Class 77 (EM2) 27004 in original lined black livery stands in platform 'C' in the former GC section of London Road station. Built at Gorton Works and entering traffic in September 1954, 27004 received the name 'Juno' in June 1959. Declining passenger traffic on the Woodhead route saw 27004 withdrawn in October 1968 and stored in the former steam shed at Bury. Sold to the Netherlands Railways, after refurbishment at Tilburg Works and renumbered 1503, the loco re-entered traffic in December 1970. After a successful operating career in the Netherlands the loco was withdrawn in June 1986 and dismantled at Tilburg in the following November. © MLS collection
The ‘Dreadnought Farewell Railtour’
organised by the SLS took place on 1st July 1951. No
50455 was the last Hughes 4-6-0 left in service and
the only member to receive a BR number. The engine
is pictured awaiting departure from Manchester
Victoria’s platform 13. Despite having gone through
Horwich Works prior to her big day out, all was not
well for the excursion from Blackpool Central to
York and return. Harry Woods, Chief Loco Inspector
of the Central Division accompanied the Blackpool
crew throughout. As predicted, problems were
encountered en-route when she began knocking badly
and running hot, resulting in delays. Upon return No
50455 went into storage and was withdrawn three
months later.
Stanier Pacific No 46239 ‘City of
Chester’ in ex-works condition departs from London
Road with a local train to Crewe. This was a
running-in turn before returning to her home shed,
Camden where she was allocated throughout the
1950’s. After 1958 when the station turntable was
removed, visiting ‘Princess Royal’ and ‘Princess
Coronation’ Pacifics had to journey light engine to
Stockport where they turned on the triangle formed
by the connecting lines at Cheadle Village and
Davenport junctions, known locally as the ‘Khyber’.
1954.
© B.K.B. Green
© B.K.B. Green
Sporting polished head code lamps motor
coach M28581M leads a 3 coach 1500V DC electric multiple
unit in bay platform 3 in the former MSJ&A section
of London Road station. Twenty two of these units plus
two spare motor coaches were built for the introduction
of electric services between London Road and Altrincham
on 11th May 1931. Advancing 25kV AC electrification saw
1500V DC services cut back to Oxford Road on 15th
September 1958, and the rest of the line to Altrincham
was converted to 25kV AC on 3rd May 1971. All the DC
stock was then dismantled except for two intermediate
trailers preserved by the Altrincham Electric Railway
Preservation Society.
© MLS collection
© MLS collection
An interesting working during the 1950’s
was the 6.05pm Manchester Mayfield to Stockport Edgeley
local train. This was regularly in the hands of one of
Longsight’s ten ‘Jinties’ as a means of getting the loco
to its required destination. On arrival, it than ran
light engine to Jubilee Sidings to commence pilot
duties. No 47528 stands at Heaton Chapel and Heaton Moor
station on 12th May 1954. A Longsight engine throughout
the BR period, she was withdrawn in March 1960. © A.C.
Gilbert
Eddie Johnson. 1943 - 2024
Edward Michael Johnson, always known as Eddie, was born in Withington, Manchester on 20th May 1943. His mother was Muriel Johnson and father Charles Leigh Johnson, who was a policeman.
He attended St Cuthberts School. On leaving school in 1959, he gained a place at the newly opened Hollings College in nearby Fallowfield in 1960. This was a Domestic and Trades College – a part of Manchester Metropolitan University and commonly referred to as ‘The Toast Rack’. Eddie studied Catering, Food and Hygiene.
His early employment was in the kitchens of the Kendal Milne Departmental Store on Deansgate, Manchester after which he moved on to the kitchens of a private patients’ home within Manchester Royal Infirmary. It was there that he first met his wife to be, Mary, who was a nurse at the time. ‘It was over an omelette pan’ she recalled.
Eddie gained a diploma in Teacher Training and moved on to South Trafford College spending virtually all his career there before retiring in 2006.
And so to his great passion – his love of railways and those around Manchester in particular. Eddie’s earliest memory was a trip to his Aunty who lived in Chorlton-cum-Hardy. Her garden backed on to the Fallowfield Loop line and it was from there that he observed a green engine pulling brown carriages. Years later, he deduced that this would have been the ‘Harwich Boat Train’ just before the nationalisation of British Railways in 1948. Funnily enough, he regularly watched the same train from the lofty heights of the Hollings College roof in his student days. As a teenager he regularly visited Levenshulme South signalbox and after befriending the signalman there, he was allowed to pull the levers and even ring the block bells. In 2001 he was a prime mover in forming the ‘Friends of the Fallowfield Loop’- a local eight mile stretch of disused trackbed between Chorlton Junction and Fairfield Junction and without doubt his favourite line in the days of steam.
