MoSI Railway volunteer Duncan holds a headboard for the day. It reads "Inter City. 1830 - 1975 - 1979 - 2016 Liverpool - Salford - Manchester".
I used to be a regular volunteer steam locomotive fireman and driver on the railway at the Manchester Museum of Science & Industry. Have a look on the blog here for a typical day at MoSI:
Easter on the MoSI Railway
The railway began to lose its way when threatened by Network Rail's building of the Ordsall Chord, a new bit of main line railway to connect Manchester's two main stations, Piccadilly and Victoria. The Chord will pass very close to Liverpool Road station (the terminus of the world's first passenger railway, the Liverpool & Manchester, and now the MoSI site) and cut the railway from a ten minute out and back trip to a mere 150 metres or so. When the Museum withdrew its objection to the Chord in exchange for financial compensation, and the Railway Officer left, volunteer development (including my driver training) stalled and I lost interest, visiting only occasionally. The Museum's 'rolling over' so readily did not impress many, including me. The railway now has a replacement Railway Officer.
The go-ahead for building the Chord was recently achieved by Network Rail after delays brought about by some more robust objections than that put up by the Museum, but really once MoSI withdrew its objection it somewhat undermined the other objectors.
There is no reason this Chord could not have been built on an alignment further from MoSI that would not have curtailed our railway, but that would have cost more. It was decided the railway, and having the Chord further away from the listed 1830 buildings, wasn't worth the extra cost.
Network Rail lost no time in removing MoSI's main line connection so the 1830 route of the L&M has already been severed, and it is about to have its internal railway emasculated. Today was the very last day of operations on the MoSI Railway before Network Rail cut it off at the end of the 1830 station leaving just those 150 metres or so of running line, and I went along to participate.
Please click on any picture for a larger image.
Agecroft No.1 with 16 ton mineral wagon in the station with Richard as fireman
Planet outside the power hall, while Agecroft passes with the 16T
Agecroft runs back down towards the station with the 16T, past Planet
The first passenger train of the day comprises the brake van, the 16T, L&M coaches, double headed by Agecroft and the battery electric locomotive. Here, the train is assembled on the disposal siding before backing down into the station for the passengers to board (volunteers past and present only, no members of the public). At lunch time and early afternoon some fare-charging public runs were made, but really today was a day for the volunteers.
Fireman Richard boards Agecroft as the train prepares to leave the station
This is Steve Davies, former MoSI director, and former director of the National Railway Museum in York. If Steve had remained at MoSI, perhaps we would still have our railway after today. Steve certainly thinks so, and I for one believe he is right.
Up at the Salford end of the line the points are changed for us to propel down the Pineapple Line. Network Rail have already cleared vegetation from the bridge deck and put up temporary fencing to keep people off.
Looking across from the end of the Pineapple Line to Planet by the curatorial yard
Martin Stewart's picture, which he aptly entitles "Hi viz vultures already circling". These are the Network Rail staff who hung around the Irwell bridge area all day. They look suitably 'droid-ish', standing back to the railway in their uniform dress, totally engrossed in their 'phones.
Soon to be lost. This is the Pineapple Line viewed from the Salford end of the site looking back towards the Great Western warehouse. Soon it will be lifted as the Chord will cut off rail access to it. MoSI have plans to make it a walkway round the 1830 warehouse.
Planet by the curatorial yard, in the rain. The Hyatt Hotel (Beetham Tower) is in the background.
Steaming past the 1830 warehouse
We dropped the Battery Locomotive off on line LR2 by Water St bridge, while we continued to the disposal siding (above) to drop off the 16T and the brake van.
Agecroft and driver in the station
Steve Davies on Agecroft's footplate
Steve puts Agecroft into back gear to set the train back further into the platform
Steve sets back while the rostored driver looks a bit anxious!
Volunteers past and present in the L&M coaches
Crossing the Irwell into Salford. Won't be able to do this after today.
.....And there won't be any more of this. It's traditional that when one of the steam locos meets a main line train at the Salford end of the site there's an exchange of whistling and hooting between the two!
