1391

ry' station. The extent of the (then reduced) Catterick Military Railway is seen.
a small part of the enormous Catterick Camp is shown bottom left.

BELOW: The Catterick Military Railway bridge over the A1 road (since wid

dened) bypassing Catterick Bridge itself. (Rodger Wilkinson, 22 Mar 2015.)

BELOW: Catterick Military Railway over the River Kwai Swale at Catterick Bridge

e, beneath the '204' on the two earlier maps. (Rodger Wilkinson, 22 Mar 2015.)

BELOW: The same bridge, behind it is the original 'Great North Road' (th

he A1 after Jul 1922) Catterick Bridge. (Rodger Wilkinson, 22 Mar 2015.)

THIS PAGE: Two views of the Military Railway single line staff (there was only
fitter and looks distinctly homemade (apparently the grip is off the handlebar
know much about the line. The staff was presumably commissioned when t
retrieved by the fitter as a memento when the line closed to all traffic. There w

y one!). It was retrieved from the home of a former Darlington district locking
of a Triumph motorbike!). It was probably made by an apprentice who didn't
the signal boxes on the military railway were abolished, and it was probably
was no such place as Catterick Bridge Camp! (Major Ian Hughes, 1 Dec 2021.)

BELOW & NEXT: Camp Centre Station, the Three Dales Railtour o

on 20 May 1967. (This one Peter Eggleston, next Robin Coulthard.)





BELOW: Near Catterick Bridge on the military railway. (Richard Webster, 11 Jun 1963.)

3208] Leeds Hunslet: Thanks to 'expidential' (quote, must be off the scale) traffic growth, GBRf plans
to open a new depot here and is advertising for drivers. Motive power will be Class 66s 'across various
routes in England'. The main traffic is aggregates and waste between the Midlands and 'the Pennines'.

3209] Catterick Camp: BLN 1367.3633 mentioned the 7.15pm Bristol Temple Meads to Catterick
Camp 'squaddies train' in connection with stations catering for airmen returning from weekend leave
to RAF stations in the Vale of York. It seems appropriate to enlarge on this destination. Catterick
Garrison (renamed from Catterick Camp in 1973), three miles south of Richmond, Yorkshire, is the
largest British Army garrison in the world. Over 2,400 acres, it had a population of around 13,000 in
2017. Under plans announced in Nov 2005, its population is expected to grow to over 25,000.

The 9¾ mile long Richmond branch from Dalton Jn (renamed Eryholme Jn 1 May 1901) on the East
Coast Main Line, 5m 18ch south of Darlington, opened 10 Sep 1846. There were intermediate stations
at Moulton, Scorton and Catterick Bridge. The reason for construction of this relatively early branch
through a purely agricultural area was the highly productive lead mining industry beyond Richmond
further up Swaledale. Attempts were made to extend the branch but this never happened.

By the early 1900s the area south of Richmond was used for summer troop training camps. It seems
that Robert Baden-Powell (of Boy Scout fame) recommended the area as a training ground and a
possible army camp just before WWI. He then commanded the Northumbrian Division which, in spite
of its name, had its HQ in Richmond. With the outbreak of war, Lord Kitchener planned to raise an
army of 1.2M men, who would need extensive training facilities. The camp would house two divisions
- 40,000 men, in 2,000 huts. The army lost no time: construction of its 4½ mile branch from Catterick
Bridge started in Oct 1914. A 2ft gauge contractor's line was completed by May 1915 and converted to
standard gauge by the end of the year. The Richmond branch crossed the Great North Road (which
became the A1 in Jul 1921) by a level crossing at the east end of Catterick Bridge station and the camp
branch was to run on the west side of this road. To avoid a second level crossing of the Great North
Road, the junction for the camp was west of the station facing Richmond branch terminus, which was
an operating inconvenience. The contractor's line was laid alongside the road and used its bridge over
the river Swale until the parallel railway bridge was built. The latter is still in place carrying a footpath
and pipelines over the river. The line climbed 700ft in 3 miles; there were considerable lengths at 1:40
and 1:46. Some time after 1942, some gradients were improved: in particular an 80yd stretch at 1:27
was reduced to 1:50. The sharpest curve had a radius of 10ch and all locos were limited to 20mph.

The camp branch was worked by the North Eastern Railway for the War Department and began at a
ground frame west of Catterick Bridge station. It was released by an Annett's Key attached to the train
staff for the section between the ground frame and Catterick Camp Jn box. In spite of its name, the
box was not at the junction but at the first level crossing, Brompton Road. There was a platform here
for internal push-pull military trains which did not run through to/from the main line. (The troops
walked the short distance to Catterick Bridge.) Originally made of sleepers and north of the crossing, it
was replaced by a brick built one south of the crossing in 1943. https://bit.ly/3351qn2 has photos of
the second Brompton Road platform. Through trains to or from the camp branch did not call here.

The line beyond to the west was worked by electric token to Catterick Camp Centre box (also referred
to as Central). The next level crossing was at Farmers Arms, named of course after a nearby pub.
It was the only crossing with gates as it crossed what is now the B6272; all the other crossings were
open. The line crossed the River Swale by a 3-span girder bridge, then curved gently to the right
roughly west, on the north side of Catterick Road. There were further level crossings at Walkerville,
Colburn (where there was also a depot), Cinema and Camp Station. There were other less important
crossings not listed in the Sectional Appendix. The line continued west from Camp Station then turned
northwest to a location named California after a nearby plantation. A branch ran roughly northeast
from here and then turned southeast, then south to St Oswald Depot, named after the nearby church.
Unlike the other stations, which originally had timber platforms, California had a substantial concrete
single platform from the start. https://bit.ly/3dyvWYD has a rare picture if it. There was also a branch
from Colburn southwest to serve Scotton and one from Camp Centre to Scotton Park.

