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Stockport Edgeley - it’s Britannias


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In 1965 my local shed - Stockport Edgeley (9B) - was home to four Britannias.

 

These were 70004 William Wordsworth, 70015 Apollo, 70026 Polar Star and 70044 Earl Haig

 

I took photos at the time, but they aren’t really very good and hence do not address the question I am asking here.

 

My memories of the locos on shed at the time, be they Black Fives, 8Fs or 9Fs, are of general grime and neglect.  Sadly this state of affairs extended to their companions, the Brits ............

 

Both Apollo and Polar Star had received hand painted names, the former being turned out with a bright blue background to its name (perhaps a mischievous City fan at work in the shed one night!).  But (and this is where memory fails) both appeared to have “lost” their lining.

 

As I said above, I am very familiar with how dirty locos had become in their latter days.  My question then is: does anyone have a photo of 70015 or 70026 taken at this time which hints at the presence of lining under a heavily weathered finish?

 

Parallel to this question, in the 1960s were LMR locos, be they express passenger or mixed traffic, turned out from a “service” with a simplified ie cheap plain livery lacking any lining?  Were  the Britannia’s I’ve mentioned just plain green as well as filthy and for that matter, were some of the mixed traffic Black Fives on shed at the time just plain black under their coat of grime?

 

Hope someone might be able to share their experience of the time

 

Thanks

 

Adrian

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Towards the end, many engines were turned out of works without lining as an economy measure, including some Britannias, although I don't know which ones. A Standard Five so treated was 73069.

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As said it was common towards the end of steam to send out locos unlined. There are two colour pics in “The heyday of Leeds Holbeck and its locomotives “ by Gavin Morrison, of 70021 Morning Star and 70024 Vulcan in unlined green livery, dated September and May 1967. Both filthy!

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It was my local shed as well as Heaton Mersey. I did take some photographs as a school boy so they are not the best quality but they may prove useful. 

I have lived in Stockport all my life and end up living just over the road from Heaton Mersey shed only seperated by the M60 motorway.

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20210504_161832.jpg

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Many years ago I had a colour postcard of Apollo, at Stockport, exactly as you've described, taken C '66 IIRC, in very clean unlined green, though where the said card is now, lord knows!!

I'm sure the same pic has appeared in something like backtrack too at some point.

 

HTH

K

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I think Apollo got it's blue background painted "nameplates" at Carlisle.

 

All the photos I can find of it at Stockport it still has it's plates and they are red backed.

 

Unlined but immaculate in 1967. I have a feeling the 'plates are fakes by this date.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/happyraildays/7882876164/

 

One I've been taking notice of as it was a WR one at one point and worked on four regions as it would have crossed into Scotland (not the Southern though). Not many locomotives managed that.

 

https://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=locodata&type=S&id=70015&loco=70015

 

 

Jason

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The RCTS book on BR Standard Steam Locomotives Volume 1 lists 70004/5/27/41 as receiving plain green though it acknowledges that the list is probably incomplete, as confirmed by the photo of 70015 in Steamport’s link above. See also the photo below from Flickr of 70038 in July 1967 at York. The RCTS don’t list it as plain green, which is technically correct, but there is only lining on the cab. All the other lined areas, boiler, running plate and tender are plain green.

 

70038 Robin Hood BR Britannia 4-6-2 York Shed 2.7.1967

 

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Hello Adrian and all fans of Stockport's Britannias,

 

Apologies for my late arrival to the topic, I'm afraid that I only visit Prototype Questions once a week!  In my defence, I was also one of the local lads who spent many a Sunday afternoon walking on that crunchy ash and cinder ballast, between the final allocation of Fives and Eights, right up to the death of 9B on 4th May 1968.  Happy days!

 

If I might, can I begin by adding another Brit to our line up?