He was, of course, a prolific author, mainly writing about the Manchester area and the routes away from the city which he knew so well. His books always featured a dedication and acknowledgements including thanks to Mary for her patience and understanding. Writing and researching were time-consuming affairs.
Eddie first joined the Manchester Locomotive Society - member no 412 in 1961 as a teenager and re-joined in 1997. He made many friends over the years. He particularly enjoyed a great camaraderie with fellow members Mike Bentley and Jeremy Suter. All three regularly attended railway enthusiasts collectors fairs having spent many hours in their respective dark rooms producing photographs for sale.
A lot of people knew E.M.Johnson by name only, such was his presence in the railway book market and the respect for which his books were held. His final book is ironically in the hands of the printers and publishers - and although he won’t have sight of the finished article, he was insistent that profits be directed to The MacMillan Centre at Trafford General Hospital.
His very last piece of work was a magazine article commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the Manchester Locomotive Society which is this year. It appeared in the February edition of BackTrack to which the editor has added a rather fitting footnote in the form of a tribute.
In addition, a new book will be available later this year and is entitled ‘North West Gallery’ written by our member David Maidment. This will be dedicated in particular to Eddie.
In summary, Eddie Johnson was a loving family man, a true gentleman and a very proud Mancunian. His name and legacy will live on - on very many bookshelves including those at the MLS clubrooms where his various collections will be securely held – but especially in the hearts and minds of so many people.
Eddie Johnson. 1943 - 2024
Edward Michael Johnson, always known as Eddie, was born in Withington, Manchester on 20th May 1943. His mother was Muriel Johnson and father Charles Leigh Johnson, who was a policeman.
He attended St Cuthberts School. On leaving school in 1959, he gained a place at the newly opened Hollings College in nearby Fallowfield in 1960. This was a Domestic and Trades College – a part of Manchester Metropolitan University and commonly referred to as ‘The Toast Rack’. Eddie studied Catering, Food and Hygiene.
His early employment was in the kitchens of the Kendal Milne Departmental Store on Deansgate, Manchester after which he moved on to the kitchens of a private patients’ home within Manchester Royal Infirmary. It was there that he first met his wife to be, Mary, who was a nurse at the time. ‘It was over an omelette pan’ she recalled.
Eddie gained a diploma in Teacher Training and moved on to South Trafford College spending virtually all his career there before retiring in 2006.
And so to his great passion – his love of railways and those around Manchester in particular. Eddie’s earliest memory was a trip to his Aunty who lived in Chorlton-cum-Hardy. Her garden backed on to the Fallowfield Loop line and it was from there that he observed a green engine pulling brown carriages. Years later, he deduced that this would have been the ‘Harwich Boat Train’ just before the nationalisation of British Railways in 1948. Funnily enough, he regularly watched the same train from the lofty heights of the Hollings College roof in his student days. As a teenager he regularly visited Levenshulme South signalbox and after befriending the signalman there, he was allowed to pull the levers and even ring the block bells. In 2001 he was a prime mover in forming the ‘Friends of the Fallowfield Loop’- a local eight mile stretch of disused trackbed between Chorlton Junction and Fairfield Junction and without doubt his favourite line in the days of steam.
He was, of course, a prolific author, mainly writing about the Manchester area and the routes away from the city which he knew so well. His books always featured a dedication and acknowledgements including thanks to Mary for her patience and understanding. Writing and researching were time-consuming affairs.
Eddie first joined the Manchester Locomotive Society - member no 412 in 1961 as a teenager and re-joined in 1997. He made many friends over the years. He particularly enjoyed a great camaraderie with fellow members Mike Bentley and Jeremy Suter. All three regularly attended railway enthusiasts collectors fairs having spent many hours in their respective dark rooms producing photographs for sale.
A lot of people knew E.M.Johnson by name only, such was his presence in the railway book market and the respect for which his books were held. His final book is ironically in the hands of the printers and publishers - and although he won’t have sight of the finished article, he was insistent that profits be directed to The MacMillan Centre at Trafford General Hospital.
