Photo Gallery 1. BRADFORD EXCHANGE STATION

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 Peter Thorpe welcomes you to his new website illustrating British Railways steam and diesel locomotives observed during the 1960s: the transitional years.

A typical winter's scene in the mid-sixties depicts Class B1 61014 Oribi preparing to depart from platform 7 at Bradford Exchange station. It will leave at 11.51 am, bound for Wakefield Westgate station, where its three coaches for London will be attached to the Leeds Central - London King's Cross express. This was a long - standing British Railways practice at the time.

The first 14 galleries consist of photographs taken on my "home turf" - the Bradford and Leeds area. 

Further galleries will then be added to illustrate some of my away day(s) adventures.

I have also included the odd story of my adventures while trainspotting.

A very clean Ardsley 56B allocated Fairburn 4P 2-6-4 tank engine No 42073 stands at platform 7 with a three - coach express passenger train on a cold winter's day during December 1964. This engine ended its working life with British Railways when withdrawn from Normanton MPD in June 1967, subsequently escaping the cutter's torch as it was purchased by the Lakeside Railway Estates Company and stored at Carnforth until overhauled to steam in 2014. It is currently operating on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway system.

Shortly after the first photograph was taken, 42073 made a determined start prior to passing under the large iron girder bridge which carried Bridge Street over the southern end of the station, with the Bradford Exchange signal box located underneath just visible on the right. Lively starts were the norm prior to attacking the climb up the one in fifty gradient passing the closed St.Dunstan's station and continuing to Laisterdyke.

Class B1 No 61040 Roedeer, a Wakefield 56A allocated engine, is seen brewing up at 11.45am on a cold but sunny day in March 1964 prior to departing from platform 7 with the 11.51am  three - coach express passenger train to London King's Cross, after combining with the Leeds portion at Wakefield Westgate station.

In April 1964, Fowler class 4P  2-6-4T No. 42406 - a Wakefield allocated engine - simmers in platform 1 while its lengthy rake of parcel vans is being loaded. Note that the long length of the train has resulted in the engine being sat in front of its starting signal.

At 2.50pm on a busy Saturday during April 1964, Wakefield 56A allocated Fairburn 2-6-4T No 42650 prepares to depart from platform 8 with a three - coach passenger train. A Low Moor 56F based similar Fairburn 2-6-4T no 42285 on the adjacent platform 7 is seen on banking duties under the watchful eyes of a pair of young railway enthusiasts.

Having taken a shot from the front and with a few minutes left before joining the departing train, I attempted to take a photograph directly into the sun to add atmosphere to the image. I had to set up my tripod and take around eight exposures in an effort to secure at least one good shot - it was called bracketing in those days - I was most fortunate with the end result as one frame captured the guard urging me to climb on board the carriage with departure imminent.

(Above) An unusually clean and steam tight Ivatt 4MT "flying pig" No 43070  with blower full on, raising steam prior to its departure from platform 8 during December  1964.

(Below) With safety valve lifting indicating boiler pressure at the maximum, 43070 is then seen blasting out of the station with a passenger train bound for Leeds Central station.

Railway enthusiasts enjoyed the mid - 60s as diesel engines slowly began replacing the ageing steam locomotives, thus creating a much larger variety of motive power than was previously seen. 

(Above) The old meets the new as an unidentified Deltic class diesel engine arrives at platform 5 with the three- coach portion of the Yorkshire Pullman train.

(Below) Oblivious to the Pullman train hauled by a new diesel engine entering the station at 2.50pm, the fireman of the steam locomotive, Fairburn 2-6-4T No 42650, is seen busy checking that an injector is working ok whilst the young railway enthusiasts are more interested in the arrival of a new Brush type 4 diesel on the Pullman train.

Another of Ardsley's Fairburn 4P tank engines, No 42108, stands at platform 10 with an evening December arrival. Its passengers having all disembarked, it awaits the "peg" to shunt its three - coach passenger train back out of the station and up the one - in - fifty gradient to St.Dunstan's carriage sidings.

Low Moor 56F allocated class B1 61386 about to depart from platform 8 on a very cold dark winter's night during December 1964. As can be seen, I struggled somewhat with getting the right exposure on this occasion.

In this scene we have another Wakefield 56A Class B1 No 61161 which was due to arrive in at 7.10pm, resting in platform 7 after its before time arrival with an evening train from London on Thursday 6th August 1964. It was long-standing practice for Bradford Exchange-King's Cross passengers trains to run via Wakefield Westgate where the portions, usually made of three BR Mk1 coaches and on occasions elderly ex-LNER stock, as seen here, were attached-detached to and from Leeds Central-King's Cross expresses.  

This was a tragic event that I managed to photograph only by climbing on to a high stone retaining wall on the Vicar Lane side of the station. Sitting dangerously on top of the wall, I was in a good position to witness and record the aftermath of the collision. I had tried to gain entry onto the platform but despite having a BR lineside photographic pass I was denied access. I was most fortunate in that I had my trusted 35mm Fed 2 camera with me at all times and that I always made a point of climbing the wall after work to observe which locomotive would be at the head of the 5.47pm Bradford Exchange - London King's Cross parcel train. I purchased a copy of the report and was most impressed with the thorough and professional way it had been conducted - so much so that I used it as a template in my working environment at the time, with much success.

An enquiry was ordered by the Ministry of Transport into the collision of a dies
el passenger train with a stationary parcels train that occurred at 5.27pm on Wednesday 3rd of June 1964. The DMU hit steam engine No 44695 at the head of the stationary parcels train at 50mph.

The steam locomotive alone weighed over 72 tons  and understandably remained relatively unscathed. However the DMU was severely damaged on impact, resulting in three people losing their lives and sixteen others injured.

Colonel JHR Robertson undertook the enquiry and duly submitted his findings to the MOT on Friday 18th September 1964.

This report is both out of print and difficult to obtain;  therefore I have taken the liberty to post some of the contents.

