Railways around Edge Hill in 2013

Introduction

In the post Edge Hill, Liverpool I described the growth of the railways around Edge Hill which reached their zenith in the first half of the 20th century. But, like almost all of our railway system, the railways around Edge Hill have changed significantly in the last fifty years, generally becoming simplified.

For comparison with my sketch in the earlier post Edge Hill, Liverpool, here's an incomplete, simplified, not-to-scale sketch of the lines around Edge Hill in 2013. An explanation of the letter references on the sketch is given in the table below the sketch.

Click for larger image..
Simplified sketch of Edge Hill area in 2013.

Ref	Description
A	Wapping Up and Down Goods: The cutting which served the Wapping Lines and the Crown Street Lines remains, with two sidings still extending towards the tunnel mouth. The tunnel is out of use although plans have been floated for this tunnel and the Waterloo Tunnel to be re-opened as part of a Metro system.
B	Crown Street Up and Down Goods: Although the cutting towards Crown Street remains, Crown Street is now a public park.
C	Lime Street Down Fast, Up Fast, Down Slow, Up Slow.
D	Waterloo Up and Down Goods: Sidings still extend towards the tunnel mouth but stop short. The tunnel is out of use although plans have been floated for this tunnel and the Wapping Tunnel to be re-opened as part of a Metro system.
E	Spekeland Road Coal Wharf: The yard still exists in a derelict form, as does a row of coal offices on Tunnel Road.
F	Down Sidings: Still in active use for stabling passenger trains, together with the adjacent Alstom Traincare Depot.
G	Edge Hill Station.
H	Edge Hill Power Signal Box.
J	Tuebrook Sidings.
K	Up and Down Chat Moss Lines (to Manchester).
L	Up and Down Main Lines (to Crewe).
M	Olive Mount Chord.
N	Up and Down Bootle Lines.
P	Edge Lane Junction (to Bootle, serving docks).
Q	Tunnel Road.
R	Picton Road Overbridge.
S	To Ditton, Runcorn and Crewe.
-	Wavertree Technology Park Station (on Up and Down Chat Moss Lines near Olive Mount Chord).

My visits to Liverpool

On my various visits to Liverpool, I've tried to keep my eyes open regarding the railways. I had a fairly good mooch around Liverpool Lime Street station on Saturday, 18th May 2013 when I attended the Old Locomotive Committee Annual General Meeting.

I decided to visit Liverpool again on Saturday, 22nd June 2013 to have a closer look around the Edge Hill area. I took one of the reasonably-convenient London Midland services from Wolverhampton to Liverpool Lime Street. I've described an earlier trip to Liverpool with London Midland in the post Liverpool by Train.

Liverpool Lime Street Station

My visit to Liverpool on Saturday, 18th May 2013 gave rise to the post Liverpool Lime Street Station.

Lime Street Station. View from Platform 2 looking towards Edge Hill.

On arrival at Lime Street station on 22nd June 2013, I took a local service for the short trip to Edge Hill station. Platforms 1 to 6 at Lime Street are used by the various local services and the first departure calling at Edge Hill was one of the execrable 'Pacers'.


Liverpool Lime Street station, showing the 'Pacer' in Platform 2 which I took to Edge Hill.

Edge Hill Station

The station retains its four through platforms but the two bay platforms at the Manchester end have long gone. The platform canopies have been removed, revealing the pleasing design of the two 1836 station buildings, one on the north island platform, one on the south. Each island platform remains connected to Tunnel Road by a cobbled ramp but only the ramp to the north island platform is still in use (access to the south island platform is via a subway from the north island platform). After spending some time studying the historic station at Edge Hill, I left the station and made my way along Tunnel Road, past the derelict coal offices which served Spekeland Road Coal Wharf.

A modern view of the road access to Edge Hill station, viewed from Tunnel Road.

Crown Street

I left Tunnel Road and continued along the various streets running close to the original railway route to Crown Street. Although sidings still extend towards Crown Street, the railway is not very accessible. The sidings stop just short of Crown Street but trees, undergrowth and fencing now make the lines invisible. I could just see an electrification mast but all the Overhead Line Equipment had long gone. The area where Crown Street railway yard stood is now a park and playground. The park includes a brick ventilation shaft, presumably on the disused Wapping Tunnel.

Crown Street in 2013, with tunnel ventilation shaft in the right background and the Anglican Cathedral on the left in the distance.

Wavertree Botanic Gardens

From Crown Street, I walked back to Edge Hill, crossing over one of the many bridges spanning the approach to Lime Street Station and continued to Wavertree Botanic Gardens. I believe this was the location of the famous 1930 Pageant and Exhibition celebrating the 100th birthday of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. At this exhibition, as well as various static locomotive exhibits, the restored 1830 locomotive 'Lion' gave rides to the public. I've written a number of posts about 'Lion' and her present-day supporters' club 'The Old Locomotive Committee' - you can find all my posts here or go to the Old Locomotive Committee website here.

Wavertree Botanic Gardens in 2013.

Picton Road Bridges

Leaving the botanic gardens, I carried on walking, crossing the railway on the long Picton Road overbridge and passing just behind Edge Hill Power Signal Box.

View looking towards Manchester from Picton Road overbridge. L-R: Former Up and Down goods lines to Waterloo Tunnel Mouth, Up and Down Chat Moss, Up and Down Main, Former Wapping goods lines. The present Power Signal Box is just visible in the background.

