Roy B

continued from above Its main use was for the Glossop-Manchester line (the Dinting triangle which we looked at previously), the Waterside branch (which left the main Manchester – Sheffield line at the old Dinting station) and as a stabling point for the Glossop shunter. In later years the electric loco’s for Mottram Yard also made use of the shed. Here we have two pics from the fifties: So much to see in this superb picture at a time of transition. A drystone wall, the shed in all its glory, wagons through the arch, the electric Bo-Bo class and a steam survivor. From the opposite end this time. Overhead catenary exists alongside the coal stage and water tank. Hard to imagine this scene ever existed as it is now. continues below

continued from above Keeping a link with Gorton we now move on to the main event. The shed in the woods. Going back a few weeks we had a look at the old Dinting station. Well this building is located within a five minute walk. Unless you are aware of its existence it is so easy to pass it by. Woodland has completely hidden it from view and is quite a challenge to locate. Though apocaIyptic, there’s something beautiful about abandoned and derelict places. The clocks have stopped ticking, and there’s not a soul in sight, but the shell of what used to be remains. It is an eerie snapshot of history frozen in time. A stark reminder of what went before, with a haunting beauty seeping through the dust. This engine shed is no exception. It has stunning architecture and shows it was built with pride. A well hidden jewel It was built between 1888-98 for the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (later the Great Central Railway). The shed code is 39A pre 1958 (Gorton allocation), and is a one track through layout. Two tracks passed on the south-east side. Brick built with stone coped gable ends. A coal stage and water tank were situated at the south end. The land it stands on is actually the ash tip from Gorton loco works. continues below

Hi there folks, Sorry to see we’ll have no more trips to Belle Vue. It was expected, but without the Covid situation we would at least have probably had a few more meetings. It’s another great loss. If i’m passing through an area where a track used to be i usually have a drive past its former site to rekindle the memories of the racing there etc. Well how about we have a look at what the tracks were built on, or what they replaced? In the first of a mini-series entitled ”What was there before?” we’ll start with Kirky Lane’s Belle Vue. Permission has been obtained for all photos used throughout which are not my own. The stadium itself was built in Gorton on an area of farmland known as Higher Catsknowl, and Lower Catsknowl. Gorton was known to have rich agricultural lands as far back as the reign of King Edward I in the late 1200’s. Farms and rural estates remained right up until the Industrial Revolution. By 1896 many of the farms had gone with only fields remaining in odd pockets throughout the area. A late 1800's view on the left Looking at the map the Boating Lake and Clock Tower are part of Belle Vue Pleasure Gardens. The Midland Hotel public house to the right was both a station hotel, and a place for the Pleasure Gardens visitors. It was demolished in 2002/3. Within five minutes of here was the magnificent Gorton Locomotive Works. Exporting worldwide they built more than a thousand steam locomotives. The attached picture from the 1920’s shows Kirkmanshulme Lane running alongside the right hand side. As can be seen fields have managed to hang on here. The site of the stadium (top right) does look as though building work is going on. This would fit in as it opened in 1926. The Boating Lake is clearly visible in this excellent photo. The Diamond Lodge now occupies part of that site. continues below

If only there was a part three, four, five etc, etc, etc. Please, please do another continuation interview with Kev. You just know he has loads more tales to tell.

A big thank you to all involved. It has been excellent entertainment and will be greatly missed. More than anything it brought everyone together for a few hours every Saturday and made us all feel part of the Brisca family even though we couldn't be together in person.

and another FH460 for you. A beauty from Harry Lawson's of Broughty Ferry. Lawson's specialise in the movement of hazardous products in tankers and containers.