CONCLUSION

by

Colonel JHR Robertson

65. In my view, the only possible conclusion to be drawn from all the evidence is that Driver Smith suffered a severe attack of anginal pain while his train was approaching Bradford (Exchange ) Station. What induced the attack at this particular time is a matter for speculation but it is possible that, running through Bowling Junction a little too fast and finding the Mill Lane Home signals unexpectedly at Danger, he mismanaged his initial braking in something like the way the driver mismanaged his in the accident at Royton on 8th February 1961. If this was so, he would have suddenly realised that  he was going to overrun the Home signals and might have assumed at this point, but in fact too soon, that his train was out of control on a steeply falling gradient into a terminal station. The mental shock of this to a particularly conscientious and responsible driver might well have induced the attack, in the way that sudden and severe physical exertion might have done. Alternatively, Driver Smith may have suffered an attack while still short of his initial point of braking and his mismanagement of the brakes may have been a result of it, but this suggests no reason why so  severe an attack should have struck him at this point.

66. I have discussed the possibility from a medical point of view, of the former sequence of events with Dr.Graham Hayward, M.F.R.P.,  Consultant Physician at St.Bartholomew's Hospital, and he has told me that this may well have been what occurred. Sudden emotional disturbance could have produced a severe attack of anginal pain. In the agony of such an attack, Driver Smith might well have clutched his safety device tightly, keeping it depressed, and, with his still conscious mind now almost wholly on his condition, might well have made some of the right movements, such as sounding the horn, as if by instinct while forgetting others. The facts that Driver Smith continued to sit upright to the end and that his face  was seen to be impassive would be in agreement with this view.

67. If the brake mismanagement did occur and was the cause of the attack, I do not consider that the possible defect in the leading brake cylinder can fairly be held to have contributed to it. Even if the leading brake cylinder was not working Driver Smith had had ample time in which to get used to the defect and come to terms with it.

68. It goes without saying that no man who has had coronary thrombosis should continue to be a train driver of  singly-manned diesel trains. Driver David Smith was such a man and on the face of it should not have been driving this train. He had however only recently been examined by a specialist who found no sign of coronary thrombosis and who had diagnosed the pain in Smith's chest as being caused by spasm of the oesophagus. I have discussed with Dr. J. Sharp Grant, M.D.,F.R.C.S., Medical Adviser to the British Railways Board, the significance of the word "cardiospasm" that was included in the specialist's diagnosis and he has assured me that cardiospasm is not a sympton of heart disease. I do not think anyone can be blamed for not having taken Driver Smith off driving such trains.

69. Rule 148(a) lays down that the guard of a passenger train approaching a terminal station must carefully watch the running of the train and take any action necessary. Rule 148(c) lays down that in the case of emergency the guard must apply the brake. With such a steeply falling gradient into the terminus Guard Hansell should have been particularly careful to keep a good lookout, but he did not do so and, by his own admission only became aware of the emergency when he saw the passengers hastening to the rear. Had he obeyed Rule 148 he would have seen that the train was passing the Mill Lane Junction Home signals at Danger and should have applied his emergency brake at once. The distance from the Home signals to the point of collision is 791 yards and the braking distance for this train - even if  the leading brake cylinder was in fact out of action - is 930 yards from a speed of 50 m.p.h. which is the likely speed of the train when it passed Mill Lane signals. If Guard Hansell had kept a good lookout he could have greatly reduced the speed of the collision and mitigated its effects: if all the brakes were working, and I think they were, he might even have prevented the accident altogether. Even as things were, he should have applied the brakes at least as soon as he saw the passengers hurrying back.

70. This accident's cause was misadventure but Guard Hansell must bear some blame for its severity.

REMARKS

This was a most unfortunate accident in that the misadventure that was its cause stemmed from the coincidence of a number of unfavourable factors, each of which would by itself be remarkable. These were the driver's heart condition and the fact he had been specially examined for it and found fit, his having an attack at such a dangerous point on a very steep gradient into a terminal station and the chances that the brake handle was left in the full release position and that the driver in his agony clutched his safety device and not his body. Such a coincidence is unlikely to occur again.

Further to Colonel JHR Robertson's published report I would add that In my opinion another important factor  contributing to this tragic event was the fact that there was a stationary train which would have weighed anything between 150 - 300+ tons at the platform the diesel train entered. If the platform had been vacant the diesel train would have travelled to the end of the line before  hitting the hydraulic buffer stops which were specifically designed to absorb impact.

This image highlights the challenge train drivers often faced on the one - in - fifty downhill approach to the terminus at Bradford Exchange station, especially during freezing winter conditions. This six car BRCW class 104 diesel multiple unit was photographed carefully dropping down the incline at walking pace, the driver being no doubt influenced by the snow and ice covering the top of the rails 

For a short period of time during the 1960s, the early morning London train was double headed with a steam/ diesel combination of motive power. If memory serves me correctly, this combination of a Fairburn tank engine/type 2 diesel (as illustrated) was repeated each morning for at least a week with the steam engine working its socks off .

Low Moor's 'Jubilees' were always well turned out by the shed's cleaning staff, helped by local enthusiasts. Here an immaculate No 45694 Bellerophon looks in superb external condition as it coasts down the gradient to Bradford Exchange station with a parcel train. Built at Crewe Works in 1936, the locomotive entered traffic as LMS No 5694 on the 23rd March 1936. The engine received its British Railways number (pre-fixed with a '4') upon nationalisation in 1948 whilst based at Bristol Barrow Road 22A; later allocations included Leeds Holbeck followed by a transfer to Low Moor 56F in June 1962 until February 1965; its last shed being Wakefield 56A from where it was withdrawn in December 1966 and cut up at Drapers of Hull in June 1967.

The movement of empty coaching stock was a regular sight just before Bank Holidays with carriages arriving from all points of the network to cater for the additional excursion traffic; the majority of coaches were stored in the carriage sidings within the triangular junctions at both St Dunstans and Low Moor. Here, an unidentified Fowler tank engine  banks a set of elderly non-corridor stock up the incline to Low Moor sidings.

A resident of 56D Mirfield, this rather grubby Class B1 No 61030 Nyala is seen  attacking the climb at the head of the 11.15am 1X43 excursion to Southport on Easter Monday, 30th March 1964. It was vigorously banked out of Bradford Exchange station by Fowler tank 2-6-4T 42411; as a result it only took  nine minutes for the ensemble to climb the 1 - in - 50 incline up from Bradford Exchange to the Donkey Bridge at West Bowling.