Further along Picton Road, I passed the Alstom Traincare Depot and continued under a group of bridges carrying the lines to Crewe and associated sidings. I then turned off to make my way north along Rathbone Road to the bridge over the Liverpool and Manchester railway. Freight by rail is now restricted to container traffic, block loads and engineering trains so the whole of the Edge Hill Grid Iron has gone. As part of a Regeneration Programme, much of the area has been regenerated as 'Wavertree Technology Park' and two million pounds was invested in a new station on the Liverpool and Manchester route which opened in 2000, rejoicing in the name 'Wavertree Technology Park'. This is adjacent to the Rathbone Road bridge. From the road bridge looking east, Olive Mount Cutting was visible. This was one of the major engineering achievements during the construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Originally double track, it was widened around 1870 to accommodate four tracks but the route has now been simplified to double-track.

Access to the Bootle Branch had originally been from Liverpool direction but in 1883 the double-track Olive Mount Chord was opened, forming a triangle so that trains from Manchester direction could directly reach the Bootle Branch and the docks which it served. Following a fire at Edge Lane Junction signal box in 1988, the Olive Mount Chord was abandoned. However, twenty years later the Chord was re-instated (as a single line) to improve the facilities for rail freight.

Looking towards Olive Mount Cutting and Manchester from Rathbone Road bridge. The new Olive Mount Chord diverges on the left.

After a short wait at Wavertree Technology Park station, another 'Pacer' arrived which took me back to Lime Street Station. By this time fairly tired, I caught the first available service back to Crewe and Wolverhampton.



Wavertree Technology Park station, looking towards Edge Hill.

The railway photographs I took during this visit have been added to the set Liverpool Area Railways.

Signalling

My earlier post Liverpool Lime Street Station briefly described the power box at Lime Street which is still in use. In the Edge Hill area, all the earlier manual signal boxes have been replaced by Liverpool Edge Hill Power Signal Box. This Power Box was built during electrification in the 1960s with an 'NX' signalling panel which I understand has been replaced. Oddly enough, Edge Hill Power Signal Box is discussed in Pevsner's 'The Buildings of England' book reference [2].

The Power Signal Box at Edge Hill.

External links

Liverpool and Manchester Railway (Wikipedia).
London and North Western Railway (Wikipedia).
London, Midland and Scottish Railway (Wikipedia).
Pictures of Exhibition Junction by edgehillsignalman.
Edge Hill Archive

Book References

[1] 'An Illustrated History of Liverpool's Railways' by Paul Anderson, published Irwell Press (ISBN 1-871608-68-6).
[2] 'The Buildings of England - Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West' by Richard Pollard and Nikolaus Pevsner, published by Yale University Press (ISBN 0 300 10910 5). This book may be previewed here.

Track Diagrams

For more details of the present track layout, refer to the latest edition of 'Railway Track Diagrams Book 4: Midlands & North West', published by Trackmaps (ISBN: 0-9549866-0-1).

Related articles in this Blog

Liverpool Lime Street Station.
'Black 5' to Birmingham.
Edge Hill, Liverpool.

My Pictures

Liverpool: The City.
Liverpool Area Railways.

Class 67 to Marylebone

Up Wrexham & Shropshire train, comprising a Class 67 with two coaches and a Driving Van Trailer, about to take the Bescot line at Wolverhampton on 24th October 2008.

The Wrexham & Shropshire was an Open Access Operator which operated from April 2008 to January 2011 running a service between Wrexham and London Marylebone. Although the services passed through Wolverhampton, most services were prohibited from loading and unloading passengers, so the trains towards London ran non-stop through Wolverhampton and then took the 'Old Road' through Bescot, stopping at Tame Bridge Parkway. I think the route continued through Aston, Stechford, Coventry, Leamington Spa and thence to Marylebone. The first time I saw the service, there were two 'Class 67' top-and-tailing the short train but when re-furbished Driving Van Trailers became available, the formation changed to that shown in the heading photograph. Throughout the short life of the railway, it attracted very high passenger satisfaction ratings but insufficient passengers to avoid losses which the owners considered unsustainable. Although I saw the trains on a number of occasions, I never managed to travel with them.

However, much of the strategy of Wrexham & Shropshire was reborn in the Chiltern Mainline Experience, which I managed to sample on 23rd July 2013, as I described briefly in the post A Busy Week. So, once again, you can catch a 'Class 67 to Marylebone'.

I've removed a link to the Chiltern Mainline Experience which is no longer active, and it's been suggested that you instead refer to Chiltern Railways: 03) Where do Mainline trains stop?.

External Websites

Wrexham & Shropshire (Wikipedia).
Chiltern Mainline (Wikipedia).

[Chiltern link amended: 12/05/2022]

Northern Rubber Special

When doing some research about the railway history of Edge Hill, Liverpool for the post Edge Hill, Liverpool, I came upon the Edge Hill Station site. This site includes some very interesting black-and-white railway pictures. As I explored, I found a group of pictures showing what was clearly a Northern Rubber enthusiasts' steam special at Edge Hill. My friends introduced me to Gary Thornton's excellent Six Bells Junction site from which we gleaned a little more information.

