Photo Gallery 6 THACKLEY - SHIPLEY - SALTAIRE.

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I was keen to take pictures of goods trains climbing the incline to Idle on the ex-GN branch from Shipley to Laisterdyke, but as my lineside permit did not extend to this section of track the signalman in the Shipley-Bingley Junction box had a word with the Shipley GN signalman who agreed to help. Opened in April 1875, this rarely photographed branch gave the Great Northern Railway access to the MR at Shipley, its main traffic being coal from the Wakefield area with up to seven freights daily. Passenger services were withdrawn on 2nd February 1931 but the line close being the two mile gradient between Idle and Shipley for transporting limestone from Idle Moor quarry until October 1968. The GNR branch joined the Midland Railway at Leeds Junction signal box at the eastern apex of the triangular junction. This photo shows a clean Low Moor Jubilee 45694 Bellerophon getting into its stride with a transfer freight working on Wednesday 29th July 1964. 

 The following day, Thursday 30th July 1964, I photographed Stourton shed's Class 8F No 48622 from the signal box at the foot of the tortuous gradient which rises at 1-in-61 for two miles to the summit at Idle. Note how the engine crews just love being in the picture!
Oh the memories! On Saturday 1st August 1964 I noticed a Low Moor WD 2-8-0 train awaiting departure with a lengthy freight from the ex-GN Windhill yard, and set off to photograph it...but it was like a ghost train - no crew or guard in sight! I checked with the signalman who said they had gone for 'refreshments' but were due back soon.
Sure enough, the crew duly appeared and said they had seen me taking pics earlier that week and would I like a footplate ride to Laisterdyke? I was dumbfounded! Over the years I had frequently been able to 'cab' an engine if the crew had time, from D49s and Compounds at Bradford Forster Square to Brits and Class A4 'Streaks' elsewhere, but all previous requests for a footplate ride had been turned down. So without further hesitation I jumped aboard and followed the driver's instructions and stood behind the fireman whilst he explained the controls. I remember him adjusting the cut off, gently opening the regulator and waving to the signalman, then as we began the climb to Idle, in between keeping an eye on the road ahead he proceeded to do a crossword! During our trip the driver never appeared to change the cut off or the regulator until we neared Cutlers sidings at Laisterdyke. Nor do I remember the fireman using the shovel very often, he seemed more preoccupied waving to the women hanging washing out in back gardens on Thorpe Edge Estate.
What an experience! This was a footplate ride never to be repeated again, though I tried often enough. According to the crew the WD could pull anything anywhere, but it was a rough riding loco - I had the bruises to prove it - and most unusually on this occasion, I somehow managed to stay clean.

When British Railways was formed in 1948 it continued to build selected locomotive types belonging to the former 'Big Four' railway companies, the LMS Ivatt Mogul 2-6-0s being one such example. The first three in the Class 4MTs numbered 43000-2 were built by the LMS at Horwich in December 1947; these were followed by Nos 43003-49 and 43112-36 which were constructed at the same works by BR. No 43117 was among the second batch and entered traffic on 9th June 1951. They were either loved or loathed by loco crews; most of the Manningham lads considered them free-running and liked them for both freight and passenger turns. Being a local 55A Holbeck allocated engine, 43117 was often seen in the area and is pictured here approaching Shipley-Leeds Junction with a northbound freight on the evening of Monday 25th May 1964. Withdrawal came in July 1967. 

Following closely behind the Ivatt Mogul was 'Black Five' No 45054 at the head of a northbound coal train; this Black Five was built in November 1935 at the Vulcan Foundry and spent most of its life working from Carnforth 11A. The Stanier 'Black Fives' proved very popular with crews being free steaming, reliable and powerful locos that could be relied upon for whatever task they were allocated. They served on all the BR Regions and no fewer than eighteen locomotives have survived in preservation, a fitting testimony to the Stanier design. 

A 2-car Metropolitan Cammell dmu on the Leeds City-Bradford Forster Square service slows for the obligatory stop at Shipley on 30th May 1964. In the distance can be seen the timber-built Guiseley Junction signal box where the line from Ilkley trails in from the left, and on the right (at the foot of the 1 in 61 climb to the summit at Idle) is the stone-built GN Shipley Junction signal box which controlled train movements into Windhill Station, terminus of the GNR's branch from Laisterdyke. Note also the milepost to London marker in the foreground, and of much interest to GN enthusiasts is the unusual signal with a centre pivot arm, more commonly known as a GNR somersault signal. The GNR invented the new signal following a serious crash caused by snow freezing an arm in the wrong position in 1873.  

Fairburn 2-6-4T 42271with a short parcels train from Leeds to Bradford. I often wondered why control did not combine this with the Devonian which also ran from Leeds, having departed just a few minutes earlier, again Bradford being its destination. 

55F Manningham allocated Fairburn 2-6-4T 42189 passes beneath the splendid signal gantry at Leeds Junction, Shipley with the Bradford portion of the 'Devonian' express on Easter Monday 30th March 1964. In those days the Aire Valley Line was a very different place than it is today; following closure of seven intermediate stations between Leeds and Bradford in 1965 and the reduction of four tracks to just two, traditional mechanical signal boxes and their attendant semaphores were still very much in evidence until the installation of multiple aspect colour light signalling and 25KV overhead line equipment in 1994. In the left background can be seen Guiseley Junction signal box where the branch to Ilkley diverges to the left, and just visible above the rear carriage is the stone-built GN Shipley Junction signal box at the foot of the 1-in-61 climb to Idle on the GNR's branch to Laisterdyke. 

Black 5 number 45025 accelerates away from the 20mph speed limit restriction on Shipley's North curve with a stopping passenger train on the 4th April 1964.  Before Sir William Stanier became Chief Mechanical Engineer of the LMSR in 1932, he was the Works Manager at the GWR Locomotive Works at Swindon, and many features of the LMSR's new medium powered mixed traffic 'Black 5' 4-6-0s was based on the GWR 'Hall' Class locomotives, both classes having similar cylinder arrangements, internal boiler design and 72 inch diameter driving wheels. Initially the LMSR ordered twenty 'Black Fives' from the Crewe Works and eighty from the Vulcan Foundry Works. No 45025 was among the first batch Nos 5020-5069 (Lot 119) built at the Vulcan Works in 1934; the first of the Crewe-built engines Nos 5000-5019 did not enter traffic until the following year. In all, a total of 842 Class 5 locomotives were built between 1934 and 1952 and no fewer than eighteen examples now survive in preservation, a fitting testimony to the Stanier design. No 45025's last shed was Carnforth (11A) from where it was withdrawn at the end of August 1968. 

During December 1964 I waited for a cold snap to take some winter shots at Shipley; it is well-known that a working steam locomotive produces the best smoke effects when the temperature is bitterly cold, though most of my previous attempts in such conditions were as grim as the weather. Discarding my light meter, which I never did master in the cold, a day duly arrived. I was just in time to observe a 'Black Five' No 44733 heading North through Shipley-Bingley Junction; the loco had only recently been transferred to 10A Carnforth at the end of September.

