Mile By Mile, travelling our railways in 1947

“The object of this book is to encourage the passenger to anticipate his progress, and to enable him to know to a nicety, what he next will see from the window at any and every stage of the journey.  

It is such a pity to sacrifice this experience to idle slumber, or to concentration on a magazine that would be better enjoyed at home.”*

Now this seems a pretty neat idea to me, and I have to say it is one that I try to practice, whether I am on a train, tram or the bus.

But I rather think it is an ambitious project that few would undertake, especially when what is being described is nothing less than the routes of the main railway companies in 1947.

But this is what Mr Pike set out to do in a series of little books just as the railways became nationalized.

The publications covered the L.N.E.R, the LMS, and Southern Railways but for reasons which have never been established he failed to keep his promise of one on the G.W.R. **

Nevertheless for the other three here were details of “the gradients of the lines, speed tests and mileages,  viaducts, bridges and embankments, along with tunnels, cuttings, crossovers and streams, rivers and roads.  

For good measure there were also lists of towns, villages, churches and mines, factories and works and an account of features of interest and beauty to be seen from the trains.”

It was all of the information which made a train journey worthwhile.

And of course with the passage of time and the end of both steam locomotives as well as many of the branch lines his guides have become a piece of history.

As you would expect I looked for Chorlton-cum-Hardy and there it was in the L.M.S on a map which included Didsbury, Withington and Central Station, along with the gradients of the line, miles from London and rivers roads and much else.

The London Midland Scottish was a family favourite, with its maroon coloured locos, and maroon and cream painted coaches.

This I suspect had something to do with my dad and uncle’s Scottish roots and for me because LMS Duchess of Montrose was my chosen Hornby Dublo loco on the model railway my father built for me and lovingly maintained.

But I also had a real interest in the Southern Railway which became the Southern Region of British Railways.  It was the one I used from being a child till I left London.

And however unfashionable it is today I remain fascinated by our nationalised railway company which was making its first bold steps soon after Mr Pile began publishing.

All of which brings me back to those railway books and the fact that they are once again available in a single volume, MILE BY MILE ON BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS, S.N.PIKE, published by Aurum Press Ltd, 2011.

It is a book I regularly go back to and one that brings alive that lost age.

Pictures; from the cover of MILE BY MILE ON BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS, S.N.PIKE, published by Aurum Press Ltd, and original Mile by Mile on the L.M.S. 1947

So what tram would take me to the Longsight loco shed in 1947?

 Now, I remain in awe of those people who turn their interest into something which can be shared with others.

And today I am looking at “The British Locomotive Shed Directory", which was a “complete guide to all the Main Line Locomotive Sheds and Works in Great Britan”.

It was produced by R. S. Grimsley in December 1947 and cost 7/6d.

My old friend John Anthony came across it and sent over some pages from the guide, commenting, “a gentleman named Stuart Hillston had posted several pages from the above book into the Manchester Railways FB Group, which he had bought on ebay. 

Without mentioning your name, I had requested his permission to pass these on to you.

The particular pages provided directions on how to reach each of the local locomotive depots in Manchester and surrounding areas using public transport means.

Consequently, information on tram and bus routes, together with various streets is detailed in the book.

I thought the information was quirky enough to be of some historical interest to you and have attached a zip folder with copies hereto for your consideration”.

And of course it was just the sort of quirky bit of history I like.  

Not least because today a full 74 years after its publication it has become history.

Allowing the causal reader and the railway buff an insight into many of the locomotive sheds and works which have long since vanished with those wonderful tiny details of how you could have travel by tram, trolley bus, and bus to each of the destinations.

It reminds me of an equally fascinating book produced in the same year which offered up a guide to the then railway network.

Mile By Mile, along with Mr. Grimley’s book offer up a view of the railways which are now fast fading from living memory.*

So I thank  John Anthony for sending over the pages from the book, and to Stuart Hillston who acquired the guide and gave me permission to reproduce it.

And never one to dodge a mistake, David Ward-nadin has corrected my title by adding the comment, "There was no loco works at Longsight  it was a loco shed only  you could get a 53 bus  to outside Longsight station.  or a tram till sometime before WW11  the only loco works were The Great central one at Gorton  and near there Beyer Peacock works   these actually made locos. The tram that used to stop at Longsight station was the 53 single decker".

Thank you David ... title amended.

Location; 1947

Pictures; “The British Locomotive Shed Directory”, 1947, courtesy of Stuart Hillston

* Mile By Mile, travelling our railways in 1947, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2019/12/mile-by-mile-travelling-our-railways-in.html

On the 10.30 from Chorlton to Didsbury with tram stops at Withington and all points south

Waiting at East Didsbury

As historic journeys go I don’t suppose it ranks with the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830 which inaugurated the first passenger railway in the world but the short tram trip from Chorlton to East Didsbury was quite something.

It was the first time in forty six years that the route had been travelled by passengers in receipt of a ticket and brought me closer to a little bit of our transport history.

The railway line was opened in 1880 and ran for 87 years until it was closed to passenger traffic in 1967.
And yesterday it was possible to travel again from Chorlton to Didsbury and beyond.

Of course the new service is a tram not a train and none of the Metro stops match exactly the sites of the old railway stations.

But there is something about doing the route again after forty six years and judging by the people on the tram I wasn’t alone in wanting to experience the journey.

More than half had come with cameras and busied themselves recording the trip while others spoke in hushed but excited tones of steam trains and the merits of one route over another.  And this was mid morning long after the press and important people had travelled the route and officially declared it open.

South from Central Station in 1947 from Mile By Mile

Now for me it was about recreating a little bit of that transport history but for most people it will just be a quick and straightforward way of getting into town and that is just as it should be.  After all back in 1880 people took the train for exactly the same reason.

The  trip from Chorlton into the heart of the city took just over ten minutes and like the tram it was a frequent service.

This I know because I have read my copy of Mile By Mile, "a detailed account of every mile of the journey” written in 1947 and recently reissued.*

But was something I forger to tell Phil and Janet who I have known for years and who like me were "off on a jolly" from Burton Road to Didsbury.

Both were full of what the route promised for nights in Chorlton along with visits to Jazz sessions in Didsbury.  Such is the tram.

Pictures; tram at East Didsbury from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and the train route from Central Station south towards London from MILE BY MILE ON BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS, S.N.PIKE, published by Aurum Press Ltd, and original Mile by Mile on the L.M.S. 1947

*Mile By Mile, travelling our railways in 1947 http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/mile-by-mile-traveling-our-railways-in.html