The train ran from Retford via Marple to Liverpool (and return) on Saturday, 4th September 1954, double-leaded by preserved Ivatt 'Large Boilered Atlantic' Number 251 in Great Northern Railway Limited livery piloting 'Director' 62663 'Prince Albert' in lined British Rail black livery.

More information about Number 251 can be found on the splendid 'LNER Encyclopedia' site here. The locomotive had been restored with a saturated boiler and was regarded as a 'poor steamer', so on main line runs was frequently paired with the the 'Director'. The 'LNER Encyclopedia' details the 'Director' class here.

The four photographs on the Edge Hill Station site show the excursion on arrival at Edge Hill on the lines which led to Waterloo Tunnel and the Docks. Here, the two locomotives which had brought the train from Retford were detached, to be replaced by two 'Super D' 0-8-0 locomotives (49082 and 49314) which then took the train through the tunnel to terminate at Riverside Station which, at the time, was still used by Boat Trains. There's a little about the 'Super D' class in 'Wikipedia' here and in 'Rail Album' here.

I presume that the two 'Super D' engines later worked the excursion back to Edge Hill where the 'Atlantic' and the 'Director' (in the meantime turned, coaled and watered at Edge Hill Motive Power Depot) took over for the return journey to Retford.

The 'Northern Rubber' specials were organised by Alan Pegler (16 April 1920 – 18 March 2012), who was a member of the family which then owned the Northern Rubber Company, based in Retford. He was a lifelong railway enthusiast and subsequently became even more famous as the first private owner of the locomotive 'Flying Scotsman'.

The four pictures on the Edge Hill Station site which show the 'Northern Rubber' special are reproduced below, in the order that they were probably taken and with an suggested explanation.


On arrival on the Goods Lines, the two locomotives were uncoupled and drawn forward towards Waterloo Tunnel Mouth Signal Box, leaving the train (not at a platform) on the Goods Line.


The two 'Super D' locomotives had presumably been waiting on the converging line from Exhibition Junction. With the 'Atlantic' and the 'Director' drawn right down to the tunnel mouth, the 'Super D' locomotives could draw forward clear of the junction points and then set back onto the waiting coaches.


The 'Atlantic' and 'Director' were then set back onto the line from Exhibition Junction, so as to clear the line for the excursion to proceed through the tunnel to Riverside. There are plenty of enthusiasts wandering around on the railway admiring the locomotives - Health and Safety was not quite so apparent then.


The 'Super D' locomotives (both running tender-first towards Riverside) set off towards the tunnel with the excursion train. Note that the tender of the leading locomotive is carrying 'Express' lamp code (one lamp above each buffer) and the L&NWR lower quadrant signal to the right of the train (Down Home 1 for Waterloo Tunnel Mouth signal box) is 'Off'.

Well, that's my best interpretation. If anybody can contribute anything else (recollections, pictures, special traffic notices), it would be welcome.

External Websites

Edge Hill Station site.
Alan Pegler (Wikipedia).
Six Bells Junction (SBJ).
Locomotive 251.
'Director' Class.
'Super D' (Wikipedia).
'Super D'(Rail Album).

A Heavy Load

I was steam driver on 'Lord Phil' at Peak Rail on Saturday, 17th August 2013, with Dave as fireman. The day started with a two-hour 'Driving Experience' course, running light engine between Darley Dale and Matlock river bridge. There's an earlier post here which gives an idea of the format of a 'Driving Experience'. Our trainee seemed well pleased when we left him on the down platform at Darley Dale at 10.45 a.m. and scuttled light engine up to Rowsley to pick up our train.

A couple of weeks before, I'd been driver on one of the days of the '1940s Weekend' (described here) when we were at the north end of a 7-coach train top-and-tailing with 'Penyghent' at the south end.

On the 17th August, we were again working a 7-coach train with 'Penyghent', but the locomotives had resumed their customary positions with 'Lord Phil' at the south end hauling the train to Matlock (Town) and 'Penyghent at the north end taking us back to Rowsley.

The weather was fairly good, with the occasional shower of rain, and there seemed to be plenty of passengers.

During the day, we were informed that the 'Class 31' was required to haul the train on a test run, presumably following repairs. One possibility was for the 'Class 31' to deputise for 'Lord Phil' on the last round trip (giving the steam crew an 'early bath'). However, the solution adopted was to couple the '31' on top of 'Penyghent' for the 3.00 p.m. departure from Rowsley, allowing the '31' to work the train back from Matlock (Town) to Rowsley. This meant that 'Lord Phil' had to first take the train (comprising seven coaches, 'Penyghent' and the '31') from Rowsley to Matlock (Town).

The Guard gave the load which 'Lord Phil' had to shift as 486 tons - heavier than normal but well within the capability of an 'Austerity' tank. The 'Austerities' are powerful locomotives capable of shifting well over 1,000 tons. What I was not quite sure about was whether we'd be able to keep to time. Well, we actually arrived at Matlock (Town) one and a half minutes early.

The 3.00 p.m. from Rowsley passes through Matlock Riverside, showing the two diesel-electric locomotives hanging on the back.

The '31' took the train back to Rowsley without incident and then uncoupled and returned to shed, leaving 'Lord Phil' and 'Penyghent' to do the final round trip of the day.

The 'Class 31' entering Matlock Riverside, on its test run back to Rowsley.