This final shot in the sequence of four shows the banker, having completed its task, rolling down the gradient on its return to Bradford Exchange station . In this view from Ripley Street Road, bridge No 42411 is seen crossing the ex-GNR lines to Keighley and Halifax via Queensbury which curve in from St Dunstans station behind the carriage sidings on the extreme right whilst on the left is the entrance to Springmill Street coal sidings. I recall the name of the signal box controlling trains into the coal sidings being 'Coal Shoots' - and not 'Coal Shutes' as many publications have misspelt it!  

In the mid  - sixties there continued to be a great demand for day excursions to numerous seaside locations as there were still a lot of families who did not own a car. There were special seaside excursion trains to places like Southport and Blackpool plus trips to Belle Vue, Chester Zoo, to see the new Coventry Cathedral as well as seasonal specials to Hull fair, both football and rugby fixtures, Blackpool illuminations, race meetings, ramblers specials – in fact, something for everyone.

Pictured here is a typical Bank Holiday special to Belle Vue Zoo at Manchester pulled by a B1 Class steam locomotive and banked by a Black 5 Class loco, 44990. 

above / below - Black 5 44990 is seen  assisting the unidentified named B1 banking the heavy excursion train bound for the Belle Vue Zoo at Manchester.

                                           Fairburn 2-6-4T tank engines, 42108 and 42116.  

These three photographs were taken with my rather basic Brownie camera from outside the Low Moor engine shed boundary, on the fence of the nearby Railway Terrace following the inevitable ejection by shed staff !      

                                                                   Black Five 45426 and Fairburn 2-6-4T tank engine 42587.

                                         B1 61386 and an unidentified 2-6-4T Fairburn tank engine  .

                            B1 (6) 1215 side on view illustrating the repainted number on the cab side.   

  Low Moor shed provided most of the motive power required for passenger, parcel and freight workings heading south from Bradford from its allocation of mostly wd 2-8-0s for freight, B1’s and Black fives for passenger trains, plus tanks for local passenger work and anything else. Originally coded 25F, it later became 56F after Bradford Hammerton Street shed (56G) closed to steam in 1958, after transferring its remaining steam allocation to Low Moor. 

Despite it being my “local” shed, I had been ejected/chased/escorted out of this shed more times than I could ever remember, in daylight hours, at night, weekends – even on one occasion during Bradford’s holiday week when I tried to take photographs of an absolutely empty shed with not a single engine inside or outside.

Possibly owing to the fact that I had been spotted on the roof, up ladders, down ash pits as well as climbing into and on top of tenders, I became known to the staff and was no doubt regarded as an irritating nuisance, as they were constantly chasing me off the premises. As a result, almost all attempts to take photographs at this shed with my Brownie camera during the late fifties resulted in failure. 

In 1962 my next- to- final effort was to be an attempt at night photography with a borrowed 35mm camera, but even in the early hours the eagle eyes of the shed staff noticed me setting up my camera and threats plus ejection swiftly followed yet again. 

Not being one to give up – must have been an idiot – I was determined to make one last attempt later that year. Remembering the stories my Uncle Bert related when a firelighter at this shed, I decided to try and take a photograph from the inside of a wd firebox looking outwards to the tender. Deciding that a Sunday morning would present the best opportunity, I waited weeks for an engine to be out of steam on the roads outside the shed. At last one bright sunny morning I was in luck – 90711 was “dead” on a siding outside near the entrance - there was no ash in the firebox, it was facing the right way for the light and even better still, the rain from the previous night made the wet coal glisten – bingo! 

I remember shaking with nerves, both in case I was caught plus the thought of going feet first into the firebox door with my borrowed camera and becoming stuck. My worst fears were soon realised when I was caught yet again, not stuck but only just halfway into the firebox. I was dragged out by my arms followed by the biggest rollicking of my life.

Understandably at the time I decided never to go near this shed again – ever- it was far easier bunking York or even Crewe shed but not Low Moor as I had become a marked youth.

Two years later in 1964, once again I had the burning desire to take photographs at my “home” shed - even more so now as I had all the equipment needed. Reflecting back on my own “rules” of requirements i.e. money, planning, transport and permission – the penny finally dropped – permission – was the missing ingredient!

All I needed was a shed permit – simple, why didn’t I think of that before?

My request failed, much to my dismay, as the reply stated that they were only issued to organised parties. My second request also failed - having asked if I could join in with any official visiting party on any day at any time.- the long reply simply meant – NO!

Oh dear, what next?

After discussions with a workmate, he submitted a request for a visit by a party (of twelve if memory serves me correct) of the fictitious “Pudsey Rail Enthusiasts Society” of which he stated he was the Secretary. All typed out at work again on the best Basildon Bond blue tinted paper (I did receive some useful xmas presents!) signed with a Parker pen in royal blue ink and complete with a stamped, typed addressed envelope.

Our diligence worked a treat, as a permit for a visit during July 1964 soon arrived back at Ronnie’s house in Pudsey.

The day of the visit soon arrived and armed with a fresh film, my friend Ronnie plus some lads off the estate, Ronnie went to the foreman’s office to register our arrival with the rest of us in tow. We were then allocated a guide to show us round and all seemed to be going well, starting off with a tour of the shed. Doing the outside depot yard first, I lagged behind and grabbed a few shots without anything or anybody in the way (just like an artist might do!). But I became greedy and after catching up with the rest of the party I asked our guide for permission to take some panoramic scenes shot from the top of the shed roof at my own risk – all to no avail.

This was a grave mistake on my part as the guide suddenly twigged why my face was familiar - despite now being twenty-one years old, taller, leaner, complete with moustache, Aran sweater, jeans and creepers. I suspect he must have been one of the staff I had encountered in the past as he frog-marched me off the site, up to the top of the steps and into the nearby Railway Terrace – I am unwilling/unable to recount his exact words - shouting loud, abusive language for all to hear. I was forced to wait outside for the rest of the party who finished the tour without further incident before we all retired to the two pubs at the end of the road, trying each one of them in turn.

After this visit not only did I then vow (once again) never to ever return – I didn’t.