 I do recall the distinct lack of diesels that day! 

Despite the relentless invasion of BR's more modern diesel locomotives, the ex-LMSR 'Black 5' remained the predominant class of motive power observed in the Shipley area during the mid-Sixties. By this time Leeds Holbeck shed had acquired a substantial allocation of 'Peaks' for duties including the Anglo Scottish rosters from way back in 1961, however by 1964 they were still prone to malfunctioning train heating boilers, resulting in steam power being called upon to provide cover. A quick look through my surviving 1964 notebooks shows that less than ten percent of the locomotive-hauled passenger trains on the Aire Valley Line were powered by diesels against twenty percent of goods trains! Over the years, the Stanier Black Fives proved to be a solid, reliable, genuine mixed traffic locomotive; not only were they well-liked by most crews; they were frequently to be found working all manner of traffic on the Aire Valley Line, including on rare occasions the southbound Anglo-Scottish express’s when Carlisle shed had nothing more powerful available. During June 1964 there was still a large contingent of almost one hundred 'Black Fives' readily available for traffic, including c55 allocated to Carlisle Kingmoor, c19 at Carnforth, c12 at Lancaster Green Ayre and last but not least, c12 at Holbeck. The upshot was, despite British Railways doing its utmost to eradicate steam power as soon as possible, the trusty Black Fives were still required to provide back up for diesel failures during 1964 and 1965 resulting in Crewe works overhauling around fifteen of them at any given time. Indeed, such was the demand for these reliable versatile machines, against all odds BR had to concede that steam still had an important role to play.

It seems appropriate to include a brief mention of the stencilled numbers that appeared on the front of steam locomotives. While the aged system of standard lamp headcodes indicated the class of train being worked, additional reporting numbers were usually displayed for trains such as summer Saturday excursions, holiday reliefs, railtours and other specials, thus enabling signalmen to identify the additional trains working in the normal timetable. These codes were either chalked onto the locomotive front or pasted as paper characters onto a small headcode panel which was mounted on the top lamp iron of the smokebox. This shot was taken on a Saturday in June 1964 and shows a lightweight three-coach special headed by Holbeck 'Jubilee' class 45626 Seychelles displaying a 1S43 headcode; the number '1' indicates an express passenger, the 'S' shows its destination is the Scottish Region (ScR) and the number '43' identifies the train as the CTAC (Creative Tourist Agents Conference) Leicester to Gourock for Rothesay holiday special. This train was chartered by a consortium of nine UK travel agents and firms from British Railways and was scheduled to run on Saturdays during the summer. Motive power was usually a 55A Holbeck 'Jubilee' which worked the train as far as Carlisle, before heading back to Leeds at 12.40pm on the 1M97 return working to Leicester. The signalman said at the time that it must be one of the longest journeys for a regular three coach special! A red-backed headboard was sometimes used in both directions on the equivalent West Coast train from the Birmingham and Preston areas to Carlisle whilst a blue one was used from Carlisle to Gourock and back.

Fowler Class 4F 44586 was a regular performer on the Aire Valley Line and is seen here hauling a lengthy van train round Shipley's North curve on Saturday 8th August 1964. This loco completed 25 years of service in the area, spending an equal amount of time allocated firstly to 20D Normanton depot followed by a twelve and a half year spell at 55B Stourton. 

Holbeck 55A allocated 'Peak' Type 4 D14 (later TOPS Class 45 No 45015) eases the mid-morning Leeds-Glasgow express in late March 1964 around the speed restricted north curve at Shipley's triangular junction, its divided headcode boxes displaying 1S49, albeit the malfunctioning roller blind in the left-hand box has led to the missing '1' being substituted by a stencilled number pasted on the front. Diesel enthusiasts will no doubt be disappointed that, despite being purchased for preservation, this locomotive has been left to languish in a siding whilst various components have been removed for use on other preserved diesels. It was withdrawn from BR stock due to a seized traction motor in March 1986. Any hopes of it ever running again now seem very remote. 

On the same morning, diesel D14 was followed by a struggling 15A Leicester allocated class 25 type 2 D5198 also heading North hauling a mixed goods train.

Next follows an unidentified 'Black Five', my favourite locomotive class, seen working a short parcels train round the North curve. 

Ivatt flying pig 43039, with squealing wheels, drags a reluctant mixed freight train at speed round Shipley's north curve with its crew apparently oblivious to the then mandatory 20mph speed limit.

I only ever saw two locos run out of steam in the Shipley area, both being Class 4Fs on down goods trains. On this occasion, 44468 was heading a long mixed freight at 2.10pm on 23rd May 1964 and had to stop at the signal on the north curve near the Shipley-Bingley Junction box. Expecting a smoky exhaust when on the move again, I headed for the stone wall adjacent to the track just beyond Shipley Tunnel and waited there for what seemed an eternity; it took almost half an hour for the loco to brew up! Then I heard its whistle and knew it was on the move again. Having restarted its long train on the Shipley curve, it blasted its way out of the tunnel on the rising grade to Saltaire, throwing up plenty of smoke just as I had hoped for. On returning to Shipley-Bingley Junction box the signalman explained that no traffic had been held up.

At 3.30pm on Saturday 23rd May 1964, with a clear road ahead, D21 later TOPS Class 45 No 45026, one of 55A Holbeck's 'Peaks', powers away from Shipley towards Saltaire with train 2M 71, indicating a Leeds to Morecambe service. 

On the same day but prior to the above at 2.55pm, 16A Nottingham allocated 'Peak' D44 (TOPS Class 45 45035 accelerates hard in charge of the northbound 'Thames-Clyde Express', its two-piece central headcode panel displaying yet another inappropriate code due to a malfunctioning roller blind (it should read 1S68). Indeed, fast-forward a few years and the varying non-descriptive digits that appeared in the headcode panels was a major factor for BR's decision to dispense with them entirely. From 1976, BR decreed that operating handles were to be removed and blinds set permanently at '0000', then during classified overhauls at Works the distinctive four-character headcode boxes were removed and two fixed-beam lamps were fitted on the nose. 

This photo was taken on a bitterly cold winter's afternoon. Again it features one Lancaster's stud of Black Fives No 45354 at the head of a Morecambe train. Note the topmost lamp iron has been moved to a lower position on the smokebox door to protect engine crews from the 25kV AC overhead wires when working in the vicinity of the recently-electrified West Coast Main Line.

At 5.15pm on a sunny Saturday 16 May 1964, another Lancaster-based Black Five No 45193 is almost up to line speed as it heads homewards with a Bradford to Morecambe working. The loco was withdrawn in August 1967 after almost 32 years of service.