We brought the engine on shed for disposal and, immediately, the heavens opened so that we had driving rain to add to the normal problems of disposal. There's a post describing disposal here. As often happens, once we were wringing wet, the rain stopped.

Travelling on the Qinghai - Tibet Railway

On 11th July 2013, I boarded a train at Xining West in China to travel to Lhasa (arriving the next day). I've already described the first part of the journey in a post here and the final part of the journey (the following day) here. In this post, I'll add information of a more technical nature. All my pictures taken on the journey are in the set QingHai - Tibet Railway.

The train I travelled on was the K917 which had left Lanzhou, 228 km east of Xining, at 12:08.

The timetable for this train is given below. We also made brief stops at a few stations not shown in the timetable.

Station	Distance*	Arrive	Depart
Xining West	-	14:44	15:04
Delingha	509	20:49	20:55
Golmud	818	00:19	00:39
Anduo	1512	08:39	08:41
Naqu	1638	09:59	10:05
Dangxiong	1796	11:54	11:56
Lhasa	1960	14:35	-

* Distance (in km) from Xining West.

Summary

Putting aside political considerations, it must be said that the railway to Tibet is a remarkable engineering achievement. To construct a railway in such an inhospitable area required great determination. The electrified section from Xining to Golmud was completed in 1984 (and it's double-track as far as Tempung) but the single-track non-electrified extension from Golmud to Lhasa was only finished in 2006. Almost half the length of line between Golmud and Lhasa is laid on Permafrost. In general, the line speed limit is 120 km/hr (75 m.p.h.) but this is reduced to 100 km/hr on the permafrost sections. The railway appears well-engineered and fairly carefully executed.

At Tanggula, the railway is at the highest elevation of any railway in the world at a little over 5,000 metres. In fact, 80% of the line from Golmud to Lhasa is above 4,000 metres, significantly reducing oxygen levels and, for this reason, the passenger coaches are fully sealed and oxygen is carried. There's an interesting (if frightening) article about altitude sickness here.

The route required a number of tunnels and Fenghuoshan Tunnel (1,338 metres long) at an elevation of 4,905 metres is the highest railway tunnel in the world.

The People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union co-operated quite closely following World War II, so it's unsurprising that the railways in China show many similarities with Russia's railways, which I had an opportunity of studying during my trip on the 'Golden Eagle' private train (described here).

At the end of this post, there are some sites linked which give a little more information about railways in China and Tibet. Tibetan place names along the railway are now generally rendered in Chinese characters. When these characters are converted into English letters, a variety of spellings can result so I'm still rather confused about the identity of some of the places I passed through.

Electric Locomotives

I wasn't able to go onto the platform at Xining West until the train had already arrived and I didn't have an opportunity to confirm the motive power before we departed. After about three hours, when our route executed sharp curves, I finally could see that, as anticipated, we had electric haulage by one of the modern 'Harmony' HX-series Co-Co 25kV a.c. locomotives. These locomotives are either imported or built in China under technology transfer agreements. The other trains we passed were hauled by similar 'Harmony' locomotives or the earlier 'Shaoshan' SS-series locomotives.

The 'Harmony' HX-series electric locomotivewhich hauled my train to Golmud.

There's more information about electric locomotives in China here.

Diesel-Electric Locomotives

Chinese-built

There's more information about diesel-electric locomotives built in China here.

Co-Co diesel-electric locomotive shunting at Xining West.

Co-Co diesel-electric locomotive DF_1309 near Lhasa.

Imported NJ2

The NJ2 diesel-electric locomotives used on the Golmud-Lhasa section were built by GE-Transportation in the United State, as their type C38AChe. The 78 units have running numbers NJ2 0001 to NJ2 0078. A driving cab is provided at one end only and the units are intended to operate as 38 2-section locomotives.

An NJ2 unit weighs-in at 136 tons so, even using a Co-Co layout with two six-wheel trucks, axle loading is 23-tons. Since GE locomotives normally use four wheel trucks, the bogies for the NJ2 locomotives were made by United Gonivan in New South Wales, using a well-established design with a fabricated (rather than cast) frame.

The engine is a variant of the successful four-stroke turbo-charged 7FDL16 diesel engine (arranged 8+8 cylinder V-formation) as used in the GE 'DASH' series. The engine brochure gives a maximum engine power of 3355 kW although other sources quote 3,800 kW for the NJ2 power plant. Of course, reduction of air supply at high altitude affects diesels (as well as people) - high-output diesel engines depend on the turbo-charger even at low altitudes to provide sufficient combustion air.

A scale model of a single NJ2 unit on display in Shanghai Railway Museum.

On arrival at Lhasa, I walked to the front of the train hoping to get a picture of our motive power but the twin-unit was already uncoupled and moving off down the headshunt.

The pair of NJ2 locomotives which hauled my train to Lhasa.

Civil Engineering Works

Even with the benefit of modern machinery, the constructional problems must have been daunting. Embankments, cuttings, bridges and tunnels were required, together with stations and other buildings required by the railway. Later in my trip, I saw something of the work in progress building the new railway from Lhasa to Shigatse, which is presenting similar problems. This gave me a better insight into the building of the line I travelled on to Lhasa.

The railway is fenced. On the Xining - Golmud section, this was generally a series of concrete posts with metal sections fixed between each pair of posts. Each metal section comprised a rectangular frame of welded tubes supporting a panel of steel mesh. The whole metal section was then painted green. In the mountain section, I saw some simpler post and wire fencing. Beyond Golmud, instead of the metal sections, a pre-cast concrete panel, also mesh-covered, is used.

