1410

Number 1410.. (Items 2336 - 2444 & MR 188 - MR 199) (E-BLN 108 PAGES) 15 Oct 2022

BRANCH LINE NEWS

Distribuendi notitia, verbi disseminandi [ISSN 1354-0947]

Published 24 times a year by the Branch Line Society; founded 1955.

branchline.uk https://www.facebook.com/BranchLineSociety/

Membership queries: Lisa Sheppard [email protected]
186 AnlabymPaermk bReorasdhiSpo.suethcr,eHtaurlly,@HUbr4a7nBchUl.ine.0u7k873 354464

British Isles news from members; an International section is available.
Opinions are not necessarilyathvaoislaebolef .the Compilers or the Society.

BLN 1411 is dated Sat 5 Nov :MIND THE 3-WEEK GAP!: Contributions by Wed 26 Oct please.

2337] AGM 2022: Your Committee Officers' annual reports and our draft accounts for 2021-2022 are
supplements with paper BLN 1410 and are on our website with e-BLN as downloadable PDFs. All those
attending our AGM are advised that in thceietiny.teSorecisettsy.of economy copies will not be provided then.

Date Event and details…... Please book online BLN Lead Status

Sat 22 Oct The Saltburn Alternative tour (Itinerary with e-BLN) 1409 MG OPEN

Fri 11 Nov Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway tour 09.00-17.30 :OPEN: BELOW MG NOW OPEN

Fri 18 Nov Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway; all available lines 1408 MG WAITING LIST

Fri 18 Nov Doon Valley Railway, Waterside; all available lines 1409 MG WAITING LIST

Sat 19 Nov 12.00 AGM at Bo'ness station café - please register 1408 MG OPEN

Sat 19 Nov Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway; all available lines & miniature 1408 MG Claimed

Sat 19 Nov 19.15 Bo'ness; buffet/film show :OPEN: see website BELOW MG NOW OPEN

Sun 20 Nov *NEW* 10.00-12.00 Shed 47 & Fife Munitions Railway BELOW MG NOW OPEN

Sun 20 Nov PM: Fife Heritage Railway (Kirkland Yard) standard gauge TBA TBA Claimed

Sat 26 Nov *NEW* Mainline event/railtour in London CHECK WEBSITE BELOW TBA Claimed

Sat 17 Dec The Holly & The Hoover mainline railtour 1406 MG OPEN

Sat 7 Jan Scunthorpe Tracker 09.30-16.30 :OPEN: see website BELOW MG NOW OPEN

Sun 8 Jan Provisional - minor railway/s in Lincolnshire TBA TBA Claimed

Bookings: MG = Mark Gomm [email protected] 84 Mornington Rd, STOKE-ON-TRENT, ST1 6EL 07983 541887.

X.186] :Fri 11 Nov 09.00-17.30; La'al Ratty Once in a Lifetime Experience:: (TRACKmaps 4 p33B)
Thanks to our Kev Adlam and also huge thanks to the staff and volunteers of the 15'' gauge, 6¾ mile
long Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, we are delighted to announce a very special, once in a lifetime 'all
available track' experience. It is strictly limited to a maximum of 60 participants, starts at 09.00 and is
expected to finish by 17.30 (rail connections from/to Carlisle and Barrow). The normal car parking
charge will be waived. We start the day at the wonderful station café with a complimentary hot
breakfast roll, hot drink and a safety briefing given the complexity of the moves we will be
undertaking. The café will also be open at lunchtime for the sale of drinks and refreshments, during a
planned break. By special arrangement, the former British Rail signal box will be open for inspection as
will the Ravenglass Railway Museum. There will be an on train raffle, with some great prizes. The plan
is for all five operational diesels to be used: Perkins, Lady Wakefield, Cyril, Les and Douglas Ferreira,
subject of course to operational matters on the day. Thanks to Gary Lonsdale a detailed stocklist, with,
will be provided and, as usual, a souvenir map with thanks to Peter Scott and Martyn Brailsford.

The track coverage is exceptionally comprehensive and represents a significant amount of planning by
the Railway, along with what is described as the largest 'mega shunt' ever undertaken. Exclusions are
few and far between but the museum traverser and museum road are excluded. The 'ordinary run' will
ensure that both sides of each passing loop are covered. At Dalegarth we will visit both platforms and
the siding. Irton Road Sidings will be covered as will the P'Way Depot and sidings at Murthwaite.

The key area will, of course, be Ravenglass itself including all five carriage shed roads, diesel shed, loco
shed, workshop, joiners shop, paint shop and the much sought after headshunt alongside the national
network. A project of this scale requires significant effort by the Railway, and we are very grateful for
all their assistance. All First Class comfort, fare £79.50 per person with no surcharge for non-members
and no discount for under 18s (who must be adult accompanied by). Bookings per Item 2338 below.
Please advise anyone who does not see e-BLN who may be interested to help fill this fixture.

X.187 :Sat 29 Nov 19.15-21.45; AGM Visual Presentation with Meal:: Following our afternoon AGM
fixture on the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway (details available shortly), until around 21.45 our member of
repute, Chris Totty, will present a movie show in the Railway's café. Hot food will be served from 19.15
until 19.45, with a choice of Chicken Tikka with Naan Bread and Rice or Macaroni Cheese with salad,
garlic bread and chips. Please specify your choice of hot food in the notes section when booking.

The movies cover Vancouver Island Budd railcars in Mar 1998, followed by Vancouver trolleybuses.
Next, we visit Waterfront to have a look at Skytrain and West Coast Express. Back to May 1992, we
enjoy a front seat tram ride from Manchester to Bury including a visit to Old Trafford just before the
Altrincham Metrolink line opened. The Tralee & Dingle Railway follows in May 1993, before viewing
the Channel TV film of the Alderney Railway, warts and all! It's off to Norway next with a trip on the
Flåmsbana in Apr 1990 before finishing with an Aug 1989 visit to the Mull & West Highland Railway.

Members only £20 (no reductions), to cover the cost of catering and room hire. A free heritage shuttle
bus will operate after the presentation back to Linlithgow. All U18s must be adult accompanied.

2338] :Sun 20 Nov 10.00-12.00; Lathalmond Railway Museum:: (Shed 47 Railway Restoration Group)
(BLN 1311.MR160) https://www.shed47.org/ TRACKmaps 1 p25D 2021 has the standard gauge line.
This Heritage Railway project began in 1997, with the original WWII Royal Navy loco shed (Shed 47) at
the former 45 acre Royal Naval Stores Depot Lathalmond site (closed 30 Sep 1993) and has rebuilt a
small part of the once vast MoD standard gauge railway system (closed 1971). The Railway is next to
the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum, M90 Commerce Park, Lathalmond, north of Dunfermline, KY12 OSJ.

Thanks to Kev Adlam, as part of our AGM weekend, we are delighted to announce a repeat visit. Our
comprehensive, diesel hauled, brakevan tour on the standard gauge will explore tracks not normally
used in passenger service, particularly those not covered during our 23 Oct 2015 visit. Rides will also
be available on the 2ft gauge West of Fife Munitions Railway (MR p28) where it is expected to cover
the shed road in addition to the normal running line. Tea and coffee will be available to purchase.
£22, members only, no discount for under 18s this time. A souvenir map and stocklist will be provided.