Cheers Bas. I know you like the paint jobs/signwriting on the UK trucks and seeing as it was supposed to be the Scottish weekend coming up here's a pic for you. It's a Volvo FH460 Globetrotter from T French of Cumnock, East Ayrshire. They run a fleet of 70 Volvo's carrying a variety of bulk cargo including coal, grain, and fertilisers.

continued from above How about we see first-hand the conditions. Join me now as we go back to the early to mid 1800’s and take a walk through the streets of Lancaster. You’ll need a strong stomach! Notice how the men have sunken cheeks and limbs that are malformed. Legs are bowed. Girls limp around flat-footed. Working an average of 70hrs a week has taken its toll. Toiling in a heated atmosphere, remaining in one position for hours on end results in only one set of muscles being used. Young girls whose bones are still developing find themselves with bent spinal columns, curved leg bones and a loss of height. You’ll no doubt have a group of malnourished children following you around. Any under the age of 13 are limited to a 48hr working week. These poor mites work all day in a poisonous atmosphere with only a 15 min break. They’ll be stunted, crippled, and deformed. Standing or squatting before you in all the shapes of the alphabet. People hurry along carrying water in whatever they have to hand. They’ve had to cover a considerable distance to the wells. The water is polluted and hard. The washing of clothes is difficult and costly as soda has to be added to soften it. There is no waste disposal system so look out for human and animal sewage, plus refuse piled up outside the back to back houses. These properties have no ventilation, little light, no water supply or drainage. If you find yourself needing a privy (toilet) forget it. You’ll be sharing it with up to 380 other people. Middens and cess-pits are everywhere. Watch where you step as the run off from these soaks into the ground and eventually finds its way into the local river. All the water supplies are polluted, becoming major sources of infection. Death awaits at the water pump A lucky few in the posher parts of town have sub-surface drains installed in their street. These are rectangular being made of rough cast stone and for rainwater only. These householders see their chance and connect their cess-pools, water closets and house drains to them, as do the slaughter houses. Solid materials get stuck in them and the flow backs up. The contents seep through the cellars. One particular property is affected by the drainage of three privies, and two pig sties. The stagnating solution soaks into the foundations and through the floor. The smell in Lancaster especially in summertime is appalling. You’ll be impressed with it being one of the nastiest and filthiest places in existence. I guess by now you will have seen enough, but return again a few years later and the improvements in conditions and health will be seen. Here a mother is able to obtain a clean supply of water within feet of her house. Now this is where our mystery building plays its part. With the problems associated with the rectangular drains a better design was called for. A smaller diameter to encourage flow, round or oval in section, and made from glazed earthenware or metal. With a gradual curve rather than right angles a good supply of water would be needed to flush them through. Various suggestions for a source of water had been discussed. The River Lune was considered but would have required pumping, and would have been salty at high tide. A Labour Master at the workhouse who had previously been a gamekeeper contacted the council telling them where a good source of water may be found. He had noticed water issuing from springs high on the fells. After investigation the council agreed that the springs and becks of the high country would be Lancaster’s supply of water. A programme of works commenced in 1852. What makes these fells such a good source? The surface layer is peat over a porous sandstone. Rainwater falls on the peat and passes through becoming acidic. It then drains through the excellent natural filter of the sandstone coming out pure and clean. When this water was tested it was found to be the purest yet discovered for supplying any town in the land. The resulting soft water made washing clothes much easier and used less soap. It is not without its problems though. Acidic water dissolves lead, and resulted in lead poisoning. This brought about the need to build water treatment works. However, there was a problem in taking water from the springs which fed into the River Wyre. Mills had been constructed on its banks and needed a strong flow to power the machinery. A compensation reservoir was constructed at Abbeystead to keep the mills going in times of low rainfall. The volume of storage had to be 95 times greater than Lancaster’s daily consumption of 300,000 gallons. The reservoir was built to therefore hold 28,500,000 gallons. Inevitably in a dry year the output from the springs could not keep up with demand. A much larger storage capacity was needed to catch excess water when it was not immediately required. A new reservoir capable of holding 50,000,000 gallons was constructed. An effect of a high flow of water in a relatively narrow pipe can cause rupturing of the pipework further down the system owing to a buildup of pressure. Step forward our building. It is known as a pressure reduction basin. Inside is a large open tank. Water flows into the tank at high pressure. Equalising to the tank dimensions sees it flow out and continue its journey with a greatly reduced pressure. There would be a number of these pressure reduction tanks strategically positioned throughout the system. In this one at Brow Top there are some great stone arched window and door frames, some valve gear and a secondary tank with some Victorian railings to one side. By the late 1800’s the death rate in Lancaster was falling significantly and many more modifications and improvements to the infrastructure were carried out in the following years. It is interesting that at the end of the 19th century Lancaster was noted to be very short of public conveniences. This led to both men and women relieving themselves in yard entrances. With the policy nowadays of council’s reducing the number of public conveniences have we really made any progress? Photos in the gallery (after the F2 pics) show the area, and how time has stood still in this part of Lancashire. A real land that time forgot, and very peaceful. Next time: A long forgotten shed deep within the woods, but not just any shed.

