Unidentified Location 4th August 1968

[The Border Reiver]

On 4th August 1968 my friend Dave Goodfellow, myself and my girlfriend headed down from Carlisle to take photos of the specials running that day. We were based at the lineside and I think near the Blackburn/Bolton area?. The first special we photographed was 45156 on 1T80 G.C. Enterprises Farewell to Steam. The next special was 44871 double headed with 44894 on 1Z78 Stephenson Locomotive Society (Midland Area) Farewell to Steam No.1. The final special we photographed was 70013 double headed with 44781 on the Locomotive Club of Great Britain The Farewell to Steam Rail Tour.

 

I am still trying to identify the actual location where I took the photos (it was 55 years ago). Bromley Cross has been mentioned but I cannot match the footbridge and houses using Google maps. I have also a photo with 45156 on another special with electicity pylons in the background which again I cannot match using Google maps.

 

The first photo is 44871 double headed with 44894 on 1Z78 Stephenson Locomotive Society (Midland Area) Farewell to Steam No.1. There is an electricity pylon in the background. The next photo is a (poor) rear view photo of it heading away from me. There seems to be a signal box and platforms in the distance.

 

The final photo is 70013 double headed with 44781 on the Locomotive Club of Great Britain The Farewell to Steam Rail Tour which shows some terraced houses on the left.

 

 

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Lostock Hall/Rose Grove area?

 

Mike.

[bécasse]

I have found the post-war 1" OS maps on this website to be very useful in locating where steam-era photos were taken particularly when the line concerned is known. Local geography has often changed tremendously in the half-century-plus since the end of steam whereas, in most areas, it changed little between the end of WWII and the end of steam.

 

Given that you know the route that the special took it should be relatively easy to locate the independent footbridge which appears in the first photo, even if there are a handful of potential candidates, and hopefully that will then help to locate the other photos.

[The Border Reiver]

2 hours ago, The Border Reiver said:

On 4th August 1968 my friend Dave Goodfellow, myself and my girlfriend headed down from Carlisle to take photos of the specials running that day. We were based at the lineside and I think near the Blackburn/Bolton area?. The first special we photographed was 45156 on 1T80 G.C. Enterprises Farewell to Steam. The next special was 44871 double headed with 44894 on 1Z78 Stephenson Locomotive Society (Midland Area) Farewell to Steam No.1. The final special we photographed was 70013 double headed with 44781 on the Locomotive Club of Great Britain The Farewell to Steam Rail Tour.

 

I am still trying to identify the actual location where I took the photos (it was 55 years ago). Bromley Cross has been mentioned but I cannot match the footbridge and houses using Google maps. I have also a photo with 45156 on another special with electicity pylons in the background which again I cannot match using Google maps.

 

The first photo is 44871 double headed with 44894 on 1Z78 Stephenson Locomotive Society (Midland Area) Farewell to Steam No.1. There is an electricity pylon in the background. The next photo is a (poor) rear view photo of it heading away from me. There seems to be a signal box and platforms in the distance.

 

The final photo is 70013 double headed with 44781 on the Locomotive Club of Great Britain The Farewell to Steam Rail Tour which shows some terraced houses on the left.

 

 

 

 

Location now Identified as Bromley Cross