Sunday public transport is poor, so please contact your BLN Editor (per back page) if you can offer any
lifts, from where and for how many, on a cost sharing basis, or if you require lifts (as available). Please
book on our website, ask a member to, or cheques payee 'Branch Line Society' with SAE (two for an
acknowledgement or queries) to Mark Gomm (above), who deals with queries - email preferred.

2339] :Sat 26 Nov; SAVE THE DATE:: We have been asked to support a special event and mainline tour
in London. All proceeds will be donated to Railway Children charity; keep a close eye on our website.

X.188] :Sat 7 Jan 09.30-16.30; Scunthorpe Cold Steeler No25:: ''There is no such thing as cold, only
inadequate clothing'' - Kev Adlam. (However, the brakevans do have stoves.) With over 100 miles of
standard gauge track to choose from; a great way to start 2023 and see an operating integrated steel
works and 24-hour industrial railway at close quarters set in 2,800 acres (totally unspoilt by tourism).

Our brakevan railtour starts at 09.30 prompt from the Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation
Society platform and is due to finish about 16.30. An extensive full day railtour, Max 54, first come first
served, supporting the AFRPS volunteers' good work. The fare includes the usual food and hot drink
during the lunchtime break at the AFRPS depot. All track queries/specific line requests in advance only
please ASAP to Paul Stewart per back page. Our August tour was able to cover all the extensive
recently commissioned new layout at the former P'Way Depot area for the first time (see Aug 2022
track plan on our website archive) and it is hoped to cover it all again on this railtour. Members only,
Adults £55, U18 £27.50 (who must be adult accompanied). Please book per item 2338 above.

2340] Keeping Track, passenger service suspensions: *= new or altered BLN 1409 has 'INDEFINITEs'

BLN Start (incl) Reopens Location (stations 'exclusive' if bracketed) bold = closed now

1408.2180 24 Sep 22 *03 Oct 22 *(Yeovil Pen Mill) - Dorchester Jn further revised ROP date

1408.2181 24 Sep 22 07 Oct 22 *Pen Mill Jn at Yeovil - Yeovil Jn (retrospective addition)

1408.2181 01 Oct 22 *13 Oct 22 *(Castle Cary) - Cogload Jn (Taunton) revised reopening date
1407.2095 11 Sep 22 15 Oct 22 *Dovey Jn - Pwllheli Barmouth Bridge work 20.00 05.00

1408.2152 08 Oct 22 17 Oct 22 *(Ulverston) - (Barrow-in-Furness)
1410.2378 22 Oct 22 31 Oct 22 *(Maidenhead) - Bourne End - Marlow for track relaying

1404.1655 16 Jul 22 22 Oct 22 *Metrolink: Eccles - (MediaCityUK) / (Harbour City)

1410.2416 15 Oct 22 26 Oct 22 *Milburn Jn at Inverness - (Nairn) Inverness Airport station

- 22 Oct 22 31 Oct 22 *Ebbw Jn/Gaer Jn - Park Jn - Ebbw Vale Town redoubling work

- 22 Oct 22 31 Oct 22 *(Haslemere) - Havant Jn resignalling, relaying and other works

1409.2265 23 Oct 22 30 Oct 22 *Metrolink: (Piccadilly Gardens) - (Victoria) replacing points
1410.2400 22 Oct 22
31 Oct 22 *Stafford Trent Valley Jn No1/Stone Jn - Colwich Jn - Rugeley TV
*- (Hednesford) - Nuneaton - (Bermuda Park)/Rugby TV Jn

1410.2382 22 Oct 22 31 Oct 22 *Reedham Jn - Oulton Broad North Jn swinging bridges works
-
- 22 Oct 22 *01 Nov 22 *(Tunbridge Wells) - Bo Peep Jn for stabilisation/relaying work
֍10 Oct 22 04 Nov 22 *Pontypridd North Jn - Merthyr Tydfil Metro works ֍20.30

1402.1354 12 Sep 22 04 Dec 22 *(Pelaw) - South Shields for T&W Metro Flow project

1402.1422 26 Sep 22 31 Nov 22 *Ballybrophy P3 - Nenagh - Killonan Jn final phase of relaying

- 05 Dec 22 09 Dec 22 *(Truro) - Penzance and St Erth - St Ives
1407.2095 13 Nov 22 10 Dec 22 *Dovey Jn - Pwllheli work on Barmouth Bridge etc 20.00
1394.MR29 ‡27 Oct 19 Mar 2023 *(Clogwyn) - Summit (Snowdon Mountain) ‡date last ran

1402.1399 30 Oct 22 Spring 23 *(Ryde Esplanade) - Ryde Pier Head for repairs to the pier
1399.1067 ●27 Nov 22 02 Jun 23 *Pontypridd Jn - Treherbert NOW CANCELLED see item 2432

1392.21 08 Jan 22 ?17 Dec 22 *(Gainsborough Cent) - Wrawby Jn (SO) last ran Sat 1 Jan 22

1410 BLN GENERAL (Paul Stewart) [email protected]
2341] Early Railway Memories (87): (BLN 1403.1995) By John Harrison (868) Part 2: Presumably a
combination of the extra money from my Mother's teacher training, and the fact that the railway was
in serious decline, resulted in us acquiring our first car. My father bought it from the local motor trader
where he worked, so our days out and holidays changed forever but the railway seeds had been sown.

Our car arrived around Easter 1967 and with it Ordnance Survey maps. We always had two or three
local maps but journeys to the Northern Dales, North Yorkshire Moors and the Lake District required
more maps. I found the maps fascinating and would spend plenty of time looking at them including, of
course, the routes of railways both operational and disused. Sometimes we would walk on disused
railways such as Bradford Corporation Waterworks Scar House Railway in Nidderdale, or part of the
Ingleton to Kirkby Lonsdale line (taken out of use from 26 Jul 1966). We had seen a steam hauled track
lifting train on the latter and walked it soon after the track had gone. It was operational railways that I
found more interesting; the maps and journeys by car had drawn my attention to the routes towards
Carlisle and the Blackburn to Hellifield link. The desire to travel for the sake of it had begun.

I can't remember just how this came to happen but, during the long summer school holidays, we
(elder sister, mother and I) had No3 area Holiday Runabout Tickets from 30 Jul 1967 until 4 Aug 1967.
My child ticket was £1 5s 0d (= £1.25p, worth almost £30 in 2022); they were not valid on Saturdays.
My elder brother also had one but he travelled with school friends not us. My mother didn't come with
us on the Sunday when we went to Carlisle on a diversion via Blackburn and Hellifield, although my
brother was probably on the same train even if not with us. The ticket took us via Skipton to
Morecambe and Annan, from Preston to Carlisle with the Windermere and Keswick branches, the
Cumbrian coast and to Fleetwood (Wyre Dock). The ticket included Longtown but we didn't go there.

By 1967, even in East Lancashire, steam was on its way out and I tagged along with my elder brother
visiting Rose Grove shed several times before it closed on 4 Aug 1968. The M65 now runs over the site.