His very last piece of work was a magazine article commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the Manchester Locomotive Society which is this year. It appeared in the February edition of BackTrack to which the editor has added a rather fitting footnote in the form of a tribute.
In addition, a new book will be available later this year and is entitled ‘North West Gallery’ written by our member David Maidment. This will be dedicated in particular to Eddie.
In summary, Eddie Johnson was a loving family man, a true gentleman and a very proud Mancunian. His name and legacy will live on - on very many bookshelves including those at the MLS clubrooms where his various collections will be securely held – but especially in the hearts and minds of so many people.
HISTORY OF THE MANCHESTER LOCOMOTIVE SOCIETY
90 Years of Enthusiasm
by Eddie Johnson
The MLS inaugural meeting of 6th December 1935 took place at Mayfield station in one of the upper rooms on the nearest corner of the photograph, taken on 27th August 1995.
© H.D. Bowtell
Origins
Back in the mid-1930s a small group of Manchester-based enthusiasts would meet regularly on the platforms of the city’s main line stations. Here, they would exchange notes and observations of the various train and locomotive workings. And, indeed, there were plenty of those. The city was a veritable honeypot of railway activity in those years leading up to WWII. Four major stations – London Road, Central, Victoria and Exchange along with six major locomotive depots – Agecroft, Gorton, Newton Heath, Patricroft, Trafford Park and Longsight, as well as the smaller Belle Vue depot.
Feeling that none of the national societies – the RCTS and SLS catered for their needs, heads were put together and a decision was made to form their own society, though it would be thrown open to others. And it should not be forgotten that, aside from the quantity of passenger traffic, the city possessed numerous goods depots – Ancoats, Ardwick, Deansgate, Ducie Street, Liverpool Road, Oldham Road and Travis Street, all of which brought more traffic in and out of the city. That said, some of these places were “off limits” to enthusiasts and would display less glamorous motive power. A further source of interest was the Manchester Ship Canal Railway. This would remain a firm favourite for many years, with regular visits the company’s works at Mode Wheel, Salford.
The individuals concerned, all teenagers bear in mind, were Harold Bowtell, Neville Fields, Gerald Harrop, Bernard Roberts and Bill Young.What can be described as an “elder statesman” was Charlie Harrop who at age 25 lent the group a certain seniority. So in December 1935 the fledgling group approached Mr.Evans, the station master at Mayfield station (adjacent to London Road) and asked if they might use a waiting room for the evening. The gentleman obliged them and provided a roaring fire to boot. December nights in Manchester can be chilly! The date was December 6th and no less than nineteen people turned up. Charlie Harrop was elected as Chairman of the meeting and the title of The Manchester Locomotive Society was agreed.
A committee consisting of five members was elected and a membership fee of 3/6d (17.5p in today’s money) was set. A draft constitution was required and it was decided to place this before members at the next general meeting. All members present promptly enrolled and were given membership numbers 1-19, the first five being allocated to the people who had spawned the idea of a society.
The society’ stated objectives – I suppose what would be today called a “mission statement” were: “To provide an organisation centred upon Manchester for the study and discussion of historical, engineering and operating aspects of Locomotives and Railways and to provide facilities and activities of interest to Railway Enthusiasts.” I think that statement shows incredible maturity when you consider it was written by a group of what, today, would still be known as little more than schoolboys.
Ten members paid a visit to the ‘Leek & Manifold Railway’ in July 1940. Left to right (top) are George Shuttleworth, Martin Shoults, Neville Fields, Reg Dean, Bert Redford, Alex Appleton and Geoff Lord. Gerald Harrop, Charlie Harrop and Harold Bowtell are kneeling. © G. Harrop
Early years
No time was wasted in organising the society’s first outdoor visit. This was to Crewe on New Year’s day (not back then a bank holiday) in 1936 and took in the three steam sheds and locomotive works. Such a visit would (excepting the wartime period) become a regular feature on the society’s calendar. An encouraging number of 22 members turned up for this notable event.