The following photographs represent the only pictures I managed that day after years and years of trying.

Despite snatching just three shots until I put my foot in it, the resulting pictures were ok and I was more than happy to cross another item off the wish list secured to the back of my bedroom door.  

Low Moor 56F based B1 61023 Hirola and Ardsley 56B allocated B1 (6) 1215 William Henton Carver with name plates and front ends in view, showing the detail of one loco equipped with electric lighting, the other B1 being without, with 42411 in the background.

At its home shed, Low Moor 56F allocated Jubilee 45694 Bellerophon minus nameplates seen in immaculate external condition as it simmers in the sun.

An unidentified Class 8f takes the line from Bowling Junction which diverges from the steeply-graded Bradford Exchange to Low Moor line (visible in the middle distance) with empty mineral waggons and heads towards Laisterdyke: the 8f will shortly pass the Bradford Dyers Association Works on the left before reaching the halfway point at Hall Lane crossing. This poor quality photo was scanned from a print I took with a friend's camera and it is enclosed here, as I have never seen a photograph taken at this location before.

Another unidentified 8f approaches the Hall Lane crossing signal box having just passed the Bowling Dyeworks private sidings on its left heading in the same direction as in the previous illustration but on this occasion hauling a loaded mineral train during a heavy snowfall.

Although the Bradford avoiding line from Bowling Junction to Laisterdyke saw little traffic, I did manage to plan and execute the photographing of a train on a snow-filled day in winter during my dinner-break from the factory where I worked, which was just further down the road. These two shots illustrate Low Moor shed’s allocated Class B1 61016 Inyala, seen here hardly breaking sweat on this featherweight midday trip working which was made up of two waggons plus a guard's van.

This short ensemble is seen approaching Hall Lane signal box which controlled both the manually operated Hall Lane level crossing gates and the divergence of the line serving Ripley sidings.

Another of Low Moor allocated named Class B1s, 61014 Oribi on this occasion was photographed with a short ballast train in Quarry Gap yard, as viewed from the Dick Lane overbridge looking west towards Laisterdyke station.

This particular locomotive must have been in good nick during its Low Moor allocation of over two years since it was seen in action on a wide variety of workings most days of the week. Familiarity breeds contempt, they say, which in Oribi's case led to some local enthusiasts dubbing it 'orrible'! 

Observed from the same road bridge but in the opposite direction, a 2-6-4T approaches Laisterdyke with the through coaches off a Kings Cross-Leeds/Bradford service. During the Sixties there was a regular service of eight such trains daily in each direction during the week, with haulage usually shared by ex-LNER B1s and ex-LMS 2-6-4 tanks. The scheduled steam-operated services between Leeds and Bradford were withdrawn on the 1st October 1967. Visible in the distance is the bridge carrying the former GNR line to Shipley via Idle. Opened in 1874, the single line branch was an attempt by the GNR to capture some of the Bradford-Shipley traffic and gain access to the Aire Valley which at that time was wholly in the hands of the MR.

Class B1 No 61014 Oribi is seen yet again, this time shrouded in a cloud of steam as it approaches Laisterdyke Station on its way down to the Bradford Exchange station. Of note are the unusual signals, one arm of which is almost buried in the vegetation!

On Thursday the 23rd April 1964 I caught a train back to Bradford from Doncaster headed by one of 56A Wakefield's many B1s No 61034 Chiru; this photo was taken on the curve approaching St Dunstan's station from my carriage window on the final leg of the 1- in- 50 descent from Laisterdyke down to Bradford Exchange station.

Bradford boasted two large central termini Stations in the sixties, with Bradford Forster Square Station facing North and Bradford Exchange Station facing South just a mere 800 yards away in a straight line. What a wasted opportunity to combine the two!

Jubilee class 45590 Travancore simmering in glorious sunshine on Sunday the 10th May 1964 waiting to depart with the 1.58pm working to London.

I took this photograph prior to joining the train to Leeds City Station and was able to photograph it again from a coach window as we approached Leeds – see item in gallery 8.                                                  

Royal Scot 46128 The Lovat Scouts, a 12A Carlisle allocation photographed on Tuesday the 26thMay 1964 waiting to depart with an evening express passenger train from platform 6. The large ornamental wrought iron metal ring that can be seen above the train was one of around eight supporting the impressive road bridge connecting Cheapside to Valley Road. 

I was fortunate to own one some time ago – it was very heavy. The letters were cast separately and screwed to the ring individually. They also had a further casting fixed central in the ring  of a Midland Railways Wyvern symbol - a winged two-legged dragon with a barbed tail - which sits in the middle of a garter that once formed part of the company's coat-of-arms.

Clan 72005 Clan Macgregor.

In the summer of 1964, 12A Carlisle Kingmoor shed still boasted an allocation of around 150 steam locomotives including the few remaining Clans, one of which is pictured here in this night scene on Saturday the 30th May, ready to depart to Leeds on the first leg of a train for destined for London. The locomotive was withdrawn on Saturday, 1st May 1965 followed by its demise being cut up at the West of Scotland Ship breaking Co in Troon during July the same  year.

Class 7MT Britannia 70035 Rudyard Kipling at the head of the 3.40pm Carlisle all - stations stopper. This was a favourite working amongst local enthusiasts as it was often used as a running in turn by Carlisle shed, almost anything could turn up on this train from the usual black fives to Jubilees, Royal Scots, Patriots, Clans and as illustrated here, one of Carlisle stud of Britannia's.

On Saturday 9th May, dirty Diesel Class 25 D7568 at the head of what may have been the afternoon Sheffield train. As the diesel invasion reached Bradford, type 2s were the first to appear regularly on passenger trains. If memory serves me correct, the signalman at Shipley explained that the type 2s had to be limited to a maximum loading of seven coaches on the Morecambe turns owing to both lack of power and occasional failures. 

This gallery is concluded with a shot of a passenger train at platform 5 waiting for the signal to depart for Leeds City Station, on a very cold November night headed by Fairburn 4P 2-6-4T No 42271.

Just what the headlamp code noted on the bunker indicates I have been unable to fathom out. 

During the first few months of 1964 I tried various makes of 35mm cameras hired from Erick’s camera shop in Bradford  city center but could not find one that i was totally happy with. I also  occasionally borrowed my work colleague's camera which had a maximum shutter speed of 1/300th. 