- [BLN 1410] -

ABOVE: Keswick last day, Sat 4 Mar 1972, looking east towards Workington. BELOW: THE END! - looking
west towards Penrith. (All John Harrison.) The final train was actually an inspection saloon on 16 Mar 1972.

ABOVE: Departing (away from the camera) Blencow - the last station before Penrith - to Penrith,
the other track was a siding then to access the yard behind the train. It and Flusco Quarry siding

between here and Penruddock (further east) remained open for freight until 19 Jun 1972.

BELOW: Looking towards Keswick, note the door window bars for working the Cumbrian Coast line and
buffer stops in the distance at the end of the yard siding headshunt (it was once double track here).

Can you imagine passenger trains stopping at platforms in this state in 2022? It was over 50 years ago!

ABOVE: 'Ello, 'ello, 'ello... Another last day in poor light - Rawtenstall Sat 3 Jun 1972 (but not 'The End'
of course). Looking towards the level crossing and on to Bacup (CP/CA 5 Dec 1966) with a background
of perhaps dark satanic mills? Bury is off right, the loop is for the coal depot (last train 4 Dec 1980).
The policeman on the platform is about to move the photographers off the track back to the platform.

BELOW: Rawtenstall the same day, a 4-car DMU (strengthened from the normal 2-car
arrives from Bury, the former level crossing/end of line is behind the photographer.

ABOVE: Bury Bolton Street looking north towards Rawtenstall, again on 3 Jun 1972. The DMU is for
Rawtenstall. The former Up platform on the right was at this time only accessible from the South, it
later became the goods line to Rawtenstall when Bury North signal box was closed. The large brick
building, right, (demolished in 1974) was the headquarters of the original East Lancashire Railway.

BELOW: Georgemas Junction looking towards Inverness (straight on) and Thurso (right) 13 Jul 1971.
John is on the portion from Wick; the Thurso portion is arriving and will be attached to the rear.
The journey back to Inverness was the first time he recalls being distracted (or attracted?) by a girl.

I acquired a Brownie 127 camera, possibly for my 10th birthday in Dec, and have photos at Rose Grove,
at Carnforth and of the 11 Aug 1968 Fifteen Guinea Special at Blea Moor. We had runabout tickets the
following years. They became available on Saturdays too but closures reduced the available lines.

Our 1968 and 1969 holidays took us to Fort William and Kyle of Lochalsh respectively. Our parents
enjoyed child free days when we covered the lines to Mallaig from the original Fort William station
(cut back half a mile to the present one 9 Jun 1975) and to Inverness from Kyle. One winter there was
also an excursion to London Euston with snow on the ground but I can't remember which year.

Nelson station buildings were demolished around then; luckily the platform canopy survived and a
small brick ticket office was built on the platform. Tickets changed from Edmondson to Omniprinter;
each station had a number: Skipton 77, Thornton-in-Craven 01, Earby 02, Colne 03 and Nelson 04.
Only places between Skipton and Blackpool or Manchester could be booked, plus Liverpool or London.
The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway reopened on 29 Jun 1968 and we visited on various occasions.

One trip that I did with my brother before the 2 Feb 1970 closure of Skipton to Colne was a round trip
from Nelson to Rose Grove. Then we went to Bradford Exchange, the only time I went there before it
was cut back 200yd to Bradford Interchange (14 Jan 1973), Leeds, Skipton and back to Nelson. Rose
Grove couldn't sell tickets to Leeds, so we ended up buying an excess day return at Leeds from Skipton.

Our 1970 holiday was a multiday car trip to Lech in Austria's Vorarlberg, stopping for railway trips from
Grindelwald to Jungfraujoch (Switzerland) and Hythe to Dungeness! That autumn I went on a mystery
excursion to Bournemouth; my brother and his friends went to Swanage but I couldn't afford the fare.

I was interested in the Leeds & Liverpool Canal; it had locks just outside Nelson up to the summit level.
Burnley British Waterways boatyard hired out cruisers (about six), leaving Burnley Friday afternoons,
they arrived at the locks later in the day. I became skilled at assisting them through the locks, making
my own key for the ground paddles. The lockkeeper lent me a windlass and I would receive good tips
for my work, usually earning more than from my daily newspaper round, so I could finance my trips.
My brother started taking the 'Railway Magazine' and later joined the BLS in Sep 1972 (member 644)
for a year or so. I became aware of PSUL, diversions and closures and my trips started to reflect this.

Those of you who knew me from when I joined the Society in Jul 1976 as Member 868 will remember
my (until 1981) long hair - there was a photo of me on Sat 11 Nov 1978 at Shipley Glen Tramway in BLN
1385.X.198 of 21 Sep 2021. I can't remember just when it started growing long but it was probably
around 1970 or 1971. When I was clearing my locker at work around 2012, I found a group photograph
that had been taken on a work course in 1977. While a few of my colleagues could pick me out, when I
took it home neither my wife nor son could pick me out, although I did look like a girl as it was so long!

It was also in the early 1970s that work on Preston Power Box started. Bamber Bridge, Huncoat and
Towneley remained as gate boxes to control level crossings but all other signal boxes on the East Lancs
line from Preston to Gannow Jn and over Copy Pit towards Hebden Bridge were closed (by George!);
just Burnley Central, Brierfield and Chaffers Siding signal boxes remained (until 1986).

1971 was the first year that I recorded trips, my books sometimes show detailed timings and sketch
maps; sometimes pages were left almost blank as if I expected to fill details in later but never did.
The first record was Sun 24 Jan from Nelson to Preston, then via Standish Jn, De Trafford Jn and
Bamfurlong Jn (the Whelley Line) to Liverpool Lime Street. Next, I went from Central Low Level to
Bidston, New Brighton and back to Central Low Level. One day I included Lime Street to Freshfield
(not the Halt!) on a DMU to Southport via the Bootle branch that connected with services from Euston
(in lieu of the through coaches that used to run before electrification). Return was by EMU to Liverpool
Exchange then, on the final remaining service from Liverpool Central High Level, by DMU to Gateacre.

April 1971 mystery excursions took me to Barry Island, Brighton, Windsor & Eton Riverside and
Bournemouth again. For our summer holiday we stayed near North Kessock on the Black Isle and I
bought my first Freedom of Scotland ticket for the second week of our holiday. Inverness station was
accessed by ferry (the Kessock Road Bridge did not open until 4 Aug 1982), followed by a walk past
Clachnacuddin Park. One day I did persuade my parents to give me a lift to Fort William and travelled

on the 09.31 to Glasgow Queen Street, finding my way to Central for the 14.27 to Stirling via Hamilton
Central, 15.51 to Queen Street, then 17.25 back to Inverness, arriving 39 minutes late at 22.04.
The next day I remember for a different reason - travelling to Wick a funny thing happened on the
return. I was in an open coach carefully observing the railway but my attention wandered, missing the
passing scene and I realised that I'd lost my train of thought and had been carefully observing the girl
sat across from me instead. I was a little annoyed with myself. I also did Inverness to Edinburgh via
Aberdeen, Glasgow to Ayr, finishing at Annan where my parents picked me up on the way home.