At 4pm on Saturday 16 May 1964, 'Black Five' 45126 looks in fine fettle at the head of the 3.40pm all stations stopper from Bradford Forster Square to Carlisle. The loco is getting into its stride following a brief stop at Shipley station, its exhaust barely visible in the spring sunshine as it climbs the short distance to its next stop at Saltaire. This humble train - usually made up of a motley collection of coaches and vans - held celebrity status among local railway enthusiasts as it was often hauled by a Class 7MT 'Britannia' Pacific, plus there was always the chance of seeing an occasional 'Clan', 'Patriot' or 'Royal Scot' locomotive. The 3.40pm train was the return working of a Carlisle Kingmoor shed's out-and-back roster and the relatively undemanding stop-start journey was frequently used as a running in turn, though the train did become fairly heavy after collecting more coaches and/or vans at Skipton. In today's high-tech world it is hard to imagine that so few enthusiasts had telephones in the mid-Sixties; instead we had to rely on calling at one another's houses to pass on the news as to what the shed master at Carlisle Kingmoor had allocated that day, especially if it was a 'namer'. I remember calling at a friend's house in Bolton Road, Bradford, to be greeted by his wife who explained Roy was in the bath so I asked her to pass a message on that it was a 'Clan!' The appearance of one of Kingmoor's Stanier 'Black Fives' did not generate the same amount of interest, however a big plus for this working was that it was rare to see the same locomotive two days on the trot. 

At 3pm on Saturday 23 May 1964, Lancaster Green Ayre's Black Five No 45014 accelerates north with a short parcels train towards Saltaire, famous for both its mill and the substantial village that Titus Salt had built for his factory workers. The headlamp code indicates a category Class 4 express freight. This photo was taken at f5.6 1/250th, using my usual choice of Ilford FP3 fine grain film. 

An unidentified Stanier 8F is working hard to keep its heavy coal train on the move in another winter scene at Saltaire. Following the lifting of the goods loop a change has been made to the upper quadrant semaphore signal. The topmost 'stop' arm has now been removed leaving just a 'distant' arm. 

Above, an unidentified 'Peak' approaches with a Morecambe-Leeds train; in the background is the famous mill complex at Saltaire, regarded as one of the finest examples of an intact Victorian industrial village and designated a conservation area by the Department of Environment.

Below, heading in the same direction shortly afterwards came an unidentified type 2 diesel on a lengthy freight heading for the Midlands. 

At the same location, 16D Nottingham-based 'Black   Five' 44918 looks in good condition coasting along with a Morecambe to Leeds   train at 4.30pm on 16th May 1964. 

Following the 'Black Five' at 4.45pm, was 12A Carlisle 'Spaceship' Class 9F No 92130 on a Class 4 express freight.  

Hot on the heels of the Class 9F at 4.55pm, was another Class 4 express freight headed by 55A Holbeck-based 'Jubilee' No 45739 Ulster. This photo above all others captures the lofty 255ft-high mill chimney at Saltaire which can be seen for miles around.  

In this photograph, one of Carlisle Kingmoor's Black Fives No 44672 is heading a Class 8 freight comprised of vehicles not fitted with an automatic brake in December 1964. 

Further South bound traffic followed with an unidentified Black Five at the head of a rake of empty mineral wagons.

 Despite the 'Black Fives' being the most common class of loco to be seen in the Aire Valley in 1964, the previous group of pictures were all taken at Saltaire just west of Shipley, giving a good illustration of the variety of motive power to be observed on both passenger and goods turns. We finish off with this unusual visitor, a 50B Hull Dairycoates-based Class B 1 No 61255 at the head of a Class 6 express freight with no fewer than 20% of the vehicles fitted with automatic brakes. This was one of the B 1 s equipped with electric headlamps.  

 In view of the scarcity of a Class Bl photo on the line I couldn't resist the opportunity of taking this "going-away" shot showing the fireman looking out for the signal on the approach to Shipley; just the one attempt, but I was happy with the result.  

On the 25th April 1964, just five months prior to being withdrawn, Camforth's Jubilee 45592 Indore is seen outdoors on an empties coal train rounding the Northern curve whilst working towards Leeds. With the increase of class 25 diesels becoming available, Jubilees were starting to appear on freight/ mineral turns displacing the often previously used 0-6-0 4Fs.  

When BR's fleet of new diesel railcars ousted steam from local services, an irreverent band of steam enthusiasts nicknamed the diesel upstarts as 'Bug Carts' which was about as insulting as one can get! Here a 2-car Metro-Cammel dmu approaches Shipley station on the Skipton to Bradford service at 5.30pm on Saturday 16th May 1964. The photo was shot at 1/250sec at f5.6 on a Fed 11 camera, which I still have today.  

This shot of Hughes 'Crab' 2-6-0 No 42940 heading through Shipley- Bingley Junction with loose-coupled coal empties, was taken from the signal box  verandah on 28 March 1964. A little over a year later, this ex-LMS 2-6-0 would end its days at Stockport Edgeley (9B) where it was withdrawn in September 1965 and cut up by TW Ward of Killamarsh in December. 

This photograph of Camforth's Fowler 4P 2-6-4T No 42359 heading a Camforth-Leeds turn was shot from the signal box window against the evening sun at 7.15pm on 15 May 1964.    

Between 1963 and 1965 almost anything could turn up on the passenger services between Bradford or Leeds and the Lancashire coastal resort of Morecambe or Heysham and Carnforth; I observed everything from 'Peaks', Brush Type 4s and Type 2 diesels to 'Britannias', 'Clans', 'Royal Scots', 'Patriots', 'Crabs' - and, of course, there was a bountiful supply of 'Black Fives'. Here an unidentified 'Black Five' was photographed from the Shipley-Bingley signal box at the head of a Leeds train.

On the 23rd April 1969 Stanier designed , Crewe-built, Burton -on-Trent allocated Jubilee 45593 Kolhapur was photographed on a Morecambe to Leeds passenger turn. This loco remained in service until withdrawal during August 1967. On the 26th July 1969 this locomotive was noted being exhibited as 5593 at the Allerton shed open day.

Black Five 44889 with steam to spare drifts round the North curve witn another Morecambe to Leeds passenger train.

The 28th December 1964 was a typical winter's day, freezing cold after a heavy snowstorm. Determined to take advantage of the snow scene on the railway, I walked to Shipley and managed a few shots. First to burst onto the scene was WD 8F 90122, a 56A Wakefield allocation heading towards Leeds on a mixed freight working.

Soon to be followed by Stourton-allocated Stanier 8F 48208 on an empty coal train also heading for Leeds. Despite the grim conditions and the hardship of the work, the crew gave me a cheery wave.

Class 8F No 48689 was   photographed heading coal empties through Shipley-Bingley Junction on a very   chilly day in December 1964. Of interest to railway historians is the cast   iron Midland Railway public notice at the end of platform 2 in the left   foreground. After the acquisition of the former 'Big Four' railway companies,   the newly-formed British Railways wasted no time in eradicating all signs of   previous ownership by painting out the names of the former railway companies   from public notices and station signs.