My experiment with colour photography during 1963 was an expensive, abject failure as was my experiment with an 8mm cine camera. At last I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do, which was to take plenty of black and white snaps from different angles as well as a few of the almost obligatory front three-quarter shots - and what with, i.e. 

a 35mm camera with a minimum shutter speed of 1/500th plus a button facility for long exposures at night, Ilford FP3 fine grain film, (developed “in house” though goodness knows what the neighbours thought of the strange red light in my bedroom late at night!), plus tripod and light meter which i never quite mastered and i never really got to grips with yellow filters either.... 

With the continuing transition of main line motive power from steam to diesel, which had started in 1958, over six years earlier, it really was now or never. 1964 soon became the year I threw everything at it apart from the kitchen sink!

Having at last purchased a Fed 2, 35mm camera and tripod, it was all finally coming together. My next task was to decide the styles of pictures I was going to attempt and having admired many pictures in the railway magazines I drew up a list of what I would like to achieve and stuck it on the inside of my bedroom door with drawing pins, crossing the objectives off once completed, most batches being compiled from various locations and at different dates throughout the year. With Bradford being my home town I spent a lot of time travelling to and from both Bradford Exchange and Forster Square Stations hence my first batch of galleries depict the railway scene from that area.

One of my objectives in 1964 was to take a sequence of photographs of the locomotive rostered for the popular 3.40pm Bradford-Carlisle stopper. This I managed to do towards the end of the year when the now-preserved 'Royal Scot' No 46115 Scots Guardsman - recently allocated to 12A Carlisle Kingmoor week ending the 7th November 1964 - appeared on this turn several times in the week.  

(Above) Having managed to overcome my recent fears of climbing rail side infrastructure my first shot was taken from the top of a lamp post of 46115 standing side by side with Class 4MT Ivatt No 43074 at 55F Manningham shed; this angle gives a good view of the double and single chimneys. (Below) Here the locomotives are queuing up for coal and water alongside Manningham's coaling plant.
       

(Above-Below) No 46115 is now easing out of the shed yard and backing slowly down to Forster Square station to hook onto its train on platform 6. (Below) This is its 3.40pm departure photographed from the verandah of the signal box at the throat of Bradford's Forster Square station. 

After collecting additional coaching stock at Skipton station, 46115 now gets into its stride heading for its next stop at Gargrave station. I had chased this train all the way from Bradford and arrived just in time to photograph it from Broughton Road's Niffany Bridge on the outskirts of Skipton.

Fast forwards fifty years and 46115 could still be seen working at the exact same spot hauling enthusiasts "specials" over the Settle and Carlisle line, thanks to the preservationists restoring the locomotive to mainline standards whilst not forgetting the people that had fought very hard to keep the line open.

During December 1964 BR Standard Class 2, 2-6-0 78014 was the acting station pilot. For many years in the late Fifties two Ivatt 2MT "Mickey Mouse" 2-6-2Ts Nos 41265/66 undertook this duty. 

 Just before  Manningham shed was Valley Road Goods Yard that occupied an area trackside leading to Forster Square Station. It was a great place for photographing the railway scene with a wide range of locomotives both diesel and steam arriving and departing with an equally interesting variety of trains, especially in the late evening when the yard became a hive of activity. 

Despite taking shots at ground level in the evening sun of locomotives awaiting trains to be made up, I foolishly decided it was an ideal location for trying some striking nocturnal shots from one of the many floodlight pylons dotted around the vast yard. Having carefully planned on taking brief-timed aerial exposures from the very top of a pre-selected pylon, I waited for a suitable dry night with a full moon and no wind. Then armed with all the equipment I needed (I kept it to a minimum as it looked quite a climb to the top) I arrived on site and slowly started climbing the attached ladder in darkness but very soon realized the structure did not feel very stable. It wasn't until I was about half way up that I was hit by a sudden panic-attack; I clung on for dear life, took several deep breaths to calm myself and somehow managed to slowly descend back to terra firma, sweating and shaking like a half wit!
Annoyed at my abject failure I decided to try again a week later, only this time I had a very good idea of what to expect and so I mentally prepared myself, but despite heeding my friend's advice to always look up when climbing or descending, I found myself standing at the very top in the middle of the night, and again I was clinging on to the handrail like a blithering idiot. Everywhere I looked seemed to be moving; the lights on the city skyline were visibly swaying from side to side and then I too began to shake which only made the unnerving motion sickness even worse. Then I made the mistake of looking down and realised that despite the absence of any wind at ground level it had been a cruel deception; the entire pylon was swaying sickeningly from side to side; it was patently obvious that any ideas I had of taking 'sharp' timed exposures were impossible!
By now every nerve in my body was telling me to stay calm, but I was in a right old state, at one point I thought I was about to pass out and it wasn't until several minutes later that I managed to calm myself enough to begin a slow descent. However just before reaching the final rungs at the bottom I was caught in the beam of a torchlight; I heard an Alsatian dog growling, then a man's voice shouted - 'What the hell do you think you're doing? Get down now!' I don't remember my exact reply…it was more a snivelling whimper, but I do recall telling him that I had a lineside permit and tossing it down for him to inspect. He said that it didn't cover climbing infrastructures and threatened to release his dog should I think of doing anything else stupid; he dropped my pass on the ground and then stepped back, dragging the snarling Alsatian away to a safe distance.
I waited until he was several yards away before climbing down to retrieve my pass and he unceremoniously escorted me off the premises. I just prayed he had a strong grip of his dog straining at the leash only feet behind me. I was in a nervous state for weeks afterwards.

With their high footplate well clear of the cylinders and cab sides not carried down to tender-footplate level, the Ivatt Moguls were not the prettiest of engines, and soon acquired the nickname "Flying Pigs". 

Here we see Ivatt Mogul 43074 having its fire cleaned out by its fireman, the tool being used to work the “rocking grate” was similar to the one commonly used to start lorry engines at the time! Despite it being a dirty, dusty job I was amazed to see how highly polished his boots were!   