Meanwhile a venue was chosen for indoor meetings. This was the Milton Hall on Deansgate. The constitution was formally accepted followed by a talk on the Great North of Scotland Railway by Bernard Roberts. Outdoor visits began to flourish with an event held every 2 weeks. The format was simple: the group travelled out by an excursion train – the fares being reduced of course – return was by express working to suit members’ needs. This was done with full co-operation of the railway companies who threw in reserved seats for the party. Imagine such a thing today! Regular visits to such as Derby, Doncaster and the north-east as well as Birmingham and Merseyside became a strong feature of the society’s activities. All this activity was augmented by Saturday or Sunday morning visits to local sheds and works at Gorton, Horwich and Newton Heath.
Reflecting on all this frenetic activity, one is tempted to wonder if the young enthusiasts had any family life. Alex Appleton who joined the MLS around this time recalled; “when I joined the MLS I realised I was at a disadvantage in two matters; a) I was engaged to be married and b) I was a Great Western enthusiast. A senior member remarked: “we’ll soon put a stop to that!”
An ambitious trip was made in 1937 when an overnight trip to London was undertaken. A coach was hired and no less than 11 loco sheds were visited. The event was repeated in 1939 when, again, all the major sheds were taken in. A bonus this time was that some sheds, omitted from the previous trip, were visited as well. Rail travel was used where possible – the companies required this as a quid pro quo for granting the necessary shed permits. Rail travel was abandoned reluctantly when, in 1938, a coach journey was made in order to visit the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Railway at Kinnerley.
At this point it is worth mentioning the communication skills needed over 80 years ago. Today, we think little of sending a quick email to a group of friends, or simply picking up our smartphone. Back then few people owned even a simple typewriter and very few homes had a telephone. So the method of inter-member communication was simply by letter, hand-written of course. Fortunately postage was cheap – just 1d to send a letter – and above all, the service was very reliable.
In the meantime society numbers had grown steadily with 52 members enrolled by the end of 1936. In 1937 the number had reached 81 growing to 93 by the end of 1938. On the outbreak of war in September 1939 the membership totalled 110 – an impressive figure given the timescale.
In 1938 the society achieved a notable feat. In that year the LNER, ever publicity-conscious, wanted to publicise the new rolling stock for the celebrated “Flying Scotsman” train. As a publicity boost the company returned to traffic the preserved Stirling Single No.1. Coupled to a train of preserved 6-wheeled carriages the train ran between King’s Cross and Hitchin. Not to be outdone, Harold Bowtell and W.H. (“Will”) Whitworth – on behalf of the MLS and the SLS respectively - approached the LNER with a suggestion to bring the preserved train north and to run between Manchester Central and Liverpool. Their efforts were rewarded giving members of both societies a memorable trip.
Stirling Single No 1 was the first of 53 locomotives built by the Great Northern Railway by Patrick Stirling at Doncaster Works between 1870 and 1895. Complete with Great Northern stock, she makes a rousing departure out of Manchester Central’s platform 9 with the celebrated rail tour to Liverpool on 21st September 1938. © MLS collection
Through the War and after
On the outbreak of war in September 1939 all visits to railway installations were curtailed and any photography of trains or railway stations was banned. As a compensation, the society continued a programme of indoor meetings, something that continued until the war ended. Sadly, the Milton Hall was bombed, but unabashed the meetings continued at the Briton’s Protection, a pub on Great Bridgewater Street at the bottom of Lower Mosley Street opposite the bus station and close to today’s Bridgewater Hall. The pub still stands today.
Outdoor activities continued in the shape of lineside walks, but even these were occasionally fraught. A particular favourite spot was the intersection bridge at Heaton Mersey where the CLC’s Glazebrook to Godley line passes beneath the high level bridge carrying the Midland Railway’s 1902 line from Heaton Mersey to New Mills via Disley tunnel. The group were happily enjoying themselves when they were approached by a Policeman on patrol who wanted to know what they were doing. Doubtless satisfactory answers were given and the Bobby went on his way. Perhaps he was disappointed he hadn’t uncovered a ring of German spies!
Other instances of society members raising the authorities’ suspicions are worth a mention too. Doug Darby, later the MLS’ President was apprehended by the Police for noting down engine numbers, while Raymond Keeley – a later member - who was wearing RAF uniform at the time, was apprehended by the Military Police for similar activities.