CATTERICK MILITARY RAILWAY To CATTERICK To
Richmond Branch (NER/LNER/BR) Richmond BRIDGE Darlington

N Catterick Military Railway (CMR/LNER/BR) Catterick Camp Jn BROMPTON
Roads ROAD
Signal boxes Farmers Arms

Stations CENTRAL R.Swale

CALIFORNIA Level crossings

St Oswald Former Great
North Road
Power
Station CENTRAL Colburn Walkerville
Tank Cinema
Loading Dock

Scotton Park Not to scale, not all tracks/roads shewn.
CSD Scotton Track plan derived from an LNER sketch,
courtesy North Eastern Railway Association,
with additional information from National
Library of Scotland OS map collection.

ABOVE: Sketch map of the Catterick Military Railway, with thanks to Dave Cromarty.

The first troops arrived in Oct 1916 and seven passenger trains a day ran from Catterick Bridge to
Camp Centre, the last two running through to California. Five ran in the other way, with an extra at
lunchtime SO although no trains ran from California. There were two SuO trains between Catterick
Bridge and Camp Centre. The line even appeared briefly in Bradshaw's from Dec 1918, with the
following stops: California, last shown in Nov 1919; Central, last shown in Apr 1920 (in May 1920 as
'service suspended') and Scotton, last shown in Jan 1919. Military use of the line continued, but the
London & North Eastern Railway worked it from 1923. The two Scotton branches and the line beyond
the tank loading dock, to California and St Oswald, were closed and lifted soon after 1923 Grouping.

Daily passenger services began for recreational purposes in Feb 1944 between Camp Centre (the
platform was on the north side of the loop) and Brompton Road, with some through to Darlington by
22 May 1944. From summer 1950 an unadvertised 'leave train' left Camp Centre 15.55 FO for King's
Cross, returning from there 23.55 SuO. The 'leave trains' required two locos on the branch due to the
steep gradients. Unfortunately for would be gricers, there was a large sign on the platform stating that
'All military personnel wearing civilian clothes will show their identity cards when purchasing tickets'.

There were trains from Richmond (where the troops went by lorry) to Glasgow and Newcastle. In the
Winter 1957-58 timetable (ABOVE) 17.15 FO to Glasgow & 12.53 SO to Newcastle. They ceased from
18 Jun 1962 as presumably did the King's Cross train. Then the only such trains were to the camp Sun

Summer 1963 1D66 1N58 2D75 night/Mon morning, not publicly advertised (except
Timetable DMU 2 locos DMU in 1963 PSUL!) beyond Darlington or Catterick
MO MO Bridge. The only long distance train by then was
Darlington MO 1N58, 19.15 SuO from Bristol. It had a 1hr 23min
00.20 02.32 05.30 wait at Darlington (02.32-03.55 LEFT) to connect
Eryholme Jn 00.27 03.55 05.37 with trains from Scotland. The last such trains ran
Catterick Bridge 00.38 04.07 05.47 on 26 Oct 1964, almost certainly the last regular
00.45 04.18 05.54 timetabled military leave trains in the country.
04.28

Catterick Camp 01.00 04.43 06.09 The Sectional Appendix branch Local Instructions

3D66 3D98 0D00 3D75 were quite complex, 1¼ pages. The responsibility

Catterick Camp 01ⴕ10 05ⴕ00 06ⴕ25 for protecting the level crossings named in the

Catterick Bridge 01.25 05.15 06.40 Sectional Appendix was unusual. For passenger

01.32 05.25 05‖35 06.47 trains this lay with military personnel, except for

Eryholme Jn 01.48 05.38 05.45 06.58 Camp Station (the foreman) and Brompton Lane

Darlington 01.55 05.48 07.06 (the porter signalman). For freight trains this lay

Diesel Depot 02ⴕ00 07ⴕ10 with railway staff, except for Cinema (military
Northgate CS 05ⴕ53 06‖05 personnel). When a train was approaching, the
MPD men at the crossings were to exhibit a red hand

ⴕ = ECS; ‖ = Light Engine; Shaded = Unadvertised signal against road traffic. There were specific

instructions for one freight to the Camp to pick up the porter signalman from the Junction box and

convey him to Farmers Arms, where he would close the gates after the train had passed through and

then return, presumably on foot, to the box. No staff were provided at the less important crossings.

The RCTS (NE Branch) ran a 'Catterick Camp' tour on 11 Oct 1952 https://bit.ly/31OPDbK six carriages
of non-corridor stock hauled by '69842'. The complete route is not known. Can any member assist?
The Stephenson Locomotive Society (Teesside Centre) ran a 'Three Dales' tour https://bit.ly/3oBJ2ur
on 20 May 1967, six carriages hauled by '62005'. It also visited Redmire and Westgate-in-Weardale.

It is not known when Catterick Camp Jn and Catterick Camp Centre boxes closed, possibly when the
internal passenger service ceased. Richmond CG 2 Oct 1967 but freight continued to Catterick Bridge
and the Camp. On 26 Nov 1967 the Richmond line was singled from 246yd west of Catterick Bridge, to
Richmond and worked under 'One Engine in Steam'" regulations. Richmond box was abolished and all
points secured, pending removal. Layout and signalling changes were made at Catterick Bridge.

On 17 Apr 1968 the Catterick Bridge to Richmond section brass train staff was replaced (so didn't last
long!) by a 'suitable inscribed tablet in a pouch'. Proposed for closure in the 1963 Beeching Report, the
Richmond branch CP 3 Mar 1969 (CA Catterick Bridge - Richmond). Freight traffic still ran to the Camp
then, serving the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Base Workshop a short distance beyond
the roundabout just west of the Camp station. Catterick Bridge to Catterick Camp Power Station
Siding CA in Nov 1969 and Eryholme Jn to Catterick Bridge on 9 Feb 1970. Lifting of the Camp branch
started in Feb 1970 followed by the Richmond branch. The whole process was completed in Oct 1970
and on 25 Oct 1970 Eryholme Jn itself and the trailing crossover there in the main line were abolished.

3210] North East Passenger Figures 2020-2021: Newcastle was much the busiest station, as would be
expected, followed by Darlington, Durham and Middlesbrough. In 2019-20 Durham had more entries
and exits than Darlington (but many fewer interchanges); however, the positions were reversed in
2020-21. Darlington had the most interchanges (more than Newcastle which does not include those
with the Metro), as one might expect, as it is the ECML station for Teesside and the Durham Coast.
Interestingly Alnmouth had 73 interchanges, between the local Chathill services and long distance
ones and Hexham 1,459 from/to terminating/originating services and through services.

