woodenhead Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Seen maps but never an image of this route, went right under the stabling point: http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poggy1165 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) If it's the LNWR line I'm thinking of, photos of it and its stations are really rare. There's some info about Hooley Hill Station and an indifferent photo of the platform here. I have never seen any photo of Dukinfield and Ashton Station. Some more limited info here. The odd thing is it's not that long ago that the line closed. But it seems that unfashionable bits of railway in the Greater Manchester area were rarely photographed, and even more rarely has anyone published anything about them. (If only one could go back in time equipped with a digital camera (sigh).) Edited February 22, 2012 by Poggy1165 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan76 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Not just around Manchester.. try finding pictures of the GC Barnsley-Sheffield line. There are just a handful that I've been able to find including the views of stations at Dovecliffe, Birdwell and Chapeltown that you'd expect - but very few of trains on the move and the ones that do exist are almost all of specials and excursions. Very little of the workaday operations and absolutely nothing from the last five years or so when the line was diesel operated. Alan 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) That first link spawned other links and I've just spent an hour looking at the Tameside picture archive. The Fallowfield Loop was another unfashionable bit despite it remaining steam to the end with plenty of traffic. Edited February 22, 2012 by woodenhead Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poggy1165 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Yes the Fallowfield Loop was sadly neglected. Photos of Hyde Road Station in particular are as rare as hen's teeth. And I'd love to see more of the GC line from Barnsley to Sheffield - the photos of the stations I have seen suggest it was a delight. Maybe I should amend my comment to say that railways away from 'glamorous' main lines, holiday lines (see GWR branches in Devon/Cornwall) and quirky light railways seem generally to have been neglected by photographers. This is a pity, because the lines I am most interested in tend to fall into this neglected category. It is a bit surprising though as you would think that railways in and around major cities would have got photographed more, given the sheer number of enthusiasts living locally. But they didn't. Probably at the key time (1950s/60s) most modellers were still focused on producing versions of Ashburton. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan76 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 It is a bit of a mystery - in the case of the Barnsley-Sheffield line (I know this is off topic!) I suspect the issue was that the Worsborough Branch was just over the way and there you had the sight of heavy trains (with up to four locos) ascending the bank to Penistone and the Woodhead main line. There was also the U1. But at the Northern end, the Barnsley-Sheffield line ran within eyeshot of the Worsborough branch. I've often wondered why more photogaphers didn't walk the four hundred yards or so to rattle off a few frames. The line was a delight. Trains were mostly colliery trip workings but with largely intact closed stations. Often thought there's a cracking model in there somewhere! Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poggy1165 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 My kind of railway - quite steeply graded in parts isn't it? IIRC it was on this line a GCR double-framed engine lost control of its coal train on a descent and the whole lot landed in a big pile somewhere near Stairfoot. (Mind you, in those days with feeble brakes on small engines and only one brake on many of the wagons, it's a wonder there weren't more runaways. Those drivers really knew their job.) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan76 Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 There were two or three memorable runaways down the years. The one that you're thinking of prompted the installation of heavy-duty sand drags at Dovecliffe, where the gradient steepened down to Wombwell Main Junction. There was an entry in the sectional appendix requiring all loose-coupled trains to stop and pin down brakes. I have vivid memories of hearing brakes banging away as the trains were powered away from Wombwell towards Wath Yard. Dovecliffe Station itself was also a gem with a crazy three-storey signalbox tacked onto the end of the station buildings. One day I'll get off my backside and model it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gresley Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I'm not very well versed in the Yorkshire lines, but as far as Guide Bridge, Dukinfield, Ashton, Stalybridge goes, I can certainly recommend that you study the following books, for both pics and historical notes: Scenes from the Past, No 8. Railways in and around the Manchester Suburbs, A selective Pictorial Review, by E M Johnson, pub by Foxline, 1989. Railways in and around Manchester, the changing scene, by E M Johnson, pub by Foxline, 1994 Miles Platting to Diggle (via shton), by Jeffrey Wells, pub by Challenger Pubs, 1996 All 3 books cover a large area and not just the Guide Bridge - Ashton area. There are no doubt other books as well. gresley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 (edited) There was a lack of glamour on some of the lines around Guide Bridge, Duckinfield and Ashton, but inaccessibility played a part in keeping photographers at bay too. When I think back to that area in the 1950s there were lines everywhere and so much to see that the easy option was to cycle to the nearest convenient footbridge and hope something would come along. Or better still, go to busy lines where trains were guaranteed. Some of the tracks that crossed Dukinfield and Ashton were out of bounds on long viaducts. Edited March 3, 2012 by coachmann Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gresley Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 There was a lack of glamour on some of the lines around Guide Bridge, Duckinfield and Ashton, but inaccessibility played a part in keeping photographers at bay too. When I think back to that area in the 1950s there were lines everywhere and so much to see that the easy option was to cycle to the nearest convenient footbridge and hope something would come along. Or better still, go to busy lines where trains were guaranteed. Some of the tracks that crossed Dukinfield and Ashton were out of bounds on long viaducts. Larry, Agreed. Especially through the valley from Guide Bridge to Stalybridge, via Dukinfield and Ashton (Park Parade). More viaduct than anything else. gresley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gresley Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Larry, Going