Metal section fencing near Lake Qinghai.

Beyond Golmud, instead of the metal sections, a pre-cast concrete panel, also mesh-covered, is used.

Concrete section fencing beyond Golmud.

Overhead 25 kV a.c. Electrification

On 'plain line', pre-cast concrete masts are commonly used.

Reinforced Concrete Masts supporting the Overhead Line.

In the vicinity of stations and where there are additional running lines, steel portal structures of various designs are used. Some have rectangular fabricated masts and rectangular trusses but there are also types with tubular masts and triangular trusses.

Portal Structure featuring tubular mast and triangular truss.

Traction substations are conventional in appearance and appear to take in power from the National Grid.

Traction Substation

Permanent Way

Flat-bottom rail, pre-cast concrete sleepers and modern rail fixings are set in deep ballast giving an excellent ride. Continuous Welded Rail is generally used on 'plain line' (certainly Xining West to Tempung) and 6-hole fishplates on jointed track. Turnouts are of substantial construction and cast crossings are employed with heavy-duty check rails.



Concrete sleepers, flat-bottom rail, modern rail fixings and 6-hole fishplates (Xining West).

Cast Crossing and Heavy-duty Check Rails (approaches to Lhasa).

Distance and Gradient Markers

These markers are pre-cast tablets. Distance markers show distance in kilometres from Xining West. Intermediate 100 metre markers are also seen. Gradient markers are also tablets, with an arrow to indicate 'Up' or 'Down' and a figure which I believe represents 'rise or fall per thousand'. There are pictures showing the Kilometre Markers for kilometres 226 and 227 in the section below on signalling equipment.

Signalling Equipment

I was impressed (as I was in Russia) at the neatness of the layout of the signalling equipment. Electric point machines (of a very compact design) are used for point operation. Track circuits appear to be generally used for train detection. Running and shunting signals are all colour light. A standardised rectangular signalling equipment room is widely used (often to be seen at each end of a station near the points and signals controlling entry to a number of passing loops). I believe some form of Centralised Traffic Control is in use, possibly based in Xining.

In the section above on 'Overhead 25 kV a.c. Electrification', there is a picture showing a 3-aspect ground signal (apparently with a smaller subsidiary aspect below) and a high-level signal comprising two 2-aspect signal heads with a subsidiary aspect below.

Signalling equipment at east end of Niao Dao, showing colour light ground signals, housings for signalling and track circuit equipment and insulated rail joints. Kilometre Marker '226' is also visible.

Signalling equipment at west end of Niao Dao, showing point machine, housings for track circuit equipment and insulated rail joint. Kilometre Marker '227' visible on right. Marker with red lettering on left (possibly a cable marker).

Picture showing two high-level signals. The red-roofed building is a standard signalling equipment room. Traction Sub-station on the right.

The railways of 25 countries are members of OSShD - the Organisation for the Combined Operations of Railways. This seeks to standardise practices in member countries and affects about one third of the railway route mileage in the world. Since Russia, China (and Vietnam) are members, similar methods of signalling are used in each of these countries.

References

Rail transport in China (Wikipedia).
List of railway lines in China (Wikipedia).
Qinghai–Tibet Railway (Wikipedia).
List of stations on Qinghai–Tibet Railway (Wikipedia).
Lhasa–Shigatse Railway (Wikipedia).
China Railways Map.
China Tibet Train (with map).
China Train Guide (Travel agency).

Locomotives in China

List of locomotives in China (Wikipedia).
Chinese diesel locomotives (Railways of China).
Chinese electric locomotives (Railways of China).

Railway Signalling in China

Signals at China Rail (Hans Schaefer).
Chinese Railway Signals (refers to Hans Schaefer site).
OSShD Signals.

Manchester Mini Maker Faire 2013

The second Manchester Mini Maker Faire was held at MOSI on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th August 2013. 'Maker Faires' are events created by Make magazine in the United States to "celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself mindset". Independently organised Faires (like the one in Manchester) are called 'Mini Maker Faires'. There's a (very brief) report on the first Mini Maker Faire at MOSI in 2012 here.


The 'flyer' for the 2013 Manchester Mini Maker Faire.

On both days, the railway at MOSI was operating, using the 'Planet' replica and two blue coaches. On Saturday, I was Operating Officer with Ray as Driver, Mike as Fireman and Richard as Guard. The train was 'in traffic' well before noon and, by that time, visitors were really streaming onto the site. We had no let-up all afternoon and most trains were loaded to capacity. I drove for a while to give Ray a break.

'Planet' and a well-loaded train on the 'Pineapple Line' with the 1830 warehouse in the background.

In 2013, over 50 'Makers' were booked to attend the Manchester event. I was able to make a quick tour of the site during the day and take a few pictures which are here, but I only saw some of the many activities taking place.

There was a restored Norman T-300 engine driving a Ducellier alternator and a restored Villiers MK12-2-HS engine driving a bicycle dynamo, both running on gas.

Restored Villiers and Norman engines, each producing electricity.

In the 1830 Warehouse there was an activity involving a number of sewing machines and another advertising 'Build your own Retro-Computer'. Also in the 1830 Warehouse, there was a workshop building Potato Cannons. Later in the day, these cannons were tested in the Lower Yard.

