Early diesels on the Calder valley route- west York’s.

[Roger Sunderland]

Hi all

please can anyone help in providing some sample numbers of early examples of class 24,25,40,45 at work in West Yorkshire, period 1960-1963. This could be a photo reference or knowledge of where they were shedded in their early years. In connection with a new layout I’m building. The layout will be almost entirely steam but I’d like an excuse to run some green diesels.

Many thanks.

[tractionman]

If it's allocations you're interested in, there is an excellent online listing here

 

http://shedbashuk.blogspot.com/p/index-of-shed-visits.html

 

eg for Mirfield:

 

https://shedbashuk.blogspot.com/2013/01/mirfield-1956-1963.html

 

all the best,

 

Keith

 

 

 

[Steven B]

The British Locomotive Database is worth looking at too.

 

For example, January 1963 saw D345, 346, 347 & 348 allocated to Neville Hill, while Bradford Hamillton Street had 21 class 03/04s!

[Roger Sunderland]

Many thanks for that guys. Does anyone know when class 24/25 were first seen in the area , particularly on freight? Clearly they didn’t have to be allocated to a West Yorkshire base and could have been incoming from anywhere. There were furling facilities at Holbeck I think by the early 60s and at Bradford Hammerton St.

[Steven B]

There were ten class 24's allocated to Longsight in Manchester by Jan 1961. York's allocation arrived in 1963. Thornaby had some inbetween

 

Holbeck got it's first class 25 in 1963. Before then most had gone to Thornaby so might have been seen in West Yorkshire.

 

Steven B.

[4630]

I'm not sure how rigid you intend to be with the rolling stock for the timescale on your new layout but, if you haven't already considered a green DMU or two, from 1st May 1962* the main Calder Valley passenger service was converted to diesel operation.

 

Ideally a Calder Valley class 110, the signature units on the line, or a Met Cam (class 101) would be suitable choices. 

 

* Source: The Manchester & Leeds Railway, The Calder Valley Line by Martin Bairstow. ISBN 1 871944 22 8  

 

There are a couple of 'green' diesel photos in the book, a class 37 on freight and a class 25 on a passenger, but they fall a couple of years later than your timescale.

[Roger Sunderland]

Thanks again, very useful. 
Steven B - do you have any numbers for the 10 class 24s at Longsightedness in 61?

[Steven B]

www.brdatabase.info lists D5135-D5143 as being assigned to Longsight in May 1961.

 

The site allows you to easily search by loco class, depot and date. Well worth a look.

 

Steven B.

[Mick Bonwick]

19 hours ago, Roger Sunderland said:

Thanks again, very useful. 
Steven B - do you have any numbers for the 10 class 24s at Longsightedness in 61?

 

 

Good old spellchecker!

[Roger Sunderland]

Yeah it wins every time! Still anyone know what they were?

[Tom D]

Hi Roger,

 

You may already be familiar with the website below,  the photos are amazing & it does contain a wealth of information regards Lancashire & Yorkshire.

 

http://www.davidheyscollection.com/

 

Best regards,

 

Tom D

[Enterprisingwestern]

 To expand your request a little, Tinsley locomotives wouldn't be unknown, primarily Brush 2s and EE type 3s.

 

Mike.

[Roger Sunderland]

Thanks Steven and indeed everyone who has replied. 

[Phil Bullock]

You only mentioned Class 45... don’t forget 46s. The DerbySulzer website year by year pages for your years are worth a peruse for a general flavour of what was going on....

[mac1960]

My aunt lived close to the New Line, and I remember as a child watching the 16.55 (thats when it passed her house !) Liverpool to Newcastle with class 40 with 1/2 Yellow warning panels in and around 1964, and the Mirfield shed was on the other side of the valley. I do not remember many diesels apart from the Newcastle to Liverpool,s and return,s and they all went via Standedge route  anyway.  The big traffic was endless 16t Grey Mineral wagons loaded and empty, with 8F or Austerity power plodding along, and they did not change to diesel power until 67, and obviously stayed to a degree until 68. The Red Banks often had 40,s on them, but again I can not help with numbers, at that age it was more the sound and smell of the different locos and power I remember.   

[Roger Sunderland]

Thanks mac1960. I travelled over the route many times in the 60s with my Dad but sadly, like you, didn’t keep a record of what I saw.