During December 1964, during a cold snap i took advantage of the winter conditions to take some winter shots at Shipley. A day duly arrived and checking in with the signalman at Shipley-Bingley box, he explained there was a southbound special due. Sadly, my memory fails me as to where it was heading, but I do remember being impressed that it was running bang on time - and I do recall the distinct lack of diesels that day! With the hoar-frost clinging to the sleepers. 

The special working was hauled by a snowplough-fitted 'Black Five' No 44733 heading south through Shipley-Bingley Junction; the loco had only recently been transferred to 10A Carnforth at the end of September that year. 

Above and below.

A bitterly cold day in the mid-Sixties (Winter 1964-65), another pair of "coming and going" shots sees a southbound special drifting round Shipley's curve towards Leeds behind 'Black Five' No 45154 Lanarkshire Yeomanry, one of only four members out of a class of 580 to be named. This made it a popular choice for hauling enthusiast railtours during the final years of steam. These photographs were taken at 1/250th @ f2.8.  

Just six days after its transfer from Longsight 9A to 10G Skipton, Class 25 Bo-Bo D5202 eases though Shipley-Bingley Junction apex of the speed-restricted north curve at 6.45pm on Friday 15th May 1964. The locomotive had only a brief spell at Skipton before being allocated back to 9A Longsight a few months later in August. The indicator panel is set at 7N72, advising it to be a Class 7 express freight not fitted with a continuous brake. These type 2 diesels were becoming a frequent sight working freight trains in the Aire Valley but I never recorded one on a coal train - steam still ruled on these workings, not just during 1964 but for the following three years. Photo f5.6 1/250th. 

Following close behind the Class 25 at 7pm was another southbound express freight in the hands of a Class 27 diesel D5387. Built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company in 1962, No D5387 was at the time a 15A Leicester Midland allocation, and clearly illustrates the variety of motive power to be observed that year. Indeed for a while the Class 27 diesels appeared occasionally on Friday evenings with a southbound Class 4 freight turn at around this time.  

At 11am one morning during December 1964, I recorded an 8F 48160 (coming and going) with a full tender of coal and steam to spare on a long mixed goods working as it coasted round the North curve towards Leeds. This Stanier loco was a long-time local resident, having been allocated to Stourton, Normanton, Wakefield, Mirfield and Royston before being withdrawn in August 1967 after a working life of twenty-three and a half years.

  On Monday 8 June 1964, while observing trains from Shipley-Bingley Junction signal box I was informed by the signalman that the reason behind the lack of southbound traffic was because Control had requested that priority should be given to a very late-running passenger train. News had been sent down the line by phone that it was travelling very fast and so I dashed out of the box to capture what I expected to be another 'Britannia'. To my surprise a spotless 'Jubilee' No 45721 Impregnable came around the bend in somewhat of a hurry, the engine crew more or less observing the strict 20mph speed restriction before accelerating fiercely away towards Leeds. The crew must have been pushing the locomotive to its absolute limit; the roar of its exhaust speeding off into the distance was incredible! I had never heard anything like it before or since. Returning to the signal box I recall the signalman's disappointment that the 'Jubilee' had just failed to break the record speed recorded for the journey from Skipton to his Shipley box-which, if I remember correctly, he said was a distance of exactly fifteen miles. He was then kept very busy for quite a while with constantly ringing bells and a steady procession of southbound freight trains, one after t'other! 

These two shots are of late running passenger trains, starting with (above) 10J Lancaster Green Ayre's 'Black Five' 44667 accelerating away from Shipley's north curve with a passenger train for Leeds on Saturday 9 May 1964. (Below) When visiting the box on Saturday 30 May 1964, the signalman advised me there had been a motive power failure on the late-running southbound 'Waverley' express and that it was due to enter his section very soon. This gave me just enough time to take up a position on the hill at the rear of the Bethel Chapel, eager to find out which locomotive had been called upon to deputise for the failed 'Peak'. It turned out to be Carlisle Kingmoor-allocated 'Britannia' 70008 Black Prince, seen here drifting around the north curve. Although the train was running approximately thirty minutes late at 3.20pm, the engine crew did not seem to be trying too hard to make up for lost time; the train gently proceeded towards Leeds at no more than a pedestrian pace. Photo f5.6 1/250th. 

 (Above-Below) Having had the good fortune to secure a lineside pass on the pretext of recording the modernisation of Britain's railways, it was necessary to take a number of diesel shots in order to support my application for an extension the following year. By 1964 the infiltration of diesels at Shipley was very much in evidence, the biggest culprits being the Type 2 Bo-Bo 'Rats' and Type 4 1Co-Co1 'Peaks' which could be found on both passenger and freight workings. There were numerous parcel trains departing Bradford Forster Square for destinations far and wide. The majority of this traffic originated from two of the country's largest catalogue companies, Empire Stores and Grattans. Supplementing these workings were the many freight trains departing Valley Road Goods Yard which also incorporated the full-load freight workings from the Trafalgar Depot. Here, the headcode panel of Cricklewood's Class 25 Bo-Bo No D5212 displays an 'M' indicating a Midland destination whilst the first numeral 4 denotes a fully fitted express freight, in this case a lengthy van train. Less than a year old, but already looking grubby and sounding equally rough, D5212 heads past Shipley-Leeds Junction box in the late evening sunshine on Wednesday 13 May 1964. Having managed to at least reach this point from Bradford Valley Goods Yard, I did wonder how much further into its journey it managed! The locomotive did however survive until withdrawal from Inverness on 19 December 1982, before making its marathon last journey for scrapping at Swindon Works on 29 June 1985. (Below) The Type 4 'Peaks' were more commonly to be found on express passenger services at Shipley, most notably the Anglo-Scottish 'Thames-Clyde' and 'Waverley' expresses which were dieselised at the start of the 1961 summer timetable. However on this occasion the headcode panel of 'Peak' class No D49 is displaying a 'V' indicating a Western Region destination, probably the 7.15pm Bradford-Bristol (Westerleigh) Class 5 fitted freight with a minimum one third fitted vans next to loco.  Both photos 1/250sec @ f5.6 

But getting back to steam power…taken trackside in the company of two lineside and telegraph maintenance workers, this shot captures Holbeck 4-6-0 'Jubilee' No 45739 Ulster accelerating away from the speed restriction on the north curve at Shipley with an evening express freight turn on Wednesday 13 April 1964. 

This was another occasion when i was in the right place at the right time, enabling me to capture two freight trains each headed by an Ivatt Mogul 4MT loco, one train heading for Leeds from Bradford and the other train rounding Shipley's North curve heading towards Skipton and beyond from Leeds in the evening sunset.

 (Above-Below) You'd be forgiven for thinking that these are duplicate shots of an Ivatt Mogul  loco class 4MT heading an up freight towards Thackley Tunnel on the fast lines. It isn't. I photographed this particular Manningham shed roster on numerous occasions at this location, usually with a 'Flying Pig' in charge. The above photograph is of 43039, the photograph below is of another loco from the same class, 43014.
 