Other wartime locations included Chinley, always a favourite place, as well as various collieries. With the war coming into full-blown conflict, 44 members were summoned for active service; this numbered 21 in the Army, 3 in the Navy, 18 in the RAF as well as 2 in the Fleet Air Arm. Some notable postings included Neville Fields who served in the RAF in South Africa; Ron Simpson who later edited our “Mancunian” journal was trained in Canada to fly Hurricane fighters. Harold Bowtell who achieved the rank of Captain in the Royal Engineers, spent a good deal of time travelling around India, much of it on the footplate. Two wartime casualties, sadly, were Martin Shoults and Eric Rose who were captured early on at Tobruk in the North African campaign and held as POWs until hostilities ceased. Other deployments of members serving overseas included postings to Europe, India (as mentioned), Baghdad, Belgium, Cairo, Colombo, Greece, Italy and Madagascar.
All-in-all, a rich variety of experience and, mercifully, all members returned home safely to continue in the society. Worthy of a mention is the fact that no less than 44 new members joined the society during the war. A late casualty, not wartime connected, was Jack Ellison who served in the Royal Engineers and died in 1947. Jack wrote copious amounts of letters “Home” and many of these have appeared transcribed in our “Mancunian” journal.
However, after the end of the war conscription loomed in the shape of National Service. This resulted in several members being “called up” with some being drafted into overseas service. Charlie Harrop, the elder statesman who had helped the founding of the society back in 1935, did sterling work in keeping members who had been sent to far-flung places in contact with the goings-on in Manchester. Charlie served in the Army with the Royal Army Pay Corps. His workplace was in what was known as The Daisy Mill, an imposing red brick building on Stockport Road close to what became the St.Joseph’s police training academy. Charlie joked that he could commute from home to work just as he had done pre-war. He lived in Heaton Chapel, Stockport and had an almost door-to-door train service to nearby Longsight station.
Membership now totalled almost 150, albeit despite a few resignations in the meantime. VE Day in Europe was officially declared on May 8th 1945 and the MLS lost little time in resuming outdoor visits. Perusal of the notebooks of the late Allan Brown records the first such - a society visit to Hartford – on the West Coast Main Line – dated June 6 1945. Beginning at Stretford (on the MSJ&A line) Allan records sightings of no less than 91 locos including observations at Northwich shed. A society visit to Hadfield on the Woodhead line was made on July 28th.
Allan Brown’s grice book. There were 91 engines on Gorton shed and 45 others in and around the works that day.
The MLS party consisting of 23 members congregate on and around No 6498 in the works yard at Gorton. No 6498 was an ex-ROD loco built in 1918 by Robert Stephenson & Co. It became classified as O4/7 and was withdrawn as BR No 63701 in August 1965. Saturday, 1st September 1945. © MLS collection
Unfortunately no published records of society activities the immediate post-war years are available. Our website (www.manlocosoc.co.uk) has a list of railtours undertaken by the joint SLS/MLS societies from 1951. It is a shame that our now well-established “Mancunian” journal did not appear until 1958 and then only in a truncated form compared to today. Thus, details of dozens of fascinating weekend trips are lost, though one such will be recalled later.
However, railtours, still something of an enthusiast feature today, became firm favourites on the society’s calendar. All were a joint affair between the MLS and the SLS (Stephenson Locomotive Society). The latter, founded back in 1909 had a strong nationwide membership. Thanks to the efforts of Harold Bowtell (also an SLS member) who worked with both societies tirelessly to ensure the tours were such a success.
The “Flying Scotsman” tour of 1964 from Manchester Central to Marylebone and back was a huge success. I was a participant and, although not an MLS member at the time, I think pretty well all of the society’s members were on board that day! The return fare was £3/3/- which sounds amazingly cheap in today’s terms. The special paused at Woodhead where E26001 was attached to enable 4472 to pass with steam shut off through the Woodhead Tunnel. The pilot engine was detached at Dunford Bridge. After calling at Sheffield Victoria the route south was via the former LD&ECR route via Langwith Junction where a pause was made for water as well as allowing for a photo stop. Re-joining the GC route at Kirkby South Junction we called at Leicester and High Wycombe. Arrival in Marylebone in damp and dismal conditions was at 2.40pm. The return trip left London at 5.40pm and arrived in Manchester somewhat late at 10.55pm. 4472 came off at Penistone and we were whisked back home – this time to Piccadilly - with electric traction courtesy of E26052 “Nestor”. Despite the poor weather in London and the late arrival back home, I think that it is fair to say that all enjoyed a great day out. A great credit to the organisers of both societies, to BR and of course to “Scotsman”, Alan Pegler and his footplate crew.