One thing I find astonishing is how much time I spent on trains - Sat 21 Aug an excursion to Edinburgh
Military Tattoo left Nelson at 07.35, arriving back at 07.05 Sunday morning. Later that day, I went on
another excursion to Morecambe leaving at 12.40, arriving back at 23.49, followed by three more
overnight excursions. Maybe that's why I didn't do my homework!

All this must have been too much as after an 18 Dec 1971 local trip from Manchester to Rawtenstall
[was there a 'Bacup' plan if necessary?], there is nothing until 4 Mar 1972, the last day of the Keswick
branch. I spent that day travelling to and photographing the stations between Penrith and Keswick.

By then I had a Halina Paulette Electric camera. I now remember that I had other things on my mind;
1972 was the year Lindisfarne's 'Meet Me on the Corner' was in the charts. I used to meet a girlfriend
called Kim on the corner when the lights were coming on (I still have the LP and the song book).
She once dared me to wear odd socks to school, one was yellow and the other a dark colour, then she
took the p…. out of me in a physics lesson for wearing odd socks. One day my parents dropped me off
at Castle Hills Jn at Penrith and I walked the then closed Keswick line to Troutbeck station and found a
harmonium in the Down side waiting room but the bellows leaked and it wouldn't play. Simon Jeffes of
the Penguin Café Orchestra wrote a tune called 'Music for a found Harmonium'. Outside the station
someone had left a pile of 2p coins in a phone box, so I rang Kim and fed all the coins into the phone.

Rawtenstall to Bury then closed to passengers; the final day was Sat 3 Jun 1972 with lengthened trains
(normally 2-car DMUs). I spent most of the day riding up and down the line. A friend whom I knew
from the canal at Nelson was (until then) a signalman at Rawtenstall West. He had already worked his
last shift but took me into the box. The melancholic reminiscences by the redeployed and redundant
staff were interrupted by demonstrations of the signalling operations. The single line was controlled by
a direction lever which locked either all the Up or Down signals depending on its position. One of the
redeployed staff had bought a motorcycle to travel to Mytholmroyd so that he could work that box.

My records of 1972 mystery excursions show that instead of just staying at the destination, from
Weston-super-Mare, I travelled to Severn Beach and Severn Tunnel Junction; from Southampton I
visited Alton and from Ayr it was Largs. [We would expect nothing less from a keen Society member.]

1410 EAST MIDLANDS (Graeme Jolley) [email protected].
2342] Loughborough non-rail diversions: (BLN 1406.MR156) Local motorists face intermittent 11-mile
diversions for the £1M demolition and replacement of Bridge 326, over the A60 near the Brush Works.
The project is funded by Great Central Railway (GCR) supporters and its charitable trust. Repair of the
120 year old bridge was considered but severe corrosion meant replacement was the only option.
This is an essential part of connecting the GCR with Nottingham Heritage Railway (and hence the
national network) and is part of the considerable work needed for the latter to run trains again. It will
also allow restoration of freight trains to Hotchley Hill (a vital source of revenue). Headroom will be
increased as the bridge has been struck by road vehicles many times. Road closures end on 7 Nov.

2343] Netting extra £££: NET recently increased the cost of singles (only) with very little warning.
The Short-hop (within one fare zone) went up by 50% from £1 to £1.50 but it is the first increase for
over six years. Adult, Student & Under 19 singles all rose by 10p to £2.80, £2.20 & £1.60 respectively.

2344] Nothing to get cross over: (TRACKmaps 4 p12A 2018) On the Nottingham to Worksop 'Robin
Hood Line', a member recently noticed that, on the Worksop side of Kirkby-in-Ashfield station, there
is no trailing crossover (one is shown on TRACKmaps) at the former Kirkby Jn and no evidence of
recent plain lining. The Sectional Appendix updated 2 Dec 2015 confirms that there wasn't one then.

2345] West Burton 'A' Power Station: (BLN 1408.2115) On Tue 27 Sep the first train arrived with coal
since 16 Aug 2021. Operated by FHH, from Immingham Import Terminal these trains run via the now
little used South Yorkshire Joint Line from Kirk Sandall Jn through Maltby and Worksop, to enter (and
exit) the Power Station at the west end (photos e-BLN 1409.X.178). It is understood that the West
Burton east connection is out of use. Ten trains had run by 11 Oct, with more booked that week.
Immingham is also supplying Ratcliffe and Drax with coal (but has no biomass traffic currently).

2346] Matlock: Following storm damage to the station building roof earlier this year, the 2-car DMUs
on the branch are running right up to the north end of P1, as platform space at the normal stopping
point under the awning is reduced by scaffolding. Attempts to make the roof watertight, pending
permanent repairs, have not been successful and the sales shop has moved to Rowsley South, or as
some call it Rowsley Very South. The hourly Derby to Matlock service takes 33-35 min, requiring two
trains - they pass near Duffield and alternately spend over 45 minutes in Derby, not very productive.

2347] Brigg et al: There is some investment for this 'Cinderella' line, the 1885 Great Central Railway
vintage 30-lever signal box is to be repainted. ECS route refresher DMUs have run from time to time
on Saturdays and a member of staff advised that it is intended to restart the SO Sheffield - Brigg -
Cleethorpes service from Sat 17 Dec with the new timetable. Also in the new timetable, trains rather
than buses are also shown on Northern's local Doncaster - Scunthorpe service from Mon 12 Dec but
that could change. Now the bad news, the previous SuX hourly service (once from/to Sheffield) is
reduced to just six each way, broadly every two, then three, hours alternating. Similarly the Sheffield -
Pontefract Baghill - York local service (now trains SuO but buses between Moorthorpe and York SuX)
is shown as reverting to three trains each way (and two SuO) in the new timetable. We shall see.

1410 GREATER LONDON (Geoff Brockett) [email protected]

2348] A Microgricer's Guide to London Underground: Thanks to Bill Lynch, Geoff Brockett and our
inimitable Martyn Brailsford, the Society's guide with an Oct 2022 all lines update is available with
e-BLN 1410, then will reside on our website 'Archive'. Find it with 'LUL rare moves' in the top left box.

2349] Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines Microgricing: See http://bit.ly/2Y5VTVD for WTT 37
(11 Sep 2022). The only changes of note for microgricing, compared to BLN 1386.259, are: Edgware
Road Eastbound departures from the centre roads end and Westbound arrivals are confined to
Sunday starts. Hammersmith P3 falls out of use for most of Sunday. The few simultaneous changes
affecting trains portrayed in this WTT, but running over District Line tracks, were in BLN 1409.2226.
Amending the Upminster entry in that: Upminster P5: SuO mornings and daily evenings use is 'gappy'.
To expand: P5 has frequent use throughout, daily, except Sunday mornings and daily in the evenings.

2350] Metropolitan Line Microgricing: New WTT 344 http://bit.ly/2Y5VTVD is dated 11 Sep 2022.
In contrast to the new District Line WTT, running times between Finchley Road and Aldgate have been
increased slightly. The short lived WTT 343 was not reviewed in BLN, but comparing with No342
(BLN 1386.2589), the most notable changes for microgricers (ignoring south of Baker Street Jn) are:
A few minor retimings and renumberings mostly affecting morning northbound departures from
Harrow-on-the-Hill over both crossovers; midday Baker Street P4 conditional turnrounds have gone;
Northwood crossover loses its 'rusty rail' ECS and the 07.18½ [430] fast arrival at Harrow-on-the-Hill
runs into P3 (at 07.18) instead of P4. There is a full update (Oct 2022 all lines) in our website PDF.

