The Railway ‘Scene’ at Keighley

Over the weekend of 7th. 8th. and 9th. of March 2014. The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway (K&WVR) put on a steam gala.

 

My son Andrew and I had the Friday there and as befitted the occasion we travelled by train.

 

From our home station we travelled to Leeds by ‘Northern Rail’ (NR) class 158872 and from Leeds to Keighley by ‘NR’

class 333.

 

While the ‘158’ wears ‘NR’s standard livery the ‘333’ wears the hybrid ‘NR’/West Yorkshire PTE ‘Metro’ livery.

 

95820

The star of the day for me was this former USATC 2-8-0 freight locomotive one of many supplied to Britain during the Second World War.

Sent initially to France and then on to Poland where it worked until repatriated to the 'K&WVR' in 1977. Withdrawn for overhaul in 1992, it returned to service early in 2014 and this gala was its service debut.

 

The loco carries a fictional livery that has caused some comment in preservation circles.

 

Personally, I like it as it is in keeping with the type of loco and set in the style of the times.

 

The two additional images show the information plates set high on the boiler.

 

 

 

 

No. 61994 The Great Marquess

Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and built as a K4 class loco in 1938 by the LNER and numbered 3442 in service. The class was 6 loco’s strong.

 

The K4’s were designed specifically for the West Highland Line to Mallaig and Fort William.

 

Withdrawn in 1961 and sold into preservation it was stored on the Severn Valley Railway from 1972 until 1980 when it was overhauled.

Sold in the mid 2000 it was then overhauled at Crewe. It has since moved back to Scotland where it operates trains on the national rail network.

 

 

No. 43942

An 0-6-0 freight locomotive built by the Midland Railway in Derby. It was withdrawn in 1965 and sent to Woodhams Brothers scrapyard at Barry. 

 

In 1968 it became the first loco ever to be rescued from a scrapyard. After a major overhaul it re entered service in 2011.

 

No. 1704 ‘Nunlow’

An 0-6-0T industrial tank loco. Built in 1938 by Hudswell Clark & Co. of Leeds it worked for Earle’s Cement at their factory at Hope in Derbyshire. 

 

Sold in 1968, it is now owned by the Bahamas Loco Society and is based at the ‘K&WVR’.

 

No. 1054

An 0-6-2T Webb Coal tank originally of the ‘London & North Western Railway’ (L&NWR).

Designed in 1881 and built at Crewe in 1888. There were a total of 300 produced between 1881 and 1897.

 

At the grouping in 1923 it became the No. 7799 and then became No. 58926 on the formation of British Railways in 1948.

 

After a total of 70 years in service it was withdrawn in 1958 and was eventually sold into preservation at the price of £500. This was the first time a loco had been bought for preservation by public subscription.

 

Recently overhauled on the K&WVR the loco is owned by the National Trust and is looked after by the ‘Bahamas Locomotive Society’ (BLS).

 

I have ridden behind it and it is hard to believe that it is now 126 years old.

 

 

 

Another loco with the ‘BLS’ is No. 2258 ‘Tiny’. Currently non-operational, the loco is stored at the loco Museum at Ingrow.

 

Built by Andrew Barclay and Sons of Kilmarnock in 1947, this 0-4-0ST was for use at Manchester Corporation’s Gas Works. 

 

It came into preservation with the ‘BLS’ in 1970 and moved to Keighley in the early 1990’s when the ‘BLS’ re-located. 

No. 9073

A 2-8-0 Austerity which was a wartime design based on the LMS class 8F. Built by the Vulcan Foundry in 1945.

The loco worked in Holland for the Dutch State Railways before being sold in Sweden. Working for Swedish Railways (SJ) as its No. 1931 it was withdrawn in 1958.

 

Found in 1973 by a group from the ‘K&WVR’, the loco was repatriated to the UK in 1973 and finally entered service in 2007.

 

Seen ‘squealing’ its way round the curve just outside Keighley station, this image is the work of my son Andrew Basford to whom thanks are offered for its use.

