E3109 Posted April 29, 2018 Share Posted April 29, 2018 This is great news for 'The Branch' and its future but as usual Wigan MBC jump straight on the band wagon as if it was something they alone did or had owt to do with, i think any new jobs are always great news but i doubt if any locals will get them. I'll probably see you down there Apollo as the work progresses, i wonder if the the new Trans Pennine loco'/trains be looked after here? Absolutely Bob but still, the Lord Peter Smith Party always claim credit. If you're daft enough or bored enough to bother with Facebook, there is a page entitled 'Wigan Council What Are You Doing To Our Towns' and it's a right sh1tfest, especially as there are local councillor elections next week. Enjoy! Apart from that, SP is a strategic location on the WCML and I'm happy that it remained functional during the dark years of rail privatisation... Even if it functioned as a locomotive abattoir not that long ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zomboid Posted April 29, 2018 Share Posted April 29, 2018 I noticed that there had been a lot of tree/shrub clearance around the stub of the branch to Platt Bridge a couple of years ago, which was supposedly because they were thinking of stabling trains there, but then it seemed that they changed their plans. But now it looks like they have changed their minds again!Vegetation clearance means nothing is guaranteed to happen. It's necessary to allow absolutely anything to happen, including surveys which can then result in an option being eliminated. The clearance a couple of years ago could have been to do with this, or it could have been someone looking for a place to provide a new points heating connection, which then proved to be not the best option. Or anything else you care to think of... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted April 29, 2018 Author Share Posted April 29, 2018 This is interesting re network rail & trees in today's news. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/apr/29/millions-of-trees-at-risk-in-secretive-network-rail-felling-programme As to "Lord" Peter Smith of Leigh, Wigan council, the forthcoming council elections etc - the least said the better. (rmweb rules). Brit15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owd Bob Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Never seen or heard owt of the Lady MP who took over from Andy Burnham in this town As for LPS i better say nowt as well Its good news for the railway and us enthusiasts and thats all that matters, and sod the politicians and politics be somewhere interesting to go at last around here Here's some owd pics of the i presume proposed area. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
E3109 Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Excellent! I'd say that's around 1982 Bob, used to hang round those scrapline 'Rats' quite a lot on Sundays. 25188, 25141 and 25130 I think they were. The 350s included 08423 and 08342, from memory? The leading one looks like 08395 which, inexplicably, was transferred to SP all the way from Selhurst! 40107 was also there for ages, though obviously not at the time you took these. And 40158 ended up here too for a while, IIRC it was withdrawn at 'SP' in early 1984 having failed an exam. 40158 was distinctive as it had a class 37 style plated over headcode panel at the No 2 end, poor thing suffered the indignity of being converted to a flat wagon at Donny Works, and used for moving class 58 power units around the site. I think this road was/is known as 'D Line'. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owd Bob Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 (edited) Correct on all counts especially with your loco' numbers E3109. You are right about the two 'Forties' they were there quite a while......i hope Apollo do'snt mind the bad pics' 40 134 was there a while as well. 40 107. 10th Jan' 1982. 40 158. 11th Dec' 1983. Edited to add dates. Edited May 1, 2018 by Owd Bob 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owd Bob Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Made a short visit to the Branch yesterday, not much to see at all, the depot looked quite empty and clean and a digger was working on the land where the new place is to be built. Nice to see that the old Fueling point is still in place. No loco's were seen going through on the WCML in over two hours. This emu said 'special' on the front but i can't see what's so special about it! I had a wander around the Ince Moss side to see a new recently built (by the look) of it power station sub station. If anybody knows just what time a proper loco' go's through then please let me know. These two pics' are taken about 35 years apart, taken in the same area where the sub-station now stands. 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMS2968 Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 There's a lot of work going on west of the A573 at Lower Ince on the old embankment for the line from Fir Tree House Jct to Amberswood West Jct. The embankment east of the A573 north of the cricket club was removed decades ago and it looks like the remaining section is to follow. Does anyone know if this in connection with the shed's re-emergence? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
E3109 Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Owd Bob, a 323 is very unusual there, I wonder what it was doing? Ps do you recall the old loco boilers where you took the comparison photos, they were set into the ground and had rudimentary benches inside. They were great for spotting from during a wet weekend and you could stick your head through the holes as a train approached... Happy days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owd Bob Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 (edited) There's a lot of work going on west of the A573 at Lower Ince on the old embankment for the line from Fir Tree House Jct to Amberswood West Jct. The embankment east of the A573 north of the cricket club was removed decades ago and it looks like the remaining section is to follow. Does anyone know if this in connection with the shed's re-emergence? I saw that yesterday and i noticed the dozers had scraped and mounded a lot of the top soil up, it looked like they were leveling the field off, the old drainage ditches at the roadside have also been cleaned out, and all the road side tree's are cut down. Probably they are first making an access road to get to the old Bickershaw line? Or using the land as a storage compound for building equipment? Edited May 4, 2018 by Owd Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owd Bob Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Owd Bob, a 323 is very unusual there, I wonder what it was doing? Ps do you recall the old loco boilers where you took the comparison photos, they were set into the ground and had rudimentary benches inside. They were great for spotting from during a wet weekend and you could stick your head through the holes as a train approached... Happy days. I do remember them, they were air raid shelters made from two old steam loco boilers stuck end to end and buried, the so called travelers lifted them out for scrap if memory serves me right....they often parked on that land especially when the scrap loco's were there....funny how many loco doors went missing! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted May 4, 2018 Author Share Posted May 4, 2018 Nice photos of the Branch Bob. That 323 says special on the front destination board. I don't know either whats happening on the A573, interesting though. I'll take a look next week. Brit15 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 4630 Posted May 4, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 4, 2018 This emu said 'special' on the front but i can't see what's so special about it! Owd Bob, a 323 is very unusual there, I wonder what it was doing? I've a note from a couple of months ago that the 323s are to take over some of the local services, so I'm guessing they're driver training trips. 5Z50 to 5Z54 were in the schedule yesterday; http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y22608/2018/05/03/advanced Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GordonC Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 There was at least one 323 moved to Allerton for driver training of Liverpool drivers. It may be to do with that Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 (edited) Being a nice sunny day I had a run out to my old Springs Branch trainspotting haunts today. Views from Taylors Lane bridge, just to the south of Springs Branch. A lot of tree / vegetation removal has recently been carried out, but not enough in some places !! Compare these with my (and others) photos from years ago. Lots of Springs Branch steam scenes on my Flikr site below. Shed outlet / headshunt looking north. This was once the 4 track main line to Tyldesley & Manchester Views from Taylors Lane bridge looking north. The old Brewery Sidings have been cleared and old tracks removed. this is just to the north of the shed and was the start of the New Springs branch to Ince, Kirkless & New Springs. View from the road bridge. I presume the new sidings / depot will be located here - has anyone seen the plans ? The wall (as we called it) - another of my favourite spots. Not anymore though - those dammed trees !! A few trains whizzed past, Pendolinos, Voyagers, 319's All the same to me these days. I'll visit again in a few months to see what's going on & post some more pix. Brit15 Edited May 10, 2018 by APOLLO 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owd Bob Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 (edited) An 08 shunter was pulling a large wagon up the old Tyldesley line under Taylors Ln last week, they must have been using it to clear the rubbish away, is the bridge under Warrington Rd. going to be dug out again i wonder? I noticed all the leaves coming back out on the self seeding spreading tree's Great pics' Apollo.....you've got a big one! Lens that is Shame about all those new yuppy houses being built there, i do hope they like and get used to all the new noises The wall. Edited May 11, 2018 by Owd Bob 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 Yuppies in Lower Ince (Springs branch) ? - That's a new one - perhaps they can't afford London anymore !!!! Camera is an inexpensive Fuji S9200. I don't take very many train pix these days - mainly due to the rampant vegetation around Wigan (and seemingly everywhere) I'm not expecting much for £42million - a few electrified sidings and perhaps a maintenance shed - we will see. I went to Liverpool on Monday to see the Terra Cotta Army in the Liverpool World Museum - there's only about half a dozen of them but the exhibit is very interesting. You need to pre-book to go. Lime Street station is still a bit of a mess, platforms still under construction - They have spent a bomb there with not a lot to show for it in my opinion - tracks altered at throat and a couple of other platforms lengthened etc. A million quid doesn't buy a lot railway wise these days. Brit15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 It must annoying for the locals to be lumped under Greater Manchester some 25 miles distant. Mike. They will winge even more if they get their wish for independence and the Train and Bus Fares rocket as as result, just look at the number of cars that commute to the first PTE station to get better fares. Harrogate and Skipton lines are good examples! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wigan Wallgate OO Gauge Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 Great to see this happening Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 I found this shot recently but I cant remember where from at the moment. 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted June 3, 2018 Author Share Posted June 3, 2018 Great shot Michael. The shot is taken from the road entrance embankment to Springs branch shed, looking across Brewery Sidings. The wall I mentioned is visible in the background, sloping from Cemetary Lane bridge (just out of shot to the right) down to track level. The WCML is just in front of the wall. I remember these old ex LMS shunters, Springs Branch had a few of them back in the 60's. Late 60's I think when they all went. Brit15 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted June 3, 2018 Author Share Posted June 3, 2018 Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) of a large rail depot and area of sidings in Wigan http://www.whitcher-wildlife.co.uk/projects/wigan-springs-branch/ Great crested newts and roosting bats - wonder what other delightful (or not) creatures they have found !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brit15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zomboid Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 Newts! Always newts. Not that I'm saying they shouldn't be protected, but they're everywhere... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caradoc Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 Maybe someone is breeding Great Crested Newts and selling them to residents near proposed developments. If not, I've just spotted a great new business opportunity ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted June 12, 2018 Author Share Posted June 12, 2018 I took another run out to Wigan Springs Branch today to view progress. They are cracking on with groundworks at three separate locations. Difficult to photograph mid summer with all the rampant vegetation though. Views from Taylors lane bridge just to the south. A lot of work is being done where I presume the headshunt will be. The old Whelley Loop bridge abutment seems iffy - probably due for demolition. Lots of activity here this afternoon Within the existing shed area was a breaker at work breaking concrete, with a load of ballast behind. This is at the side of the existing shed, the old diesel refueling area. Difficult to photograph Photos at the north end from Warrington Road bridge and the shed entrance road. The old Brewery Sidings are cleared and seemingly ready for ballast etc soon. Lastly a view looking south from Cemetery Road bridge. I'll visit again in a couple of weeks. Brit15 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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