Jim’s “out and about with GBRf” thread

[TheSignalEngineer]

I see that the Hazel Grove route is being used again for the empties since the dridge job near Whaley Bridge has been done. My usual place for catching the stone trains is Marple as I walk over the bridge just north of the station two or three times a week when I am picking up my grandson from school. 

I usually manage to make it co-incide with the DB train to Ashburys or the GBRF empties from Small Heath, or as it is sometimes Northampton or Hams Hall. The Doncaster empties also comes around that time.

[big jim]

Didn’t realise the line through Whaley bridge was used for the empties, that bridge was a pain in the IM trains, we had to sit at Furness vale and wait for the passenger train to get there before we could head to Buxton (the bridge wasn’t allowed to have 2 trains on it at once, units are ok but a unit and loco hauled weren’t allowed) 

 

to be honest I’d like to get that on my card if the opportunity arose but it’s unlikely

 

today was my first solo voyage from peak forest to hindlow, change of loco, 66730 this time 

 

while waiting at northwich for the road I managed to get a shot of the old European wagon that’s been abandoned in the old sidings

 

The next stop was hazel grove high level, you can see the ‘new’ chord that opened in the 80s 

 

 

The line My train is stood on is old line to cheadle Heath, Heaton Mersey and into Manchester central 

 

 

The line the 150 is on is the line from hazel grove to Buxton 

 

 

 

I then headed off to peak forest and onward to Buxton and hindlow, no pics until hindlow though 

 

The line from great rocks to Buxton is token working that you hand back at Buxton, you then collect a different token for the line to hindlow, once shunting is complete you put it back in the token machine at the quarry 

 

After loading it was a wait for another train to arrive from Buxton

and here it is

 

 

you then head into the single line, the groundframe is locked by the shunter and the token is handed back to the driver to continue to Buxton 

 

Old sign 

 

And the token in its pouch 

 

And run round in Buxton where I got relief 

 

I then walked back to Buxton station for the train home 

 

Back of the box 

 

Looking back toward the box again, the old depot was to the left of the tracks 

 

My Train back to stockport 

 

Buxton station

 

The booking office has an O gauge display of part of the station 

 

 

a brief history

 

They have made a japanese garden at the end of the platform!

 

And into Stockport 

 

Train home

 

And a walk to basford hall 

 

 

 

 

and that was that, crewe to peak tomorrow but I’m going to stay on to Hindlow and then ride my bike from there to cromford and get a train back to crewe from there via derby! 

 

[5BarVT]

I hope photos 3 and 4 (TPE on Hazel Grove Chord) are in the wrong order.  If not, “Euston, we have a problem”!!
 

37 minutes ago, big jim said:

I’m going to stay on to Hindlow and then ride my bike from there to cromford and get a train back to crewe from there via derby! 

That’s a fair ride, and better that way than in reverse.  Take care on the incline, it’s quite steep!

Paul.

[big jim]

The two TPE pics are in the correct order, it’s the same train heading away from the camera, what’s the issue you are seeing? 

[beast66606]

3 minutes ago, big jim said:

The two TPE pics are in the correct order, it’s the same train heading away from the camera, what’s the issue you are seeing? 

 

I think Paul has forgotten Hazel Grove is bi-di

[TheSignalEngineer]

56 minutes ago, big jim said:

Didn’t realise the line through Whaley bridge was used for the empties, that bridge was a pain in the IM trains, we had to sit at Furness vale and wait for the passenger train to get there before we could head to Buxton (the bridge wasn’t allowed to have 2 trains on it at once, units are ok but a unit and loco hauled weren’t allowed) 

There was always one path in the timetable but it was normally only used when somebody needed to get their card updated.

 

19 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

That’s a fair ride, and better that way than in reverse.  Take care on the incline, it’s quite steep!

I sometimes drive up to Hindlow and ride various mix and match routes which include High Peak Trail, Carsington Water, Tissington Trail and Manifold Valley (not all on the same day).

I remember one winter day after riding down the Tissington trail then across to Hulme End to do the Leek and Manifold then across to Ashbourne and back up the Tissington Trail. When we got to Ashbourne the weather was turning bad and there was a Force 6 northerly wind blowing. Seventeen miles against the wind and mostly up hill. By the time we got to Hartington we were just about done for. Another occasion we had freezing fog for the last ten miles. By the time we got to the car I had a coating of ice all over the bike.