continued from above The general health of the town’s population on the other hand was not looking good. The water supply was heavily contaminated with all types of bacteria and disease. The horrors that lurk within the water The town had high mortality rates. Through the period 1760-1840 the most prevalent diseases were typhus (putrid fever), influenza, typhoid, and whooping cough. In addition to these, many people were treated for abscess due to tonsillitis, “holy fire” (an acute infection of the skin), croup, chronic weakness, hysteria, palsy, colic, gravel (kidney stones), scurvy, worms, tumours and convulsions. During the Victorian era tuberculosis was the most deadly of all. Lancaster was particularly notorious for this disease. One of the main reasons for this was the two major trades at that time which were linoleum and oilcloth. The working environment was very crowded involving lots of contact with other people. The average salary was less than £1 a week which was just enough to feed a family of four. The family size for the majority of Lancastrians was double or triple this, resulting in them being under fed and generally run down. The diet consisted mainly of bread, potatoes, milk and meat on average once a week. Fruit and veg were uncommon until the 1900’s. Cholera hit Lancaster in 1832. The two asylums in the town were particularly badly affected. There were so many coffins in the wards that the doctor had to stride over them. The epidemic was the turning point in cleaning up the town. The average age at death was only about 22 years. Lack of sanitation, and overcrowding being the main factors. The conditions of the time. The little girl at the back is standing next to a jug of water that has been carried a considerable distance and will be heavily polluted. continues below

Hi there folks, Hope you’re all well. Pics from day two of the F2 2019 WF weekend from Buxton are in the gallery. Meeting info towards the bottom of page 4 in this topic. This time we’ll have a look at the story behind the reason this was built. It is located at Brow Top in the Trough of Bowland in Lancashire, and played a part in improving the health and wellbeing of the inhabitants of Lancaster. During the 1600’s this county town (city status was not bestowed until 1937) of Lancashire was known as the “Hanging Town”. The court sentenced more people to be hanged here than any other in the country outside of London. Lancaster Castle is well known as the sight of the Pendle witch trials in 1612. Once one of the busiest ports in the UK, and a leading port for trade with the West Indies, but the Napoleonic Wars had a damaging effect on the town. Further decline followed with the silting up of the River Lune, a fall in the price of wheat, and the opening of Liverpool’s port. 1833 saw the last ship dock at St.George’s quay. However, it had an ace up its sleeve owing to its unique geographical position. Lancaster was a route centre for North Lancashire and West Yorkshire. In 1829 the North Western opened the town’s first railway, followed by the Preston Junction Railway in 1840. Additional trade of Baltic timber, Irish grain, and coastal trade through the nearby port of Glasson Dock gave new energy to the town. From this time Lancaster steadily grew into an industrial centre. The canal side mills were the main employers. continues below

The enthusiasm that Kev shows, and the way he recalls his racing exploits are pure gold. A tremendous interview and i cannot wait for part two. Many thanks to everybody involved once again.

