Prototype PhilH's BR Photographs from circa1959

[PhilH]

Cloy Halt - view towards Wrexham




Overton-on-Dee Station - view towards Wrexham



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Overton-on-Dee from the overbridge south of the station. The area alongside the goods yard was once occupied by a small brick and tile works, in World War II by an army storage and distribution depot and a CWS factory, all of which would have contributed traffic to the railway. The CWS factory despatched milk in glass lined tank wagons but was disused by 1962.​

Trench Halt - view towards Wrexham



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Lattice girder and timber trestle viaduct between Overton-on-Dee and Ellesmere, apparently only over a field but in fact this was where the line crossed Liverpool Corporation's Vyrnwy Acqueduct. 1432 passing, evidently at great speed judging by the blur !

 

[PhilH]

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3208 and 3770 at Ellesmere Station. 3770 having probably worked down from Wrexham and just coupled behind 3208 on a Whitchurch to Oswestry freight train for return to Oswestry Shed.

1432 at Ellesmere just arrived from Wrexham



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1432 having crossed to the other platform ready for departure to Wrexham with 46511 on Whitchurch train at Ellesmere​

7812 on Whitchurch train at Ellesmere




Ellesmere station from the overbridge - view towards Oswestry

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[PhilH]

By the time we used to travel up the Conway Valley Line to Blaenau Ffestiniog in the late 1950s the regular passenger services were worked by DMUs, but on some special occasions such as Bank Holidays longer steam trains were substituted. This was the case on the Spring Bank Holiday Monday in 1962.

4Fs Nos. 44525 and 44389 on six coaches after arrival at Blaenau Ffestiniog North Station






On the return to Llandudno Junction the train approaches Betws-y-Coed Station



and is about to cross a DMU at Tal-y-Cafn

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[oldravendale]

Were two 4Fs really needed on a six coach train? They may have been plodders but they hauled some significantly heavy trains on the MR and LMR.

Great pictures too.

Brian

 

[Dave Holt]

I was on a train, probably in the 1990s, hauled by two Standard 4 tanks from Crewe. The train was split at Llandudno Junction with one loco taking each portion. Our first part got stuck as Larry describes, despite repeated setting back and having another run at it. Eventually, they brought the second train up behind and the combination of loco, coaches, loco and more coaches managed to get moving and carry on up to Blaenau. Must have been an unusual sight from the line side.
Dave.

 

[PhilH]

47 years later from the 1962 train another steam double header made its way up the Conway Valley Line to Blaenau Ffestiniog. This was the "Welsh Mountaineer" on 2nd May 2009 with Black 5s 45231 and 45407.

Crossing the regular Sprinter at Llanrwst



Arriving at the new Blaenau Ffestiniog Station with the Festiniog Railway's LILLA on the adjacent narrow gauge platform.



The train was shunted into the loop where the locos were serviced, leaving the platform road clear for regular trains



A contrast in motive power - The Festiniog's BRITOMART and LILLA alongside 45407

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[PhilH]

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A goods train heading north along the ex Midland main line between Millers Dale and Peak Forest in October 1963, passing the ICI's Buxton Central Quarry and Limekilns. The train is headed by a 9F with 29 wagons and a brakevan, and banked in the rear by a 2-6-4T. The Buxton Branch left the main line some distance beyond the right hand side of the photo and is hidden from view below. The line which formed the North side of the triangle branches off the main line just behind the 9F to connect with the Buxton Branch. Buxton Central Quarry closed in 1951 for stone production and retained hand loading with a 2ft gauge system to the end. The black line on the quarry floor to the right of the kilns are rows of redundant skip wagons. The kilns remained in production until 1961 with stone supplied by road from Tunstead Quarry across the high level overbridge crossing the main line on the extreme left of the photo. Lime was still despatched from the kilns by rail until 1961.

Today the quarry site has been largely backfilled with waste material from the nearby Tunstead and Old Moor Quarries. The only remaining rail line is a single track on the North side of the triangle which forms a link between Peak Forest and Buxton.

 

[adrian]

Today the quarry site has been largely backfilled with waste material from the nearby Tunstead and Old Moor Quarries. The only remaining rail line is a single track on the North side of the triangle which forms a link between Peak Forest and Buxton.

Thanks for posting - as you say it looks a little different today. Courtesy of google maps.

 

[PhilH]

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In October 1963 4F No.44555 heads a goods train on the ex Midland main line near Buxton Central Quarry. The Buxton Branch is visible through the trees in the background.

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4F No.44220 and its crew pose for a photo during shunting operations at Peak Forest in July 1963.
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The subject of this photo (just left of centre) is a mere speck in the distance and no doubt I was wishing I had a decent telephoto lens at the time. However while the object of the photo is a dismal failure the photo does possibly have some merit in the variety of BR wagonry in view - hoppers, opens, a steel mineral, vans and flats loaded with 3 lime containers. It was taken in 1961 just North of Peak Forest Station with the ex Midland main line in the foreground. I assume from the finial that the signal is a Midland post re-fitted with a UQ arm. The loco, by the way, is an Avonside 0-4-0ST at S.Taylor, Frith & Co's Peak Forest Limeworks.