The most striking decrease was 99% at Teesside Airport, from 338 in 2019-20 to just two (next item).
Only three stations, surprisingly few, had no season ticket holders: Bardon Mill, Acklington & Teesside
Airport; the last two were the two least used. A high 59% (526) of Chathill journeys were by season
tickets. Berwick-Upon-Tweed allegedly had no full fare passengers out of a total of 142,000 journeys!

3211] Teesside Airport: In the Covid cuts the SuO train serving the station was withdrawn for much of
the 2020-21 year. Your NE Editor wondered if the two recorded passengers were one enthusiast who
bought singles to/from the station and maybe travelled on the weekly train, perhaps briefly setting
foot on the platform. However this was not so: the 'Northern Echo' has a much more interesting story.

The same person made two trips - a London travel 'Video Logger' Paul Lucas, who said: One of the
things I really like doing is taking random trains, or little used flights and airports, and obviously
Teesside being a fairly small airport and having one of the UK's least used railway stations was just too
good to resist. The main problem he found with the airport was public transport (how very true).
Paul circumvented the very sparse service by arriving at 14.56 on the Sunday, walking to the airport
and staying at the hotel, ready for his flight at 06.20 on the Monday.

3212] T&W Metro: ❶On 12 Sep extra services ran to/from South Shields every 7-8 min from 06.31
until 19.31, for the Great North Run as usual. It is the most popular half marathon in the world, with
57,000 runners. Additional South Shields departures at XX.53 & XX.23 ran to Regent Centre while
XX.08 & XX.38 went to Monkseaton. So eight trains an hour ran successfully without the benefit of the
Metro Flow doubling project (BLN 1368.1544). Let's hope the Treasury doesn't find out as they would
probably say this shows that the project isn't necessary and demand their £95M contribution back!

❷Storm Arwen resulted in no services running on Sat 27 Nov. On 28 Nov they were due to restart
from North Shields to South Shields from 07.00 but didn't until about 11.00. Later that day, this was
extended to St James. A South Gosforth to Park Lane service began around 18.00. South Gosforth to
Airport resumed from 29th start of service, then Park Lane to South Hylton from 1 Dec start of service.

❸To spread some festive cheer this Dec, Nexus is offering free hot drinks for passengers through
coffee shops and kiosks at six Metro stops. Each business decides how to give away its allocation.

❹A reminder that inexpensive Metro Merchandise https://bit.ly/3DOrpfr has been available since
July. How about a 'Stand Clear of the Doors Please' face mask‽ ('Not To Be Moved' is a good one.)

❺The first bodyshell of the new fleet was recently completed at Stadler's factory in Switzerland.

3213] Scarborough: From 13 Dec TPE resumed hourly services to (mostly) Manchester Victoria with
three (SuX) to/from Liverpool in the 'peaks'. On Sundays there is largely a York shuttle still. Of note,
the 09.34 (SuX) & 11.34 (SSuX) from Scarborough turnback in Stalybridge P3 (crossover on departure).

3214] Halifax: (BLN 1370.364) Following the Jan 2021 consultation on the £30M+ project to rebuild
the station, the designs have been refined. Calderdale Council is now asking for further feedback on
the new plans https://bit.ly/3ENCZsw by 16 Jan. The station has few facilities and poor accessibility.
A new two storey station building is planned with waiting lounges on both levels, improved toilets and
additional retail outlets. Access will be improved, with step free footbridge access to the town centre.
A disused underpass will be reopened to improve access to the eastern side. Drop-off facilities, car
parking with electric vehicle charging points, a taxi pick-up area also improved walking and cycling
facilities, including upgraded bike storage. https://youtu.be/XVzN7QSZTtE is a short video about it.

3215] Sunderland: ①Following approval of the plans for the £26M station redevelopment (details in
BLN 1381.1912) by Sunderland City Council in Jul, NR has been appointed as principal contractor for
the new southern entrance. Preparatory work is due to begin in early 2022; a temporary ticket office
and entrance will be provided before demolition of the existing entrance. It is the first part of a
six year programme. The northern entrance will also be redeveloped and four platforms reinstated to
increase capacity and separate Metro services from main line trains. Prior to around late 1965, one
island platform handled Down trains and the other Up. It is thought that the new eastern island will
serve main line trains and the western one Metro services (if you need any of the connections…)

②Due to engineering work at Monkwearmouth, two Grand Central sets (a 10 and a 5-car) stabled
overnight on 4-5 Dec at the Port of Sunderland. They ran ECS to Hartlepool to take up their London
workings. The first ECS suffered severe delays south of Seaham, reaching Hartlepool 100 min late.
The 5 Dec evening Hartlepool arrivals ran ECS to Heaton Depot, the first via Norton East to West and
Ferryhill and the second via Darlington. It is not known why they ran by different routes.

X.254] THIS PAGE: Guess where this odd broad gauge line is - answer in E-BLN 1392. (Phil Robinson.)

3216] Haxby: (BLN 1387.2728) York City Council has revealed that the site for the proposed station is
literally on a greenfield site (SE 6164 5885) at the northwest periphery of the town (Scarborough end)
off Towthorpe Road. It would be in the triangle of land where this road approaches the railway.

The site is 800yd northeast of the previous Haxby station (SE 6137 5822) which CP 22 Sep 1930, along
with most others on the line. It had staggered platforms each side of what is still known as Haxby
Station Level Crossing (4m 18ch from York) on Station Road. The previous site has various constraints
including allotments each side, but the new site has much more room for parking - it is intended to be
a railhead for the area including Strensall, which was the next station along the line. One Councillor
disagrees: The local plan states… that the best place is on Station Road closer to the centre, in walking
distance, with access by bus not cars - as cars will bring the area into deadlock. The reason for this
[new] site is it's cheaper, but it may as well be on the moon! This is not what residents want.
The Council will now start consulting on its chosen site. It is thought that commuters from the area
would drive to Haxby to avoid the difficulties of parking in York, so it does need plenty of parking.