Yes it was Buxton on May 17th 2015. Hence the winter clothes! If you've got a bit of spare time folks have a listen to the Truck & Driver podcasts. They're very entertaining. The mag editor Dougie Rankine, and Chris Maddison discuss all things trucking. Chris is a Yorkshire lad and can always be relied upon to say it how it is. He owns possibly the UK's most famous Foden Alpha. Photo by Dominic Pearson

Yet another first class interview. Many thanks. Ian in the two seater at Hunmanby

Many thanks for the kind words Brownspeed but you really don't need to do that. As long as folks get some enjoyment out of these posts that's good enough for me. With regard to clapping, my youngest daughter is a newly qualified nurse in Leeds, and she sends her heartfelt thanks to all those in the Brisca family who applauded the NHS. She has been to a few meetings with her boyfriend when time off allows and loves the friendly atmosphere around the tracks. He is in the forces and absolutely loves our sport. He had never heard of it until she suggested going and he was instantly hooked. The young generation of future potential fans are out there, it's just making them aware that's the difficult bit. My daughter has this wonderful pic on her flat wall to cheer her up after a hectic day at Leeds General. Her two fave guys! She's set you all a test. Where, and when (exact date)?

continued from above Next time: Pics from day two of the F2 WF weekend, plus we’ll have a look at the story behind this 170 year old building which was abandoned in 1952.

continued from above It was used for steamer services from Liverpool and Blackpool. However, it only had a short life. The passing of the Ribble Navigation and Preston Dock Act of 1883 led to the dredging of the river channels to improve access to Preston Dock. These changes to the estuary meant that the pier was eventually left on dry land. The resort’s steamer trade came to an end. Time has taken its toll Five years after the earlier photo, and the top of one of the beacons is just hanging on A busy Victorian scene continued below

continued from above Let’s now have a walk on the beach to St. Anne’s pier. There’s a relic from times past that is slowly disappearing under the sand. Garlick and Sykes a Preston civil engineering firm constructed the pier in 1880. Lying on the estuary of the River Ribble the support columns are cast iron and sunk to a depth of 50 ft. The opening ceremony featured the launch of a lifeboat named the Laura Janet. The crew of this boat all perished the following year attempting the rescue of a vessel which had run aground in appalling conditions near Southport. The lifeboat was found ashore, bottom up, with three dead bodies hanging on the cross-struts with their heads downwards. In addition the Southport crew also succumbed, resulting in a total loss of 27 lives. The worst in the history of the RNLI. In 1891 the pier’s wooden landing jetty was extended in an L shape. The new iron structure was three storeys high.The remains of this are what we can see. A photo from 2015. Having a look at the remaining structure there is only one storey left above the sand. It has taken approximately 120 years for this change to occur. Possibly by around 2080 the whole thing will have been covered. As it used to be back in the day continues below

continued from above Originally 10,000 light bulbs were used to illuminate it. These have now been replaced by 25,000 LED lights. Each of the four legs rest on concrete foundations 35 feet square, and 12 feet deep.. There are 15,000 yards of carpet covering the floor of the Tower building. The Tower contains 2,943 tons of steel, and 93 tons of cast iron. The building at the base contains 985 tons of steel, and 259 tons of cast iron. Up until 1924 it generated its own electricity. The ballroom opened in 1899, and the floor contains 30,602 separate blocks of mahogany, oak and walnut. Each of the chandeliers takes over a week to clean. It takes seven years to paint the structure from top to bottom. Maintenance 2020 style A brave chap painting away at the very top in 1953! continues below

Hi there folks, Pics from day one of the 2019 F2 WF weekend at Buxton now in the gallery. Meeting report on page 4 of this post. Okay then. Blackpool is well known for its Tower. Did you know? There are more than five million bricks in the Tower buildings. The stylish brickwork of the upper floor of the main building continues below