I wonder what today's Health & Safety executive would make of the day-to-day working conditions for railwaymen in steam days; no hard hats or high visibility vests in those days; in fact there were few safety measures to speak of! The fireman is balancing precariously on the tender of Patriot class 45530 Sir Frank Ree. He's managed to get the bag in okay…but the water ain't going where it should!  

(Above and below) The locomotive is rebuilt 'Patriot' class No 45530 Sir Frank Ree, named after the General Manager of the London and North Western Railway seen being prepared at manningham shed for its next turn of duty. The tender has been filled with both coal and water before setting off tender first to collect its train from Forster Square station.

No 45530 is now seen restarting the 3.40pm stopper from Bradford Forster Square to Carlisle, an all stations service which I was informed would be the last steam working of the train. This snippet came from the engine crew who had worked the train the previous day. I asked if Carlisle would turn out a special loco for this historic event?  Their reply went something along the lines of - 'If we have any steam loco spare! We seem to be covering failed diesels all over the place!'
From memory it was early 1965 and 45530 was a Holyhead engine that had actually been condemned, but the loco was reinstated and acquired by a desperate Carlisle shed.  Despite it being the filthiest 'Patriot' I had ever seen, minus both its nameplates and shed code plate.  

As mentioned earlier,  just before  Manningham shed was Valley Road Goods Yard that occupied an area trackside leading to Forster Square Station. It was a great place for photographing the railway scene with a wide range of locomotives both diesel and steam arriving and departing with an equally interesting variety of trains, especially in the late evening when the yard became a hive of activity, not only that but it was much less stressfull than climbing pylons in the hope of capturing night shots!

On Wednesday evening, 13th May 1964, 56F Low Moor's Class B1 No 61115 was seen waiting for its train to be made up in Valley Road Goods Yard.       

Jubilee Class 45565 Victoria, one of Low Moors small stud of immaculately kept Jubilees, photographed on Wednesday evening, 13th May 1964.

         BR “spaceship,” Standard 9F 92048 was shot on the following evening, Thursday the 14th May.

  (Above-Below) A mile beyond Frizinghall station on the final leg to Bradford Forster Square station was Manningham station and shed (55F). During May 1964 whilst travelling by train from Bradford to Leeds I grabbed the opportunity to take these photographs from the carriage window of a pair of 55F Manningham-allocated 0-6-0 diesel shunters Nos D3658 and D3457 at rest in the shed yard. For the record, Darlington-built D3457 was delivered new to Stourton shed (55B) in June 1957 and renumbered TOPS Class 08 No 08372 in February 1974, withdrawal came in October 1984. No D3658 was built at Doncaster and also delivered new to 55B in May 1958; it became TOPS Class 08 No 08503 in February 1974 and withdrawn from traffic in September 1988.  

This fifty-odd-year-old Brownie shot of a busy period at Frizinghall Station just ¾ mile from Shipley was taken from the Frizinghall Road Bridge and shows two early-liveried dmus (later designated Class 108) standing side by side in the platforms. Both are sporting cab front-end 'V' chevrons, or 'speed whiskers' as they became known; this was BR's first attempt at visually warning engineers working on the permanent way. Note also the healthy amount of wagon load traffic in the goods yard on the right which somehow adds a general air of industry to the scene. Frizinghall's Goods Yard included a wool warehouse and goods shed, and during its heyday it handled a diverse selection of goods such as print paper, wool, glass bottles and soda ash. The yard eventually closed to traffic on 6th July 1970 five years after the station closed. Indeed, despite a high number of pupils from the nearby Bradford Grammar School providing a major source of income, Frizinghall Station became yet another casualty of the Beeching Axe and closed on 20 March 1965. This was proof in itself that Beeching's blanket refusal to recognise the impact that his station closures would have on local communities was nothing short of callous; rather than finding the middle ground on station closures, he wasn't prepared to listen to the voice of reason. 

12A Carlisle Kingmoor's 'Black Five' No 45293 heads for Bradford after a brief stop at Shipley with an ex-London St Pancras express on Saturday the 8th August 1964. Shipley Goods Shed can be seen on the left. Following closure of the goods yard in the Sixties, the land was subsequently used as a large scrap yard facility by Crossley-Evans who retained the rail connection to the BR system. It covered an area of 16 acres and had a turnover as high as £23 million per annum, employing around forty to a hundred staff and on a busy week could despatch five thousand tons of scrap metal by rail.   

 I always found steam loco crews to be most helpful. They had great pride in their work and on passenger turns they would often lean out of their cabs at journey's end whilst passengers disembarked, many complimenting the crew on a job well done with a 'Thanks driver' or 'a good run' plus similar appreciative remarks. Come the diesel era, however, and this deserved praise disappeared almost overnight. On Wednesday 27th May 1964, 'Black Five' No 45210 arrived at Shipley's platform 2 with a Carlisle-Bradford Forster Square all-stations-stopping train and I asked the crew if there was any chance of a smoke effect when departing? “How much would I like? replied the driver." As much as possible, please, was my naive answer. The crew were more than generous and produced plenty of smoke. However, having grabbed my first shot and wound the film on for the next shot they really opened the Black Five up; I was drenched in a black smog! The subsequent pictures were useless, and I finished up going home in an absolutely filthy state! I met up with the driver on the same working at Shipley some months later, and he had a good laugh about it. He remembered the event well; they had popped some sand into the firebox and cleaned the tubes having adjusted the cut off to blast it out, something he explained they did occasionally with poor steaming locos but only in the countryside away from built-up areas. I never requested smoke effects again - once was enough!  

Next we have another Carlisle engine, a clean looking 'Jubilee' No 45588 Kashmir on the 8.14pm Carlisle-Bradford with the fireman about to give a cheery wave as the engine accelerates away from its Shipley stop on Tuesday 4th August 1964.

On Monday 25th May 1964, 46128 The Lovat Scouts looks steam tight and in fine fettle as it cruises around the curve away from Shipley on the final leg to Bradford Forster Square, with a friendly wave from the driver. Amazing to think that when built in its original form thirty-seven years ago, this class was required to haul the heavily-loaded West Coast Main Line Anglo-Scottish expresses of fifteen bogies not only unaided but without the use of bankers over Shap and Beattock banks.