3217] Middlesbrough: (BLN 1390.3101) The signal box was demolished over the 27-28 Nov weekend.
Whitehouse Manually Controlled Barriers (Obstacle Detection) was commissioned 03.25 Mon 29 Nov.

3218] York: (BLN 1358.2287) The City Council has agreed to progress the station frontage area
improvements after the planning application was approved earlier this year. It includes removal of
Queen Street bridge, over the former line into the terminal station OP 4 Jan 1841; CP 25 Jun 1877.
It will make space for vastly improved access for all transport modes and reveal hidden sections of the
historic city walls. The Executive will agree funding and developments with West Yorkshire Combined
Authority and LNER to relocate part of the station building. The scheme will cost over £25M, funded
by the West Yorkshire and York Transport Fund and the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund.

3219] Horton-in-Ribblesdale: A footbridge is proposed to replace the foot crossing; consultation starts
soon. The Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust plans to redevelop the main building to include a café/ bar, a
meeting room, kitchen and toilet with a separate northern entrance to a small self-catering unit.

3220] Tyneside Integrated Electronic Control Centre: (BLN 1383.2166) The migration to a WestCAD
control system and the renaming to Tyneside Rail Operating Centre takes place on 25 and 26 Dec.

3221] Leeds East: (BLN 1368.65 before/after track plans.) There is extensive work over Christmas to
remodel the layout accessing P4, 5 & 6. The major work is on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with very
limited or reduced services on other days and extensive rail replacement buses. 27-31 Dec: Buses run
Leeds to Kirkstall Forge, Horsforth, Bradford Interchange, Halifax, Wakefield Westgate & Knottingley.
Morecambe and Carlisle trains turnback at Skipton, limited service to Kirkstall Forge. Lincoln trains
turnback at Sheffield. LNER Harrogate, Skipton and Bradford Forster Square services run to Leeds.

1 Jan: Similar with hourly Skipton (only) - Leeds trains; Doncaster/Sheffield to Leeds via Moorthorpe
turnback at Wakefield Westgate. Sun 2 Jan: Even more limited train services at Leeds! Just TPE and
Northern from York (etc) and Selby/Hull; everything else is rail replacement buses! There is a special
Scarborough - Manchester Piccadilly train service via Castleford. 3 Jan: As 1st LNER start at 12.00.

3222] Port of Tyne: (BLN 1387.2723.1) The container traffic to Doncaster iPort might become a
regular working and layout changes are possible here to improve the handling of intermodal trains.

3223] Milford Jn - Gascoigne Wood Jn: (BLN 1352.1428) The previous timetable had a TPE ECS
diagram: SSuX 09.55 Hull - Leeds 11.20/11.25 - Selby 12.01½ /12.04½ - Leeds 12.41½/12.49 - Hull
14.27. Shown 'as required', it has started running recently and continued in the new timetable with
revised timings. The interesting thing is that the Class 185 DMU does the Milford Jn - Gascoigne Wood
Jn curve twice each way to run to/from Leeds via Castleford. Regular timetabled use of that former
PSUL by regular passenger services ended from 20 May 2018. The latest TPE Franchise Agreement
(2015) included: 'One service shall be provided each week between the following locations in at least
one direction: Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge via Phillips Park Jn and Guide Bridge; Leeds and
Selby via Milford Jn.' Presumably it is deemed that ECS moves constitute a 'service' - but there are no
booked TPE trains of any sort over the aforementioned route in the present or previous timetable.

3224] Kellingley: In 2016 Harworth Group plc took control of the 149 acre former Kellingley Colliery
site - the final deep mine in the country, which worked its last shift on 18 Dec 2016. Following land
'remediation', it received outline planning consent from Selby District Council in 2019 to develop up to
1.4Mft2 of industrial and logistics space, as 'Konect'. Harworth has now conditionally exchanged
contracts to sell the site to HPREF I Konect Investments SARL (a Luxembourg based real estate
company) for £54M. The sale will be completed only if all the conditions (including approval of a
submitted planning application) are satisfied prior to 31 Aug 2022. The site is still rail connected.

1391 NORTH WEST (John Cameron) [email protected]
3225] Shocking stations: NR is installing defibrillators at 40 North West stations. Kirkham & Wesham,
Blackburn, Bamber Bridge, Poulton-le-Fylde, St Annes-on-the-Sea, Lytham & Leyland will be the first.

3226] I Was a Signalman - Part 10/It Can Now be Told (53): (BLN 1390.3111) By Dave Leeming. As a
Relief Signalman prepared to 'do anything', I had lots of fun and games. I found myself on a variety of
work often not in the confines of a nice cosy signal box. I was a Rest Day Relief Signalman (RDRS) with
a work roster which I was supposed to stay on. But the problems we were having fulfilling the work
required of us all, with not enough staff, meant I was usually off it. It was not quite in the same realm
as General Purpose Relief work (but often might as well have been). We RDRS found ourselves filling in
for vacancies and covering for holidays. 12-hour shifts were not uncommon - seven days a week.

One of the regular features of a Relief Signalman's work was the manning of a lineside ground frame
for 'Single Line Working', usually on a Sunday. There were three trailing crossover roads on the
Altrincham line at Brooklands, Warwick Road and Cornbrook Jn. In my day, they were operated from
2-lever ground frames released by London Road Power Signal Box (PSB) which opened 14 Dec 1959
before London Road station itself became Piccadilly on 12 Sep 1960. The first two were protected by
semi-automatic signals meaning that, although the signals were normally track circuit controlled, they
could be replaced to danger by a switch in the PSB. (At that time fully automatic signals could only be
replaced to danger by a switch box on the signal post.) Signal post switch boxes looked like an old style
domestic fuse box except that the switch handle was detachable. I always carried one of these with
me that I had acquired on my travels, along with a padlock key, a key for signal post telephones, and a
carriage door lock key - just in case. I had also purloined a Bardic lamp - invaluable when I could find
myself being called out at any time to a place where there was no access to such luxuries!

