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Woodhead route saw 27004 withdrawn in October 1968 and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the Netherlands the loco was withdrawn in June 1986 and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50455 went into storage and was withdrawn three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.
© MLS collection
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
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
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.
|
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.
On
what Allan describes as an “MLS (Gorton Trip)” on Saturday
September 1st, no less than 77 locos were recorded “on shed”
with a further 70-odd seen in and around the works erecting
shops and yard. Trafford Park shed was visited the following
day and a further trip to Gorton was made on September 8
(see photo). Gorton, home to the former GCR remained a firm
favourite for visits right up its closure in 1963 no doubt
spearheaded by Allan a doughty GCR enthusiast. He had joined
the society towards the end of the war and was passionate,
not only about GC locos, but LNER locomotives in particular.
Allan was one of the co-authors of the seminal “Green Book”
series covering LNER engines and published by the RCTS.

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.
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