Wigan Album

Didn't Ffyfes have a banana depot somewhere in the yard?

DMU accelerates away from Wallgate Station on its way to Ince and Hindley on the Southport to Manchester run.These units would have been in green livery complete with "Whiskers" seen at the front and rear of the drivers cab. They were powerd by Leyland and AEC diesel engines fitted to the underside of the carriages.Seen on many branch lines in BR days.

i love looking at these old pictures, when I read trewyths comments i too remembered the ffyfes depot. This picture must have been taken from what us kids called ''the iron bridge'' and the smell of the sulpher and steam when the old steam engines went under was great

The iron bridge connecting King Street to North West Station, was demolished when Jim Wheatley, a shunter at North Western Station was tragically killed in an accident involving this bridge, whilst I was on duty in Wigan No 2 Signalbox.

I was born and bred in Wigan, and remember the Iron Bridge so well. On Sunday mornings, the young Sunday school church members would miss the sermon (no bad thing?) at Rodney Street Church of Christ nearby and would be taken to the Iron Bridge as a treat. We stood there for about half an hour, watching the Sunday Excursion trains (all steam of course - 50s and early 60s ) come out of the Wallgate Station tunnel and we would either stand directly over the engine or would try to avoid the smoke and steam! Those wonderful smells I so well recall. Superb nostalgic memories of a distant past.