 

 

 

'Scene' at Buxton Railway Station

 

Buxton in Railway terms, lies at the end of a 25 mile long branch line that runs via Stockport to Manchester.

Although a shadow of what it once was when the line continued South to Ashbourne the line still has a steady flow of passengers heading North.

The most memorable feature of Buxton station is the preserved fan window.

 

 

The railways came comparatively late to Buxton in 1863. Then in transport style, two arrived almost at once.

 

One was the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) and the other was the

Midland Railway (MR).

 

The LNWR came the direct way from Manchester whilst the MR came via a branch from Millersdale, a junction station on the Derby to Manchester main line. Both built separate but identical stations sited alongside each other.

 

The design of both stations was overseen by Sir Joseph Paxton and so both had the fan window feature. Sir Joseph was better known as the designer of the Crystal Palace for the great exhibition of 1851. 

 

The Midland Station is long gone but the window and the screen wall that supports it, part of the LNWR station remains and is preserved as a Grade 2 listed building.

 

A plaque mounted on the wall records its history.

 

While another plaque record record its preservation in 2009.

 

 

Buxton station these days is managed by ‘Northern Rail’ and this image shows the view looking North past the semaphore signal and the signal box.

 

I can remember a time when the area behind the left hand platform and the shed beyond was full of diesel loco’s at the weekend when Buxton was a stabling point. Class 37’s and class 20’s spring to mind. 

 

Something that I hadn’t seen before at Buxton station were the cycles that are available to hire marketed as ‘BIKE&GO’. There didn’t seem to be many missing from the rack and knowing the steepness of the hills that prevail around Buxton, I was not surprised.

 

 

All that were on offer by way of rolling stock were a couple of ‘Northern Rail’ class 150’s

 

150210

Seen leaving for Manchester.

 

150211

Parked up.

'Scene' at Crewe (even more briefly than Stafford)

I literally had 10 minutes between trains at Crewe so it was up the steps and point the camera at anything that came my way. It was also getting late in the day and the lighting was not at its best so it was a case of get what you can or not at all.

 

YJ51 ENC

A DAF SB120CS with Wright Cadet bodywork working for ‘D&G’ Bus came from  ‘Johnsons of Henley in Arden’.

 

 

P185 TGD

A Volvo Olympian with Alexander RH bodywork has been around the ‘First’ group block a few times. Currently with

‘First Potteries’. it was new to ‘Strathclyde’ coming to ‘First’ when that operator became part of the group. It then had spells with ‘First Essex’, ‘First Wyvern’ and ‘First Midland Red’.

 

Y36 TDA

A Dennis Dart MPD with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodywork belonging to‘Arriva Northwest & Wales’ 

 

MX05 CFV 

A Volvo B7RLE with Wright Eclipse Urban bodywork, A ‘First Potteries’ bus that was new to ‘First Manchester’.Although route branded for the service 25 it is operating on the 20 to Hanley.

YJ54 ZYE

An Optare Solo M850SL carrying ‘Cheshire Connect’ livery. One of 6 buses carrying this livery that are part of the fleet of ‘D&G Bus’, Crewe.

 

323239

One of 7 3 car class 323 units allocated to Northern Rail shortly to return to Manchester Piccadilly on the hourly service.

Built by Hunslet TPL in 1992/3. They were last Hunslet produced vehicles prior to that company’s collapse.  

 

 

'Scene' at Nottingham Railway Station

The ‘blockade’ of Nottingham Railway Station during the re-modeling of the trackwork there and other associated building works has been well documented on television and in the press.

 

The massive operation undertaken to keep passengers moving using a multitude of buses has been an undoubted success and congratulations to all concerned are offered.

 

I have visited several times and I have been impressed with the organisation and good humour with which it has all been achieved.

 

My most recent visit took place now that the trains are running again.

 

A lot has been done but there is still much to do. 