[big jim]

Let’s hope the weather is favourable tomorrow, if it’s really bad I’ll just ride back to Buxton and get a train from there
 

ive got my waterproofs whatever happens! 

[newbryford]

I see the rear green 37 is carrying a nameplate.

 

A quick search and it's named "Flossie" after Jeremy Hoskins mother.

[Hippel]

Whaley Bridge route has been used by 6H53 the empties (19.xx) ex Ashburys to Dowlow for years now.

 

Paul.

Edited November 15, 2021 by Hippel
Added to Dowlow

[5BarVT]

10 hours ago, big jim said:

The two TPE pics are in the correct order, it’s the same train heading away from the camera, what’s the issue you are seeing? 

 

10 hours ago, beast66606 said:

I think Paul has forgotten Hazel Grove is bi-di

Paul had indeed forgotten that Hazel Grove is bidi.  He will slope off and eat humble pie!

:-)

[big jim]

And some from today, not many ‘work pics’ but some from my commute home

 

passed 66792 at chinley while I was waiting to get onto the chord, tomorrow job involves me taking the same train as today to peak forest then getting in a taxi back to crewe to work that train back to walsall! 

 

i was supposed to get off at peak forest and job done, got told I didn’t have a hire car but I had a plan!
 

 I stayed on to Hindlow so I was in the right place to get in my bike and ride home from there, could have took the easy option and headed back to Buxton but had decided to catch a train from cromford on the Matlock branch, a 20 odd mile ride along the high peak trail from hindlow 

ready for the off

 

The start of the high peak trail which is the old cromford and high peak railway 

 

 

 

Parsley hey, a welcome cup of tea break

 

 

 

the old junction to Ashbourne 

 

Tunnel under the A515

 

 

would have loved to have seen a train trundling round the curves on the line!

 

 

 

hopton incline 

 

Hopton tunnel

 

Middleton top

 

 

 

 

middleton incline 

 

And at the bottom looking back up 

 

 

steeple grange light railway

 

 

 

And onward through black rocks to sheep pasture incline 

 

And looking down from the top toward cromford 

 

You can see the line to Matlock in the middle of the picture, this was the old mainline from Manchester to St Pancras via peak forest, a line I drove my train around a few hours earlier! 

 

 

Top of the incline 

 

Half way down

 

And a catch pit at the bottom for run away wagons

 

Couple of brake vans 

 

High peak jn

 

I then planned to ride along the back road to cromford but it was shut so I had to use the towpath to cromford wharf, this picture is looking back up toward where I took the picture of the midland line from the high peak line, you can just about make out the embankment right at the top of the hill, you can see just how far the line drops in a short distance down sheep pasture incline 

 

Cromford wharf

 

I then decided to carry on to Matlock bath and briefly called in to see @andyram in his shop before getting the train home

 

I planned to grab a cuppa in town but realised there was a train due in 2 minutes so scooted quickly to the station and thankfully caught it to derby, strangely this is the first time I’ve ever been on this part of the line, I’ve been to cromford behind a top and tail pair of 20s back in 1989 once before but no further! 

 

a good trip, would definitely do it again come summer, next time I’ll get off at peak as booked and do Matlock via the monsal trail 

 

 

Annoyingly that train arrives into derby at exactly the same time the train to crewe departs so I had an hour to wait so got a bit more charge in the bike while I waited, it needs a good wash now though! 

 

longer job tomorow, same train to peak then another crewe to walsall and into lodge for the night

 

hope you enjoyed those piccies, a bit of a change from the norm but worth documenting 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by big jim

[iands]

Some fantastic photos Jim, thanks for sharing.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Did you go into the pit to look at the wagon half buried in there?

[corneliuslundie]

And did you get off for the inclines?

Thanks for taking the trouble to take and post these great photos.

Jonathan

[big jim]

2 minutes ago, corneliuslundie said:

And did you get off for the inclines?

Thanks for taking the trouble to take and post these great photos.

Jonathan

no rode down them slowly, brakes red hot and stinking at the bottom though!

[corneliuslundie]

No regenerative braking then.