This trip we are double headed by Agecroft and Planet. We stop on line LR1 next to the battery loco (on LR2) for a 'team photo' of past and present volunteers. I'm in the light blue jacket.
All three MoSI locos can be seen in this shot. Driver Bev (who usually let me drive when I was rostored fireman to him) stands in front of Planet.
We re-board and head back to the station, leaving the battery loco on LR2
Agecroft and Planet in a rather wet station. Shortly after this was taken both locos detached from the train and moved up to the 1830 station. Planet picked up the Museum's Manchester & Birmingham coach (the first time I have seen that out of the museum where it is usually a static exhibit) while Agecroft was stabled in the curatorial yard.
Planet returns to the station with the M&B coach, to attach it to the front of the train in the platform (the two L&M coaches).
Note purple building in the background; these have been built very recently (they weren't there last time I was). They are built on what could otherwise have been an alternative route for the Chord, a route which would not have compromised the MoSI railway but which would have been more expensive than the route chosen. Not only did these buildings go up suspiciously quickly, but they also block the view westwards from the MoSI site. Previously the distinctive 1830 station and 1830 warehouse profiles stood on the skyline, clearly visible. Now they blend invisibly into the brickwork of the massive new structures behind them.
Here is Chris Lawton's video of retrieving the M&B coach, and its first run:
M&B coach run
Here is Chris Lawton's video of retrieving the M&B coach, and its first run:
M&B coach run
M&B coat of arms on the coach
The plush interior of the M&B coach, showing its 'stage coach' ancestry
A feature that remained with the railways right up to the middle of the last century - windows raised and lowered by a leather strap.
'The end of the road'. The track finishes shortly after the gate, ahead of Planet (click on the picture to enlarge it to see this more clearly). Until recently it used to extend to the main line which it joined via a point. Now the point and connecting rails have been removed by Network Rail.
After riding the M&B coach a couple of times, including my final ever trip down the Pineapple Line, or indeed anywhere on the MoSI railway beyond the 1830 station, I returned home. This 156 Sprinter took me from Deansgate station to the Airport where I had my first use of the recently opened new platform 4 (above). Note the Metrolink tram in the adjacent tram platforms.
A Northern rail 323 electric multiple unit took me from the Airport to Wilmslow, just in time to catch a late-running 88 bus to home!
A very sad day for MoSI, but it was good to meet the other volunteers again, and Steve Davies (who showed me his extensive documentation of the Agecroft locomotives), but very enjoyable to experience so many runs up and down the railway on some unusual train formations.
Well done to the Railway Officer, William, and the present volunteers for organising it and making it happen.
Here's the running order for today:
Here's Duncan's picture of the very last train, hauled by Agecroft as Planet had taken an early bath due brake problems. The line went out with a bang, thanks to use of detonators for the last train!
Artist's impression of the finished chord. Note the buffer stops at the end of the 1830 station on the MoSI railway, which previously ran to the left hand edge of the picture then on through a gate to the main line junction. Just in front of the bow string bridge can be seen the trackbed of the Pineapple line. MoSI trains used to run from the eastern end of the site (Liverpool Road East station) through the 1830 station to the gate before the main line, then propel down the Pineapple line, then return by the same route to Liverpool Road East, a run of about 10 minutes.
Here's the running order for today:
Last Museum Trains to Ordsall Lane
5th of January 2016
185 years, 3 months & 21 days since the opening of
the Liverpool & Manchester Railway
Here's an update from Facebook on 23rd January:
Chris Bruce's picture of the MoSI railway truncated short of Water St bridge. The other side of the gates and beyond the bridge the Pineapple line trackbed can be seen coming in from the right. The gates in the far distance used to be the limit of the MoSI railway before Network Rail metals were reached.
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It says something when so called "arcitects" cannot save a very inportant and historic railway. The first intercity in the world
ReplyDeleteIt says a lot for so called experts who could not save the worlds first intercity railway
ReplyDelete