Testing Potato Cannons in the Lower Yard.

Professor Screwtop was a magnet for children in the Upper Yard. He had a very tall bicycle, a comedy car (which produced the most terrifying explosions from time to time) and a traditional Punch and Judy show. Sometimes, he just sat on the floor telling stories to his enthralled audience.

Professor Screwtop and the Punch and Judy Show.

Also in the Upper Yard, there were a group of exhibitors featuring wood and wood products. TreeStation is 'a unique social enterprise' providing arboricultural services' and a number of forestry machines were on display, including Firewood Processors from Maaselän Kone Oy in Finland (more details here). The TreeStation website is here. 'Start in Salford' is a 'creative arts and wellbeing charity' started in 1993. A pole lathe was being used to fashion turned wooden parts but I was particularly taken with the idea of their Yurts made in Salford. The 'Start in Salford' website is here.

A Yurt, made in Salford.

As a further example of the eclectic mix, members of Manchester's Cottonopolis Coglective Steampunk Society were touring the site in their distinctive costumes (corsets and cogs feature heavily) and they took a trip on the train.

Members of Manchester's Cottonopolis Coglective Steampunk Society.

All-in-all, a very interesting day.

Midweek at the Battlefield Line

In the earlier post A Busy Week, I briefly described running the Wednesday diesel railcar service on 24th July. On 7th August 2013, I was back again, driving the single unit diesel railcar.

Unusually, the railcar had been left on Platform 2 and the four coaches for the 'Main Train' were on platform 1. Once again, the weather was kind and there seemed to be lots of passengers. In fact, Bernard believed that we carried more passengers on our four trips down the line to Shenton on the 7th than on any previous mid-week day he remembers. We operated in and out of platform 2 throughout the day, except for the last arrival from Shenton, when we were routed into the southern end of platform 1 where there was just room to unload our passengers. I then stabled the railcar in the DMU Siding.

The diesel railcar in platform 2 at Shackerstone.

One pleasant aspect of railcar operation is that it's fairly relaxed. There's time to talk to the passengers and try to answer the many questions about operating a preserved railway or the more technical questions about the diesel railcar. Whilst the train was standing at Shackerstone or Shenton, it was possible to let interested passengers visit the driving cab in safety - I had a number of children and adults as visitors during the day.

A young visitor in the cab of the diesel railcar.

It takes a minimum of four staff to operate the railcar service - Driver, Guard, Signalman at Shackerstone and Ticket Inspector. But there are an awful lot of other jobs that need doing to keep the railway operating and Wednesday is a popular day for volunteers to come to the railway, forming the "Wednesday Gang". I counted 18 people signed-on at Shackerstone. The coaches in platform 1 were being cleaned externally whilst another group was repainting white lines on the platforms at Shackerstone.


Repainting white lines at Shackerstone.

Yet another group was 'up the cutting' at Shackerstone, hacking away at the undergrowth. Where there are signal wires or point rodding trackside, the signalman's job becomes much harder if weed growth is left unchecked.

View looking towards the signal box from platform 2 at Shackerstone, showing the improved appearance following weed removal.

Another enjoyable day!

All my articles on the Battlefield Line can be found here.

My Pictures

(Includes pictures taken on previous occasions).

Midweek DMU Service (24th July 2013).
Midweek at the Battlefield Line (7th August 2013).
All my Battlefield Line pictures.

Peak Rail 1940s Weekend

Peak Rail has run a 1940s Weekend for a number of years (the ones I've been involved in are listed near the end of this post).

In 2013, the event was held on Saturday 3rd August and Sunday 4th August. There was plenty of sunshine on both days. I was rostered as steam driver on the Sunday, using our current serviceable steam locomotive, 'Lord Phil'. Adam was fireman. We were to operate a 7-coach train top-and-tail with D8 'Penyghent'. When I arrived at Rowsley, I discovered that the locomotive had been turned, so that the chimney was at the north end. I concluded that, in a reversal of normal practice, we were going on the north end of the stock and 'Penyghent' would be at the south end. This would make a refreshing change (provided you can remember the 'stop' marks, particularly coming into Rowsley where it's only possible to take water without a lot of messing about if you stop pretty accurately). Adam had not only got the locomotive 'fizzing' nicely but he'd oiled all round, so I only had to do an examination (and sample check the oiling).

A very smart-looking 'Lord Phil' being prepared on the outside pit at Rowsley. Adam can be seen lying down on the foot framing completing the oiling of the inside motion.

A new arrival

I was told that Cheddleton's 'Derby Four' (B.R. running number 44422) was in the shed awaiting boiler work so, before we went into traffic, I had a look round the locomotive and took a few pictures. Over 500 of the Fowler 4F were built between 1923 and 1928 for the L.M.S. They were based on the design of the Midland Railway 3835 class and had the rather inadequate axleboxes common to most Midland designs (I mentioned this 'Achilles Heel' of Midland locomotives in the post Stanier '8F' inauguration at Peak Rail).

A glimpse of the Fowler '4F' in the shed at Rowsley.

Running the service

We came off-shed nice and early, moved across to the north end of the train and 'tied-on'. 'Penyghent' followed us and attached to the southern end of the train. The 2-coaches of the 'Palatine' restaurant set were next to 'Penyghent', followed by five more coaches including the Buffet Car and the Brake Composite with the Guard's accommodation.