a bit off topic, although it must be right up your street: Remember the Manchester - Glossop/Hadfield Push-Pulls ? Been looking through some old mags and came across photo and drawings of C13 Tank plus the 2 carriages. Article is in the RM for November '68. I travelled on this very often as a young trainspotter. gresley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Gresley, you lucky lucky man. I only watched them from a fence in Flowery Field just east of Hyde Junction. I didnt even travel in the GCR push pull set (12-wheel driving trailer) that came up to Oldham. But I wil have a model one day when BillB sends the etchings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gresley Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Gresley, you lucky lucky man. I only watched them from a fence in Flowery Field just east of Hyde Junction. I didnt even travel in the GCR push pull set (12-wheel driving trailer) that came up to Oldham. But I wil have a model one day when BillB sends the etchings. Larry, Flowery Field ? Yes, I used to watch the lunchtime trains there. Also, a bit further East, i saw the 1948 Exchange locos on the 08:25 Marylebone from London Road. If I remember correctly, it was at the bridge on Lodge Lane, on the way to school. gresley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 The fence I watched trains from was on a path just off Bennett Street (where Flowery Field Railway station is today). Also played on some prewar Manchester buses awaiting disposal close by. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gresley Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Larry, Agreed. Especially through the valley from Guide Bridge to Stalybridge, via Dukinfield and Ashton (Park Parade). More viaduct than anything else. gresley Larry, I have found a few pics and historical notes. Alas, not all in one book. The series "Scenes from the Past" . Some items in about 3 or 4 vols. Not much but at least something. gresley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hi Gresley, friend Greg Fox gave me books he knew would interest me so I have seen the pictures. I don't think his albums could be bettered, as many of the regular Foxline authors have passed on. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gresley Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hi Gresley, friend Greg Fox gave me books he knew would interest me so I have seen the pictures. I don't think his albums could be bettered, as many of the regular Foxline authors have passed on. Larry, Have you thought of looking in the Thameside Archives ? gresley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 No. I hardly ever get across to the North West these days. In anycase it is unlikely I will be asked to do any more titles. Geoff Wells and Eddie Johnson love searching out gems of information in such places and I suspect they will continue to do so. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Its such a shame to see the state of this station now, I would love to have visited it in its hey day when it was bursting with trains and passengers. It has been great reading all the information people have provided. I dont look at it the same when im there now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 It was a nice station to visit even back in the 70's as it was a signing on point so lots of station activity (peoplewise) even though the only trains stopping there were locals. I think even if the Woodhead route had remained open by now Dewsnap, the stabling point and the 4 tracks would still be gone - once industry left Manchester the railways were no longer needed in the form that they were. Guide Bridge still has some of that old infrastructure hanging around and it needs to be cleared and the land around developed then it will look better no doubt although still sad that was once there has gone. Found this new link today: http://www.table38.steamrailways.com/rail/Dukinfield/dukinfield.htm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Junction Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 It was a nice station to visit even back in the 70's as it was a signing on point so lots of station activity (peoplewise) even though the only trains stopping there were locals. I think even if the Woodhead route had remained open by now Dewsnap, the stabling point and the 4 tracks would still be gone - once industry left Manchester the railways were no longer needed in the form that they were. Guide Bridge still has some of that old infrastructure hanging around and it needs to be cleared and the land around developed then it will look better no doubt although still sad that was once there has gone. Found this new link today: http://www.table38.s.../dukinfield.htm Yeah theres still a lot of junk lying around on the car park side of the station. Its my local station and I use it 2 or 3 times a week, its interesting to see the old platforms just filled in with dirt and used as overgrown waste land. I dont know what they could do with the land other than enlarge the carpark or create a bigger Network Rail depot. Although moving and increasing the size of the ballast stockpile area could be a realistic option. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnd Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 (edited) Larry, Have you thought of looking in the Thameside Archives ? gresley Don't know of the place in Greater Manchester, know of Tameside though. In Reply Sutton Jct the problem with the Woodhead route was that to be usefull it would have to be converted to 25KV and I dont think BR would wanted to do that, it was bad enough converting as far as they did for commuter traffic, plus at the Sheffield end there are no live wires to join up with. There was a plan by one train operating company to provide a Park and Ride facility at Guide Bridge to connect up with the M60 which passes nearby ( a chance missed ) but that came to nothing, So the options are there it just seems that it is an unfasionable station on the east side of Manchester, now if it was on the South/West side of Manchester that may me another matter. Edited March 8, 2012 by johnd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 And with more Trans Pennine services using Victoria again after the wires go up there could be less trains passing through Guide Bridge to extract any potential park and ride other than commuting to Manchester Piccadilly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
62613 Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 (edited) TPE services don't stop at Guide Bridge, but there was talk of an 'Open Operator' service from Wakefield and Huddersfield using it; trains would have run to Stockport and on to Euston. I don't know what happened to the idea, it may still be hovering in the background somewhere. Edited March 10, 2012 by 62613 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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