Because the Manchester, South Junction & Altrincham (MSJ&A) line had once been an Altrincham
area asset, we Altrincham Relief Signalmen were usually rostered to cover these ground frames.
A problem for the Roster Clerk was that there was no shelter at Warwick Road or Brooklands and they
could be cold, draughty and wet jobs. The London Road Relief Signalmen who should have covered
them were not keen on working outdoors but we were made of tougher stuff and were a lot cheaper!

I will describe the job as it applied to Warwick Road Ground Frame (GF). The former station is now
Old Trafford Metrolink stop. The south end of the present Inbound platform is just short of where the
GF was sited. The trailing crossover was taken over by Metrolink and was made fully controllable from
their Control Room. Metrolink did use it occasionally, but now they cross trams over if needed at Old
Trafford Depot, the crossover was de-wired and taken out of use in Apr 2021 then removed.

In the 1970s the 'drill' was to arrive and report to London Road (LR) that I was in attendance at the GF.
LR would turn the switch and give me the release. An 'F' indication ('free') would light on the board
behind the levers. There was also a plunger attached to the same board which I would press (taking
the plunge?), then the electrically locked release lever would become free, allowing me to reverse it.
The bottom half of this lever was painted brown and the top half blue. LR giving me the release placed
and maintained the signals protecting the crossover road at danger. The lever also had a heavy piece
of steel welded to it, bent so that it fitted in front of the all black points lever which would prevent the
lever from being pulled without the release being obtained. It would also keep the release lever
reversed when the points were reversed. Very basic, very reliable, very effective! The type of GF I am
describing is illustrated at E-BLN 1371.543 (27 Feb 2021) and it is to be seen beside the leading driving
wheels of steam loco '45039' in the upper picture. Single Line Working (SLW) would be operated.

The working of trains over any single line needs some kind of protection against having two trains
heading towards each other. With SLW, this is achieved by providing a Pilotman (Pilotperson?) - a real
live person. The Pilotman was required to wear a red armband which had a 'Pilotman' legend in white.
The Rule Book specified that the armband was to be worn on the right upper arm. If no armband was
available - as it might not be in an emergency - a red flag could be used, tied around the right upper
arm. I often helped the Pilotman to secure his armband/flag in the right position on his arm...

No train is allowed to proceed onto the single line without the Pilotman's authority. He has to be
present at the end from which the train is to proceed and must personally instruct the driver. There is
only one Pilotman and he can be in only one place at any time! Usually, he would ride on the train he
was instructing so that he would be at the 'right' end to conduct a train back again. If, for any reason,
he become stranded at the 'wrong' end of the SLW section, he must travel to the correct end by some
outside means or walk! The Pilotman had to make his arm visible for all to see, especially those at work
on/around the track. This action would give them an idea of the direction the next train was likely to
be travelling but it was not infallible and there was still always the need to have proper lookouts.

It was not the man they were looking for; it was the armband! This was important because the man
could change during the day with shift changes, so recognising the person could result in an accident.
If the Pilotman changed during the period of the work, the relieved person was required to leave the
area immediately so as to not cause any confusion as to who was actually doing the piloting.

Back to Warwick Road! It would depend which line was blocked as to how the job was then done.
If SLW was over the Down line, it was a simple case of letting the train go on the 'right' line, usually
with the Pilotman on board unless a second train was to immediately follow. The Pilotman instructed
the driver to pass the signal at danger, reinforced by my green hand signal - held steady. When the
Pilotman had left, I would pull the crossover lever and 'clip and scotch' the now facing points ready for
the Up train. I could see the next signal on the Down from the GF and it was interesting to watch that
automatic signal go 'backwards' through the aspects from green to two yellows to one yellow to red.
I displayed a green hand signal - again held steady - to indicate to the 'Up' driver that the crossover
was secured. Once the Up train had passed over the crossover road, and as long as the Pilotman had
come with the train, it was time to take the clip and scotch off again and normalise the points.

Around Manchester in 1970s railway terminology, it was a 'clip', not a 'clamp'. A scotch in this setting
is a wedge of wood which can be pushed between the open point blade and the stock rail. These clips
were - and still are - rule requirements when shunting passenger trains with passengers on board over
unsecured points. In practice, we did not always have a scotch to hand, but we always - always - used
a clip on any unsecured points facing to the train movement. This applied to ALL trains during SLW.

If SLW was to be over the Up line, the Down train would arrive in the station and the Pilotman went up
to the driver and instructed him to proceed past the crossover. I pulled the points and fitted the clip in
place. I displayed my green hand signal and the train set back over the crossover. The clip was then
removed, the points put back to normal and the clip put on the other, now facing, end. I displayed my
steady green hand signal, and off the train went. If the Pilotman had gone with the train, I would
normalise the points and wait for the next Up train to arrive and show a green to the driver which
authorised him to pass the protecting signal at danger and to indicate to him that the points were in
the right position. Usually, the Pilotman retuned on that train unless he had a second train to bring
through. I worked Warwick Road GF on several occasions but I never went to Brooklands GF for
reasons best known to the Roster Clerk!

Cornbrook Jn GF was different. First, there was a hut! The GF was just on the Manchester side of the
junction between the MSJ&A and the Urmston line on the Down side. It was possible to release the GF
as usual but the signal on the Down was poorly sighted from the GF, not on straight track, so it was
not realistic - or safe - for me to try to 'flag' a train past it at danger. Once a train had passed the signal
it was then only possible to release the GF with the train on the Altrincham line. The GF release was
dependent on a particular very short track circuit being occupied; a lot of it was down to timing and
trying to 'snatch' the release before the train left that track circuit. It also was dependent on the LR

signalman switching his release at the right moment. It worked sometimes! I would stop the train at
the GF and instruct the driver to go at walking pace to give me a half a chance. Whether getting the
release worked or not, I had to go over behind the last vehicle and give the driver a red before he was
out of sight on his way to Old Trafford Tunnel! If the release had not worked as intended, I had to ask
the driver to set back again, which was done by hand signal, and then to stop him at the right place.