No 4472 ‘Flying Scotsman’ is passing Crowden on the approach to Woodhead from where electric loco No E26001 will assist through the tunnel. The ‘Great Central Rail Tour’ headboard also features the SLS and MLS logos – a familiar sight on so many other outings. 18th April 1964. © MLS collection
Shed and works visits
As mentioned, no time was lost after the end of WWII in resuming outdoor visits with trips to loco sheds and works being high on the agenda. A particular favourite was the New Year’s day visit to Crewe works – January 1st, not back then a bank holiday. No complete record of many of the forays to the outdoor programme exists , but one – on which I was a participant – stands out in my memory. The date was Sunday, March 12th 1961. The occasion was a visit to Doncaster shed and works followed by a trip over to Mexborough, a shed that provided motive power for traffic from the South Yorkshire coalfield. The trip leader was Harold Bowtell – universally known as “HDB.” My main interest was the goings-on in Doncaster works, the first such premises I had visited.
Walking round we came across an A4 stripped to the nines so to speak and undergoing a major overall. No sign could be seen identifying which loco it was, so I ventured forth and turned over one of the front sections of the streamlined fairings. There, sure enough, was the bold figure in chalk reading 60028 – “Walter.K.Whigham.” I was delighted at this sight. 60028 was the first A4 I had “copped” back in August 1959 when I saw it hauling the Up “Elizabethan” near Musselburgh on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Mexborough shed was most fascinating with row upon row of O4 2-8-0 variants getting steam up in readiness for the Monday morning coal traffic. One felt that, so thick was the acrid smoke, it could almost be cut into souvenir pieces! I had left the society later that year due mostly to a change in work patterns, so the Doncaster visit is all I can recall.
Aside from a trip to Ireland in June 1954, the society has never ventured overseas. Such trips to far-flung places have been the prerogative of members who have undertaken visits to explore such places as Russia, Poland, India and Scandanavia.
Family days out
With shed and works visits diminishing after the demise of steam in 1968, the MLS turned its attention to what became known as “Family days out.” Beginning in 1982 and organised by member John Tate (now Society President). The first such event was to Blackpool where a full line tour of the town’s tramway system was undertaken using two vintage trams. Starting and finishing at the tramway depot, the trip attracted 68 participants.
The days out continued annually until 2006 and covered an amazing variety of locations. Particular highlights were to the Snowdon Mountain Railway in 1989 attracting a record 139 passengers. Lakeland, the Keighley & Worth Valley, Lincolnshire Wolds, Welshpool and the Forest of Dean are but a few of the chosen locations, a credit to John’s imagination and hard work. 23 of the annual trips turned a profit, something no doubt that pleased Alan Gilbert, the MLS Treasurer, a post held by Alan for a record 51 years. Following on from 2006 further coach trips were organised by the late Mike Hayward.
The Society’s photographers
Over the years a good number of members recorded images for posterity. Some were more prolific, while others had better cameras. The society is fortunate to have already secured many collections from deceased members and others donated by nonmembers alike. The names of A.H.Bryant, W.A.Camwell, Jim Davenport, Neville Fields, B.K.B.Green, R.S.Greenwood, Peter Hutchinson, A.W. Martin, Peter Ward and T.K.Widd became almost household names to serious “Spotters” via photographs appearing regularly in the1950s and ‘60s in various Ian Allan ABCs and magazines such as the legendary Trains Illustrated.
Moving on
The quest meanwhile for a new meeting room had continued and in June 1954 a licence was secured on what had been the accounts office on the first floor at the back of the goods yard at Manchester Central station. The room was big enough to hold a good number of members and proved ideal for the frequent talks and presentations that were a strong feature of the MLS’ activities. There was even room for a small library, something appreciated and well-used by myself.
An annual rent of £16 was agreed plus rates of £39, reduced on appeal to £25. The building was somewhat dilapidated and dirty and much work was required to make it habitable A special appeal fund was set up to fund restoration and the new HQ was handed over on June 15th 1954, much work having followed in terms of cleaning and restoration and it was not until January 4th 1955 that the first meeting was held. Due to the expense involved it had been decided set the subscriptions to two levels. “Country” members (ie those living a few miles away from Manchester centre) would continue to pay 5/- pa, while those living nearer would be classed as “town” members and would pay 8/- pa. This distinction was carried on until fairly recently when a consolidated members’ subscription was agreed by a vote at the AGM.