J

[big jim]

5 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Did you go into the pit to look at the wagon half buried in there?

i did see it but didn’t bother going to have a look, to be honest there was a lot em route I could have stopped to photograph like a rotting mobile crane, incline shunting ramp, signal post etc but I’d get no decent progress done stopping all the time, and it was quite Misty too

[TheSignalEngineer]

15 minutes ago, big jim said:

incline shunting ramp,

That ramp was where they used to park the old tenders they used for bringing water up to the top section. There are pictures of locos topping up from them.

 

15 minutes ago, big jim said:

signal post

I like getting to that when northbound as if the time is right it's five minutes to brew time.

An interesting signal, reinforced concrete and still has the rusting remains of the LNWR spec plate on it. I would guess that it could be about 100 years old.

There are some pictures in my Ghosts in the Machine thread.

Can't believe it's six years since I took those.

Edited November 16, 2021 by TheSignalEngineer

[andyram]

Hi Jim

 

Love the pics. It was good to see you today. A shame that, due to the the zoom meeting I was doing at the time, I could not stop for a long chat. Proof that you can never predict what a day is going to be like. I agreed to the meeting because I expected it to be a quiet day.

 

Andy

[Ben B]

Cheers for those pics- I visited the incline and winding house on a Geology/Industrial-Archaeology field trip when I was back at college, found it very interesting.  Steeple Grange looks like an interesting setup too, have to put that on the list of places to visit next year.

[big jim]

Just a few from today, hams hall to peak forest then back to crewe to work another to walsall

 

First up had to shunt a train in hams hall 

 

and my train almost ready to go

 

basford hall

 

Peak forest, 66730 again

 

Back to crewe, 66792 back south 

 

walsall

 

Same again tomorrow 

[big jim]

Same job today

 

hams hall 

 

Hazel grove

 

There is a lot of talk of ‘leaves in the line’ and Rail Head Treatment Trains this time if the year, while stood at hazel grove I got a few pics to illustrate what happens, near in mind that the leaves haven’t really started to fall yet but this morning it was beginning to get a bit slippy on some of the less used bits of track 

 

here is a single leaf that’s fallen on the railhead and been run over by a train 

 

The weight of the train squashes the leaf down and pushes all the moisture and sap etc from the leaf onto the railhead, the resultant goo is very slippy, almost the same consistency as rubbing washing up liquid or soap between your finger and thumb 

 

as I say that is just one leaf but imagine a whole carpet of them falling onto the rail and 2000 ton of train pressing down on them, the result is a nice layer of black slippy ‘goo’ on the railhead

 

 

It also transfers to the wheels of the train, with clasp brakes it does get scrubbed off a fair bit by the brake blocks which helps when braking but as with what happened in Salisbury when you have disc brakes the goo just builds up on the wheel flange and with no blocks to scrub the gunge off combined with any railhead contamination the wheels will simply glide on the mulch, similarly when pulling away on a train with either disc or clasp brakes the wheels will just spin on the mulch, sanding will help to get a grip but not always!

 

But as i say, looking at the trees around here the leaf fall hasn’t really started in anger yet and it’s already getting slippy with the few that have fallen, it’s only going to get worse!

 

and finally into peak forest 

 

It was then over to crewe for the train to Walsall but I didn’t bother with any pictures as it was the same as yesterday 

 

same again tomorrow though, last day of it 

 

 

[KeithHC]

Thanks Jim for that insight to the leaf problem. You have explained it in simple terms and illustrated it well. Keep up the great work. I will now go back to railmap online and try to work out your routes to Peak Forest and back……..

 

Keith

[big jim]

26 minutes ago, KeithHC said:

I will now go back to railmap online and try to work out your routes to Peak Forest and back……..

 

Keith

The route is crewe-sandbach-Middlewich-northwich-altrincham-northenden jn (Heaton Mersey) -hazel grove-chinley-peak forest

 

it comes back peak forest-chinley-new mills-guide bridge-Denton-stockport-crewe, I don’t sign the new mills to stockport buit so can’t go that way but I do go stockport to hazel grove via Davenport

im in a good position that I also go over the hope valley and through Sheffield or Chesterfield so I can get out of peak forest most ways of issues arise! 

 

 

 

[Craig1989]

When did hams hall become an aggregates terminal aswel as a container terminal?

 

cheers Craig