These events usually took place at night when it was dark. But it did mean that my hand signals were
visible. Normally, to instruct a driver to move towards the handsignalman, a white lamp was waved
from side to side. However, if the train was to move slowly, the hand signal was a green waved from
side to side. I had my own adaption of this in that I would wave my green hand signal very slowly so
that the driver moved very slowly! It could be a problem to get the train stopped in the right place.
One took three attempts! Fortunately, once LR had turned his release switch, I did not have to ask for
it again. Also, as I had to stand on the Up Line to do this, I was at least protected by fixed (red) signals!

Then I had to make sure the train was not going to move before making any attempt to attach the clip
to the rail. I would do this by sitting my red hand lamp on top of the rail on the Up side. No radios in
those days. No putting your hand over the rail to move the clip into place either! Once the train was
finally stopped, the loco would be only just in sight from my position, on a right hand bend, halfway to
Old Trafford Tunnel! This meant the driver could not see me from his driving position so depended on
instruction from whoever was in the secondman's seat (the guard or Pilotman). Some drivers would
change cabs and be at the 'wrong' end of the loco so that they could see me. It was little wonder that
the Block Inspectors in charge of SLW here insisted on 'experienced and sensible old hands' - like me
by then - to be on that job. Box rosters would be amended if necessary to achieve that objective!

I had an interesting shift here which consisted of riding backwards and forwards with a Class 40 which
was bringing equipment and materials for a job at Manchester International Freight Terminal. I was
the only signalman booked so had to divide my time between Oxford Road, Cornbrook, Trafford Park
Sidings and all points between. (Sorry about the pun!) [No apologies necessary, Dave.]

However, I was not confined to the MSJ&A. I found myself at Poynton and Prestbury GFs fairly
frequently both on occasional Sunday 'days' and more frequently on Saturday night/Sunday mornings.
(There is a film about that but I do not think it involved Prestbury GF!) These were supposed to be
Stockport Area relief locations but we Altrincham Reliefs would be sent if they had run out of bodies.
Or, at least, I was! The normal practice was for the signalman to be the signalman/points operator and
the P'Way Department would provide a points clipper/flagman. But more often than not, I was
signalman/points operator AND points clipper/flagman, partly because there was so little traffic to
deal with on a Saturday night that it would have been a waste to have two men when the P'Way lad
could be better utilised elsewhere! These GFs at least had a hut to 'live in'. Poynton GF was situated
conveniently at the Macclesfield end of the Up platform but Prestbury was quite a hike along the
Down cess towards Macclesfield. What was curious to me was that the Stockport Reliefs did not seem
to want the Saturday night shift at Prestbury, when there was rarely anything to actually do after the
00.30 Manchester to London sleepers had passed. They always preferred the much busier Sunday day
turn. Perhaps it had something to do with the story that Prestbury GF was haunted by somebody who
had been knocked down by a train. I never saw or heard anything, but it was a very lonely place!
I noticed recently that the hut is still in situ. Apart from the facing and trailing crossovers past the south
end of Cheadle Hulme station, there are now no crossover roads between there and Macclesfield.

I did a Sunday morning Cheadle Hulme shift (02.00-08.00!) as a flagman. Two were allocated. We had
one train to signal and one shunt movement, neither of which required any action from either of us!

A Sunday in the dead of winter saw me, and three others, at Chelford GF at 07.00. The old box had
been adapted as a GF but it had been visited by the local youths and there were no windows and only
rudimentary bits of plywood to keep the weather out. There was six inches of snow outside and a
couple of inches inside! There was a chilly breeze blowing too. It was v-v-v-v-v-very c-c-c-c-c-cold.....
The job was eventually (!) cancelled and we all went home to warm up! But another day at Chelford
was much more successful and this time I was on my own. I was assured that the box had been

repaired (it had!) and it was not in the dead of winter. A much more pleasant experience AND I had a
short cab ride from the Up Main signal to the south end of the Up platform (conducting the driver)!

From time to time, I was asked to go and familiarise myself with some interesting places, most of
which I never had the opportunity to work. Longsight No1 for instance. It was situated about halfway
between the south end of the Carriage Sheds and the Electric Depot and on the Up side between the
Carriage Washer Road and the Up Fast. The tall London & North Western Railway box was a 'proper'
signal box until 14 Dec 1959 with the advent of London Road PSB when it was relegated to a Shunt
Frame. A lot of the frame had been taken away, and a good number of the remaining levers were
'spare'. After cadging a ride on an ECS to Longsight, I spent a few hours there but nothing happened,
so I did not learn much. Not that it mattered much as the box was removed shortly afterwards.

Bramhall Sidings Shunting Frame was another. It had been a 'proper' signal box until the line had
been modernised and all the other boxes between Cheadle Hulme and Macclesfield taken out of use
in favour of track circuit block and automatic signalling. It was a standard pattern structure with a
British Rail standard frame. Bramhall had been reduced to a shunt frame open only 'as required'.
I rode out to Bramhall on an EMU then did the short walk along the line. The sidings were still in situ
then but the box was not in use this day. I assimilated as much as I could bearing in mind that it would
have been very much like working a normal GF, except it could act as a 'proper' signal box if required
and had facing and trailing crossover (plus relative comfort). I did observe that two of the shunting
signals stood 'Off' when the levers were in the normal position and these can be seen on images of the
interior. The box, sidings, and crossovers were all taken away before I had a chance to work it.

Another interesting location was Alderley Edge Emergency Panel (for local control). This was in one of
a small complex of buildings at the Manchester end of the Down platform. It was a simple 'one control
switch' (OCS) installation which could control the Up and Down Main, facing and trailing crossover
roads and all three sidings. A mini-PSB version of Bramhall Sidings in effect. A release had to be
obtained from Wilmslow box to operate the panel. Again, I never actually 'had a go'.

There were a few former boxes that had been retained as GFs such as the previously mentioned
Chelford. As they were classed as 'Ground Frames', it was not considered necessary to previously
'train up' for them. I did 'almost' have a shift as a handsignalman at Holmes Chapel GF although it was
not even on 'our' patch, being a Crewe asset! The job ended up being cancelled so I did not go there.