The WTT is actually superseded until 22 Dec by the usual leaf fall arrangements in Timetable Notice
25/22. This can also be viewed on the TfL website but is unlikely to affect microgricing opportunities.
Piccadilly Line services are amended more extensively by Timetable Notice 98/22 but at the time of
compiling these notes it had not yet been posted on the TfL website.

2351] Tattenham Corner: (BLN 1408 2118) Regarding the 4 Sep timetable changes, to be clear, on
Sundays the services were reduced from 2tph through to London Bridge to 1tph to/from Purley only

2352] London Bridge: Not content with a mere piano, a church pipe organ has been installed in one of
the side passageways by charity 'Pipe Up', which rescues church organs that would otherwise be lost.
Troutbeck station on the Keswick branch was 50 years ahead of this with its harmonium (item 2341).

2353] Wimbledon: 50 years ago, at 19.48 on Thur 12 Oct 1972, a freight train passed a colour light
signal at danger on the Down Main approaching Wimbledon station from the Streatham Jn direction.
As a result, it collided at about 25mph with a 4-car EMU, the 19.05 Holborn Viaduct to West Croydon,
which was stationary in P10. Fortunately, injuries were not severe - 11 passengers were bruised or
shocked, four were taken to hospital but none was detained. The freight was the 18.45 Acton to
Wimbledon, a Class 7 train, 22 loaded wagons, the first six formed a 'fitted head' with a brakevan,
hauled by electro diesel E6001. [Class 7 was a freight, not fully fitted, usually not exceeding 45mph.]

The damage to the derailed rear car of the EMU, which was forced forward in the collision about
110ft, was serious; its rear section was totally destroyed. However, the remaining three cars were not
derailed and damage to them was minimal. The freight train loco was derailed all wheels and its cab
was stoved in, luckily somehow managing to avoid trapping the driver. The first two wagons were
derailed, as were the 10th, 11th, 12th and 19th which became buffer locked with the 20th. The platform
coping was badly damaged for an appreciable distance and 155ft of track had to be re-sleepered.

The area was signalled under the Track Circuit Block regulation, with bell code signals and a mixture of
three and four aspect colour light signals. For this incident, the relevant signal boxes were Streatham
Junction and Wimbledon 'A'; the double line distance between them is approximately two miles, with
intermediate stations at Tooting and Haydons Road. The line was originally owned by the London,
Brighton & South Coast and London & South Western Joint Railway.

The driver of the freight train had overslept so was late reporting for duty at Norwood Junction depot.
That meant he was unable to undertake the early part of his rostered diagram. Instead, he travelled to
Clapham Junction, where he took over the loco of the train from a fellow driver, who informed him
there had been no problems on the journey from Acton. After the four track railway at Streatham Jn,
the new driver proceeded with his train towards Wimbledon. He stated that he had observed distant
signal WH82 was displaying a single yellow aspect and began to try to brake without much success.

According to the driver, he felt the train surging forward three times, and the surge was bad enough to
keep (him) going. Thus, it was no real surprise that he passed 4-aspect signal WH84 protecting the
junction with the four track railway at Wimbledon at red. Wimbledon P10 was occupied by the
passenger train, which had called at Tooting and Haydons Road stations before stopping a few feet
short of the '3 and 6 car' stop board. The train, with 25 to 30 passengers aboard, was booked to wait
for seven minutes, allowing the driver and guard enough time to go to a small kiosk halfway down the
platf orm. Neither saw or heard the approach of the freight train until the sound of the collision.

Exhaustive signalling tests were carried out, with particular emphasis on signals WH82 and WH84, and
everything was found to be working normally. The braking distance between the two signals was more
than was necessary for 45mph Class 7 freight trains under the relevant Standard Signalling Principle.

The report into the accident by Lt Col AG Townsend-Rose was published on 1 Aug 1973. In it he
described how he had travelled in the cab of E6004 from the same class of loco, hauling a similar train
on the same stretch of line. He found nothing untoward in the train's braking or a driver's ability to
observe signals clearly. The inspector concluded that the freight train driver had failed to control his
train correctly as it approached signal WH84. There was no reason to suggest the 45mph maximum
speed restriction had been exceeded. The most likely explanation was the driver momentarily dozing
off allowing his concentration to wander, so failing to see that signal WH82 was displaying a single
yellow and only taking last minute emergency action. By then it was far too late. This was despite his
protestations that he did see this and that signal WH84 was at red. It was stated that the driver had
things to worry about. He was late for work for the second day running and was experiencing personal
problems, as he had just separated from his wife. It was unfortunate that the loco was not fitted with
the Automatic Warning System. Had it been, the inspector firmly believed the accident wouldn't have
occurred as, even if the driver had ignored the warning, the train would have stopped automatically.

2354] HS2: (BLN 1409.2230) From May 2023, Euston P16 and Middle Sidings 1 & 2 will be removed so
that the area can become part of the new HS2 station. From May 2025, a new P16 will open. It will be
built across the site of Middle Siding 2, the track will be where Middle Siding 1 is currently.

WCRC stabled a loco in one of the Middle Sidings for their Lancaster services during the mourning
period for the Queen. WCRC also use them regularly for the Cumbrian Mountain Express (and others) -
the loco working the ECS stables at the station to take the return ECS out in the evening. Hopefully this
will not jeopardise the operation of such trains in the future. In mid-Sep, it was noted that there is no
track in the former P17 (originally intended to be HS2 Works Siding 1), the area being a building site.

2355] Crossrail/Elizabeth Line: (BLN 1409.2228) From 1 Apr until 20 Aug income was £20M above
budget, thanks to the core section opening five weeks earlier than assumed, plus higher than expected
passenger numbers across the whole line. The new line is on target to break even in the 2023-24
financial year. There were 5.1M passenger journeys on the central section in the four weeks to
23 Jul. In the next four weeks, the Public Performance Measure for the whole line was 94.6%, an
industry best for the third period in a row. Bond Street station will open on 24 Oct, subject to final
safety approval from the ORR. Correcting BLN 1408.2121, it is eastbound passenger trains, not
ECS, which are booked to wait at Westbourne Park for up to seven minutes in the current timetable.

2356] Northern Line Extension: (BLN 1392.30) Battersea Power Station is the busier of the two new
stations, with about 80,000 journeys a week and almost 15,000 journeys routinely recorded on the
busiest day of the week (Wednesdays). Nine Elms generates over 40,000 journeys a week and almost
8,000 on the busiest day. TfL quotes an incredibly precise 5,041,743 journeys on the extension (which
OP 20 Sep 2021) up to 17 Sep 2022. With ongoing growth in the area, journeys are expected to reach
up to 10M per year by 2024-25. The Power Station itself opened to the public on Fri 14 Oct as a new
retail and leisure destination. It will include over 100 shops, bars and restaurants, events venues, a
unique chimney lift experience [OK, don't pretend, you know what this means really] and office space

1410 NORTH EAST & YORKSHIRE (Geoff Blyth) [email protected]
2357] Doncaster iPort: (BLN 1314.2150) Logisticians Verdion has announced £300M of speculative
development that will deliver the final stage from Jun 2023, five buildings totalling 1.75Mft2. Woodland
Group, Euro Pool Systems and Maritime Transport have all signed leases for new space this year.

