area, including its pioneering and unique electric trains. In 1904, Heysham gave the Midland Railway a more direct route to Belfast, which it had been seeking for over 50 years. Coverage begins at Wennington where trains from Leeds were split into Morecambe and Carnforth portions. We then continue along the Midland’s main line through Hornby, Caton, and Halton to Lancaster Green Ayre, Morecambe Promenade and Heysham, before featuring a variety of ships on services to Belfast and the Isle of Man. The post-1966 route via Carnforth is also followed to the much-changed former Midland Railway outpost at Heysham. This full-colour album will bring back many memories for those who travelled by train to Morecambe for their holidays - or ventured across the Irish Sea from the Port of Heysham. Cover Photo: A three-car electric unit seen here having arrived at Morecambe Promenade in the 1960s from Lancaster and is awaiting its next turn of duty. Photo by DJ Mitchell. Other Photo: The view along Platform 2 at Heysham in 1960 with an Electric Multiple Unit at the Morecambe end. Photo Peter Sunderland Available now from https://www.willowherbpublishing.com/ Full-colour hardback 112 pages (189mm x 240mm)

I am sure there are quite a few modelers out there who are interested in the West Riding railway scene especially during the 1960s transition period from steam to diesel. Perhaps you already have an operational layout or are in the planning stages? For me its a long term project to model some aspect of the railway system around Bradford. For those interested in the West Riding, or more specifically the railway network around Bradford, this new colour album is likely to be of interest. Peak D131 on the evening Bradford Valley Road to Bristol freight in May 1966 The railways on the north side of Bradford were mostly part of the former Midland Railway network out of Forster Square station, including the Airedale line to Shipley, Apperley Bridge and Keighley and the Wharfedale route to Ilkley. The GNR route to Shipley ventured into Midland territory but was never a threat. The Midland Railway was the first major company to serve Bradford during the ‘railway mania’ of the mid-19th century when lines were being planned and constructed all over the country. The other half of the local network radiated from Bradford Exchange station, a short distance across the city centre, with services provided by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway and the Great Northern Railway. Regrettably, the railway networks to the north and south of Bradford were never linked in spite of efforts by the Midland Railway in the early part of the 20th century to build a connection. The failure of that scheme means that Bradford, unlike its neighbour Leeds, has never been on a ‘through’ main line and it has been paying the price ever since. However it remains to be seen if the latest Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme to put Bradford on a new through route will ever happen. http://Willowherbpublishing.co.uk

Hello, Great work on the layout. I remember seeing a N gauge version of Queensbury which was built by a chap in Bingley a very long time ago. I noticed earlier in this thread that you have referred to and included an image from the new colour album 'GREAT NORTHERN OUTPOST Vol 1. The Bradford & Thornton Railway' of which I am the co-author and publisher. Not sure if you are aware of this book which was published earlier in the year, but we do feature a number of colour images of Queensbury Station including one of an N1 on a local passenger train. See http://willowherbpublishing.co.uk/ for more details. Volume 2 is due to be published in April 2017. You asked about the subway at the Halifax end of the station. Originally when the triangular station was constructed the foot crossing was on the level with a footbridge over the tramway. Later on - most likely from a safety perspective - subways were constructed and the lattice footbridge was lowered to align with the passageways under the platforms. The bridge under the line on the Halifax to Keighley side (which you recently discovered) was an accommodation bridge for the bridleway at that location and was latterly filled in. It emerged a few years ago when ground works were being carried out by the landowner but then demolished to extract the stone and use it for other purposes. It would have been a nice feature for the Great Northern Railway Trail which now runs along some of the old formation of the line. Looking forward to the finished layout.

Thanks Joseph

Having been brought up near to the Queensbury lines in Bradford, I have always wanted to model one of the stations on this line. The obvious choice is Great Horton on the original Bradford & Thornton Railway which was just round the back of our house where we lived which had a bank of coal drops, large stone built goods shed, a passenger station with wrought iron and glass canopy. The surrounding rugged industrial West Riding landscape had a couple of mills and terraced housing close by. Another potential candidate is Denholme station on the later GNR extension to Keighley which has to be the ideal compact station layout for modellers having a tunnel at each end of the station! The picture below typifies the 'Queensbury Lines' in the latter days of operation with a run down appearance, unkempt locos and lack of traffic. On the 21st October 1963 WD 90054 of Low Moor Shed is seen running towards the Queensbury end of Clayton Tunnel on its way towards Bradford after shunting Thornton Yard with a solitary brake van in tow. A wonderfully evocative colour image from the camera of D.J. Mitchell which appears in the full colour book - GREAT NORTHERN OUTPOST Vol 1. The Bradford & Thornton Railway. Available from: http://willowherbpublishing.co.uk/ I am aware of a group of modellers who are recreating Clayton station in miniature but was wondering if anyone else is building (or planning) a layout based on a location on the Queensbury lines.