Thanks Ian. I think i saw one of Bab's Cabs outside the station 😂

Cheers lads. Here's a great pic of a pair of Class 76's with a train of empty hopper wagons. The photo was taken from Dinting footbridge 43 years ago. They've just crossed the viaduct and are on their way to collect more coal. The Glossop branch line is going off to the left. Picture credit to eastbank.org.uk

continued from above The disused part of the station arrowed There is also an active line here. We’ll meet on this platform and I’ll tell you the history. This shows the disused station fenced off opposite. It has deteriorated a lot more than shown here. I'll see you at the blue seat. Pic credit to Mapio. The station is on the Manchester – Glossop line 12 miles (19km) east of Piccadilly. During the lifetime of the Woodhead route which closed in 1981 this was a major cross – Pennine artery. The original station opened in 1845 and was named Glossop Junction. The curve did not exist at that time, and Glossop was not served directly. This was added a year later and the name changed to Dinting. During the 1830’s the turnpike roads that existed between Manchester and Sheffield were in a bad condition. Transportation of goods was an expensive and long drawn out procedure. Mill owners at Glossop were losing out to their rivals who were more favourably situated closer to the coalfields with better road access. In 1835 the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway Company was formed to build a railway from Manchester to Sheffield. The line from Manchester was not an easy task to construct. Tunnels and viaducts had to be built, and the line opened in sections with a stagecoach service linking them. Just south of the station is Dinting viaduct. The original design was for it to be built completely of stone. However, to cut costs wooden arches were stipulated. Dinting had five timber arches each of 125 feet span. In addition were eleven 50 foot span approach arches of stone. The viaduct was 1,452 feet long, and 125 feet high. The total cost amounted to £35,000 (£4,000,000 today). Part of the contract stated the men were to receive free ale, three of whom were killed during the construction. Even though the station served the needs of Glossop the fact that it by-passed the town by a mile was not a satisfactory situation. Coal, raw cotton, and cotton goods were the main freight. There were toll bars between the station and the mills in Glossop which added to the expense. Lord Howard, the owner of Glossop Hall often travelled to Sheffield by road which was an uncomfortable journey. He did not take much persuading to finance the construction of the branch to Dinting and rent it to the main railway company. He even included a bill to the S.A. & M.R of £16 to cover the cost of the opening day celebratory meal! The total cost of the one mile branch and station at Glossop came to just over £10,000 (£1,000,000 today). The branch was made a double track in 1884. Lord Howard had a special entrance made at the station which was only used by members of his family. He had his own private waiting room, and there was a bell above the entrance which was rung in advance of his arrival at the station. This was to alert his coachman (who could hear the bell at Glossop Hall) to be at the station to take him home. In later years the bell was rung to let people know that the train was due to leave and they had better get a shift on if they were not to miss it! On the 1st Jan 1847 a merger formed the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway. Trains were often running late and the railway gained the nickname of the “Mostly Slow and Late Railway” The majority of coal agents and merchants were located around the station. A Mr.Harrison received a percentage on every wagon that passed through Woodhead tunnel. Next door was Jim Tom. He had a deformity of the spine and walked with his back almost bent double. This was believed to have been caused by his habit of standing with his back to a roaring fire for long periods of time. Another merchant named Garlick always gave a short measure of coal because he was known to put his foot on the scales! The local Co-op used Foden steam tractors to deliver the coal. One customer was the Turn Lee Paper Mill. The paper was made from old rags, rope and Esparto grass. The building where the rags were sorted was known as the “Fleahouse”. The use of rags only lasted around ten years and were replaced by wood pulp. Logs from Sweden were transported by sea to West Hartlepool, and then by rail to Sheffield and on to Glossop via the Woodhead route. The logs were stacked in the sidings and conveyed to the mill by a team of Clydesdale horses. These were eventually replaced by Fowler steam tractors nicknamed “Turnlee Tigers”. The Tigers in turn were replaced by Fordson tractors. Sulphur and soda ash were an added ingredient. This was brought in by open wagon. On windy days the whole area had a coating of yellow powder, and when it rained the gutters ran with yellow water. Fascinating stuff! There were a number of accidents on the branch line. The first happened before the station was even completed when an engine ran out of control into the station wall. In May 1860 a porter lost his hand after it was crushed between the buffers of two wagons. At the Dinting end an engine and wagon were stationary waiting for a signal when an empty passenger train approached at speed from behind. The driver and fireman leapt from this train, but one of them fell back and was crushed under the wheels. The crew on the stationary engine were unhurt. There was an accident on Dinting viaduct which was unusual to say the least. The train had stopped on the viaduct to await the shunting of an engine onto the branch line. It was dark with poor lighting in the carriages. Some passengers thought the train was in the station and a young couple stepped off thinking the viaduct parapet was the platform. They fell to their deaths in the valley below. Another passenger becoming concerned as to their whereabouts also left the train and fell to his death. The railway company took virtually no action to prevent a re-occurrence. The last major incident occurred comparatively recently. During May 1941 a train arrived from Dinting and over-ran the platform at Glossop. The front of the train hit the buffers and part of the leading coach was catapulted through the station wall into the street. That would have been a shock if you were strolling by. A delivery van outside bore the full weight of the wreckage and subsequently collapsed. Luckily only two minor injuries this time. The viaduct itself was not immune to problems. The early timber arches were prone to catching fire from the hot coals raining down as the engines passed overhead. The timber also warped so in 1861 they were replaced with iron girders. In 1918 a further seven piers were added at a cost of £41,600. This was £10,000 more than the original cost of building the whole viaduct. At this time the arches were filled in. During the late 1950’s/early 60’s closure of some of the stations on the Woodhead route began. Due to declining traffic and mill closures the Glossop branch was under threat by 1964. An increase in road haulage had taken away much of the freight traffic. In 1966 a fight to save the line was successful but the line was reduced to a single track in 1968 with the closure of half the station buildings at Dinting. With the closure of the passenger service on the Woodhead route the north-south side of Dinting station also became a single track. With many thanks to Mrs.K.Danby for information. Pics in the gallery. As you can see owing to the adjacent live rail line a fence has been erected very close to the abandoned buildings which unfortunately prevents any wide angle view of the front of the station. Next time it’s day one of the 2019 F2 WF weekend at Buxton.