2358] Sunderland: (BLN 1398.856) Your NE Editor came across the official British Rail permit for his
5 Nov 1971 Silksworth Colliery brakevan trip, while unearthing old material on railtours in Germany
and Finland (as you do!), and thought less ancient more recent members might be interested to see it.
A maximum of 13 participants were permitted but four travelled (with 8/13 on our 15 Jul 1971 trip).

2359] Collywell Bay branch: (BLN 1409.2240)
LEFT TOP: Brierdene station on the branch from
Brierdene Jn about 1930 (By J C Dean). BELOW:
Collywell Bay c1964. https://bit.ly/3SUmwct has
photos etc (E&OE) of the branch (never opened
to passengers, it did have military gun trains).

2360] North Blyth: (BLN 1405.1772) Work on the
huge new 'Britishvolt' electric vehicle battery
factory, on the site of Blyth Power Stations, has
been substantially reduced until Feb to cut
spending until the next round of funding is
available. 'Britishvolt' and its main contractor
said that the pause affected only parts of the
project, while they await final designs due in Oct.
The priority is the power supply. It is claimed
that the factory will be the fourth biggest
building in the UK and the sixteenth in the world.
According to 'Freightmaster', the contract with
GBRf to move aggregate traffic from Shap,
Harrisons Quarry at Shap Summit to North Blyth has been cancelled. However 17 trains ran, the first
on 4 Jul and the last on 29 Jul 2022, which would have delivered a significant amount of aggregate for
the project. The aim is to start battery production by 2024, if they delay for too long sparks will fly.

2361] Haxby: (BLN 1391.3126) Recent local consultation generated 1,200 responses, 81% supported a
new station, just outside York on the Scarborough line, and 83% said that they would use it. £1.1M
has been secured and a Levelling Up Fund bid (to increase sustainable travel options around the
station) submitted. A progress report was to be submitted to York City Council on 6 Oct. It is hoped
that the meeting would agree to progress a planning application and instruct its officers to carry out
procurement for the design and construction of the associated roads.

2362] Teesside Airport: (BLN 1404.1647) On 21 Sep NR published a proposal to decommission and
demolish Down P2 (to Eaglescliffe) and the rickety footbridge, maintaining operational safety while
further assessment is undertaken on the business case and options for redevelopment of the station as
a whole. One would have thought that there is no business case at all! The document claims that
Teesside International Airport railway station [sic*] ... is one of the UK's least-used stations, only served
by one westbound train on P1. That may be news to Northern; a train last called on Sun 24 Apr 2022
then Down P2 was deemed unsafe - the final service was the SuO 14.25 Hartlepool to Darlington.

*It is Tees-side Airport according to Quick but the Sectional Appendix has Teesside Airport which
matches the airport name, National Rail website, Realtime Trains and nameboards at the station.
Since it opened on 4 Oct 1971 BLN has had a Teesside to Tees-side ratio of about 69:16. Fortunately
it is still in the Northern public timetables (presumably to show it is not 'closed' but look in vain for a
train that calls) both on the map and (the Gold Standard) in the station banks as Tees-side Airport!

Interestingly, Teesside Airport itself is responsible for maintaining the station, described as: in a state
of disrepair due to lack of investment from previous owners. The condition of P2 and the footbridge
providing access to this platform require extensive repairs to make them operationally safe. It will cost
£300k to remove P2 and demolish the footbridge but repairing the footbridge and P2 with ongoing
maintenance for three years would cost £250k. Work has been carried out to keep P1 safe for passing
trains - presumably to prevent bits of it falling on the track. Further works are planned (and have been
submitted to the Airport/TV Combined Authority/Metro mayor) immediately after demolition is
completed, to allow P1 to remain operational and continue to be served by one train per week [even
though it isn't at present]. Will these bodies put their hands in their corporate pockets to fund this?

X.189] T&W Metro Flow redoubling (BLN 1406.1899). BELOW: Jarrow looking to

owards Pelaw/Newcastle, no wires or nosings. (All Phil Logie, 12 Sep 2022.)

BELOW: Hebburn P2 (for Newcastle) looking towards Jarrow/South Shield

ds (the existing oil terminal line is left. In the previous photo it is far right).

BELOW: Looking towards Newcastle; Hebburn P1 (to Jarrow/South Shields) - th

he platforms are very staggered here - the oil depot line is bottom right corner.

ABOVE: Plans by Martyn Brailsford. BELOW: From Monkton Terrace bridge towards South Shields and the new
junction for Jarrow Oil Terminal; the area for its new headshunt is left, the current NR freight line is adjacent.

BELOW: A redoubled section (mixed gauge?). If you did the South Shields branch in British Rail double track
days you will have done it, of course. Taken from the A185 overbridge on the approach to Pelaw, looking
towards Hebburn/South Shields. The new crossover in the distance is to the current NR line (on the left).

BELOW: Also from the A185 bridge on the approach to Pelaw, but in the other
track to the connection from the In South Shields Metro line (that is to South
Network Rail line on the right. Note that in all the photos the OHLE has been re

direction, looking towards Pelaw and Newcastle. It shows the recently relaid
Shields and currently removed here) which will be connected to the current
emoved throughout for the work and there are some new stanchions.

X.190] BELOW: (BLN 1409.180) Going, going, …… Sunder

rland station as at Tue 4 Oct 2022. (Rodger Wilkinson.)

2363] The Southern Approach to York: The North Eastern Railway new main line from Shaftholme Jn
to York opened on 2 Jan 1871. It joined the former York & North Midland Railway (Y&NMR) line from
Altofts Jn (Normanton) and Church Fenton at a junction named Chandler's Whin, opposite a patch of
rough ground (earlier a noted fox covert) named Chandler's (or Chaloner) Whin, near a Tesco store
now. 'Whin' is furze or gorse. The box here also controlled a level crossing. The next boxes going north
were at North Lane Crossing and South Points, one mile from York station, which controlled the south
end of Holgate Sidings and some connections between the two lines. Holgate Jn followed on the west
side of the main line and finally Locomotive Yard, south of the station on the west side of the line.

The Ordnance Survey seems to be the cause of, or mirrored, the uncertainty as the name changed over
the years. 'Chandler's Whin' and 'Chaloner Whin' appeared in the newspapers around 1840. As for the
later spellings with 'Chaloners' or 'Chaloner's', the OS 6" map published in 1853 has 'Chaloner Whin',
as does the 25" map of 1892. The 25" map (1909) and 6" map of 1910 both have 'Chaloners Whin'.