The Guard gave us an estimate of the nett train weight. The ends of each coach usually have a cast plate recording the weight of each vehicle which the Guard adds-up to give a total to the driver. We were also hauling 'Penyghent', another 135 Imperial tons (about 133 Metric tonnes if you prefer). To get the gross train weight, you have to add the weight of the passengers. Since we don't weigh passengers, this has to be an estimate (years ago, when I flew in an 'Islander' aircraft to the Isles of Arran, I was amused to find that each passenger was weighed and seats allocated so as to put the Centre of Gravity of the loaded aircraft where the pilot wanted it). A fair guess is that fifteen passengers make one Imperial Ton. I was amazed at the number of people entering the site and the platform became very crowded. All the available seats were taken and the corridors quickly filled up with passengers as well before our first departure, so our passenger load was the equivalent of at least one more coach.

'Penyghent' took the first train to Matlock (Town), with 'Lord Phil' just hanging on the back of the train. On arrival, I collected the Single Line Staff from 'Penyghent' ready for the return journey (Peak Rail rules require the leading engine to carry the Staff), Adam made sure the boiler was steaming well because we then had the task of returning the train to Rowsley. Most of the line from Matlock to Darley Dale and then from Church Lane to Rowsley is rising at a gradient of around 1 in 400 - perfectly reasonable for a main line railway.

Gradient Diagram Ambergate - Bakewell

Reasonable gradient or not, we certainly knew we'd got a 'big train' on our way back. 'Lord Phil' had no problem shifting our load of 400 tons or so but it was noticeable that full 'First Valve' on the regulator ('First Valve' is explained in the article Locomotive Regulators) with the reverser 'linked up' the usual three notches did not produce quite the customary result, so I adjusted the reverser to cut-off steam later in the piston travel, developing a little more power.

It's quite common for the early part of the day to produce a somewhat less lively performance. One factor (particularly in cold weather) is that the rolling resistance of a train will tend to be higher after the rolling stock has been stationary for some time. Once you start moving, this resistance tends to reduce as oil in the various axleboxes warms up and oil spreads around the bearing surfaces. As far as the locomotive is concerned, there will be greater condensation losses in the cylinders and the steam circuit initially, until everything gets nicely warmed-through. Temperatures around the boiler will not achieve their maximum values until steam has been supplied for a while. Once the locomotive stops working, temperatures will slowly tend to fall somewhat. With top-and-tail working, the steam locomotive is only providing effort half the time but the impression I formed was that our performances later in the day seemed more potent - certainly we had no trouble in getting from Matlock (Town) to Darley Dale and arriving a minute or two early. By the time we got back to Rowsley, we were usually 'right time' or a few seconds late. It's quite difficult to depart Darley Dale, observe all the speed restrictions and still arrive at Rowsley on time

During the day we completed the five round trips to Matlock (Town) without fuss and sticking very closely to time.

'Lord Phil' at Matlock (Town) ready to set off for Rowsley.

Special Activities

There's an awful lot of preparation and planning involved in the lead-up to the 1940s Weekend. In the large marquee there was 1940s-themed entertainment (and an all-day bar!). In the woods opposite Rowsley platform, there were elaborate military encampments.

Military encampments in the woods at Rowsley.

A variety of military and civilian vehicles were on display. The Peak Park area had a number of stalls selling memorabilia of the period. Pricipally, there were the re-enactors, either in a wide variety of military uniforms or in civilian clothing of the 1940s. My own minor contribution was my 'Tin Helmet' which I periodically wore and my respirator which I carried from time-to-time (but which I decline to don).

Of course, working on the train means that you don't get much of an opportunity of looking around the extensive activities at Rowsley, but I did snatch a few photographs. At 3.00 p.m. each day, there was a battle re-enactment opposite the platform at Rowsley, but this only took place once the train had departed for Matlock and it was all over well before we returned.

Crowds line the platform at Rowsley.

The event in 2013 seemed particularly well-attended helped, no doubt, by the good weather (although there were a couple of light showers during the day).

Previous 1940s Weekends

I've participated in a number of earlier 1940s events at Peak Rail:-

2012 event (article and pictures).
2009 event (article and pictures).
2008 event (article and pictures).
2007 event (pictures only).
2006 event (pictures only).

The Battlefield Line has also started to run 1940s Weekends - I've participated as a diesel railcar driver:-

Battlefield Line 1940s Weekend (June 2013).
Battlefield Line 1940s Weekend (June 2012).

My Pictures

A 'Derby Four'.
Peak Rail 1940s Weekend 2013.

A Busy Week

After a fairly tiring couple of weeks overseas, it might have been nice to have a quiet week, but it was not to be. After arriving at 9.00 p.m. on Sunday 21st July 2013, I slept well in my own bed and was in the office early on Monday.

Monday 22rd July 2013

I love travelling but I love being home, too, and Monday dawned a bright, warm day. I managed to work in between walking in the garden to re-acquaint myself with what we sometimes call "The Magic of Brewood". During Monday night, we had terrible thunderstorms followed by torrential rain. I hoped that this didn't mark the end of our Summer.