I was one of the handsignalmen appointed when the new Slade Lane Jn signalling, and the single
'ladder' between there and Longsight South, was brought into use. This is the configuration it retains.
A cushy but, because it was at the 'wrong' time of the year, cold job but at least it did not rain or
snow! We were provided with tents, braziers and plenty of solid fuel to keep us from freezing.
Three weeks of 12-hours, plus travelling time, plus overtime rates, plus night rate! Two of us were
stationed at the signal gantry near the Electric Depot. The job consisted of instructing Drivers: You're
going towards Stockport/Styal. Pass that signal at danger; the next signals are not working. Obey all
others. Proceed at caution. The Fast Lines had been secured towards Stockport and the Slow Lines
towards Styal which made the job a little easier. The actual junction signals on the next gantry were
switched off and hooded. It did not take long before the regular drivers were used to the process and
it became a matter of simply showing a yellow light and the driver would give a 'toot on the flute', a
wave and glide past. If one was unsure, he would stop and we would give him the appropriate
instruction. It worked very well and we all received a personal letter of thanks from the management.
We were complimented on how smoothly everything had gone and how little delay had occurred.

We were given tacit (ie unofficial) permission to use any train that happened to be passing if we
needed to, so I took the opportunity offered of riding on some choice bits of track in and around
Longsight, mostly on ECS workings. I managed to have rides into and out of North and South sheds
and along Burton Road (between the Loco and Carriage sheds) and between the 'Loco' and the Offices.

Another 'rejigging of the signalling' job came up at Longsight, this time at the north end. It was even
cushier than the previous job, partly because it was not during the dead of winter and, again, it did not
rain - not once! Two of us were stationed at the Manchester end of the old Longsight station Down

side bay platforms - an island - to hand signal trains there. CP 15 Sep 1958 (regular services but
retained for excursions to Belle Vue) this platform is still there, as are the signals.

It was potentially a quite dangerous place to work as there was/is a goods line right next to the Down
Slow on which a train was often standing. Both the Fast and Slow Line signals were fixed at danger but
we had to have our wits about us because the Up Slow Line between us and the Down Fast was most
definitely active and we had to especially look out for Up trains which could appear at any time!
If there was a train standing on the Goods, we had to go 'outside' it to do the job and there is not much
room between the lines! We would poke a head out from the front of the stabled train and show a
yellow hand signal to the driver. Hopefully, the train would ease past the signal and, if it stopped, we
would give the necessary instructions. One had to have good lungs to shout to a driver on the Down
Fast as electric locos are anything but quiet! There were no ship-to-shore telephones then to help us!

Some track circuits were out of action, so for Up trains there was a 'tail light man' stationed at the
signal gantry mentioned earlier. He reported to LR for each train as it passed: 'Tail lamp on the Up
Fast/Up Slow!' It was not long before he was taken away to other duties and we were asked to do it
instead. Then we agreed with London Road to abandon it and to report only if the tail lamp was
missing, or not lit, much to the relief of the poor lad in the PSB who had to answer the phone to us
every couple of minutes as well as doing his normal job! We did not expect any to be missing, as the
trains were only five minutes out of Piccadilly. There were none!

This job presented me with a small number of minor grices and short footplate rides. A light Class 81
from Longsight Freightliner (now Alstom's Wheel Lathe Sidings) to Piccadilly to reverse and back to
Longsight Shed. There was also Piccadilly to Longsight on an ECS - after doing an errand for the PICOP
(Person In Charge Of Possession). When the mainline loco came off, a Class 08 came on, took the train
past the Washer, and backed it into the Carriage Shed (me in the rear coach!). It didn't last though.

We were running out of bodies again and some of us were redeployed elsewhere - including my
companion. I ended up doing what amounted to three jobs but didn't receive any extra pay! But it was
good fun and the experience was valuable. My willingness to do what was required and beyond got
me into 'good books' and I was offered some very lucrative jobs to do and lots and lots of overtime!

By now, I had become the 'go to' when any involved or difficult jobs came up. If a problem occurred
out-of-hours, the Time Office would usually ask me to cover if I was available (that is off duty).
One incident was when the Deansgate Junction signalman had had an unnecessary altercation with
some lads who were passing and fooling about. I had found from experience that simply leaning out of
the window and watching them, but saying nothing, would restrain a lot of their exuberance. He must
have said something to them that they did not like because they came back and tried to get into the
box complete with a baseball bat. A window was broken. This spooked him and he was walking off the
job. The Time Office called me out of bed and I went to the box at midnight to let him go - and had to
sweep up the broken glass that he had left for me - we never saw him again. I then went on to do half
the early turn that I was rostered for. The lads did not come back! As always on the railway, things
never stand still. Altrincham area gained a further box and we will go there next… (Guess which one.)

3227] Bridging the Dormouse Gap: NR and the wildlife charity People's Trust for Endangered Species
(PTES) are planning to build a new £80,000 'dormouse bridge' - a mouse size climbing frame - over the
Furness line next summer to connect two separate populations. It is hoped to increase the dormice
numbers here by encouraging them to find food, look for a new mate, or seek better nesting sites in
the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Part funded by NR, with the rest from
donations to PTES, a 12m high treetop structure will be fitted on the side of a railway overbridge,
shielded to protect the mice from predators. NR is now working with 'dormouse bridge' manufacturer,
Animex, on the best way to attach it. One of the main reasons for the decline in dormice numbers is
the loss of quality woodland habitat. Wild Hazel Dormice have declined by 51% since 2000 and have
disappeared from 17 English counties. A project to reintroduce individuals to the area aims to reverse
the decline by establishing new populations, but the railway currently separates the selected sites.
Hopefully there is no risk of the Greater Spotting Gricer becoming another endangered species.

THIS PAGE: Bramhall Sidings Shunting Frame showing the extensive layout of the oil terminal.
It was downgraded from a signal box from 21 Mar 1965 with resignalling of the line. (All Dave Leeming.)



ABOVE: Longsight No1 - The frame was in the north (other) end of the signal box.
BELOW: (Item 3247) 70816 on the Ludgershall branch workson 9 Dec 2021. (End of the Line.)