With the 25 Jun 1877 opening of the route via the present York station an extra pair of tracks was
provided to Chandler's Whin [or whatever!]. Trains were routed to the appropriate tracks at the south
end of York station, so a junction was no longer needed at Chandler's Whin and the box was closed.
It is not known if a gate box was still required for the crossing but by 1889 it had been replaced by an
overbridge. Our member Dr John Gough suggests that, as the new York station deviation was opened
a few years after the Shaftholme Jn line, it looks as though from the start the 'straight' alignment of
the latter was to run into the through lines via the new station, while the 'straight' alignment of what
became the Leeds lines (the Y&NMR proper) was into the south-end bays of the main island platform.

A new Chaloner Whin box opened in May 1900 with reinstatement of the junction for quadrupling to
Church Fenton. Work began in Mar 1900 and was completed in 1904. The new pair of tracks to Church
Fenton were on the east side (with island platform stations) and appear to be a continuation south of
Chaloner Whin box's 'London' lines. The 25'' OS map (1907) then named the rough ground 'Chaloners
Whin' and showed North Lane Crossing replaced by an overbridge further south at St Helens Road.

Originally the platforms at the south end of York ended just outside the roof spans. They had gained
wooden extensions by 1900 but in 1909 they were extended further as part of a reorganisation of the
layout. The effects of this on the adjacent signal boxes were described in BLN 1356.1997.

BLN 1356.1996 gave details of the mechanical boxes replaced by York Power Signal Box in 1951.
However, your NE Editor has found some additional information, largely from 'The Railways of York'
(Ken Hoole). In 1915/16 new sidings were provided on the Up side of the line at Dringhouses and a box
of that name built at the south end of the yard. It closed after WWI but was not abolished completely
(one wonders what the difference was) until 1928, by then Chaloners Whin (the LNER version of the
name according to Ken Hoole*) controlled the trailing points in the main line. (*Chaloners Whin in
1960, 1969 & 1979 Appendices and disappeared as a location with CA of the Selby line 25 Sep 1983.)

A new hump yard, on the site of Dringhouses Sidings, the first in the country to handle fully fitted
express freights, opened in 1961. The York Power Signal Box contract was originally awarded in 1937
to the Westinghouse Brake & Signal Co in conjunction with the 1936-1938 enlargement of York station
- the addition of the new island platform P15 & 16 (now P10 & 11). Work on the new box soon started
but ceased with the outbreak of WWII. It resumed in 1946 and was completed in May 1951. Chaloners
Whin and South Points boxes closed on 9 Apr 1951 and the other five (Locomotive Yard, Platform,
Leeman Road, Waterworks and Clifton) closed on 21 May 1951.

2364] The nonslip raining train is king of the rails: Northern is fitting new so called 'leaf-busting'
technology to its 16 Class 170 DMUs. They will operate on the Leeds - Harrogate - York and Sheffield -
Doncaster - Hull - Scarborough routes, two of those most affected by poor autumn conditions. The
'Water-Trak' technology has been operating successfully in service on two Northern Class 319 EMUs
since Oct 2021. They create wet conditions on the rail surface by spraying a small amount of water on
to the track when a slippery rail is detected. This might seem contradictory but it was found that leaf
coated rails are slippery only when damp but trains still stop safely in heavy rain. There are a limited
number of railhead treatment trains, which are expensive to run, so they only cover heavily used lines.

2365] Saltaire: The tram depot was built by Bradford Corporation Tramways in Aug 1904, replacing
the nearby Moorhead Lane depot. It closed in 1904 after being in use since 1882 for horse, steam and
then electric trams. Saltaire had six tracks and stabled trams until 6 May 1939, when its tram routes
were converted to trolleybus operation. It then housed trolleybuses; 'British Trams Online' states that
it was active until 20 Aug 1963. However, a member originally from Bradford says that buses replaced
trolleybuses at the depot only after the route to Crossflatts ceased on 31 Oct 1963. He says that a loop
of OHLE wiring was kept for emergency trolleybus use on the Thackley route until it closed in 1971.

Bradford trams had a non-standard 4ft gauge, so the inspection pits were narrow enough to be used
safely by the trolleybuses with less danger of the wheels on one side ending up in the pit! Bradford
and Leeds were the first two trolleybus systems to be opened in this country. Both started operation
on 20 Jun 1911, although the public service in Bradford did not start until four days later. Bradford
was the final system to close֍; the final public service trolleybus returned to Thornbury Depot on
Sat 25 Mar 1972, although enthusiast specials ran next day. It was then the longest lived trolleybus
system in the world but has now been overtaken by Shanghai, whose system opened in 1914.

Most former depots end up as bus depots or warehouses, so it is a pleasant change that it is now the
SALT Beer Factory. This is an open plan restaurant with a dining gallery upstairs. They feature the
history of the building in their literature. However, what may look like the remains of track in front of
the building are merely a decorative representation of track and setts. A sett is a granite paving block.

[֍The penultimate system to close was the Teesside Railless Traction Board, which ran from North
Ormesby to Eston and Normanby. The last trolleybus operated on Sun 4 Apr 1971.]

2366] Lackenby & Redcar Works: (BLN 1384.2295) After £25M of work lasting several months to pull
down a series of large industrial buildings and seven tall chimney stacks, also stripping out major plant
items and equipment, the Lackenby BOS (Basic Oxygen Steelmaking) plant (e-BLN 1408.2139 photos)
was demolished at 09.40 on Sat 1 Oct. In what was thought to have been one of the largest single
explosive demolition operations in the UK for 75 years, 1.6 tonnes of explosives were used to level the
65m high building. Three blasts over a seven second period bought down the 60,000-tonne structure
(some accounts say 105,000 tonnes). The steelmaking process involves blowing oxygen through a
mixture of molten iron (delivered from the blast furnace in torpedo ladles by rail), scrap iron with a
flux of burnt lime or dolomite to remove the impurities. See: https://bit.ly/3Rzvcnq (click browse).

2367] North Yorkshire Branches: Ernies Railway Archive on 'Flickr' contains a wealth of pictures from
the 1960s and later featuring the Wensleydale branch, including two of the last train to Hawes in
1964 (although not mentioned as such), the Richmond branch, including the rare Catterick Camp line
(BLN 1391.3209), and a few pictures of Ripon on the former Leeds Northern line.

2368] Hull, growth at Botanic Gardens: (TRACKmaps 2 p38C 2020) Botanic Gardens shed (do they use
it to propagate railway cuttings?) was once much larger than the present Northern depot is. At least
half the site was sold off when it was downgraded. That land, on the west side of the depot, is now
Hymers College playing fields and the now westmost siding, nearest the college, is named 'Hymers
Siding'. Works here were completed at the start of Oct and the depot has been handed back for
normal operations. The work involved laying a new fuel road down the side of the shed, broadly
where Road 3 of the five-road shed was located, and a new siding (Londesborough Street Siding)
alongside the arrival/departure road. Hymers Siding has been shortened. The other siding that
diverges before the shed, on the opposite side to the new fuel road, is known as the 'Stores Road'.

Recruitment of 20 engineers started a while back and there will now be staff training. Activity will step
up at the Dec timetable change and reach the full planned level in 2023. Medium to long term it is
likely that the Yorkshire Coast will be served by some form of bimodes as an isolated island. Northern
might obtain 20 new diesel battery hybrid Class 195s units - green travel would be appropriate here.

