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Local locos Fowler 2-6-4 tanks based in the south Manchester area, with approximate dates. 'W' indicates that the loco was withdrawn while at that depot. Corrections and comments are welcome.
Longsight
42304 1953-6 / 59-60 42318 1955-57 42320 1958-53 42322 1948-59 42348 1957 42350 1948-58 42351 1948-57 42360 1958 42363 1961 42365 1957-58 42369 1958-60 42380 1956-60 42391 1953-56 42395 1948-59 42396 1948-62 42397 1948-57 42398 1948-60 42399 1948-60 W 42400 1958 42401 1948-63 42402 1948-62 W 42416 1958-60
Trafford Park
42326 1958 42327 1965 W 42328 1960-61 W 42333 1960/61 42334 1965 W 42339 1960/61 42343 1965 W 42361 1960-61 42374 1965 42419 1956-60 42423 1955-56
Stockport Edgeley
42313 1963 W 42316 1958-63 42322 1959-60 42327 1963-64 42332 1948-56 42337 1960-63 W 42343 1957-65 42348 1961 42352 1948-53 42353 1958-57 42354 1948-59 42357 1958-61/63 42369 1963-64 42372 1959-62 42374 1963-65 42379 1960-61 42381 1961 42391 1956-62 42401 1963 W 42415 1959-60 42424 1963-64 W
Buxton
42306 1946-62 W 42308 1955-56 42314 1961-62 W 42315 1946-61 42318 1948-50 42344 1954-56 42365 1948-57 42366 1948-56 42367 1948-56 42368 1948-57 42370 1948-62 42371 1948-62 42379 1960-63 42391 1962-63 W
Macclesfield
42305 1948-59 42318 1952-53/58-61 42318 1948-55/57-58 42323 1948-50 42340 1960 42347 1959-61 42348 1957-61 42349 1948 42355 1948-61 42356 1948-58 42357 1948-58 42362 1958 42363 1950-61 42369 1948-58 42384 1948-61 42397 1958-59 42423 1957-58
For locomotive histories, we have used the marvellous 'BR Database' website, brdatabase.info. The allocation history of the whole class from 1948 is at this link:
http://brdatabase.info/
The Fowler 2-6-4T on Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Further reading:
The parallel boiler, 2-6-4 tank engines. by
David Hunt, Bob Essery and Fred James
Motive Power at Buxton Shed durinq the latter years
, by David Young. Available on this website: http://www.manlocosoc.co.uk/
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A dozen Fowler 2-6-4T viewsFrom the MLS photographic archive. Compiled and annotated by Charlie Hulme.
From their appearance in the 1920s, the 2-6-4 tank locos designed under Henry Fowler's regime at the London Midland and Scottish Railway were the passenger workhorses of the local services on that company's lines and continued to serve under British Railways until withdrawn from service as the diesel railcars began to take over from the late 1950s. In 1929 seven of them, 2365 to 2371, were delivered brand-new to Buxton Motive Power Depot, later to be joined by 2381. In 1942. 2379 was replaced at Buxton by 2306. British Railways, which took over in 1948, added a '4' to the front of the numbers.
42368 again, this time in September 1954
blowing off
steam from its safety valves while heading from Buxton towards
Manchester down the 1 in 60 gradient between Disley and Middlewood
(Lower.) The first coach of the train is a corridor vehicle in the
British Railways carmine and cream express train livery, never a common
sight on this route. The loco stayed at Buxton shed until the
coming of the diesel railcars to the Buxton line in 1957, when it was
transferred away, seeing service from a variety of other sheds,
including a brief stint at Stockport Edgeley, before finally being sent
to the scrap man in 1965.
On 21st May 1949 sister loco 42367 was on the Midland section working a Chinley to Buxton (Midland) service. It had yet to receive British Railways branding, still carrying the initials of the LMS which had ceased to exist on 1 January 1948, and its LMS number 2367, which it retained until March 1950. Built at Derby Works in 1929, it stayed at Buxton until 1956 and was scrapped in 1962.
42366, seen in the unusual location of Bangor Motive Power Depot on the occasion of the Carnarvonshire Rail Tour organised by the Manchester Locomotive Society and the Stephenson Locomotive Society on 5th May 1957. The train visited some interesting minor lines in the Bangor area, including the Bethesda branch on which it was assisted by 42356, seen behind. 42366 is taking water: the fireman can be seen standing on the tank top steadying the arm of the water crane.
In its last days as a Buxton engine, on 6th October 1956, 42366 climbs past Norbury level crossing with a typical five-coach train on non-corridor coaches from Manchester to Buxton. The crossing-keeper's cottage provided by the Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway Company was still in use at that time, but has since been demolished and the crossing-keepers travel to work.42366 ended its days at Chester depot from which it was withdrawn in 1964.
Godley Junction on 23rd June 1951, with 42363
of
Macclesfield shed on a very short goods train including a van which
must have had a leaky roof as it has been covered by a tarpaulin. Some
way from the village of Godley, this place was important for freight
traffic as it lay on the Great Central's Manchester – Sheffield
main line via the Woodhead Tunnel, at the point where trains from
Yorkshire could branch off to travel via Apethorne Junction and
Bredbury Junction to Stockport Tiviot Dale and on to Warrington.
Sidings were provided here for the interchange of traffic between the
two routes.
A favourite spot for photographers, Chinley North Junction with its array of signals. Hotographer J. Davenport had the advantage of the view from the signalbox when he photographed 42306 hauling a Manchester Central – Buxton (Midland) 'businessmen's train' sometime in the early 1950s. The carriages are a matching set of later-period LMS- corridor vehicles, still wearing LMS Maroon livery.Behind is the hamlet of New Smithy, and in the background the lower slopes of the Kinder Scout massif.
It was a wet and miserable evening at Stockport Tiviot Dale station on 9th May 1962 when Gordon Coltas photographed 42306 on the 6.45pm Manchester Central to Sheffield Midland train. The unusual arched footbridge makes pictures of this station easy to identify. 42306 was one of three 2-6-4Ts retained at Buxton for these Midland line services after the diesel railcars took over most trains on the Manchester – Buxton ex-LNWR line; the others were 42370 and 42371.
42306 again, in the more rural surroundings of Millers Dale Junction on 17th August 1959, taking the branch line towards Buxton (Midland). The branch has a straighter alignment than the main line to Manchester Central which curves off in the background, as the main line was intended by its promoters in the 1850s to run via Buxton.
42379 of Stockport Edgeley shed (9B) calls at Burnage on the Styal loop line with a local service from Manchester towards Wilmslow in 1960. 42379 spent a year and half based at Stockport before being moved to Tebay, Buxton and finally Newton Heath before withdrawal in 1964.
Gordon Coltas photographed 42391 at Reddish South station on 22nd May 1962. The relatively late date and the short train suggest that the railcar set allocated to the Stockport – Stalybridge shuttle service has become unavailable and a 'scratch set' with one of the station pilot locos has been assembled at Stockport to take over. I recall a similar occasion some years later, around 1966, when I was on Stockport Edgeley station watching trains and a 'Black 5' 4-6-0 appeared with two coaches; I rushed to get a ticket and made the return journey to Stalybridge. Thinking back, this may have been my last journey behind steam on a BR main line service train.
An oddity to finish with. 42349 at Manchester Central station with a set of suburban coaches which appear to have come into contact with another train. The picture is undated, but must date from the period that the loco was allocated to Brunswick shed, Liverpool between 1953 and 1959.
Last update September 12th 2014. Comments welcome: website@manlocosoc.co.uk |