Prototype PhilH's BR Photographs from circa1959

[PhilH]

At the junction of Duke Street and Dock Road on the Wallasey side of the docks







Delivering Polybulk hoppers to the RHM animal foods mill







Returning with empty hoppers over the Duke Street Bridge




Duke Street Crossing again on the Birkenhead side. Some of Rea Ltd's locos which formerly worked their Duke Street Wharf are visible in the left background, by then withdrawn from service.
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[MarkR]

Lovely atmospheric pictures, the 1950's film "The Clouded Yellow" concluded with scenes featuring Liverpool dock and included footage of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board network, with locomotives and stock.
Mark

 

[PhilH]

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The last steam hauled ore train from Bidston Dock to Summers Steelworks at Hawarden headed by 92203 on 6th November 1967, photographed by a friend at Heswall Hills. 92203 was later purchased by David Shepherd and named BLACK PRINCE. Its now on the North Norfolk Railway.
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At Bidston Dock the hopper wagons were shunted for loading by Rea Bulk Handling Ltd. and the trains made up in the nearby exchange sidings for collection by BR. On a Sunday in September 1980 four of Rea's locos stand idle while the bulk carrier INGRID LEONHARDT is berthed alongside.




On an earlier visit in October 1977 work was in progress transferring ore from ship to hopper wagons with three of Rea's locos in use
- WABANA 0-4-0DM (left), NARVIK (distant centre) and PEPEL, both the latter two being 0-6-0DMs.




The bulk ore carrier GERALDTON MARU with the three overhead cranes used to transfer ore to the hopper wagons. After loading the wagons were propelled to the BR exchange sidings just beyond the end of the dock......




......and marshalled into trains ready for the BR loco to collect.
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Steelmaking at Shotton ended in March 1980 and with it the use of Bidston Dock for imported ore. The three overhead cranes were demolished and most of the dock basin has now been filled in.

 

[PhilH]

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WABANA a Drewry loco built by subcontractor Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn and supplied new to Rea in 1953. Wabana was an iron ore exporting port in Newfoundland. Rea had a total of 5 similar Drewry 0-4-0DM locos, built either by RSH or Vulcan Foundry as subcontractors.

The design originates from a locomotive supplied by Drewry to the LMS in 1934 when they were investigating the potential of diesel locos for shunting operations and bought several types from different builders for trials. This loco became LMS 7050, was sold to the War Department in 1943 and is now preserved at the National Railway Museum.
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NARVIK another Drewry loco, this time built at the Vulcan Foundry Works in Newton-le-Willows and supplied new to Rea in 1953. Narvik is an iron ore exporting port in Norway.

This was an 0-6-0 version of the previous loco and the first example was built in 1947 and sent on trial to the LNER who declined to purchase. However it was later purchased by BR Southern Region for departmental use. Similar locos were purchased by BR from 1952 and became Class 04 with a total class number of 142. Later BR locos had a cab with larger side windows and a more curved roof, also wheel dia. was increased from 3'-3" to 3'-6" and 3'-7".
Note that unlike the BR examples NARVIK has flangeless centre wheels and has acquired rather unusual rubber front buffers.​

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PEPEL supplied new by Drewry in 1955 and built by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn. Pepel was an ore exporting port in Sierra Leone. This loco has the later cab as fitted to BR locos but retains the 3'‑3" dia. wheels.​

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DOROTHY LIGHTFOOT (no idea who she was) one of two similar locos supplied by Drewry in 1963 after they acquired the majority of shares in E.E.Baguley Ltd., the locos being built at Baguley's works in Burton-on-Trent. These are 195hp locos compared to 153hp of the earlier 0-4-0s and 204hp of the 0-6-0s.​

Photographed in September 1980 at Rea's Duke Street Wharf are left to right: W.H.SALTHOUSE, WABANA and THESEUS
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[simond]

Phil

thanks so much for those images "from my youth". I well remember the Penny Bridge, the cranes, the Summers bogie wagons, and the ships, sadly I have no memory of the 9F's.

cheers
Simon

 

[simond]

DOROTHY LIGHTFOOT ???