continued from above Last time I mentioned the minimal remains of an old railway station, so join me now as we have another explore off the beaten track to see what we can find. We’re heading for Derbyshire, to Dinting railway station. You can catch a train from Manchester Piccadilly direct. You may be thinking how can we get a train to a disused station? Well, this is a derelict station opposite an active line. It is a bit confusing unless you are actually there to see the layout. It is within a triangle. Hopefully the attached map from the late 1800’s will help. Heading north to the top of the map the line continued to Sheffield via Woodhead. Today it terminates at Hadfield which is just off the map a mile away. The left hand platform on this side had station buildings. Both are no longer in use. The active right hand side is platform 1. The area we’ll be looking at is the curve at the bottom of the triangle going left to right (west to east). This leads to Glossop, again around a mile away. The abandoned site is within the red circle. continues below

Hi there folks, Day two pics from the Saloons 2019 WF weekend are in the gallery. First off a couple of pics of the very smart new Wim Peeters (H124) car. A few bits still to fit, and then this latest from KMR will be ready and waiting eagerly for the return to racing. continues below

continued from above As it used to be. Constructed in the mid 1920’s it saw regular use until its decline in the late 1970’s. To the left side of the pic is the lift which was added in 1930. It took the visitors from the tram stop at the upper level down to the pool. This has also gone out of use. I remember my dad taking me on the boats and getting shot at by some yobs with an air rifle who were up on the prom. Great days! Next time: Day two of the Saloons WF w/end, and a look at the scant remains of a railway station that’s not seen a train for years.