On Friday 7th August 1964, 55A Holbeck's Brush Type 4 D1570 grinds its way towards Thackley Tunnel with a Morecambe-Leeds train. This was one of four Brush Type 4s allocated new to 55A Holbeck on March 31 1964; it was followed by D1571 and D1573 in April. Whilst the 'Peaks' ruled the roost at Holbeck in the Type 4 diesel category , I never recorded the 'Waverley' or 'Thames-Clyde' expresses with anything other than a Peak in charge, except of course, when the diesel had failed. Two of the Brush Type 4s I observed from time to time on the Leeds to Morecambe and Carnforth workings were D1571 and D1573 plus I recorded them on East Coast Main Line - see Doncaster feature. After a couple of years D1571 and D1572 were relocated to 41A Tinsley whereas D1570 and D1573 went to 52A Gateshead depot. The EE Co Type 4s had on occasions been used for crew training purposes over the Carlisle road prior to the introduction of the 'Peak' diesels (later TOPS Class 45) on the Anglo-Scottish expresses at the start of the 1961 summer timetable,  but I do not recall any EE machines being allocated to Holbeck shed or used on this route for revenue-earning purposes. Incidentally, the Brush Type 4's headcode panel is displaying 2N71 indicating a Class 2 ordinary passenger train, 'N' refers to its destination being the North Eastern Region and '71' its train identification number.  

Having admired many wonderful pictures in the various railway magazines, I set about deciding the styles of photographs I would like to take. I drew up a list of objectives and fixed it on the inside of my bedroom door with drawing pins, crossing each challenge off when completed, most batches being compiled from various locations and during different dates throughout the year.

I had this wonderful notion that each picture should reflect exactly what was seen and not be “framed or posed” – if objects or people were in the way they should be ignored. I had always felt that many artists tried to make a scene painting too perfect, choosing the best locations and views without obstructions. I was determined to take as was seen.

However, on reflection  I realised I was guilty of doing likewise! Asking engine crews for smoke, steam and even moving an A1 further down the depot yard (50A) for a better shot – what a hypocrite I was.

The first objective on my wish list was to take some reasonable tunnel shots, so I set off for the Southern end of Thackley Tunnel on Saturday 11th July 1964. On arrival at the location, I had a sudden brainstorm – I would attempt to snap trains emerging from the tunnel mouth, but taken from within, framing the loco as it burst out into fresh air from the darkness of the tunnel.

With nobody in sight, I took up a position about 100yds inside the tunnel bore containing both up and down slow lines. I had only just set the camera up on the tripod when I heard the distinctive sound of a coffee pot gasping and wheezing along at a sedate pace. After what seemed an eternity, the loco passed by at walking pace but to my horror it was emitting huge amounts of sulphuric-smelling slag which blocked out all the daylight as it exited the tunnel. I waited until, what seemed ages after, the guards van passed, and after waiting a while I emerged out of the tunnel with running eyes, coughing and wheezing. What seemed a good idea in reality wasn’t -and with a Brush type 4 charging towards the tunnel mouth (see item D1570 in the previous gallery 7) on the track  that i had been at the side of, I realised how dangerous and stupid the idea was. Ah well, I was determined not to go home empty-handed and resorted to taking the standard approach of shots with trains exiting the tunnel mouth from a safer position outside.

The line was busy, first to burst out into the open on the fast line was Fairburn 4P 42138, one of 55F Manningham’s hard- working tanks with a class C parcel train to Bradford Forster Square at 6.40pm. 

Followed at 6.50pm by Stanier 44854 on the slow line (this Black Five was a long time 55A Holbeck resident) with a northbound class E express freight. 

Then at 7.10pm followed by another Manningham allocated Fairburn 4P tank 42072, also on the northbound slow line with a class A express passenger train bound for Bradford. 

And last but not least, 48394 emerging in quick succession. 

Whilst a little disappointed at failing to achieve what I ended up trying to do, I was more than happy with the four shots taken and promptly crossed that target off the list.

I did return later on odd occasions to take a few more snaps, but I was never daft enough to go inside the tunnel!

On Monday  20th July 1964, I recorded both 43039, a 55A Holbeck allocated loco all its life and a regular performer on the Aire Valley, at the head of a class D express freight. 

Plus (my favourite tunnel shot) at 9.30am on Friday  7th August 1964, 44889, a 10J Lancaster Green Ayre- based loco often seen on both freight turns and Leeds to Morecambe passenger workings, seen here on a northbound Class H through freight train working.  

Beyond Apperley Bridge station there is a lovely wooded area occupied by Esholt Sewage Works which operated a fleet of standard gauge steam locomotives adapted to burn oil from wool waste. An unidentified BR Standard Class 4MT has just emerged from the eastern portal of Thackley Tunnel with a short mixed-goods train and is crossing the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, heading towards Apperley Bridge. 

 In the opposite direction, BR Standard Class 4MT No 75044 passes Apperley Viaduct signal box, a block post on the slow lines only between Apperley Viaduct and Thackley Tunnel. The box controlled the sidings on the left which served Esholt Sewage Works.
Bradford Corporation's Esholt Sewage Works covered an area of over three hundred acres; the Works was served by a private standard gauge railway system originally covering 22 miles of track and operated by as many as eleven locomotives during its construction, but by the mid-Sixties the complex of lines had shrunk to around three and a half miles. The system was worked by two Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0ST steam locomotives named 'Elizabeth' and 'Nellie', which were responsible for the internal movement of incoming goods and excavated material for despatch by rail. When 'Nellie' retired in 1970, the loco was loaned to the Yorkshire Dales Railway Society on a short-term basis pending the completion of Bradford Corporation's Industrial Museum. Today, 'Nellie' is a centrepiece of the museum's transport collection.
Esholt Sewage Treatment Plant sold processed raw sewage in the form of powdered fertilizer, grease and other compounds, all of which has generated a profit of around two million pounds per annum for Bradford Council. Around a dozen railwaymen were employed, including three regular drivers and a team of green card workers who were responsible for maintaining the system such as replacing old track with new rails and sleepers which BR delivered to the exchange sidings. One of the largest projects undertaken was to replace all four roads entering the Press House with new track and the installation of new points with  gentler radius curves to reduce the risk of derailments.
Raw sewage was sterilized by a steam-cleaning process in the Press House and gravity-fed to the waiting trucks below, which were then shunted up to the Longholme area to dry before going through the mill. The end result was the manufacture of vast quantities of powdered fertiliser, which was then loaded into trucks and shunted to the weighbridge, each truck being individually weighed and labelled with its destination and weight. This process produced a daily average of ten to twelve trucks loaded full of compost which were shunted every afternoon up to the reception-despatch sidings adjacent to main line. The wagons were then collected by the BR pick up goods and 'Nellie' returned with a similar number of empties plus the occasional tanker of acid.
As I met up with the driver of 'Nellie' socially each week, he regularly updated me on any odd events. This included the time he spent at the exchange sidings where he had the opportunity to observe both southbound 'Waverley' and 'Thames-Clyde' expresses on the main line, often running late and on two occasions reverting to steam haulage when diesel power had failed inside Thackley Tunnel. The first time this happened he could not understand why a steam loco was backing slowly 'wrong line' into the tunnel only to emerge soon afterwards with the marooned diesel and its train in tow before taking off in the direction of Leeds.
Even more interesting, he told me of the occasion when the oil-fired 'Nellie' had been taken to the Hudswell Clarke factory in Leeds for a major overhaul which included work on the boiler and new tyres. Several weeks later, he arrived at work to be informed that he was to collect the locomotive and a guards van from the Leeds factory and drive it back on the main line accompanied by an inspector and guard! Seemingly this penny-pinching decision had been taken by Bradford Council, which, despite making huge profits from its by-products at the Sewage Works, had refused to hire a costly low loader for Nellie to return home when it was cheaper for her to come back under her own steam on BR rails! It could only happen in Yorkshire! Indeed, to make matters worse, the council had also decided that, as enough funds had already been spent on the engine's overhaul, it refused to authorise a full repaint, and 'Nellie' was still in pink primer!
So off they set, complete with the BR guards van and a full 'tank' of fuel, only to be signalled twice to a stop in sidings by signalmen who thought the loco was on fire! After explaining that it was oil-fired and the flames between the frames were normal, they were signalled back onto the main line, much to the amusement of crews on passing trains at seeing the little pink loco chugging along! The trip ended with a lengthy delay at Apperley Viaduct signal box awaiting a clear road across the 'up' main to gain access into Esholt sidings. Health and Safety? I'm sure this would not be allowed to happen today. 

The murky afternoon light was fading fast when I attempted this unremarkable shot of 52B Heaton-allocated Class A3 60073 St Gatien running a tad late at 3.20pm with the northbound 'Thames Clyde Express' on a snowy Sunday 27 January 1963. 

The quadrupled section of track through Apperley Bridge Station between Leeds and Shipley was very busy at times, especially in the late evenings. When the signalman at Apperley Station signal box explained that on rare occasions all four lines in his section had been occupied at the same time, I decided to try and capture one such event. Despite many evenings spent until dusk, the most I managed to capture in any one shot was three, but never four - though it wasn't from the lack of trying. However, I did take a few evening shots starting with an interesting observation on Saturday evening 18 July 1964 that I remember well...
From my position on the wall leading down to the station's goods yard, I could see the smoke of approaching westbound trains passing Apperley Junction signal box just beyond the curve in the distance and I noted how exceptionally fast this particular train was moving. Setting the shutter speed to 1/500sec and a wide aperture of f2.8, I did not have to wait long before Carlisle Kingmoor's Class 7MT 'Britannia' No 70039 Sir Christopher Wren (below) came charging towards Apperley Bridge station with a northbound steel plate train. Over the years I had observed everything from Gresley A3s, 'Scots' and 'Jubes' through to Type 4 'Peaks' working express trains at Apperley Bridge, but this was by far the fastest I had ever seen on this stretch of line. I noted in my book - 65mph-plus!           

Only seconds after 70039's smoke had cleared and Manningham's 2-6-4T 42271 appeared at the head of the down 'Devonian' express on the final leg from Leeds to Bradford Forster Square. However the speed of the train seemed no more than a sedate pace compared to the 'Britannia', but it did have at least eleven carriages on! Heaven knows what the passengers had made of a lowly goods train overtaking them at speed on this four-track section of main line between Leeds and Shipley! 

When the Aire Valley line between Leeds and Shipley was widened to four tracks at the turn of the century, the stations at Armley Canal Road, Kirkstall, Newlay & Horsforth, Calverley & Rodley and Apperley Bridge were enlarged to four platforms. The original station building at Apperley Bridge was demolished when the cutting was widened to accommodate the new 'fast lines' on the south side and a distinctive wooden building was constructed at road level on the bridge. Platform  number 1 on the down fast line and the island platform 2 and 3 between the up fast and down slow were longer, wider and higher. Steps were needed to board trains on platform 4. One of 55B Stourton Class 4Fs No 44003 heads through platform 2 towards Shipley with a class H coal train. This Class 4F was in service for over 44 years until withdrawn in May 1965. 

24G Skipton-allocated Fowler Class 4F No 44149 heads a very long goods train through Apperley Bridge station towards Leeds at 7.30pm on Monday 27 July 1964. Rather surprisingly, this class of loco invariably worked the longest mixed goods trains at the time. The loco is coupled with a coal-weighing tender which enables engineers to accurately record a locomotive's coal consumption. The tender was equipped with a separate bunker suspended on pivots connected to steelyards; this was fixed when the loco was working and released when the contents of the coal space was weighed. The quantity of coal used was measured by weighing the coal deposited in the tender prior to starting, then during the run and the residue was weighed again at the end of the run. The weight difference, taking into account the amount used for lighting up, gave the total consumption. 

Both Skipton and Stourton sheds had an allocation of these Fowler 0-6-0 Class 4F locomotives gave good service for many years plying their trade on the Aire Valley line, mostly on goods trains including local pick goods workings plus occasional trips on holiday specials. This shot is of a typical working during August 1964, with another 24G Skipton allocated No 44125 at the front of a coal train heading through Apperley Bridge Station, passing an Ivatt Class 4MT heading in the opposite direction towards Leeds. Running parallel to the railway in the right background are some of the buildings belonging to Woodhouse Grove School, where the pupils were among the railway's principal customers prior to the station's closure on March 20 1965. Indeed, in one fell swoop no fewer than seven intermediate stations were closed between Leeds City and Bradford Forster Square on that ill-fated day. 

Above. Leeds Holbeck 55A allocated Fowler 4P 2-6-4T 42394 is at the head of a lengthy train heading for Bradford on the evening of 17th September 1964.

And below.  Another of Stourtons Fowler 4F 0-6-0  allocated locomotives, 44028, is cruising along on top of its work with a coal train. The above photographs were taken as night fell, with poor images as a result. Hoping to catch trains on all four lines at the same time I often stayed at Apperley Bridge until dusk in the hope I could capture this elusive shot. 

I failed !

Illustrated above are a pair of photographs taken as night falls with poor images as a result of fading light, on both occasions all four lines were occupied but I was unable to catch them all in one frame

Another shot taken at dusk in fading light of an unidentified 4F  again fitted with a self weighing tender.

With its crew leaning out of the cab enjoying the fresh air as it cruised along with steam to spare on a heavy mixed goods train that included a large amount of H section steel girders.

Above and below. On Sunday 10 May 1964 I caught the 1.58pm London train from Bradford Forster Square to Leeds City (see gallery 3) and was delighted to see an 8B Warrington Dallam shed 'Jubilee' 45590 Travercore on the front; I just had sufficient time to take a photograph of the train prior to departure for Leeds. As we approached Leeds City Station on the curve from Whitehall Junction to Canal Junction, we were brought to a dead stand at signals. Looking out of the windows we saw the culprit; a late running train from the Midlands hauled by 'Jubilee' class No 45593 Kolhapur, then a 16F Burton on Trent shed engine. As it rounded the bend from Engine shed Junction on the southern spur of the triangular junction, its crew exchanged various hand signals with ours, the details of which I will not reveal. The eagle-eyed may doubtless have spotted the Swindon-built Trans-Pennine (TOPS Class 124) InterCity crossing the viaduct in the middle distance. This service began on January 2nd 1961 between Hull and Liverpool, with 6 trains each way daily via the Standedge route. The Swindon-built 6-car sets (including a griddle car) had four power cars fitted with Leyland Albion 230hp engines, which provided a formidable 1,840 horse power for the steeply-graded ex-LNWR route across the Pennines.  The signalmen very soon gave us a clear road into the station, which was understandably very busy dealing with three new arrivals. Although I don't remember much about our journey from Bradford, I do recall our train being the only one to arrive on time despite the signal stop!

Further confirmation of the now rapidly changing scene in Leeds City Station is illustrated by steam and diesel engines on a bright sunny Sunday afternoon on 10th May 1964, all three waiting for a clear path to Holbeck shed having arrived on express trains. From London King’s Cross came Deltic D9014 The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, unusually arriving late on an express passenger train, from the South West came Burton on Trent’s 16F Jubilee 45593 Kolhapur also rolled in late on what should have been a diesel turn and Jubilee 45590 Travercore having arrived from Bradford Foster Square on time with the first leg of a London bound express. This was an unusual loco for the area as it was an 8B Warrington Dallam allocation and was noted in the Midland area for quite a few days afterwards.

In this shot on the same day, Gateshead 52A allocated Deltic D9014 The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment displaying a 1E14 head code awaits a clear road out of the station after arriving from King’s Cross. Is the front r/hand buffer damaged?

Another shot of 45593 Kolhapur sadly without either of its nameplates but with shed code and smoke box number plate still attached, it was the last of the three waiting for a clear path to Holbeck shed.

Above and below. Saturday 9th May 1964 at 5pm, Lancaster Green Ayre 10J based crab 42938 with a parcel train in the process of being loaded on platform 6. I remember the occasion well as I was invited into the cab whereupon the fireman bemoaned the state of the fire that had been left by the crew that had worked the loco in from Lancashire a short time ago.

Towards the end of 1964, Carnforth 10A allocated Black five 45495 patiently waits for the “off” with a lengthy parcel train in the lower half of the Station.

I was stood on the platform when noticing a member of the crew about to climb on board I asked him if he would stay where he was so that I could take a shot which would be another of my “through their eyes shots.” Another item thus crossed of my list as I was more than pleased with the end result.

Above and below.

On a bitterly cold but sunny day early in 1965, Carlisle Royal Scot 46152 The King’s Dragoon Guardsman, (originally named Royal Scot until permanently swapping identities with 46100 as the authorities had wanted the flagship of the class to go on a tour of America and Canada, to participate in the “Century of progress” exhibition during 1933, however 46100 was undergoing a heavy overhaul at the time hence the decision to swap identities). It was on a lengthy parcel train originally rostered for diesel power, but had been substituted by the Scot which enabled it to head North back to its home shed, 12A Carlisle Kingmoor.

It was soon withdrawn with the end coming during week ending Saturday 17th April 1965 after almost 38 years of service.

This shot of a 'Britannia' departing Leeds City Station with a Class 'C' parcel train was taken on one of those days when, for one reason or another, train spotters were not allowed on the station platforms. The ban was enforced by a vigilant team of ticket collectors and several blackboards displayed a chalked message 'Train spotters are not allowed' at each platform entrance. I had encountered this restriction at Leeds before when I tried (but failed) to persuade a ticket collector that since he would not allow me on the platform I wanted a refund on my platform ticket. His response was a very clear - 'No!' On this occasion, however, I was carrying my lineside pass for Shipley (as mentioned earlier on the page) and hoping to avoid another altercation with a ticket collector, I located the Inspector's office and explained I had camera equipment and wished to record a parcel train about to depart. When I waved my BR permit in front of him he immediately granted permission, but cautioned me that I had to inform the ticket collector and report back to his office when finished. On arrival at the ticket barrier, I saw the parcel train was 'pegged off'…so after quickly explaining the position to the collector I hurried onto the platform and took two shots of the departing 'Britannia' before returning to the Inspector's office as promised. The whole thing took no more than five minutes, and as can be seen from the photograph the platforms were totally deserted .

The locomotive in charge was 12A Carlisle Kingmoor based Britannia 70003 John Bunyan easing away from the bottom half of the station with a parcel train. Almost all the parcel, newspaper and ECS trains were still in the hands of steam in the West Riding during 1964. 

The empty platforms due once again to train spotters being banned.

A 55A Leeds Holbeck stalwart, Black five 44828 starts a stopping passenger train on its journey.

Allocated to Holbeck throughout its entire service life it was a common sight in the West Riding, working passenger, excursion, parcel, freight, goods and coal trains illustrating the versatility of the class.

In March 1964 I shot a rear three quarters view of 9 months old 34G Finsbury Park allocated Brush Type 4 D1525 ready to depart from the lower section of the Station. In comparison with the three earlier shots of steam locos from the same angle they just seemed so lifeless until started up. Neither did the acrid exhaust smell as “nice” as the combination of steam, smoke and oil!

The headlong rush to get rid of steam led to many large orders being placed for the new BR/Sulzer Type 2 Bo-Bo diesels, involving three BR Works at Derby, Crewe, and Darlington in their construction, together with the Beyer Peacock works at Gorton. When production was eventually completed in 1967, no less than 478 Type 2s had been built. On 8 January 1963 the first of Holbeck's Class 25/1 Type 2s to arrive 'out of the box' from BR Darlington Works was D5176, fitted with a train heating boiler, while Nos D5177 and D5178, also fitted with boilers, followed soon after. They were often seen on excursions and timetabled trains to Morecambe, however on this occasion D5176 was photographed at Leeds Wellington Station with an excursion to Morecambe on 21 April 1963.

EE type 3 D6736 in Leeds City Stn proudly displaying head code 1N07 with the Harrogate Sunday Pullman in April 1964. At the time, diesel loco’s often carried a cast iron shed plate, on this occasion it can clearly be seen on the cab side as 50B indicating a Hull Dairycoates allocation.

On Friday 9th May 1964 one of Hull Dairycoates 50B allocated stud of EE Type 3’s, D6730 at rest in a bay platform in the top half of the Station awaiting its next turn of duty, again sporting an old steam era cast iron shed plate on its cab side.

