Siphon208

pic courtesy of (Stapleton Road)

The shot looking towards the station- that 'slew' that they put in, clearly visible, what were they thinking?

Probably have to be in N gauge- an OO version would be huge!

They were on Flickr and Pinterest- I have got some colour ones of 'Town somewhere, taken mid 60's. I like the signal box shots of Hooton, because you can see how extensive this junction was- Down towards Chester on the right, where the "slow" lines and the sidings were, and on the E'Port side, where the loading lines from the carpool, and the ballast sidings would have been..............

Levers Sidings.............. Notice the gates!

Here's another one ............... The year is?

I couldn't find a date, on the pic, so I thought I would ask! Thanks as always for your ideas!

Hi Folks My local stations don't get all that much of a mention, so I thought I would share this. I found it while looking through some old stuff- Hooton, anyone guess the year? Dean

I believe from the original post, that this is 47199. I haven't been able to source the other pics, they are in the RM Web archive, and I don't have clearance to access them! Dean

I used to work near the factory where the edible oil terminal was- the tanks were often seen on the track alongside Stadium road. I can vividly remember Class 47 'Total Energy' being parked up here, awaiting its return trip.

Thanks for your reply! I cant recall the original post that I found this pic in- there were a few others, including one of broken rails at the end of what is now the "Up" platform. It was an old RM post. If I can find it, I will put the pics back up.

Just wondered whether any local buffs can shed some light on this? I found an old pic of a 47 pulling some flats from the siding to Port Sunlight works, just wanted to know when this was? looks like it was taken from the signal box. The former fast lines are gone, the overbridge is in place. There was another one of the broken rails which have been removed to put the concrete platform in. Also, someone at Bromborough station asked me when the fast lines were lifted from Platforms 1 and 2? do any photos exist of this at lifting? Regards, Dean

Hi I found some content on this area from an old post from a couple of years back- can anyone shed some light on them? Must havs been when the fast lines had been taken up, and the new concrete platform was in- there is another somewhere which shows these lines broken, but not removed. Can anyone tell me when the former fast lines were lifted through Bromborough, and if any photos of this period exist? DEan

Hi Mate, there has only been 2 engineering trains on it in the past few years- they used it for access to Rock Ferry station during re-ballasting operations in and around the station. They did not venture any further along the branch- not surprising really, the track does not look in the best of condition. As I said earlier, the block coal trips finished a very long time ago now, and I think the branch was just abandoned, although it is still extant, at least up to Green Lane, as far as I am aware. They did put a new rail bridge in, but whether they re-instated the track, I have not been up there to check. Dean

Hi Mate, The Access to the branch is still open, and the signalling is still turned on. Dean

Thanks Andy- there's been no traffic on the line now for a very long time- I think the last Block coal train, ran about 1995, may have been a few workings after that. There was actually a survey a few years ago to look at re-opening, but a lot of the track is in poor condition, particularly down towards the Mollington Street area, and its been left to get in a very overgrown state. Pity really, it would make a good " Heritage" branch! would be good to see some vintage diesel locos cruising down there.

Hi, can anyone shed some light on what this restriction means? (Maybe Beast 66606- as you have expert knowledge of this area) I have heard that the Birkenhead Docks Branch from Rock Ferry is held under a T3 restriction, and will not be opened, until such time that this is lifted. Dene

beast send me your email addy, and i'll mail them to you

Hi Mate, Send me your email addy, and i'll mail them to you

I'll have to convert them, as I can't upload Tif files! There's one other oddity on here I spotted- any idea what the "girders" in between the running lines on the pic are for?

just a quickie, Saw a photo on here of a dismantled sidings in between the Chester and Helsby lines. I have found out it was a ballast siding- does anyone know when was this feature removed? I have also sourced 2 drawings of the track layout from the NRM- I will post them if anyone is interested. This shows that there were 2 or 3 sidings on the other side of the "slow" lines, running towards Heath lane. I am unsure when these were lifted- possibly when the line to West Kirby were removed? Dean

Great layout! the split-headcode 40 looks amazing, as does the '47 loved to see these going through my local station, Hooton, on the run down to Birkenhead!

How come a post can have 120 views, but no replies? I have put 2 posts on here now, and people have viewed, but not replied- does anyone else have this problem?

Hi Jeremy , I'm relatively new to the railways of the Cornish area, I am based up on Merseyside, where most of the local railways were decimated with the decline of local Docks traffic. Th Cornish area has always fascinated me, and I am doing a bit of research into a Cornish layout (post- Beeching) I am hoping to sift through a few layouts to see which would be most suitable.Is there one available for Par?Any help you can tender would be much appreciated. I am looking towards the 70's era. Thanks, Dean

Thanks, Deb!