Departure from Central station
Unfortunately, with the closure of Central station looming from 1966 the society was forced to move on again. Secure accommodation was found in a set of rooms on the platform at Sale station, on the MSJ&A line from Manchester to Altrincham.
Unfortunately when the line was turned over to Metrolink from December 1991, the society was forced to quit and left in 1992.Thanks to co-operation from the Manchester Model Railway Society, the MLS was able to host regular talks at the modellers’ premises – Dean Hall in Sale. Meanwhile, storage of the society’s archives had grown considerably and a peripatetic existence meant somewhere had to found to house these temporarily. A lot of physical work was needed to load the material into a lock-up storage facility in Cheadle Heath, en route to Stockport town centre.
By the summer of 1994 it was felt that time was up at Dean Hall and yet another move was enforced. This time the chosen venue was Park House, a large Victorian building owned by Trafford MBC just outside Sale town centre. But clearly Park House was only a stop-gap so the quest continued anew for new premises.
The move to Stockport
Class 66 locomotive No 66502 is passing through Stockport Edgeley with the 2.15pm Trafford Park to Southampton Freightliner (4029) service which it worked as far as Basford Hall, Crewe. 19th October 1999. The MLS headquarters are directly above the locomotive.
© A.C. Gilbert
A breakthrough came in the early 1990s when thanks to the late Greg Fox (of erstwhile Foxline Publishing) who was working for BR’s civil engineering department, drew attention to a vacant set of rooms above platform 1 on Stockport station. Harold Bowtell engaged with BR and a licence, payable via a yearly rent, was agreed in 1992. However, the rooms had been disused for a long time, dry rot was discovered and there was no electrical wiring nor running water, despite the premises having been used as dormitories accommodation previously.
Unabashed, society members got stuck in and made an amazing transformation. Particular thanks are due to member Neville Knight; a qualified electrician, Neville designed the entire set of rooms to a high standard of electric re-wiring.
And regular talks require darkness for our many visual presentations. Here, Ruth Gee, wife of member Ronnie Gee, provided a set of high quality curtains for the extensive array of windows. Less skilled work in the form of cleaning and painting was amply forthcoming from the membership. A rent of £350 pa had been agreed with BR and after much sterling work by dedicated members the new HQ was ready for occupancy in the summer of 1996.
The first presentation was held on May 31st. The presenter was Neville Fields, a founder member of course and then vice-president, and consisted of a slide show showing various ex-GC and LNER loco classes at work. The photography was the work of R.D.Pollard whose superb photographs are now in the society’s archives. It is hard to believe that those early days at Stockport are now thirty years behind us. Since then membership has grown and stands now at a record level of 230.
Likewise, our photographic collection has grown exponentially, something due in no small measure to the tireless work of photo archivist Paul Shackcloth. The society gets frequent requests for photographs for use in various publications and Paul is always ready to oblige them, working as he does from what is probably one of the biggest railway photo archives outside of the NRM.
Paul has made available a stock of postcard-size black and white photographs for sale and this, again, has proved a popular feature of our activities. Our photographic collection is very much up to date and includes much contemporary material in the shape of modern traction.
Though many members have clear memories of the age of steam, we have a good number who are what could be termed “Diesel-Orientated” and their interests are well catered for as well. A good example is our “Diesel Gallery” which appears in our journal on a regular basis.
The journal always displays a current news feature reporting not only on traction matters but railway operations as a whole. Our regular talks cover wide aspects of railway matters and are always well-received. On the subject of our archives, these are in the safe and competent hands of Nick Howell and Steve Leyland. Our collection is both extensive, comprehensive and contains a wealth of material – timetables, public and working, drawings of locomotives and accident reports to provide just a small sample. A particular asset has been the donation of the Gorton shed and works archive of the late Allan Brown – mentioned earlier.
A particular focus is the collection of what are termed “Grice Books”, these are the notebooks containing detailed observations of such as shed visits and train journeys etc. from late members. The detail is amazing and the books cover a period going back to the late 1920s. To transcribe these would be well-nigh impossible, but the books are available for in-house research.
Our Library
A key feature at Stockport is the society’s library. Under the stewardship of Ian Williams, Ian Senior and Gerald Leach, the library contains a large collection of railway books from all eras. And this is aside from the extensive collection of bound magazines with all society journals and commercial publications (notably BackTrack!) being held.