Contrary to appearances this is not a duplicate of the shot posted earlier on this page; I photographed 'Royal Scot' class No 46128 The Lovat Scouts working the same train at the very same spot two days on the trot, the second time (here) on Tuesday 26th May 1964. After arriving at Bradford, the crew explained that some minor niggles on the engine had been resolved by the maintenance staff at Kingmoor shed. Comparing both shots it is clear that its smoke box had been cleaned out; the smoke box door handles are in a different position whilst the single white headlamp had been replaced with a black one.  

Shipley Goods Signal Box was a typical MR design constructed wholly of timber with 'hipped' roofs sloping on all four sides; the box controlled the entrance to Shipley Goods Yard which was still in use in 1964 but later to become Crossley Evans Scrap Merchant yard with the rail connection still in place.  

 Both these coming and going shots were taken from the Valley Road Bridge, these shots show yet another Carlisle Kingmoor 'Britannia' No 70003 John Bunyan approaching Frizinghall Station with the same Bradford-bound stopping train. The constant 'stopping and starting' at every station between Carlisle and Bradford might have been a tedious task for some Kingmoor-based engine crews, but the train itself was a walk in the park for a Class 7MT Britannia Pacific. 

This section of track was quadrupled in the early 1900s but unlike the Shipley to Leeds section, two tracks were provided for goods traffic only which terminated at the vast Valley Road Goods Yard, whereas those on the left are the up and down passenger lines to and from Bradford Forster Square station. Here, a snow-plough-fitted Class 8F 48622 of 55D Royston shed was photographed  hauling a rather long, heavy mixed freight heading for the Bradford Valley Road goods yard, while the going-away shot  shows the 8F being passed by a 2-car Class 108 dmu heading towards Shipley.

On the same cold, misty day, Manningham's Ivatt Class 4MT 2-6-0 No 43124 heads an express passenger train to Leeds.  

Following its obligatory stop at Shipley railway station, Manningham shed's Fairburn 2-6-4T No 42093 gets to grips with a Leeds to Bradford passenger train on a cold, frosty day. 

I couldn't resist the opportunity to post yet another 'going away' shot, if only to illustrate the true mixed traffic capabilities of the class; this photo was taken from a vantage point on Wharncliffe Road bridge and shows an unidentified Ivatt Class 4MT 'Flying Pig' working a mixed freight towards Shipley.

During 1964, at the ripe old age of twenty, I spent a vast amount of spare time and effort recording the rapidly changing railway scene within the Shipley environs.

At last having acquired a decent Fed 35mm camera plus a British Railways line-side photographic permit covering an area from Bradford to the triangular junction at Shipley, whilst not forgetting the most helpful BR staff including engine crews and signalmen – it “all came together”.

At last I had all I needed, my own darkroom for developing and printing, funds, equipment, time, transport and permission to pursue my hobby in earnest.

Furthermore I was now working shifts, which was an added bonus as I could now take photographs at any time during the day or night, any day of the week, depending on which shift I was on at the time.

Looking back, this was one opportunity that I grabbed with both hands (yes there were others, but we won’t go into that!).

I will be indulging myself by posting most of my surviving photographs from what was my favourite railway location and including a diverse selection of around sixteen different steam locomotive classes plus five different types of diesels, not forgetting the “bug carts” which all added to the variety. 

When on “day” shift I would leave work at 5pm, grab a chip butty from the local fish shop and travel to the Shipley box by around half past five for an update on the day’s events before settling down to observe the traffic coming through. I would then usually leave a couple of hours later to meet my girlfriend a few miles away at around 8pm.

One of my many favourite locations was the four tracks just out of Shipley station curving away towards Frizinghall. I must have taken shots of all the Carlisle black fives at this point, but for variety I have included shots of the various classes on passenger work (tank engine, Black Five,

Jubilee, Royal Scot and Britannia plus 4MT Ivatts and Stanier 8Fs on freight turns).

                                                 The Shipley Station running in board on platform 2. 

Despite frequent visits to major railway centres such as Leeds, Crewe, York, Darlington and Doncaster, the triangular junction at Shipley always remained my favourite spot. During late 1963 I got to know the signalmen who operated Shipley-Bingley Junction box quite well; all were most hospitable when I visited to photograph the changing scene.
The box was situated at the end of Shipley station's platform 2 and provided a good view of the junction; indeed having been allowed to take shots from the box and veranda, I then asked permission to cross the tracks to take pictures from the other side. This was understandably refused, however one signalman - alas, over the passage of time I'm unable to remember his name, nor the name of his Alsatian dog that invariably accompanied him.
However, I do remember him suggesting that the best way to take lineside photos was to obtain a lineside pass, and he gave me the contact name and address at BR(NE) at York. He also advised me that someone had already tried but failed before me, and so to avoid disappointment I should submit my request along the lines of (1) an application for a small area, (2) accompany it with a number of sample photographs (no steam!) and (3) state that I was interested in recording the modernisation of Britain's railways.
So I followed his advice and wrote a letter, using only the best Basildon Bond paper, making sure to include a stamped addressed envelope and enclosing my best Kodak Brownie shots of diesels, which, to be honest, were not that brilliant. I explained that as a responsible 20 year-old, I wished to compile a photographic record depicting the modernisation of the railways in a small area of Bradford-Shipley triangle - and, if that wasn't enough to ensure a positive response, I offered to submit character references as testimony of my trustworthiness.
Thankfully they were not required and shortly afterwards I received an acceptance letter, my photos were all returned and with them an all important lineside pass.

Shipley-Bingley Junction Signal Box became almost like a second home during 1964. Pictured here during a shift change are two of the very helpful signalmen who kept me well informed of any forthcoming special workings or any southbound passenger trains rescued by steam owing to the failure of the rostered diesel.
Collating all this information with my own sightings and those of other local enthusiasts, plus observations from the enginemen on the footplate of the 0-4-0ST 'Nellie' at the Esholt Sewage Works exchange sidings alongside the main line near Thackley tunnel, I was able to compile a long list of events that occurred in 1964 and promptly sent the details off to the 'Trains Illustrated' magazine...but it never appeared in print. When I wrote and asked why, the response was - 'Please confirm the dates and workings' - which I did, but to no avail.
This I found most odd, for having been an occasional contributor to the magazine's motive power report feature since my very first report was published in August 1956 (I was then just 13!) I assumed that their reluctance to highlight the very high percentage of diesel failures at the time may have been politically motivated; all my previous submitted observations had been published without question.

