Closed South Manchester Railways http://gallery31903.fotopic.net/ 2 rows en-gb 60 Chorlton to Bredbury Railway http://gallery31903.fotopic.net/c82620.html These pictures show what remains of the Midland Railway line from Chorlton Junction to Bredbury. Built in 1880 it was used by London trains from Manchester Central running via the Midland mainline. The Beeching Report recommended concentrating London services on the ex-LNWR Manchester London Rd (Piccadilly)station, so both Manchester Central and the Chorlton Junction to Heaton Mersey section of the line were closed in 1968. The Bredbury to Heaton Mersey section remained open to freight, mainly to allow trains from the Woodhead line to travel onto Liverpool via Northenden. This section itself was closed in 1982 due to damage caused to a tunnel in Stockport when the M63 was built. It may eventually be re-opened though, as plans are in hand to build a Metrolink line from Chorlton to Stockport using part of the trackbed. Friday 12 December 2003: These pictures show what remains of the Midland Railway line from Chorlton Junction to Bredbury. Built in 1880 it was used by London trains from Manchester Central running via the Midland mainline. The Beeching Report recommended concentrating London services on the ex-LNWR Manchester London Rd (Piccadilly)station, so both Manchester Central and the Chorlton Junction to Heaton Mersey section of the line were closed in 1968. The Bredbury to Heaton Mersey section remained open to freight, mainly to allow trains from the Woodhead line to travel onto Liverpool via Northenden. This section itself was closed in 1982 due to damage caused to a tunnel in Stockport when the M63 was built. It may eventually be re-opened though, as plans are in hand to build a Metrolink line from Chorlton to Stockport using part of the trackbed.