Pride of place is given to our journal “The Mancunian” which can be perused back to its first issue in December 1958. Our journal appears bimonthly and is always eagerly awaited. Under the editorship of Walt Denning “The Mancunian” contains a mix of articles covering both steam-era, modern operation and recollections and articles from members. We also have a sales point where members and visitors can buy second-hand books at bargain prices.
Publications
Although the MLS has never ventured into the world of publishing – except for our bi-monthly journal “The Mancunian”, the assistance given to authors has been considerable.
Back in 1973 members Alan Gilbert and Neville Knight produced a book entitled “ Railways Around Manchester.” Printed in landscape format the volume displayed a splendid selection of their own photographs. A separate book covering wider aspects in Lancashire followed soon afterwards. The duo were joined by founder member Neville Fields and together in 1980 they produced a book commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway.
Harold Bowtell, ever the railway scholar par excellence – wrote the definitive history of the Lancaster & Carlisle Railway and followed this with a series of books dealing with the construction of various reservoir railways.
Member Dave Gosling, a retired BR locomotive engineer, has written the history of the GCR’s locomotive works. Popularly known as “Gorton Tank”, Dave’s own extensive knowledge of the works was aided by information drawn from MLS archives. The book was published by Lightmoor Press in 2022 and is highly recommended.
More recently, David Maidment, a retired Senior BR manager embarked on a series of locomotive-orientated books with publisher Pen & Sword. Working tirelessly, David sponsors the Railway Street Children charity, an organisation he founded back in the 1990s and for which he was awarded an OBE.
I too, have benefited greatly from access from the society’s photographic resources with the many pictures that have appeared in my “Scenes From The Past” series of books from Foxline and, more recently, my own publications.
Another notable author within the ranks of the MLS is Paul Shackcloth who has written and published a series of books covering rail and road transport in the Greater Manchester area. Under his “Steam Image” banner, Paul has published three major engine shed histories by fellow member, Chris Coates. Well-researched, the volumes can be regarded as definitive histories of these once important entities.
Further work on engine sheds came from another author and member, the prolific writer Raymond Keeley who wrote two books dealing with engine sheds of the “Big Four”. A third volume by Raymond dealt with personal memories of shed visits, while two more publications with Foxline covered the tramways of Stockport and a book peppered with what Raymond called “Purple Prose.” This dealt with the “Comet”, the prestige express that ran between Manchester London Road and London Euston.
Our IT work
The MLS entered the world of IT some time back and the results have been impressive. Our IT Gurus, Charlie Hulme and Ken Millward have done an amazing job, with Ken managing the society’s website and Charlie working assiduously to catalogue hundreds of colour slides and photo collections as well as producing a library catalogue and a database of articles appearing in “The Mancunian” journal. Ken’s website has been extended to include a “round robin” email where members can register their email address and receive instant news on related matters. A particular favourite here has been Paul Shackcloth’s “mystery picture” series. Appearing weekly Paul challenges members to identify six railway locations. Despite the obscurity of many of these, members usually manage to unmask the various stations etc.
Knowledge base
Whatever material assets an organisation holds, the true strength of any society lies with its members. Here, the MLS has had the supreme good fortune to have included in its number not only ex-railwaymen, but others who are both or either, knowledgeable or well-travelled. All have freely given of their help, either by way of conversation, presentations and often both. The passage of time means that many members have left us, but their legacy and memories live on. As I conclude this article, the MLS is close to approaching its 90th anniversary. We proudly celebrated our 8th decade in March 2016 with a Civic Reception held in Manchester Town Hall. The event was hosted by the Lord Mayor and a good attendance led to a most convivial afternoon.
Present and future
Our rooms at Stockport are open every Wednesday from 10.00am-3.00pm for research, library browsing or just plain chat. We hold Open Days on a regular basis, usually on Saturdays where both members and visitors can come along for a cup of coffee, browse our book sales and explore our facilities. We also host regular lunches at railway-themed pubs and these always prove popular, even if moving trains are not in sight of the diners! With a healthy membership, secure accommodation and excellent facilities, our Committee look forward to our 90th birthday celebrations later this year. We salute our founder members and trust they would be proud to see their fledgling society, founded all those years ago, in such good shape.
Last update April 9th 2025. Comments welcome: website@manlocosoc.co.uk