1410 NORTH WEST (John Cameron) [email protected]
2369] Crossing the line at Hunts Cross: On 29 Sep a new footbridge with 16-person lifts came into use.
Will there ever be 16 people in one at the same time? You don't need to hunt far to find them.

2370] Merseyside: Liverpool City Region has applied to the DfT's 'Access for All' scheme to fund 10
further stations to become step-free: ►Aigburth, ►Bromborough, ►Cressington, ►Earlestown,
►Hough Green, ►Port Sunlight, ►Rock Ferry, ►Spital, ►Wallasey Village and ►Walton.

2371] Fiddler's Ferry: Peel NRE (Natural Resources & Energy) who own the 820 acre site of the Power
Station (commissioned 1971-73 and ceased generating on 31 Mar 2020) has applied to Warrington
Borough Council to demolish the buildings, chimneys and cooling towers to clear the site. If approved,
this work would begin this year. The initial phase, expected to take about a year, includes a controlled
explosion to demolish the four 115m high northern cooling towers. Peel NRE has a 10-15 year
masterplan to regenerate the 820 acre brownfield site, which is unlikely to 'generate' rail traffic again.

2372] Tattenhall Jn - Chester Jn (Whitchurch): (BLN 1409.2259) This item about Malpas brought back
memories for a member, especially of what he describes as 'an unfulfilled grice'! He first went to
Wales in summer 1961. Perusing British Railways Western Region Table 152 (London to Chester), he
noticed by chance that there was a train, the 08.20am SO (1 Jul - 26 Aug) Cardiff to Llandudno, which
ran nonstop from Shrewsbury (11.29) to Chester (12.35). Later, he noticed SO 10.42am (8 Jul - 2 Sep),
the return. This was much harder to find as it appears to have run nonstop from Talacre station to
Shrewsbury, with no arrival time there, so not showing up in Table 152. However, Table 164 showed it
departing at 1.40 pm to Cardiff. Unfortunately, the significance of these trains passed him by!
They were nonstop because they went via Tattenhall Jn - Whitchurch to avoid a reversal at Chester!!

In the 1963 timetable the trains ran via Wrexham, reversing at Chester. However, our member doesn't
know which route it took in summer 1962 (the year before PSUL was born). Any member with a 1962
summer timetable, please advise. The three intermediate stations all CP 15 Sep 1957; Broxton and
Malpas CG 4 Nov 1963 but Tattenhall had no goods facilities. It was not obvious what, if any, traffic
used the line after that date. It CA 23 Mar 1964 and was used for wagon storage for a while.

On 11 May 1964 block working was removed from the line and the running lines taken out of use.

The first 600yd of both branch tracks at Tattenhall Jn were converted to sidings and stop blocks
inserted on 11 Jun 1967. This may have been to enable lifting of the remainder of the line from the
Whitchurch end. The weekly notice for this work stated: The following alterations will be carried out
on the former branch lines to Whitchurch which were closed to traffic in Mar 1964. On 19 Jun 1971 the
Up siding (former line towards Whitchurch) was put OOU and the Down siding on 1 Oct 1978.

2373] Metrolink (BLN 1409.2265) From Sun 23 to Sat 29 Oct pointwork is being renewed at Piccadilly
Gardens. No trams will serve Piccadilly Gardens, Market Street or Shudehill. Services run Altrincham -
Exchange Square - Bury, Ashton-under-Lyne - Piccadilly & Eccles - Deansgate-Castlefield. Sun 23 Oct
is the first day that Eccles - MediaCityUK/Harbour City reopens (TCP from 16 Jul to replace tram rail).

2374] Salford Central: From Mon 2 Jan until Sun 21 May 2023 (inclusive), this rather run down two
platform station is due to close for improvement works. These include replacement of canopies and
coping stones, tactile paving, ducting, drainage and new passenger information equipment. The Up
Salford and Down Salford lines will remain open except for certain Sundays from Jan until Mar.

2375] Bolton: British Trams Online has reported on the last remaining former overhead support pole
for the former tram system here; it has recently been restored by the Bolton 66 Tramcar Trust. Bolton
Corporation Tramways ran electric trams between June 1899 and 29 Mar 1947. Some 32 miles of track
formed an extensive standard gauge network with 3,000 OHLE support poles. The final one is at the
junction of Halliwell Road and Blackburn Road. This pole, which dates back to 1901, has recently been
repainted in the original red and black colour scheme. A local history plaque has also been added.

2376] Longcliffe: Work was to begin on 3 Oct to replace the 209 year old former Cromford & High
Peak Railway bridge (SK 2253 5573) over the B5056 (previously the A534) west of Longcliffe
crossroads. The bridge, part of the stunning 17½ mile High Peak Trail walking and cycling route
between High Peak Jn near Cromford and Dowlow, was destroyed by a HGV in Apr 2019. A temporary
bridge was installed five weeks later. A new permanent bridge, five feet higher than the original, is
being built, with work scheduled to take about four weeks. The High Peak Trail is temporarily diverted.



X.191] Chelmsford, Beaulieu Park PREVIOUS, BELOW & NEXT: (BLN
was installed over the line which was closed. (All pictures take

N 1405.1803) On Sun 9 Oct, a new road overbridge at Generals Lane
en by our member John Kettle from a public place of safety.)





BELOW: The large station building at Wickham Market on the East Suffo

olk Line has become a community asset. (John Cameron, 30 Sep 2022.)

X.192] BELOW: An Aylesbury Vale Parkway to Marylebone train at Aylesbury

y Vale Jn (Quainton Road is off bottom right). (Iain Scotchman, 24 Sep 2022.)

X.193] BELOW: (BLN 1409.2276) An EMR train to Norwich passes Kings Dyke sign

nal box where the level crossing is to be removed. (All Nick Garham, 3 Oct 2022.)

BELOW: 66116 passes under the new £30M Ralph Butcher Causeway - east of t
station) to Toton unloaded aggregate train on 3 Oct. The PREVIOUS PHOTO of
The area has an air of rural tranquillity but is far from it! Heavy traffic roars
surprising amount of traffic, accessing nearby industrial areas, still needs to use
McCain chip factory and Peterborough cathedral can just be seen poking out at

the level crossing which replaces it. This is a Chesterton (by Cambridge North
Kings Dyke signal box and the level crossing was taken from this new bridge.
over the bridge and because of continuing work on the new road layout a
e the crossing. The previous view is looking west, the wind turbines are at the
t the top of the quarry equipment in the background. (Nick Garnham.)

BELOW: The box will remain as a block post, it would make someone

e a nice garden shed one day (or perhaps it was in a previous life?)

X.194] BELOW: The new Brading passing loop (IOW) includes a new/upgraded
to Down P2. The alternative is a temporary footbridge; the permanent footbrid

barrow crossing at the Shanklin end of the station, the only step free access
dge, a listed structure, is still closed for repairs. (Chris Parker, 20 Sep 2022.)





PREVIOUS: At the site of another Wickham (but non-market) station. BELOW: Fu

urther southwest is an overbridge for a private road before the site of Knowle Jn.

below: