Just for interests sake......

Discussion in 'Line Side Buildings' started by Keith M, Mar 19, 2019.

  1. Keith M

    Keith M Staff Member Moderator

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    Mrs M and myself went out for a drive yesterday, as I was getting "Cabin Fever" what with the days of constant wind and rain, plus several days banging my head against the wall with the PC, trying to get the link connected to control the layout. We drove into the Manifold Valley, just into our neighbouring County of Staffordshire, and passing this building, decided to take a pic for interests sake, since the line (closed in 1934, not long after it initially opened) has been mentioned on the forum from time to time.

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  2. Keith M

    Keith M Staff Member Moderator

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    It's the original station building at the 'Hulme End' terminus of the 'Leek & Manifold Light Railway', an 8 mile long 2ft 6in gauge railway, once described by a railway worker as "Starting in the middle of nowhere, and ending up in the same place". It ran from Hulme End, a mile or so from the Derbyshire village of Hartington, to the village of Waterhouses, just below the Cauldon Low quarry, supposedly for tourists and dairy traffic from Ecton, and once closed, was later handed over by the LMS to Staffordshire County Council who utilised part of the trackbed as a tarmac'ed public road, including a narrow tunnel, the complete trackbed now having become the "Manifold Trail", one that I've walked a number of times in the past. To the right of the station is a modern building constructed in a 'Pseudo-railway' style, resembling a goods shed, and painted in the same colours as the station building, now used as the local tourist "Visitor Centre", a better use than demolition. The road downhill past the Cauldon Low Quarry entrance has an old pub opposite the quarry, called the "Yew Tree Inn" which we visited a number of years ago when it was apparently owned by an antique dealer from Leek, and I recall walking in the entrance and entering the left hand room, to find what might be described as a 'Time Capsule' there. It was a large open room with a number of obviously antique chaise longue's and half a dozen or so victorian "Polyphon" penny machines around the walls. These machines were what might be described as 'Victorian juke boxes', clockwork mechanism wound up the huge spring and a large perforated steel disc which pins dropped into as the disc slowly revolved, different notes being produced by this arrangement, the whole apparatus contained in large mahogany cabinets, not the usual things to see when entering a pub! We didn't go in this time, but did wonder if things had changed from years ago? Although it's obviously not the original station sign, (and it's seen better days!) this is displayed in the station car park.
    Keith.

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  3. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    1904-1934.
    The building you refer to was once the engine shed. Which stood for over 100 years till they farted around and took it down and replaced it with that RSJ monstrosity!

    (Don’t get me started!)

    At least the station building survives thanks to the council.

    It really needs some steam back down in that valley.

    The line was built by Calthrope who had also designed the Barsi light railway and used similar items of the smaller Kitson tank locos and similar coaches (but the UK could afford bigger windows as it wasn’t as warm!)

    Sadly the extension to Buxton never was built.
     
  4. Keith M

    Keith M Staff Member Moderator

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    These small railway's often never get to where they were intended Andy. A bit like the "Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway" (LD&ECR) which started in Chesterfield Market Place Station and (I think) just about made it to Lincoln. After Nationalisation, it was closed in 1953 I believe, and I recollect my Dad taking me on the platform around 1949/1950 to let me have a look at the trains (Dad was a busman, not a railwayman). When the loco driver blew down the cylinders, it frightened me to death, but I was 'hooked' then, and have been ever since! The station in Chesterfield became the 'Headquarters' of the LD&ECR, so it was quite a 'posh' building compared to the LNER wooden and the stone LMS one's, and after closure later became a paint company's warehouse before eventual demolition in around 1962, being replaced by a large new Government building for the "Accountant General's Department", known locally as the 'AGD". Alongside the station was the "Portland Hotel", built in the same style as the station, it's still there (a 'Wetherspoons' now), but the rest of the infrastructure is long gone, with the exception of the post I did earlier of the casting in the gasworks wall, part of the same railway system. There was a large goods yard adjacent to the station on 'West Bars' and a large "Stephenson Centenary" exhibition around 1948/9 (photo's in Chesterfield Museum I believe) took place there, but the railway only made it about a mile further west towards it's intended destination of Manchester as the Company ran out of money, not an uncommon occurrence. The final straw resulting in the lines demise was the partial collapse of Bolsover tunnel, not unexpected due to the large amount of coal mining subsidence in the area. Although Cities often have several railway stations, not too many relatively small towns had three stations, and Chesterfield had what was purportedly the only triple railway bridge crossing in the country (Horn's Bridge) and supposedly only one other anywhere in the world. Although there were no railway workshops in the town, the Railway pioneer George Stephenson lived the final 10 years of his life in Chesterfield at Tapton House (later this became a school, now a University Campus) and is buried within Holy Trinity church there, with only a simple slab with initials 'GS' on it, though there is a stained glass window above, donated by his son Robert.
    Here endeth the lesson!:avatar::avatar::avatar:

    Keith.
     