 Weighing 133 tons, the English Electric Co's Type 4s were mounted on the cumbersome 1Co-Co1 bogies (consisting of three motored wheel sets and an outer non-powered guiding axle to help distribute their bulky weight). The company's ten pilot-scheme Nos D200-D209 (destined for the Eastern Region) were followed by a production run of a further 190 locomotives No D210-D399. The BTC's specification for incorporating headcode disc displays into the nose end was used on Nos D200-324. The four discs were used in various combinations to indicate the type of train being worked. These gave way to a pair of four-character headcode boxes on either side of the nose on D325-D344, and finally a much neater centrally positioned headcode panel was used on D345-D399. Here, Camden 1B allocated Type 4 D372 is parked in a bay platform at Leeds City Station, awaiting its next turn of duty on Sunday 5 April 1964.  

 After five years into the 1955 Modernisation Plan, BR began seeking a new single-engined Type 4 of more than 2,500hp, which could be mounted on a lighter Co-Co wheel arrangement. This followed criticism of the poor power/weight ratio of the heavier Type 4s which had to be mounted on the bulkier 1Co-Co1 bogies. Brush Traction was awarded the contract for the new BR Type 4 and the first, No D1500, emerged from the Loughborough works early in September 1962. Here, Brush Type 4 D1513, allocated new to 34G Finsbury Park on 15 March 1963, is seen at Leeds City Station having worked the 11.00am Glasgow Queen Street - Kings Cross 'Queen of Scots' Pullman. For the record, the 'Queen of Scots' Pullman reversed at Leeds and ran via Harrogate and Ripon to connect with the ECML at Northallerton; the Pullman service was discontinued on 13 June 1964. 

With a large gang of platelayers hard at work, the ever-changing scene in terms of motive power is much in evidence in this undated shot with a Brush type 4 D1506, Peak type 4 D16 and an EE type 3 D6730 all in view.

Another 12A Carlisle Kingmoor Britannia 70011 Hotspur runs through City station light engine.

On 26th January 1963, 55A Holbeck allocated black five 44756 and Heaton based A3 60085 Manna ready to haul the South bound leg of the “Thames Clyde” and the North bound leg of the “Waverley” on a bitterly cold winters day at Leeds City Station. 

Both trains arriving late behind “peaks” and despite having been rostered for onward diesel power, it was to be steam for the second half of the journey. Despite the comfort and power of the diesels quite a lot of the crews - as was in the case of the black five – still had much enthusiasm for steam despite on this occasion the grim winter weather conditions and were relishing the challenge that lay ahe

During February 1964 I managed to record Peak D36 on another cold winter’s night at Leeds City Stn, before dashing round the corner to the Central station catching the last train home.

It was unusually on a parcel working despite its train heating equipment obviously working as can be seen in this photograph.

Low Moor 56F allocated WD 2-8-0 90723 meanders light engine along the through road in the top part of City station.

WD 90520 on the oil train heading for Hunslet via Neville Hill from Heysham in Lancashire, this was a noted regular heavy train and towards the end of steam was hauled by “spaceships”, often double headed, occasionally with a type 2 diesel.

                                                                               THE POSTAL EXPERIENCE.

From memory this train departed around 10.45pm and as such was difficult to film in daylight hours. I therefore decided to try my luck on a night shot and waited for a bad snowy winter’s night for the attempt. I was very disappointed with the result; it was so cold I think even my tripod was shivering! 

Despite using a cable release and six exposures the images were not very sharp and looking at my exposure details I am not surprised – the best of yet another poor batch taken at F22, 2minutes!    

This was another experience I will never forget.

I have fond memories of the crews who were very friendly allowing me to “cab” both engines. They could not understand why I was taking photographs at this time of night in atrocious weather conditions. I was shivering that much one of the crew took pity on me and gave me a mug of tea from his billycan, which I drank whilst sat on a parcel trolley with the drivers who were very chatty. They explained that the “postal” was the most important train of the day and was top priority for running to time. It transpired that timekeeping issues had been raised with the Farnley’s shed foreman, who having been stung by what he considered to be unjustified criticism, supplied the best crew with a loco of their choice which was a black five in good nick.

One of the drivers said the majority of the Farnley crews preferred a good black five rather than a jubilee on jobs over the Pennies because of their smaller diameter driving wheels.

The men were determined to run to time, both engines had tenders overfilled with coal, so much so despite gently coupling on some fell off onto the platform only for the firemen to pick them up and put them on the footplate!

Pushing my luck, I asked if I could ride in one of the cabs as far as Stalybridge but I was told it was too dangerous – apart from that they had an inspector booked to go with them. 

As the train had nearly half an hour before departing, I was privileged

to sit with them, listening to their enthusiasm for the job and observing the preparation for the journey. First on the scene was a wheeltaper covered in snow who proclaimed all was well (this was the one and only time I had seen one in action), next came the guard who was concerned by the weight of the train which was heavier than normal owing to the hugh amount of Xmas mail. The drivers assured him that with the two black fives it would be no problem they then asked him to inform the postal staff loading the train that they would be leaving bang on time to the extent that any mail not loaded would be left behind. He also stressed to the guard that they would be leaving bang on time and jokingly said if they did not see his green flag and hear his whistle he would be left behind! Both firemen in the meantime had been working hard and the fireboxes were glowing vividly. As expected by the crews, the inspector never turned up and as planned departed on time without waiting for him. The start was memorable, both locos safety valves lifting just prior to the off, no wheels spinning dramatics just powerful clean exhaust beats as the train powered off into a snow storm with the locos soon out of sight in the white/dark of the night I watched the rapid acceleration of this heavy lengthy train which must have been well up to the permitted line speed before the last coach left the platform.

The parting comment from the driver of the train engine said they would be waking up the population of Huddersfield on the climb up to the Standedge tunnels.

I have many fond memories from my adventures all those years ago but this is by far my favourite with the discussions with the determined, enthusiastic crews, the weather and not least “walking” the twelve miles home via Stanningley in the snow, oh and not forgetting the friendly policeman who asked me what I was doing and where I was going at that time of the morning. He said you must be mad and I had to agree, never again did I try a repeat performance, once was enough!

In an effort to breathe new life into Britain's ailing rail network, the Government gave financial backing to the British Transport Commission's 1955 Modernisation Plan for British Railways, the principle aim being to turn a succession of heavy annual losses into a healthy profit. A 'Pilot Scheme Diesel' scheme was announced whereby several new diesel types could be evaluated under normal service conditions. Costing £1.2bn, invitations were sent out to various British manufacturers to build 174 new diesel locomotives made up of three different power groups; the largest being a locomotive of 2,000hp and over (above) for heavy main line work (later designated Type 4), followed by a locomotive of between 1,000-1,250hp for mixed traffic work, later Type 2 (see below) and the smallest being a loco of 800-1,000hp for freight duty, later classified as Type 1. However, in BR's haste to replace its ageing steam fleet, several private companies were invited to build a number of different prototypes for evaluation which led to standardisation going out of the window. The upshot was, even though frenetic efforts were being made by politicians and BR to eradicate steam, the changeover from steam to diesel traction took much longer than had been hoped. This was due to a constant stream of problems with most, if not all the new diesel class