This is a rather poor picture of an EMU on the Styal line which crosses the line between Didsbury and Heaton Mersey. It shows a 1960 built Class 304 EMU, the last of which were withdrawn in 1996. Their replacements turned out to be not a modern EMU, but Class 150's and 142 DMU's! This section of line was also the first in the UK to electrified at 25Kv AC. This cutting at Bredbury was originally a tunnel but was opened out in 1931. The end of the line at Bredbury. This is where the M63 cuts through the path of the railway. The line still exists on the other side as a short spur serving a waste disposal depot and a Tilcon Stone Terminal.. This is the southern entrance of Bredbury Tunnel which you walk through if you aren't scared of the dark! This is the opposite end of the tunnel. Note that for some reason a length of concrete sleepers have been left in situ alongside the footpath. A view from the top of the tunnel entrance. The Princess Parkway road bridge. Like many of the bridges on the line this was built to accomodate four tracks in case the railway was ever expanded. This is the remains of Didsbury station looking towards Manchester. The bricks on the floor are all that remains of the station building, which was demolished in 1981. This view from Sandhurst Rd shows what on the left used to be Didsbury goods yard. A British Telecom depot was built on its site, but this has itself since been demolished to make way for flats Disbury station platform. This area has been heavily developed since I took these pictures with the platforms being removed and some bars/cafes have been built along this side of the line. As it is hoped that eventually the Metrolink will run through here space was left to allow tracks to be relaid through this section. Between Didsbury and Stockport most of the line has been turned into a cycleway/footpath. Didsbury Road bridge was partially rebuilt when the cycleway/foothpath was created as you can probably tell from the two picture. Unfortunately if the Metrolink comes it will have to be rebuilt again! A close-up of Didsbury Road bridge. The other Didsbury station platform. A shot taken between Didsbury Road and Kingsway. The bridge in the distance carries Kingsway over the trackbed. This shot show where part of the George's Rd sidings used to be in Stockport.The railway used to run at the top of the embankment in the background before diving into a tunnel. To the right you can see Stockport viaduct carrying the mainline to Manchester. Station sign support posts on Didsbury station platform. This is the top of the Georges Rd embankment where the trackbed used to be. In the background is the entrance to Wellington Rd tunnel now sat in a carpark. This show the other end of the George's Rd sidings which is now occupied by a Smith Knight Fay car showroom. The western end of Georges Rd originally had ten sidings which were reduced to four in the early 70's. The eastern end sidings were taken over by a scrap metal merchant complete with their own diesel shunter. This view looking towards Heaton Mersey was taken from the abutment of the bridge that used to straddle George's Rd. Another view of the George's Rd bridge which show the bridge support pillar still in place. A roadside view of the support pillar. The bridge itself was an impressive structure made from wrought iron box girders which carried five railway tracks over the road. This is the entrance to Wellington Rd tunnel which is now filled in. At this point the main lines descended down a 1:69 gradient towards Tiviot Dale. To the left was the George's Rd coal yard while to the right sidings led to the Wellington Rd Goods Station under which the railway ran. This is the other end of the Wellington Rd tunnel looking towards Georges Rd. This is view of the trackbed between Heaton Mersey and Didsbury, sandwiched by Craig Rd and Didsbury Rd. This is where Heaton Mersey station used to be with Station Rd situated just beyond the building in the background. A view slightly further back along the line. The whole of this section used to be in a cutting, but it was filled in and houses were built along the edge of the trackbed. Luckily no houses were actually built on the trackbed as it is hoped the Metrolink will eventually run through here. The plan is to run it in a tunnel built using the cut and cover mehod. A view of the trackbed between Station Rd and Stockport, with Craig Rd housing estate on the left. Further along the line looking towards Stockport with the M63 on the right which runs along the site of Heaton Mersey MPD and Sidings. Heaton Mersey. Still looking towards Stockport this views shows a couple of Stockport landmarks with the Faulders Preserve Works chimney on the left and the slightly more modern glass pyramid on the right. This section of the line was closed in 1982 as a direct result of the building of the M63 on the right. On the left is what was the Faulders Preserve Works later owned by Cadburys/Frys. It was rail connected right up until the closure of the railway, though for how long it was used I do not know. This is where the railway crossed the junction of Vale Rd and Station Rd in Heaton Mersey. To the right of the picture all evidence of the railway has been obliterated and this bridge abutment is all that remains. Between Stockport and Heaton Mersey many bridges were demolished, leaving gaps in the track bed like this one. Another view of the bridge abutment at Heaton Mersey. To the right is the industrial estate which was built on the site of the station goods yard. This platform edge is the only sign that a station used to exist at Tiviot Dale Kingsway Rd bridge. Another shot looking towards Stockport. Between Heaton Mersey and Stockort the line split off with one line going to Stockport Tiviot Dale and the other cossed the River Mersey to Cheadle Heath using this bridge.. On the other side of the Mersey are the remains of the bridge which carried the Stockport to Northenden line. The bridge was dismantled in 1986, a few years after the lines closure. Close up of the bridge. This a view taken from the bridge abutment that used to carry trains travelling through to the later (and more direct) Cheadle Heath route. In the distance you can just make out the railway curving round towards Cheadle, which is still in use by freight trains. Due to the trackbed being built upon in the Stockport area, the Metrolink will have to cross both the River Mersey and the M63 at this point, then onto the site of Gorsey Bank Estate (just visible to the left of the picture) Nell Lane bridge, Cholrton. This is where the lines from Fallowfield and Stockport met at Chorlton Junction. Parrs Wood Rd bridge, Didsbury. The railway ran on a mixture of bridges and viaducts between Tiviot Dale and Portwood. Princess Parkway bridge. Many of the bridges between Didsbury and Chorlton were rebuilt, taking the buliding of the Metrolink into consideration. Sandhurst Rd bridge. Just beyond the bridge and to the left, used to be Didsbury good yard. The car showroom built on the site of George's Rd goods yard. Station Rd, Heaton Mersey where as you may have guessed the station used to stand. The railway ran from the left of the picture to where the house in the centre is.

Published in Closed South Manchester Railways

]]> Fri Dec 12 2003 Fallowfield Loop Line http://gallery31903.fotopic.net/c82571.html These are pictures of the closed railway from Gorton to Throstle Nest Junction known as the 'Fallowfield Loop'. The lines main purpose was to provide the Manchester,Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (which later became the Grand Central) with a connection to Manchester Central station. It was built in 1891 and closed in 1988, although it had lost passenger services as long ago as 1958. In the 1950's a Electric Locomotive Depot was built at Reddish to service the EM1 & EM2 (later Class 76 & 77) locomotives for the newly 1500V DC electrified Woodhead line. As a result the line was electrified from Gorton/Fairfield to the depot. The line was partially singled in the late 70's and was mostly used for access to Reddish Depot and Freighliner trains to Trafford Park. Reddish Depot closed in 1983 and the final train ran in October 1988. The line was then slowly dismantled a few years later which is when I took most of the pictures. Since then Reddish Depot has been flattened and sections of the line have built upon or converted to a cyclepath, so hopefully this site will provide a record of how it used to be. If you want to see pictures of the route in it's heyday may I recommend this book - "The Fallowfield Line" by E.M.Johnson (Foxfield Publishing). Also you can visit George Nixon's site about Levenshulme in the 50's http://www3.telus.net/public/nixonkg/index.htm For some pictures of how part of the route is today you can visit this site http://www.thewoodheadsite.org.uk/ N.B. If you can work out the exact location of some of the unlabelled pictures could you please email me! montyburns56(at)yahoo.co.uk Friday 12 December 2003: These are pictures of the closed railway from Gorton to Throstle Nest Junction known as the 'Fallowfield Loop'. The lines main purpose was to provide the Manchester,Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (which later became the Grand Central) with a connection to Manchester Central station. It was built in 1891 and closed in 1988, although it had lost passenger services as long ago as 1958. In the 1950's a Electric Locomotive Depot was built at Reddish to service the EM1 & EM2 (later Class 76 & 77) locomotives for the newly 1500V DC electrified Woodhead line. As a result the line was electrified from Gorton/Fairfield to the depot. The line was partially singled in the late 70's and was mostly used for access to Reddish Depot and Freighliner trains to Trafford Park. Reddish Depot closed in 1983 and the final train ran in October 1988. The line was then slowly dismantled a few years later which is when I took most of the pictures. Since then Reddish Depot has been flattened and sections of the line have built upon or converted to a cyclepath, so hopefully this site will provide a record of how it used to be. If you want to see pictures of the route in it's heyday may I recommend this book - "The Fallowfield Line" by E.M.Johnson (Foxfield Publishing). Also you can visit George Nixon's site about Levenshulme in the 50's http://www3.telus.net/public/nixonkg/index.htm For some pictures of how part of the route is today you can visit this site http://www.thewoodheadsite.org.uk/ N.B. If you can work out the exact location of some of the unlabelled pictures could you please email me! montyburns56(at)yahoo.co.uk