 

An interior view of Shipley-Bingley signal box looking towards platform 2, showing the sidings on the left known as 'Angle sidings' although it was called the 'Engineers Sidings' by one of the signalmen. For the record, upon closure of Shipley-Bingley Junction signalbox on 25th June 1994, the structure was dismantled and moved to the KWVR the next day. It was anticipated the box would be commissioned in time to celebrate the 50th year anniversary of the opening of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in 2018.  
 

28th December 1964. Unusually one of Low Moor's (56F) 'Jubilees' No 45565 Victoria awaits departure from Shipley's platform 1 on the 3.40pm Bradford to Carlisle stopper during a bitterly cold spell. I was given to understand that the rostered Carlisle loco had failed at Bradford and was therefore unable to take the return working back to Carlisle. Even more unusual, the photograph was taken from the signal box whilst drinking a mug of tea - just glad I had my tripod and an extra long cable release with me on that freezing day! For the record, platform 1 was abandoned in 1980 when the curve between Shipley-Bingley Junction and Shipley-Bradford Junction was singled and local passenger services in both directions were concentrated on the 'down' platform 2 on the left.

Black 5 45014 was photographed heading the 12.43pm express passenger train to Morecambe from Bradford on a bitterly cold, dull winter’s day in December 1964.

In order to assist signalmen identify additional trains working in the normal timetable such as summer Saturday excursions, holiday reliefs and other specials, reporting numbers were displayed on the front of the locomotive along with the usual lamp head code indicating the class of train. This code was either chalked onto the locomotive front or pasted as paper characters onto a head code panel mounted on the locomotive's smokebox. Displaying a stencilled 1X31 head code on its top lamp iron, Lancaster Green Ayre  'Crab' 2-6-0 No 42931 restarts a six-coach Bradford Forster Square-Blackpool holiday excursion from platform one on 23rd July 1964.

Note the three boys sat on the Station boundary wall - no tablets or mobile phones in those days - just a notepad and a shared pencil ! a group of friends in the great outdoors socialising and enjoying themselves whilst pursuing their hobby. 

This may well bring back happy memories for a lot of railway enthusiasts of the sixties, whilst today's youngsters looking at these pictures can see how we used to enjoyed ourselves without even spending a penny!

Sporting a 12A Kingmoor shedcode and a recently repositioned lamp iron on the smokebox door,  72005 Clan Macgregor gets away from Shipley with the 3.40pm Bradford Forster Square-Carlisle stopping service.  Note the topmost lamp iron had been moved to a lower position for safety reasons; this prevented engine crews having to reach up to remove or replace a lamp at this unsafe height when working in areas with overhead electrification equipment.  

The next three items in this gallery feature three of my favorite going away type shots.  Why my favorite?  the answer will be found in gallery  15 -  I promise! 

The BR Standard Class 6MT Clan Pacifics were built at Crewe between 1951-52 with Nos 72000-4 going to Polmadie in Glasgow (66A) and Nos 72005-9 being assigned to Carlisle Kingmoor (12A) for duties previously worked by the LMS 'Jubilee' and 'Patriot' classes. When introduced to traffic, the ten locomotives Nos 72000-72009 had a mixed reception by locomotive crews; the majority of Scottish and Midland enginemen displayed a liking for them on regular duties, and as such, produced some good performances, whereas crews unfamiliar with the class found them difficult to handle, and this led to their somewhat undeservedly bad reputation. Here, Clan Pacific No 72009 Clan Stewart makes a spirited departure from Shipley with the 3.40pm Bradford to Carlisle all-stations marathon on the 16th April 1964. The Clans based at Carlisle were occasional visitors on this working and I understood from one of the crews that this out-and-back trip was often used as a running-in turn by Kingmoor shed. No 72009 was withdrawn on the 28th August 1965 and cut up by Motherwell Machinery and Scrap Company Ltd in November that year. (Below) Sporting a 12A Kingmoor shed code and a recently repositioned lamp iron on the smokebox door.

  Shipley-Bradford Junction box controlled the southern apex of the triangle. In this view, the signalman has pulled off the Down Main Home No 31, allowing Manningham's No 42093 to depart with a London-Bradford express on the final leg of the journey to Forster Square on the 4th August 1964. I remember this loco well; I was in the first carriage behind 42093 as it powered out of Shipley's platform 3 at the head of a Leeds train and the engine had the audacity to overtake a Class A3 on the southbound 'Waverley'. The A3 had just come around the North curve and before it had chance to pick up speed again, we managed to overtake it on the four-track stretch from Shipley to Thackley Tunnel, much to my excitement. However, on exiting the 1,496-yard-long tunnel at the Apperley Bridge end I discovered the A3 was now well ahead and we had no hope of keeping up. But at least I had the memory!

Nearing journeys end, Carlisle's BR Britannia Class 7MT No 70036 Boadicea departs Shipley's number 2 platform with an evening Carlisle to Bradford Forster Square train on the 23rd April 1964.

 This is an undated nocturnal shot of Britannia Class 7MT 70039 Sir Christopher Wren awaiting departure from platform 2 on the final leg of a Carlisle-Bradford Forster Square stopping service. Having set the camera on a tripod I asked the crew if there was chance of a bit of steam. "No problem," replied the driver, Just prior to moving off I'll blow the whistle nonstop until you give the thumbs up! As good as his word, when the departure time arrived, he blew the whistle continuously until a huge cloud of steam completely shrouded the engine. Alas, this is the only photo of four I exposed where you can actually see what it is!

The Western curve of  the Shipley triangle did not see as many goods trains as the Northern and Eastern curves, here 10G Skipton’s 0-6-0 “coffee pot” 44007 is seen emerging out of the sun with a mixed freight train heading for the Valley Road Goods Yard in Bradford at 8pm on a sunny summers evening, Wednesday 10th June 1964, unaware of its impending demise the following month when it was withdrawn after almost 44 years’ service.