The stocking filler …. 1924

So …. I couldn’t resist this one.

I have no date for the 12 picture postcards that made up the series, but given that one of them was for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway which was formed in 1924, we must be sometime in the 1920s, through to the nationalization of the railways in 1948.

So far only six of the original twelve have turned up, but they include examples of railway locomotives from the LMS, the Great Western, The London & North Eastern Railway and the Southern Railway.

Each carries the flat layout on one side and instructions on the reverse for making the model.

Of the six I have chosen only two of which the first is an LMS loco and the second a Southern Railway.

And the logic behind the choice is simple, dad always had a sneaking admiration for the LMS, although given he was from the north east I would have thought that he might have settled on the LNER. card.

But his parents were Scottish and had only crossed the border at the turn of the last century, so I see where his sympathies may have laid.

So, having opted for the LMS. card, I then fell on the Southern Railway loco, simply because I grew up in south east London which had been served by the S.R  which became the Southern Region of British Railways.

But when it came to it, I couldn't ignore the GWR or the LNER and threw those into , with, and here I accept I am being nerdy, two more from the  LMS which because one ran on the London & North Western Section, and the other the Caledonian section, they carried a different livery.

And that is it. 

 For those who have forgotten a present, it should be possible to download the image, enlarge and print.

Merry Christmas

Pictures; Model Railway Engines, marketed by Tuck and Sons, circa 1924, courtesy of Tuck DB, https://tuckdbpostcards.org/

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

Railway arches …… the myster

An occasional series featuring the humble railway arch through the pictures of Andy Robertson.

Now, among the collection of images Andy took was this one which presented me with a bit of a mystery, because there at the foot of the arch was this device.

I have no idea what it was used for, and so to speculate would be a waste of time.

That said I suppose it could have been left over from when the arch was used for some purpose.

The good news is that some one will know.

Location; Castlefield

Pictures; Under the arches, 2020, from the collection of Andy Robertson

Railway arches …… the neglected ones

An occasional series featuring the humble railway arch through the pictures of Andy Robertson.

Now I am the first to admit that the above picture is not a brick arch, but I like it and so it starts the first of the stories celebrating the railway arch, which continues to do the business of carrying railway lines into all our cities and towns which still have railway stations.

In my defense there is a brick railway arch in the distance, so accuracy is served.

Over the centuries the arches have been used for many things from car parks to lock up workshops, and artisan bakeries, and many of course offered some sort of shelter to the destitute.

At which point I could fall back on that famous song, Underneath the Arches.*

But I won’t, preferring just to leave links at the bottom to the song and its creation.**

Andy was in Castlefield where there are lots of these arches, and he couldn’t resist recording them.

I have written about their history elsewhere, so I shall concentrate on the pictures.

So here are two, and I will leave you with the promise of a mystery, which will appear tomorrow.

Location; Castlefield

Pictures; in Castlefield, 2020, from the collection of Andy Robertson

* Underneath the Arches, Bud Flanagan, 1927, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggk8g_p-Thg

**Mr. Flanagan recalled  it was written in Derby in 1927, and referred to the arches of the  Friargate Railway Bridge and to the homeless men who slept there.  Underneath the Arches, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underneath_the_Arches_ (song)