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  5. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

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    I once built a model of the station building for a stalled layout. It now resides in Kent, purchased by a gentleman who's name escapes me now who lives near the Amberly museum.

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    Cheer's, Pete.
     
  6. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    I can just remember Horns Bridge, went when the moved the A617 on to the then new roundabout. Is it wher Frankie and bennys is now ? its a while ago.

    Sutton in Ashfield, where I live had 4 stations... Sutton in Ashfield Town (GN), Sutton Central (GC) and two Midland stations (Albeit one was at the end of a small branch line) Sutton Junction and Sutton in Ashfield. - The latter was always known as the Penny Emma. Think this was because it cost a penny to travel the branch and the loco was named Emma, which I find odd for a MR branch? This crossed over the GC and GN on a strange alignment at the Back of Wickes where there were two slightly staggered bridges creating a triangle. sadly all gone today, and only the MR route is left. Sutton still has a station,, but only by name, its Sutton Parkway, at Kirkby hardwick,
    https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=53.1218&lon=-1.2541&layers=10&b=1
     
  7. Keith M

    Keith M Staff Member Moderator

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    Hi Andy.
    Yes, close to 'Frankie & Benny's' is where the original 'Horns Bridge' crossing was. When you have time, could you post up more details on the original railway system around S-in-A, as I've seen a layout doing the show rounds based on that area, but I can't equate it to the actual location, though seeing that Wickes is on 'Station Road', it was obvious that there must have been a railway around there at some point in the past, but as with the situation in my home town of Chesterfield, 'Modernisation' has wiped most if not all the old infrastructure from the map, so it's hard to work out where it was nowadays.
    Keith.
     
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  8. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    No, wickes sits on the penny Emma branch.

    The Midland is still there between kirkby and Mansfield (now the Robin Hood line)

    The GC is under the A38 where it crosses station road (station road had 3 of the 4 stations on it so it really lived up to its name!)

    The fourth, the GN was on Outram Street and this is the model being shown by the Elizabethan society.

    If you click the link I posted above, there is a panel on the left... it should have a slide bar towards the bottom that changes the mix of the old map to a google satellite image of today..
     
  9. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    Here is Sutton GN when it “reopened”
    In the 1950’s.

    It was flattened in 1978.



    In one of the early shots as the men walk down the platform with brooms, to the top right is my old school (still there) on Priestsic Road.

    The cutting has been infilled here for as long as I can remember.. (I can’t recall it not being filled in I should say) and part of it where the buildings are along the platform is almost where Asda petrol station is now...

    In the 1990’s they made a new official road between Outram Street and Priestsic Road, but never gave it a name, it cut through the old goods yard..... now I’ll come back to this in a moment...

    The Town station was always known as “Northern Bridge” simply as it was the Great Northern and on a bridge.. it’s from here I take my modelling name from, as My first full time job was in a model shop about 20 yards away on Outram street.... I digress..

    My current job is working in the force control room for the local plod... I once took a call from one of my staff who had been dealing with and RTA (ok it’s now called and Road Traffic Collision not an Accident.... it’s not always accidental!)

    Upon filling in his Paperwork for the collision he asked me if I knew the road name or number... searches our systems and maps and could find nothing. It resulted in me ringing the local council to ask them, when after about 5 mins on hold the lady came back on the telephone and said oddly, it doesn’t have a name or road number?

    How about “Northern Bridge Road?” I suggested....

    Funny enough about 2 months later road names went up... and it was called Northern Bridge road...:scratchchin::thumbs:
     
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2019
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  10. Keith M

    Keith M Staff Member Moderator

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    I could work out on the map where Wickes is today, simply by where the location of 'The Lawn's' is, but I realised there were a number of new roads and alterations that took a bit of head scratching. I now have a bit better idea of the locality and what was where originally, so thanks Andy.
    Keith.
     
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