This is behind the platform at the closed Fallowfield station, where the goods loop used to run. When I visited the station in the late eighties there was a coal merchant on the site of the goods yard complete with old fashioned coal staithes and I've often wondered if it was still rail served when the line was open. A shot of Fallowfield station taken from between the main platforms A long view of Fallowfield station taken from the ends of what remains of the platforms. To the left there used to be the goods loop with a small goods yard which was still in private use until the early 1980's. Today the site looks very different as it is occupied by a car park for a Sainsbury's supermarket which retained part of the station building. Fallowfield station as viewed from under Ladyburn Lane. A view looking back at Ladybarn Lane bridge. It is a little known fact that the line not only had overhead electrification, but had 3rd rail as well :-) Joking aside the line curved sharply after the junction from Gorton requiring the use of a check rail for some distance. Hey Lane Bridge. This section of the line was in a cutting which has now been completely filled in! This bridge carries a footpath from Broom Lane. This is the bridge over the junction where the connections to Gorton and Fairfield split off, the line to the left leading to Fairfield. This is a view of the bridge in the previous picture from the opposite side. This section of the line was used for a demonstration of the Metrolink which Manchester was planning to build at the time. As a result the line was re-electrified at 750V DC and a Docklands Light Rail vehicle was fitted with a pantograph. As the Manchester-Hadfield mainline had recently been converted to 25kV AC a Class 306 EMU was positioned under the right side of the bridge to act as a transformer/rectifier! Levenshulme station with the platform just visible on the left. A closer view of Levenshulme station buildings. On the right you can just make out where the steps to the platform were connected to main building. Levenshulme station from the opposite direction.You can see the station building in the background, situated on Stockport Rd. This is where the lines dives under the Manchester - Stockport main line with Levenshulme station just visible in the backgound. With Levenshulme station behind us this is a view of the Stockport line from the opposite side. This is a view of Wilbraham station when the tracks were still in place. Photography Tip No. 1: Don't take pictures when facing the sun! A closer view of Wilbraham Rd station. This is westward view between Levenshulme and Reddish with Broom Lane in the background. To the right where the modern houses are used to be Levenshulme South sidings which were on a higher level to the mainline. This is a view looking South at Sandfold Lane Bridge with Redddish Depot just to the right. This is another view of Sandfold Lane bridge with Reddish Dept behind us. This bridge used to span the lead-in line for depot where it looped off the mainline. This is a view of a rather dilapidated looking Reddish Depot. It was built in 1954 specifically to maintain the new 1500V DC locomotives for the Woodhead route. After the route was closed in 1981 it was found to be surplus to requirements and was closed in 1983. As many pictures on the internet will show you most of the scrapped Class 76 locomotives were dumped around the site like a modern day Barry. Reddish Depot as viewed from the North. If you visit the site today all you will see is a small pile of rubble :-( A view of the inside of the eastern side of Reddish Depot with the inspection pits visible. Inside the main shed which seems to have been partially filled with spoil. Western side view Pt. 1 This is a shot of the line between Romiley and Reddish North where the Fallowfield line crosses it. Western side view Pt. 2 Although Reddish was primarily an electric depot some diesels, including the It looks like a signal box was once here, though I don't know which one! This is where the trackbed goes under the Styal Line.

Published in Closed South Manchester Railways

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