Wigan Album

Another good one Tom, keep them coming out of the old archives!

Thomas, is that St.Nathaniel's church behind the train? Any idea why the underpass was being filled in?

Superb picture Tom - love it!

I used to go to this spot, hopefully to see a Britannia loco. Good photo.

Lovely, Tom! Very nostalgic.

As soon as I saw the thumbnail on the page I thought that will be one of Toms. When the line was laid, some of those underpasses would have been built to allow farmers access to their fields, a mineral line from Low Hall coll passed under that line as well.

Mickey - Brits were my favourite trains !

Great photo' Tom. So that is where some of the old slag heaps went, blocking the old gaps. I used to walk from Hindley to Bickershaw Junction iron Bridge,cross the line then take the footpath past the GC flash then go under this blocked bridge to Moss Lane on my way to Springs Branch to collect "Namers", this would be 1939-41' E.T.

Kevin, yes it's St Nathaniels church behind the train.
Don't know why they filled the bridge in, another was filled in near Moss Lane school football field about the same time, might be the bridge walls were collapsing.

I thought that line had finished passenger services by 1964 and afterwards, between Tyldesley and Springs Branch, it was only used for freight until closure - what service was it running?

Is this another clockwork train?? There doesn't appear to be any steam or smoke. Similar to other photos.

another brilliant photo tom!.lovely clear blue skies.i remeber the eleven something from wigan nw to man exchange sat only i think,was mainly steam hauled.is this the return,or a special?.i remember that engine very well.

This loco survives to this day. Is under repair at the moment
5305la.org.uk

Does anyone know where abouts in the country the engine is under repair ?

It was a special Geoff, just before the last steam one in August that year from Liverpool.
No steam or smoke,that's a good Springs Branch fireman, when the train is just coasting, isn't it Geoff !

Helen, the boiler is under repair at Tyseley Locomotive Works, the rest ( frames and tender ) are at the Great Central Railway at Loughborough.It's owned by Albert Draper and Sons, and maintained and operated by the 5305 Locomotive Association.It also now as a name, Alderman A E Draper, after the man who saved it from scrap.

Great photo Thomas, lovely shot of the last days of steam by BR and indeed that August month of 1968. The train is almost approaching Liverpool Road, Platt Bridge and the driver Brian will almost certainly be applying the brakes at this point, thats one reason there is no steam and smoke. Lovely sunny blue skies, great shot of the embankment aswell.

BrianDalton is my dad, i asked him about the photo and he says he was applying the brakes at the time.
He did that run a few times during the years before he went on to disel loco`s

no smoke and nice and clean.but then again i was,nt the fireman tom.it really is a very nice photo.

What a smart looking 'proper' train !

Davey, If you click on to Assorted and then Passenger Train, you will see another great phtograph taken in 1964, by Thomas Sutch. It shows the same type of engine heading towards Tyldesley, it could possibly be Brian Dalton.
There is plenty of steam and smoke after leaving Springs Branch.

A parishioner (ex-Springs Branch fireman)told me this morning that he and his wife are booked to board behind the Scots Guardsman (46115) at Wigan NW on Saturday at 9am - going via the WCML to Golborne and thence to Manchester.

Re "Scots Guardsman". On 13 Feb 2010. I saw it steam through Springs Branch at 09:04 from my old train spotting place of 50 years ago, a wall on Cemetery Road Lower Ince.
Unforntunately the locomotive's middle cylinder failed between Golbourne and Eccles. It had to be towed into Manchester by a diesel and thence to Carnforth.
The second failure of this loco in a month ( first time it was vacuum brake failure at Preston) was very disappointing, especially for those who had paid £160 per ticket!

i see davey dont know much about trains no smoke or steam lol

Casting my mind back 50 years, there were 7 such bridges between St Nats and the GC flash, one of them having a stream running under it.
Just under the other bridge (in front of the loco) someone may recall the large hen pen on the left, owned by my grandad Ted K ynaston, who lived at 22 Church Road, the chimneys of which are just visible.