Suffolk Artists - LIGHTFOOT, Dorothy

I can't see any connection other than everything she seems to have painted had a marine theme ???

 

[Ressaldar]

Hi Phil,

great pictures of the Birkenhead docks area. I have just returned from our Wednesday afternoon running session at the Club (Wirral OGG) which is located less than 100 metres from the junction of Duke Street and Corporation Road, seen in some of your pictures. There are still lengths of track embedded in Duke Street with the rails running behind the walls on either side. Oh for the 03s to still trundle along those tracks.

regards

Mike

 

[PhilH]

Abram was the terminus of a freight only branch to the south east of Wigan which served as the interchange point for NCB traffic from Bickershaw Colliery. From 1975 to about 1983 it also served the adjacent NCB Opencast Executive's Albert Disposal Point and required the services of a resident BR Class 08 shunter.

In April 1979 the NCB loco WESTERN QUEEN and BR 08126 stand at the entrance to the sidings




A Class 25 arrives with two brakevans and two HAA hoppers




12 months later NCB loco WESTERN KING backs a loaded train from Bickershaw Colliery into the exchange sidings. WESTERN QUEEN and WESTERN KING were 750hp diesel electrics built by GEC Traction in Newton-le-Willows and supplied new to Bickershaw in 1979




A roadway separated the disposal point sidings on the left from the BR sidings.
A noticeboard just to the left of the NCBOE Sentinel reads "DP loco must stop here when BR are shunting"




The NCB Opencast Executive's Sentinel loco outside its small and rather neat shed




For a week in April 1980 the two remaining workable Austerities at Bickershaw were steamed and No.7 (HE 3776) has just arrived from the colliery alongside BR 08356




It was an ambition to get all four types of loco in one shot, and this is about the best I could do - on the left is a Class 25 arriving with empties, centre the NCB's WESTERN KING, between the two in the distance (barely visible) under the loader the NCBOE Sentinel diesel and on the right 08356.

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[PhilH]

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In 1985 merry-go-round operation was introduced from a rapid loader at the colliery and the use of NCB locos ceased. BR trains were top and tailed with two pairs of Class 20s as seen with this distant view of a train being loaded in 1986.

Rail traffic ceased from the disposal point about 1983 although work continued to reinstate the site for several more years, which included infilling the excavation with material from the large colliery spoil heap which is prominent in the many steam locomotive photographs taken at Bickershaw and would have been in the background of the above photo.​

The loaded train passes the former exchange sidings at Abram with 20181 + 20192 leading




At Platt Bridge Junction near Wigan with 20087 + 20058 at the rear.
The train would have continued on to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station with just two locos.
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Bickershaw Colliery closed for production in March 1992

 

[Ressaldar]

View attachment 148282

Shunting empty hoppers in sidings alongside Corporation Road on the Birkenhead side


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Taken this afternoon when leaving the Club which is situated about 200 metres to the right.





the track that the 03 is on in Phil's picture is just beyond the red tarmac area.

regards

Mike

 

[PhilH]

The next series of photos was taken on two trips to the West Highland Line and the lines north of Inverness in 1988, when all passenger workings were still in the hands of the Class 37s and just prior to the introduction of the Class 156 Sprinters on those routes. The photos are posted approximately in the order taken, so some locations will appear more than once and the sequence may seem illogical at times. It may be useful therefore to give details of the routes taken:
July 1988 - overnight to Fort William; Fort William - Mallaig & return (steam - not included here); Banavie - Mallaig - Kyle of Lochalsh (boat) - Inverness; Inverness - Wick & return.
September 1988 - Inverness via ECML and Aberdeen; Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh & return; Inverness - Fort William (bus); Fort William - Mallaig & return (steam); Fort William - Oban; Oban - Glasgow

37408 (and signal) at Glasgow Queen Street




37408 leaving Glasgow Queen Street




37413 at Fort William on the 10.05 to Mallaig




20114 crossing the Caledonian Canal Bridge at Banavie, returning light engine to Fort William after delivering oil tank wagons to the Corpach Paper Mill




The Banavie swing bridge in action




Banavie Station, view towards Mallaig showing the new signalling centre opened the previous year, which controls train movements on the West Highland line




37424 arriving at Banavie on the 10.05 Fort William to Mallaig
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[oldravendale]

This is wonderful stuff, Phil. Apart from anything else it picks up from the Tim Mills collection which ends in the mid 80s. More please.