 

The station frontage is still wrapped in polythene although the clock tower is now re emerging and there is still a bit of a trek down the side of the building to the temporary ticket office.

At the. start the ticket queue was only partially covered but I am pleased to see that with the arrival of the autumn weather that the level of cover has been improved.

 

 

All the platforms are readily accessible but there is still a lot of the blue shuttering in place whilst presumably building or cleaning work goes on behind it.

A lot of the trackwork re-modeling has taken place on the approaches to the station

 

This view to the East shows some of it. East Midland Trains (EMT) depot is visible through the first arch.

 

The view to the West.

 

 

So what else was on view ??

 

As might be expected Nottingham is EMT country and their fleet was well represented.

156497

 

153376

 

HST power car 43043

 

222 022

 

 

 158770

 

 

 

Visitors were from ‘Cross Country’ in the shape of Class 170’s in 2 and 4 coach formations. I think that of all the modern units these are the most attractive. 

 

170518  

 

 

170113 

 

 

‘Northern Rail’ Class 158790 about to start its return journey back to Leeds.

'Scene' in Carlisle part one, Trains

Carlisle Citadel Station

 

In its heyday Carlisle Citadel Station (known these days as simply Carlisle) welcomed trains from the following railways. The  Midland, the Caledonian, the North Eastern, the London & North Western, the Maryport & Carlisle and the Glasgow & Southwestern.

 

It must have been a colourful and noisy scene.

 

Today it is still busy and proudly displays its place as the Northern terminus of the Settle and Carlisle line. This being regarded as one of the most scenic railway lines in the country.

 

 

 

A pair of Virgin Voyagers (221109 & 221111) at the Northern end of the station heading in opposite directions.

 

 

 

It is not surprising that many of the loco’s seen in and around Carlisle are owned by  ‘Direct Rail Services’ (DRS) because although they have depots around the country the company is headquartered in Carlisle.

 

DRS is wholly owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency and was established in 1995.  

 

57308 

Named ‘County of Staffordshire’ of (DRS) waits its next duty.

 

At one time 57308 worked for Virgin Trains as one of its ‘Thunderbird’ locos and at that time carried the name ‘Tin Tin’.

 

They were used as rescue loco’s on the West Coast Main Line and also for hauling diesel units from Crewe to Holyhead and return.

 

66434

Another DRS loco carrying the livery of 'Malcolm Rail' passes through on a Southbound freight. Most class 66 with DRS have come direct from General Motors but this one of five purchased secondhand from the defunct operator ‘Fastline Freight’. 

 

31106

Known as Brush type 2’s when originally built in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Originally numbered as D5224, at various times it has carried the names ‘The Blackcountryman’ and ‘Spalding Town’.

Now simply 31106 it is seen propelling a Network Rail test train.

 

Most passenger trains these days are made up are made up of multiple unit stock and here are a few that were present.

 

158795

In the colours of ‘Northern Rail’ had just arrived from Leeds. It had worked over the Settle and Carlisle line in bright sunny conditions. I had been a passenger on this from Settle.

 

156433

One of ‘Scotrails’ fleet of 156’s. 

There have been a number of ‘Scotrail’ liveries over the years but I think that this is the best.

 

221111

The trailing car on this Virgin Voyager set heads North over the border.

I find it strange that these diesel sets operate considerable mileage ‘under the wires’.

Surely bi-modal stock has to be the answer.

 

 

142020

One of the much derided Class 142 fleet. I personally like them and I think a lot of their so called rough riding characteristics come from running on old fashioned short lengths of track held together with fishplates. On welded track, I think that they are acceptable. 

 

9703

Built as a Brake Standard Open (BSO) at Derby in 1974. It was one of 14 converted to Driving Break standard Open (DBSO) to enable it to work in push pull mode with a loco on the rear of the train. Part of ‘Network Rail’s fleet.

 

999606

A former British Railways built Mark 1 coach now used for ultrasonic testing purposes. Part of ‘Network Rail’s fleet.

 

Further photos can be seen on my Flickr