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Manchester

A Railwayman's View - BR Midland Region by Peter Collins > Manchester
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Images 1-18 of 18 displayed.

LPPC DSL CO 0008-Edit Possibly dating some time in late-1972/early-1973, after its repaint into BR Blue with yellow ends and the new BR logo, 5020 (later 24020) ticks over in the track allocated to the Manchester Victoria banker (Circuit T42/T43 duty). The loco was allocated to Longsight at this time. In the big purge of the Class 24s during the summer of 1975, 24020 was placed into store at Reddish depot during the first week of July and then withdrawn on August 10th. By the time this photograph was taken at Manchester in the mid-1970s, examples of the first 20-built BR Sulzer Type 2 Class 24s were quite rare, especially in such good external condition as this – almost ex-shops. The jobs for such engines were dwindling and the later Class 25s were often being used instead. Although built at Derby for LMR allocation, due to the rather bizarre idea that BR had of building new Class 33 locomotives with electric carriage-heating equipment for the SR which had no compatible rolling-stock, the Class 24s were loaned to the South Eastern Division for use double-heading with 33s in Kent and Sussex to provide warm coaches on their trains in winter. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0671 Manchester Victoria’s unmistakeable Victorian ironwork frames English Electric Type 4 Class 40 number 312 (later 40112) as it stands waiting emitting the class’s signature ringing sound before moving off uphill to the left with Newton Heath being its probable destination. This is the far eastern end of this platform, a place passengers would never have need to venture to and because of its length it always seemed quite lonely to be standing there. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0672 On the afternoon of a winter Saturday, Manchester Victoria’s through roads reverberated to the unmistakeable ringing sound of an English Electric Type 4 approaching out of the dark, dank, drizzle of the dying, miserably cold day. But, at the time, it seemed extra loud, then, breaking through the veil of mist the game was up. It wasn’t just one Class 40, but no less than two double-heading the longest engineers’ train I had ever seen. It just kept rolling past but, you should have been there to hear the locos opened up to drag the massive load up Miles Platting bank. It was well worthy of a Peter Handford Argo Transacord recording. One of those moments never to be forgotten. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0673 The ‘glory’ days of Manchester Victoria/Exchange stations on a miserably damp morning. The stations were interconnected and rather like a Victorian labyrinth and they included the longest railway platform in the UK which ran through their whole length. It was capable of accommodating two full-length trains by means of a centrally placed crossover, located behind the distant screens. The DMU destined for Southport is one of those units newly-built in the early 1960s specifically to provide a modernised service to the Calder Valley line to Leeds and were more powerful than their siblings to cope with the gradients as well as being provided with more comfortable interiors. But this is the early 1970s and budgets dictated that they had all become just common-user by this time. The English Electric Type 4 Class 40 318 (later 40118), the noise of which always sounded more like ringing then whistling as in the same company’s Hastings DEMUs, has just been given the road on the westbound through line. The atmosphere of this huge century-old edifice needed to be experienced to be appreciated.
LPPC DSL CO 0107-Edit A fairly smart, green, English Electric Type 4 Class 40 with twin box headcode front end, heads parcels train 4H07 south out of Manchester Mayfield in September 1971. The first and third vehicles in the train, larger than the second, were built to carry theatrical repertory company props and scenery in the days when these sort of semi-amateur dramatics were popular with the public. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL CO 0108-Edit No sooner had 323 passed with the Parcels train than yet another English Electric Type 4 Class 40 number 371 (later 40171) approached from the south with what seems to be empty coaching stock, probably from Longsight and it seemed to provide a lot of interest for the sizeable gathering of train-spotters on the platform carrying out a time-worn habit of enthusiasts during the school holidays. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL CO 0151-(2)-Edit Class 86 Electric E3125 (86209) waits to depart from Manchester Piccadilly with the 16.05 service to London Euston. The service was electric hauled throughout and made up of Mark 2C air-conditioned stock, with the exception of the BG and RKB - the Kitchen Buffet Car which were Mark 1. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0434 A platform-end view of Manchester Piccadilly in 1973 with an original series AL electric loco heading 1G6116.24 Manchester to Coventry service via Crewe and Wolverhampton in the middle, whilst an AL6 Class 86 readies itself at the adjacent platform with the ECS move to Lonsight carriage sidings with the stock of 1M68 10.15 Paignton to Manchester service. On the left, in the background, a Western Lines suburban Class 304 EMU is calling at Piccadilly having come from Manchester Oxford Road. On the immediate right are a couple of BRUTEs (British Rail Universal Trolley Equipment) for parcels traffic and part of the period modernisation plan. Neither the traffic, nor the BRUTES survived privatisation. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0551 Manchester Piccadilly in the summer of 1972 and a 1500 volt DC three-car electric multiple unit awaits departure time for Hadfield in the city’s eastern suburbs. These trains were of very similar design to the other LNER based units constructed for the London Liverpool Street to Shenfield electrification. The service was the final remnant of passenger workings over the western section of the Woodhead Tunnel route, formerly the province of EM1 and EM2 loco-hauled Manchester to Sheffield services as well as a considerable amount of freight. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0381 Waiting at Manchester Piccadilly is an electric multiple unit bound for Hadfield and Glossop. To cope with and contribute to post-war industrial recovery, in 1954 a new bore was created under the Pennines alongside the then extant Woodhead Tunnel on the Great Central Railway’s route to London from Manchester. In addition, the line was electrified at 1500volts DC to pioneer modern traction for trains, in particular coal, across the backbone of industrial England. At the same time, EMUs of the same specification as those then recently introduced for London Liverpool Street to Shenfield services, were built for the suburban lines heading east from the then Manchester London Road. These evolved under TOPS to be Classes 306 and 506, the difference being that once the Shenfield line became equipped for 25Kv AC electrification, these Manchester 506 sets became the only overhead DC current collection passenger trains in the UK until their demise in 1981.
LPPC DSL BW 0382 It’s a late summer weekday at Manchester Piccadilly station in the early ‘70s and a DMU consist awaits departure for Buxton. There were many different classes of diesel unit on British Rail and this is a member of TOPS Class 104, built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon company. This was a Longsight allocated unit and the depot has applied some white paint to the top of this driving car end to create a custom look in much the same way as the Eastern Region’s Stratford depot was doing with its Brush Type 4 locomotives. Note that in the background an Inter-City service for London Euston has a Mark One Kitchen/Restaurant car, despite the rest of the stock being Mark 2D/F. Catering vehicles were never built to the specification of Mark 2 coaches; presumably, the budget didn’t stretch that far.
LPPC DSL BW 05270531 The Diesel and Electric Group ran a number of comprehensive railtours in the 1970s and here is one commemorating English Electric Type 4 Class 40 power in the form of number 40170. A substantial amount of this trip involved criss-crossing the Greater Manchester area and here the passengers are enjoying a photographic stop at one of the stations to the south of the city. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 05270529 The participants of a North West tour that included many non-passenger lines, have gathered to photograph the Class 40 locomotive and are quite happy to crowd in an area that would probably have today’s rail authorities apoplectic. The very clean English Electric Type 4 Class 40 40170 is ringing away to itself in appreciation. The date was 29/4/78 and it was heading the North West Rambler, as seen on the previous page, which had travelled from London to Crewe Basford Hall hauled by a rare example of Class 84 electric, in fact the doyen, number 84001. Haulage from there to Liverpool Lime Street was Class 40 number 40185 then 40170 back to Crewe via ex-CLC lines around Manchester. This photo-stop was at Ashburys station.
LPPC DSL BW 05270528 Trespass? Health and safety? Neither seem to be uppermost in anyone’s mind at Ashburys station one Saturday in the late 1970s as a large number of the participants of a Class 40 Type 4 number 40170-hauled jaunt around Liverpool, Manchester and the north-west halts for a photo-shop opportunity. Who could resist a snap of one of the 1500 Volt DC Manchester – Hadfield three car emus as it braked for the station stop on its way to Piccadilly station. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL BW 0489 It’s Summer 1973 and a quiet early afternoon at Stockport station finds an AM6 Class 304 EMU number 015 lazing away on a middle road between duties. It is immaculate and has clearly recently been outshopped after overhaul. Meanwhile a Class 104 BRCW DMU idles for a few minutes whilst waiting for its driver to return to the cab. The DMU is more than likely on the way to Stalybridge, used by staff more than passengers and a long-standing Parliamentary service.
LPPC DSL BW 1186 At Bolton, passengers stir and walk towards, as they always do everywhere rather than wait for the train to stop near them, the Brush Type 4 Class 47 approaching from Manchester with an express for Glasgow. It will probably combine at Preston with a portion from Liverpool. Meanwhile, having to wait for the express to depart, for some time an English Electric Type 4 Class 40, either number 40124 or 40134, has been ringing and creeping its way on the through road with a rake of mineral wagons it is trying to keep the couplings taut, no doubt with the help of the guard at the rear. Keywords: Digital, ISO, John Stiles
LPPC DSL BW 1187 The express and Class 47 have now become the subject of conversation with the passengers in the foreground whilst parcels of many shapes and sizes are corralled in Brutes in a space fenced off for the job. On the wall is a very unconvincing and dirty poster suggesting that it could be just the space in which to sell whatever business you happen to be in. Keywords: Digital, ISO, John Stiles
LPPC DSL BW 1189-Edit We can now watch the northbound departure from Bolton of the previous page’s Brush Type 4 Class 47, heading its train towards Preston, the next stop. The extremely elevated and long footbridge should be noted whilst the two-car Class 108 DMU in the bay is waiting for the road to turn right on an all-stations service to Blackburn.

Images 1-18 of 18 displayed.