Tuesday 23rd July 2013

The rain had stopped by the time I got up on Tuesday. It was another bright day but distinctly cooler. I had an afternoon meeting in London so I caught the bus to Wolverhampton with a view to catching a Virgin 'Pendolino' service to London. There was no London service showing on the departure board but I didn't worry. In general, there's a departure to London every hour but additional trains start from Birmingham so I'm used to catching the first available service to Birmingham and picking up a London train starting from there. I caught a crowded Arriva Trains Wales diesel multiple unit which necessitated standing in a packed vestibule throughout the journey.

At Birmingham, I started to worry - the first London train was shown as 'Cancelled' and a message over the public address was talking about delays to all trains in the vicinity of Birmingham International. If I heard correctly, there were problems with the overhead catenary. In disgust, I decided to walk to Birmingham Moor Street and see what the options were with Chiltern Mainline to London Marylebone. It had been a few years since I'd used the Chiltern service and it had been accelerated. Some of the London trains remain multiple-unit operated, but the better ones comprise refurbished coaches operated by a Class 67 diesel-electric in push-pull with a Driving Van Trailer (DVT) on the other end. I was lucky and, within a few minutes, I was aboard a locomotive-operated service.

I'm not too familiar with more modern motive power but there's a useful article on the Class 67 here. The DVTs were originally used on routes like Wolverhampton - Birmingham - Euston when they were locomotive hauled push-pull. I once travelled with a friendly guard in a DVT at the back of a Euston - Wolverhampton train - at full line speed, it was quite impressive. I found the refurbished coaches on my Marylebone train very satisfactory with good quality seats and excellent soundproofing. Once again, I was struck with just how much more pleasant full-size coaches are, compared with the cramped profile of the 'Pendolino' stock.

The spacious accommodation on my lightly-loaded service to Marylebone.

I took the usual lousy pictures from the speeding train and arrived at Marylebone feeling fairly relaxed and in plenty of time for my afternoon appointment.

The DVT of the Chiltern Mainline train on arrival at Marylebone.

I managed to grab a few pictures of Marylebone station and some additional shots of the S.E.C.R. side of Victoria Station on the way to my meeting in Victoria Station House. Incidentally, there's an article about Victoria Station here. After the meeting, I decided to return via Marylebone. This time, the first available service was a heavily-loaded multiple unit but it got me back to Birmingham Moor Street safely, then I walked across to the (half-modernised) New Street for a train back to Wolverhampton and then a bus home.

Wednesday 24th July 2013

On Wednesday, I had a gentle day driving the single-unit diesel railcar at Shackerstone. Locomotive 3803 had just arrived by low-loader, following repairs (the tender had returned to Shackerstone separately some weeks previously). My earlier article Summer Saturday with a '2884' has some technical information and history on this class.


An unusual cab view of 3803, prior to being re-united with its tender.

The weather was fine, passenger numbers were quite good and I enjoyed the day, making four round trips from Shackerstone to Shenton with an intermediate stop in each direction at the increasingly-popular Market Bosworth Station.

There's an article about the diesel railcars at the Battlefield Line here. All my articles about the Battlefield Line can be found here.

The attractive station building at Shenton was originally at Leicester (Humberstone Road).

Saturday 27th July 2013

I was rostered to drive the 'Planet' replica at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) on Saturday and it was another warm, sunny day. Alan took me to Wolverhampton station in time for the direct train to Manchester at 6.49 a.m. However, I decided to take the slightly-earlier Virgin 'Pendolino' Edinburgh service as far as to Warrington (Bank Quay), changing there to an Arriva Trains Wales train to Manchester (Oxford Road).

My train from Warrington pauses at Manchester (Oxford Road), where I got off.

A short walk took me to the Museum (taking a few pictures of Manchester's varied architectural heritage on the way). Together with Richard, Stuart and Lauren we ran the normal service with 'Planet' and the two blue coaches. The weather remained hot and we were kept busy right up to 4.00 p.m., after which we carried out disposal and used the Battery Electric locomotive to position 'Planet' and the two coaches back in the Power Hall. All my articles on MOSI can be found here.

At long last, the Liverpool and Manchester route, the 'first Inter-City railway in the world' is being electrified. To carry the overhead conductors, a bewildering variety of structures has been erected next to the Museum's demonstration line and 'wiring' is now in progress, as the photograph below shows.

Driver's view at the limit of our demonstration line.

On leaving the Museum, I walked to the nearest 'Metrolink' tram station, Deansgate. Quite a complex network is now operated, as you can see from the route map here. On arrival at Piccadilly, I found that I'd just missed the Arriva Cross-Country 'Voyager' service to Bournemouth which I sometimes catch. Instead, I boarded the Arriva Trains Wales 3-coach Class 175 diesel multiple unit to Cardiff. This service travelled via Wilmslow and Crewe, where I changed to a London Midland 4-coach Class 350 Electric Multiple Unit operating from Liverpool to Birmingham.

South end of Crewe, viewed from Platform 5: The Class 175 which I'd travelled on from Manchester is departing on the Shrewsbury line, passing a Virgin 'Pendolino' arriving on platform 5 before continuing to Manchester.

My Pictures

(Includes pictures taken on previous occasions).

Chiltern Mainline to Marylebone.
London: Marylebone Station.
London: Victoria Station.
Midweek DMU Service.
Shenton Station Building.
Stafford Area rail.
Crewe Area rail.
Warrington Area rail.
Manchester Area Rail.
Manchester.