3228] Passenger numbers 2020-21: Manchester Piccadilly (5.2M) was as usual, top of the North West,
then Liverpool Central 3.6M, Lime Street 3.5M, Moorfields 1.6M and Manchester Victoria 1.5M.
The Christmas Markets have seen Manchester Piccadilly passengers return to levels not seen since
pre-pandemic. On Sat 20 Nov 128,591 people used the station, the first day numbers have exceeded
128,000 since 6 Mar 2020. The Nov 2021 total of 5,631,790 was 75% of the 7,467,991 Nov 2019 figure
(and that's just the ones who paid). Millions are expected to visit Manchester Christmas Markets until
22 Dec - it was cancelled in 2020. As with previous years, queuing systems may be necessary.

At the other end of the scale North West stations with the least usage were: Stanlow & Thornton 0
(hint - there are no ticket buying facilities; the 2019-20 figure was 82), Denton 12, Reddish South 18,
Ince & Elton 18, Clifton (Manchester) 128, Hoscar 194, Ardwick 238, Nethertown 254, Braystones
354, Wennington 430 (8% of the 2019-20 figure), Moss Side 482, Bescar Lane 572 & New Lane 612.
Some were affected by Covid cuts or complete withdrawal of their passenger services during 2020-21.

3229] Blackpool Trams: From 29 Nov to 4 Dec there was single line working for trackwork at North
Pier. Trams used the northbound track and platforms between North Pier and Cabin both ways.

3230] Liverpool: ❶Cambridgeshire firm Mole Solutions is proposing an underground freight pipeline
from the Port of Liverpool. It would transport containers from/to a purpose built inland hub next to
the motorway network, removing the need for HGVs to drive directly to the port. It is claimed that this
would be a zero emissions alternative to National Highways' controversial Port of Liverpool A5036
access road. Campaign group 'Save Rimrose Valley' claims the solution offers a sustainable alternative
to that scheme, which they have been fighting for four years, and would demolish the 3.5km Rimrose
Valley Country Park in Merseyside. National Highways said that it is 'fully committed' to the new road.

According to initial findings, the cost would be similar to road construction, but with savings on
maintenance. National Highways estimates the cost of its road to be between £163M and £335M.
From the illustrations, the technology appears to be rail based. It would be electrically powered.

❷A WWII memorial made from forgotten 'dragon's teeth' anti-tank blocks which were uncovered
during bridge maintenance work has been unveiled between Mossley Hill and Edge Hill. NR staff
discovered the concrete fortifications at Stalbridge Ave during recent railway bridge repairs. They had
been hidden from view for decades behind overgrown trees and undergrowth. The 'dragon's teeth'
concrete blocks were laid in Jun 1940 as part of the Mersey Garrison Defence, built to hamper attack
on the Port of Liverpool. They were placed all across Europe - by Allied and enemy troops - to stop
invading tanks and light infantry in their tracks. They were also nicknamed 'Toblerone lines' after the
similar looking Swiss chocolate invented by Theodor Tobler in 1908. At Stalbridge Ave they would have
blocked the road, making the railway embankment an obstacle against tanks or other vehicles.

3231] Christmas works: From 25-28 Dec an overbridge will be replaced in Droylsden for electrification.
There is also resignalling work at Manchester Victoria with track relaying, which continues 1-3 Jan.

3232] Mid Cheshire Line: The Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association reports that patronage is returning
to pre-Covid levels, particularly for leisure and at weekends. Some Saturdays, loadings are so heavy
that trains are unable to keep to time. Commuter travel is also recovering strongly [that may now be
'was']. Northern has one of the highest returning passenger levels of any train company. However, due
to staff shortages and illness, it not yet able to restore its pre-Covid timetables (and that depends on
what the DfT will sanction financially). Towards Manchester, there is a train every 60 min throughout
the day, but a 72 min gap in the morning peak! As a result, children as young as 11 are having to arrive
so early for school that the gates are still closed, leading to long days and some very tired pupils.

3233] To bee, or not to bee? Transport for Greater Manchester plans to develop 'The Bee Network'
integrated transport system which will join buses, trams, cycling and walking by 2024, with a daily fare
cap, single multi-modal ticket, and other improvements - Nectar Points? Rail will be included by 2030.

3234] Stockport - Ashton-under-Lyne: The DfT has awarded Transport for Greater Manchester £50k
towards an initial feasibility study and detailed business case for this proposed rail service, with a link
to Rose Hill Marple. New stations will be considered for Denton, Reddish South and Heaton Norris.

BELOW: (Item 3237) The Thur 9 Dec King's Cross to Spalding Azuma on the D

Down Werrington line, the ECML is in the background, Peterborough is left.

BELOW: Looking north; emerging from the diveunder on return from Spaldin

ng towards Peterborough, the ECML is right. (Both John Hennis, Thur 9 Dec.)

BELOW: (Item 3238) A new s
LEFT: A first day tick

station nameboard in Alphabet 2 Font (but you recognised that, of course).
ket. (Photos Mon 13 Dec 2021 by Nick Garnham unless specified.)

BELOW: Just before the 'official' Soham station

reopening ceremony took place. (Network Rail.)

BELOW: This is what you get for £18.6M these days; a view of the ne
Bottom right is the 'point' at which double track starts to Chi

I haven't got a view of the footbridge from the station. This must

ew platform from the new footbridge looking northeast towards Ely.
ippenham Jn. Nick Garnham says, and we quote: I feel a fool.
t be like the wedding photographer forgetting the bride's mother!

BELOW: The 10.01 Ipswich to Peterborough calls at Soham P1 (yes, re

eally - one day there may even be a P2!) on opening day, Mon 13 Dec.

BELOW: In true railway tradition the brass band played - as at Okehampto

on, BLN 1390.3147. Note that two ticket machines are provided at Soham.

BELOW: Amid a media frenzy 755403 calls at 12.39 on the 11.50 Peterbo

orough to Ipswich (you can either have 12 mins or two hours in Soham!).

BELOW: Our member confirms that it was four coaches not eight!



BELOW: (Item 3243) Mon 13 Dec and at Euston the 21.10 from P12 to St Alb

bans (Abbey) is on the departures board - the first day it ran, (Don Kennedy.)

BELOW: The inagural service awaits departure - the big question is, how ma
Does anyone know, please, when it was last possible to make this t