70021 'Morning Star' was also allocated to 9B  from May 1966 until June 1967 and had not long been transferred to Carlisle Kingmoor, when photographed by Gavin Morrison at Holbeck  in September 1967.  See Roger's note in post 3.  It is rather sad to compare that picture with a Geoff Rixon photo. taken on 9th October 1963 of 70021, in fully lined, ex-works condition at Willesden shed (page 9 of 'On London & North Western Lines', Ian Allan, 1995).

 

From some further references in a number of books and following on from all the previous contributions, it is possible to guarantee the condition of four of the 'Stockport Five'.

 

70004 'William Shakespeare' lined cab-side and lined tender only, no name, handrails on deflectors.

70015 'Apollo' no lining on engine or tender, no handrails on deflectors, wooden nameplate in 1967.

70021 'Morning Star' no lining on engine or tender, no name, handrails still on deflectors.

70026 'Polar Star' no lining on engine or tender, no handrails on deflectors, but painted name added.

70044 'Earl Haig' always too dirty to see the paint, no name at Stockport, handrails on deflectors.

 

The References:

  

As has been pointed out by Justin in post 7, information regarding the painting of several members of the class appears in 'British Railways Standard Steam Locomotives, Volume One', published by the RCTS in 1994. There are also excellent colour pictures of both 70004 and 70015 in the book.

 

On page 38, Hugh Ballantyne captured 70004 in fine condition (minus nameplates) at Salisbury shed on 14th August 1966, when the locomotive was on Rail tour duty from Waterloo.  There is lining present on the cab-side and the tender, but none on the boiler or the footplate valancing of 'William Shakespeare' - Once upon a time this locomotive was found powering the famous 'Golden Arrow' express.

 

On page 39, Rodney Lissenden's photograph of 70015 is at Manchester Exchange on the RCTS Lancastrian Rail tour on 19th March 1967. 'Apollo' is in good condition too and complete with a 9B shedplate, wooden numberplate and a red-backed nameplate.  I believe this is trip 1T55, mentioned by Jason (Steamport) in post 6 and pictured in action in the Flicker picture.

 

I also have a published postcard view of 70015, taken on the same day alongside Patricroft shed and ready prepared for the trip.  The angle of the picture shows that the locomotive has no lining present anywhere on the engine or the tender.  The postcard is Collectors item No. 1; Railway Series D211, by Dennis & Sons, Scarborough.  Unfortunately, the photographer is not credited but this could be the picture mentioned by Andania in post 5.

 

Stockport had both 70004 and 70015 allocated from May 1965 to June 1967, before being transferred to Carlisle Kingmoor  Both locomotives were withdrawn on 30th December 1967.

 

The only colour photograph that I've found of 70026 'Polar Star' is by Don Cash at Greenfield Junction with a Stockport to Leeds parcels train on 25th October 1966. (page 44 of The Heyday of Steam around Manchester, by Tom Heavyside, Ian Allan, 1995).  The cab-side and part of the tender have been cleaned on 70026 revealing no lining present and I can't make out any lining on the semi-clean boiler or footplate.  'Polar Star' had the name painted direct onto the deflectors and was withdrawn at Stockport on 14th January 1967, departing for Cashmores in April.

 

There's a colour photo. by Gavin Morrison of a filthy 70044 on 13th September 1960, when allocated to Holbeck shed (55A).  'Earl Haig' is carrying the headboard for the 'Thames Clyde Express' (on page 13 of The Heyday of Leeds Holbeck, Ian Allan 1994) and it looks like there's some lining around the cab-side, but what a state to send it out in.  Oddly, I don't ever remember seeing 70044 clean whilst at Stockport and it was the first of the 9B allocation to be withdrawn on 24th October 1966.  It languished on the scrap-lines until February 1967, before departing to T.W. Wards for scrap.

 

Hope some of this proves of interest and answers some of the questions regarding the lining.

Great memories of those happy days,

All the very best,

John.

 

PS:  I posted some information about the Stockport Britannias in a previous topic in 2017, especially concentrating on 70004, as it was the 'best of them all' and probably had the lowest mileage too.  Here's the link to the other post:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/126869-britannia-70013-oliver-cromwell/&do=findComment&comment=2878775

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On 04/05/2021 at 16:29, airnimal said:

It was my local shed as well as Heaton Mersey. I did take some photographs as a school boy so they are not the best quality but they may prove useful. 

I have lived in Stockport all my life and end up living just over the road from Heaton Mersey shed only seperated by the M60 motorway.

20210504_161752.jpg

20210504_161808.jpg

20210504_161821.jpg

20210504_161832.jpg

 

 

Hello Airnimal,

 

Thanks for posting your photographs and exactly 53 years to the day that most of the serviceable locomotives left Stockport's sheds.  What a day that was - Saturday the 4th May 1968.

 

And what a picture to turn up - 53 years on! My apologies for wandering into the LHS of your photograph of 70013 on that cold March morning, when 'Cromwell' was displayed at Stockport, along with 'The Scotsman' and our returning Stockport Superstar 'Bahamas'. (All lined up very carefully beside the scraplines!).

 

Jubilee No. 5596 had just returned from overhaul and repaint at Hunslet workshops, in a very fetching but rather bright shade of LMS red and our local locomotive outshone both of its companions in the Spring sunshine of 16th March 1968.

 

As you can all see in airnimal's photograph of the last working B.R. Britannia, I'm dressed in the same jacket as my avatar snapshot (taken at Speke Junction in April - see note below) and with trusty Brownie 127 carelessly slung over the right shoulder.  It had a roll of colour film for the special occasion of 'the three sparkling locomotives' at Stockport's 'top shed'.

 

Here's a link to a post of the same event in a topic begun by the excellent steam photographer from the North East, Trevor Ermel, who was also there on the day.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/129814-50-years-since-the-end-of-br-steam/&do=findComment&comment=3147145

 

Oh, for a time machine so we could go back to those smoky days of our youth, with all the music and freedoms of the Sixties - and when the Daleks couldn't climb stairs!

 

All the very best,

John.

 

Note:  After Xmas 1967, 70024 'Vulcan' worked down to Speke Junction, but there wasn't a return working to Kingmoor for the engine and so it was withdrawn at Speke on 30th December.  Abandoned beside the coaling tower, it remained there until 25th April, when it was towed to T.W. Ward, Killamarsh (Sheffield) for scrapping.

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8 hours ago, Old Gringo said:

Note:  After Xmas 1967, 70024 'Vulcan' worked down to Speke Junction, but there wasn't a return working to Kingmoor for the engine and so it was withdrawn at Speke on 30th December.  Abandoned beside the coaling tower, it remained there until 25th April, when it was towed to T.W. Ward, Killamarsh (Sheffield) for scrapping.

 

By great coincidence, it just so happened that I was train spotting on Sheffield Midland station on the 25th April, and lo and behold, what appeared, none other than 70024, in the company of 45133, 45034 and 45296 hauled by D352 (which I would imagine was the original loco from Speke Jct) heading southwards at 1.45 pm.

Interestingly, if the loco's were going to Killamarsh, it was an interesting routing, as the direct way would have been over Woodhead, but either the black 5's had been collected from elsewhere precluding a run via Woodhead, and so running round in Sheffield Midland and proceeding up Nunnery curve was a non starter, so they were going to Chesterfield to be run round and delivered by the old road.

The following day 70023, 92233, 48674 and 92117 appeared being hauled by D227 Parthia at 5.45 pm.

 

Mike.

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1 hour ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

By great coincidence, it just so happened that I was train spotting on Sheffield Midland station on the 25th April, and lo and behold, what appeared, none other than 70024, in the company of 45133, 45034 and 45296 hauled by D352 (which I would imagine was the original loco from Speke Jct) heading southwards at 1.45 pm.

Interestingly, if the loco's were going to Killamarsh, it was an interesting routing, as the direct way would have been over Woodhead, but either the black 5's had been collected from elsewhere precluding a run via Woodhead, and so running round in Sheffield Midland and proceeding up Nunnery curve was a non starter, so they were going to Chesterfield to be run round and delivered by the old road.

The following day 70023, 92233, 48674 and 92117 appeared being hauled by D227 Parthia at 5.45 pm.

 

Mike.

 

Hi Mike,

 

Hope you're staying safe and keeping well.

 

Thanks for the note and the extra information ref: 70024. Killamarsh was the destination given for Vulcan's scrapping in the RCTS book, but I don't know the scrapping destinations of the other locomotives.  However, I can confirm that 45034, 45133 and 45296 all came from Speke Junction, as they were all among the 23 withdrawn Fives and Eights present on 17th April at Speke.  Also present among the withdrawn locomotives were 8 9Fs and of course 'Vulcan'.

 

Numbers 48674, 92117 and 92233 that you noted being towed by D227 were also part of the Speke Junction collection of kills.  But how strange is this, Brit. No. 70023 'Venus' had suffered the same fate with an unbalanced working and was withdrawn at Newton Heath shed on 30th December 1967, standing alone for some considerable time, like 'Vulcan' did at Speke.  The RCTS confirms the move on 26th April from Newton Heath to Killamarsh, but that it was originally consigned to Beighton, (previously the destination for 70044 'Earl Haig', one of the Stockport Five).

 

Anymore sitings of Britannias and excuses to get my note-books out?

All the very best,

John.

 

PS: Hope to see you at an exhibition, when we're both allowed out again!

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Following on from the previous list of colour pictures of Stockport's Britannias; a chance find whilst looking for something entirely different were a couple more colour photographs of one of the Stockport Five. The pictures are in the colour album,  'Steam Trails: North Wales', compiled by Michael Clemens and published by Ian Allan, 2010.

 

On 20th August 1966, No. 70026 'Polar Star' was photographed by D. Bath at Llandudno Junction (pages 13 and 48) and Chester (p50) when working the Llandudno to Manchester service / 1C77.

The engine is in surprisingly clean condition.  One of the captions says that the locomotive is in 'economy green livery', and suggests that this was acquired at Crewe when undergoing light general repairs, between 3rd to 26th November 1965.  All the photographs confirm that there was no lining present anywhere on the locomotive or tender and also that the name had been painted on deflectors by that date.

 

On the subject of colour and especially B.R. green, there are some real shifts in colour between all these pictures.  It is especially apparent between when comparing the two pictures of 70004 and 70015, which are opposite each other in the RCTS volume (Standard Locomotives, Vol. 1, p38 / 39).  'William Shakespeare', still with some lining, appears to be a much brighter green than 'Apollo' in the 'economy' finish (i)

 

Colour resolution and the shift caused by different emulsions, scanning technology, and printing reproduction processes have been discussed on the forum in several topics.  However, after spending some time looking through a number of books for examples of the Stockport Britannias, I think all these pictures help to prove that from 1965 onwards, B.R. green livery could finish up several completely different shades before any weathering took effect.

 

As a postscript to the 'Britannias at Stockport', here's another link to Trevor Ermel's 50 years ago topic from 2018, which has some notes I wrote about the last day of steam at Edgeley and Heaton Mersey sheds.  They might bring back some more happy memories for some RMweb members.  However, if my Hamilton Ellis inspired rambling prose doesn't hit the spot, I do hope you all enjoy Trevor's superb photographs of the last months of steam operations on British railways.

 

Last Rites at Stockport part one:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/129814-50-years-since-the-end-of-br-steam/&do=findComment&comment=3154186

 

All the very best, John.

 

(i) Of course, the photographers may also have been using different film emulsions, which will also produce colour shift; the reproduction from Kodak and Fuji is one well known example. 

 

PPS: I'd still like to find a good colour picture of 'Earl Haig' just to complete the research into the liveries of all five.  And as an apology for walking into 'airminal's picture of 'Oliver Cromwell' at Stockport on 16th March 1968, here's my Brownie 127 snapshot, taken about the same time.

  

70013 at 9B Sat.  16-3-1968.jpg

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