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ICI private owner wagons at Long Sidings, south of Peak Forest Station in October 1965, presumably stored and due for scrapping. The small lettering on the right hand wagon reads "EMPTY TO TUNSTEAD KILNS PEAK FOREST L.M.R. FOR LIME TRAFFIC ONLY". Note the supports for a tarpaulin bar in the centre of the wagons.

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This internal use van possibly had an ex main line origin. The door arrangement suggests it may be a conversion of an open wagon ?

 

[Osgood]

Never seen a timber tarpaulin bar before (there's a bar sitting upside down in one end support of wagon 3302).

 

[AJC]

Never seen a timber tarpaulin bar before (there's a bar sitting upside down in one end support of wagon 3302).

The timber bars weren’t unique - and were the precursors of the later (patented) moveable bars.

The van is an absolutely straight (apart from the end) LNWR vehicle, their diagram 88: Wagons of the LNWR

Adam

 

[Rob Pulham]

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View attachment 137303​

This internal use van possibly had an ex main line origin. The door arrangement suggests it may be a conversion of an open wagon ?

It looks like an ex NER G2 van to me and would have always had the bottom drop door

There is a photo of one at Beamish at the bottom of this page

 

[AJC]

It looks like an ex NER G2 van to me and would have always had the bottom drop door

There is a photo of one at Beamish at the bottom of this page

You’re quite probably right - why I missed the diagonal bracing I have no idea...

Adam

 

[Eastsidepilot]

View attachment 136874
Arriving at the new Blaenau Ffestiniog Station with the Festiniog Railway's LILLA on the adjacent narrow gauge platform.


View attachment 136875
The train was shunted into the loop where the locos were serviced, leaving the platform road clear for regular trains




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I was working out in my head the shunting movement of the loco's as the have swopped positions, so they did not run round coupled ?

Col.

 

[PhilH]

I was working out in my head the shunting movement of the loco's as the have swopped positions, so they did not run round coupled ? Col.

I think after arrival in Blaenau 45231 uncoupled, ran forward then backed into the loop. 45407 uncoupled from the train and did the same and recoupled to 45231. Thus 45231 was the leading loco in both directions on the branch.

 

[PhilH]

On to the Cromford & High Peak

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A slightly blurry view of 68006 outside the loco shed after finishing work for the day at Cromford Wharf c1961


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Sheep Pasture Incline Top on a rainy day in May 1967. The incline and section of line down to its connection with the main line at High Peak Junction had been closed the previous month.

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Ex LNWR tender No.3003 used as a water carrier at Sheep Pasture Top


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68079 at Middleton Top in August 1963​

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Top of Middleton Incline in August 1963, two months after the incline was officially closed.​

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The engine house complete with its Butterley Company engines of 1829 is of course still with us, this view was taken from the brow of the incline in September 2015

 

[76043]

Thank you for these pics of the C&HP, just superb shots.
Tony

 

[PhilH]

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A week at work spent surveying a quarry at Buckfastleigh in November 1963 gave an opportunity to explore part of the Ashburton Branch between its closure by BR and its takeover by the Dart Valley Railway. I was able to walk the section of line now occupied by the new dual-carriageway A38 Road.from Ashburton to Buckfastleigh.
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Ashburton Station with its timber trainshed and stone goods shed. The station building and train shed are a listed structure and now used as a garage, but the platform has been removed. The goods shed also still survives.

By 1963 the loco shed had already been adapted for alternative use and still survives.












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The bridge under the old A38 road outside Ashburton, view towards Ashburton. The unusual shape of the entrance retaining wall is due to the railway passing under the road embankment at an acute angle and it was more of a short tunnel than an overbridge.

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A rather poor quality shot near Buckfastleigh, but included because it shows the bridge over the River Dart. Taken from a road overbridge with Buckfastleigh Station in the left distance. The track on the bridge and in the foreground appears to be freshly ballasted !.

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A view today from a similar (or as near as I could get it) position as the previous photo on Google Maps. The River Dart is hidden by the trees on the right and passes under the road approximately where the van is.

Buckfastleigh Station, view towards Totnes
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A last special train ran to Ashburton on 2nd October 1971, after which the line was severed beyond Buckfastleigh Station.​

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[76043]

Thank you again for these shots, a superb resource.
Tony

 

[PhilH]

A section of the original Conway Valley Branch at Llandudno Junction which had been made redundant when the station was remodelled in 1897 and the junction with the branch moved eastwards was used to store locomotives, either withdrawn or stored during the winter when traffic was lower on the North Wales Coast Line. The following three photos were taken circa 1960.

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3F 0-6-0T No.47394 with three 2-6-2Ts. 47394 was withdrawn on 31/12/1959 according to the RailUK website and a model in 00 Scale with this number has been reproduced by both Graham Farish and Bachmann.

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Ex Midland Railway 3F 0-6-0 No.43378. Last allocated to Rhyl, stored at Llandudno Junction from August 1958 and withdrawn 19/12/1959. It was disposed of in November 1960 to Mostyn Ironworks. 3P 2-6-2T No.40133 just visible was last allocated to Llandudno Junction and not officially withdrawn until 21/10/1961.

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2P 4-4-0 No.40589 was last allocated to Rhyl and withdrawn on 30/11/1959. Disposal was to Crewe Works in May 1961.