Brian

 

[Dog Star]

WHL, Large Logo, 37/4s.... what a feast, thank you.

 

[PhilH]

MacBraynes M.V.PIONEER at Mallaig, working the Mallaig-Armadale (Skye) service







Kyle of Lochalsh Station - two views from the ferry




37419 on the 15.05 to Inverness




37414 on the 16.40 to Inverness with the converted DMU 'Hebridean' observation saloon next to the loco




Achnasheen Station




37419 crossing the River Bran east of Achanalt




Dingwall Station junction of the Kyle of Lochalsh and Far North Lines - view northwards




Dingwall with the South Signal Box, redundant after the introduction of the Radio Electronic Token Block System on the Far North Line.
Most of the goods yard sidings on the left and the connection to the timber goods shed had been lifted by that date.

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[PhilH]

37417 crossing the River Ness Viaduct at Inverness on the 7.10 ex Kyle of Lochalsh, viewed from the south (upstream) side.
The viaduct collapsed 7 months later and was replaced by a rather less attractive steel structure.




37416 crossing on the 6.00 ex Thurso and Wick train







37417 on the 10.10 Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh taken from the north (downstream) side of the viaduct




37419 at Inverness on the 11.10 to Kyle of Lochalsh




47492 at Inverness




Inverness south bound platforms with 47492 on the 10.35 to Euston.
Sunshine, blue sky - so the sun does occasionally shine in Scotland !




37414 arriving at Inverness on the 7.10 from Kyle of Lochalsh

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[David B]

Deep joy Phil - these Scottish photos are incredibly evocative. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but 37424 arriving at Banavie takes me right back to holidays at Fort William in the 80s. It’s damp, it’s misty, the marker lights are glowing feebly - I can almost hear the unpredictable agricultural throb of the EE engine and smell the diesel fumes in the soggy air. Heaven!

 

[PhilH]

The rather attractive group of buildings at Helmsdale Station




After Helmsdale the line turns away from the coast and follows the River Helmsdale.




The scenery gets bleaker approaching Forsinard




The Thurso Line makes a trailing connection from the Inverness direction at Georgemas Junction. View from the departing Wick train with the Thurso section leaving from the other end of the station.




37416 after arrival at Wick




It was a toss up between going to Thurso or Wick, Thurso is further north but Wick gave a longer ride.

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[Simon]

Fantastic pictures, thank you very much for sharing them.

I went on the far North line once, in 1974, but took very few pictures.

Stand out memories now are the then "busyness" around Invergordon with the development of North Sea Oil, including an interesting conversation on the train with someone working there, and discovering that the "Woolworths" in WIck was complete with all the atmospheric and archaic shop fittings that had disappeared years earlier back down South!

The landscape was fantastically bleak but beautiful, which it must happily still be now all these years later....

Simon

 

[Roger Pound]

Thank you, Phil, for this splendid series of pictures. I am both old and fortunate enough to have seen the much of the type of action portrayed, not to mention most of the loco types shown. I also have fond memories of many of the areas you have featured and a great interest in others portrayed which I was not been able to visit in my earlier years. As an aside, I can identify with the relief and pleasure of one's eyesight being 're-booted', post cataract treatment.

Kind regards,
Roger.

 

[PhilH]

37416 ready for return to Inverness.




One for the loco weatherists and also there's an interesting comparison in the track colour between the well used platform line and the lesser used siding.




37260 arriving at Georgemas Junction on the ex Thurso section.​

Adding the Thurso section to the rear of the train from Wick.




37416 about to leave Georgemas Junction on the combined train.




Brora goods shed.




37418 on the 17.35 from Inverness arriving at Brora passing 37416 on the Inverness train.

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