ON SHED The Journal of the 8D Association Volume 5 Number 2 – June 2015 Runcorn station in the 1970s In the BR corporate blue era class 86 locomotive number 86 015 is seen departing from Runcorn station on a London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street service. The driver in his mid-1960s design cap is looking back towards the station . Photo by Roy Gough The Journal of the 8D Association Volume 5 Number 2 June 2015 Contents 1. Editorial 2. Society News 2. News Round Up 6. My Memories of Liverpool Exchange – Paul Wright 10. Appleton Station 12. The Cheshire lines Committee 150 years 13. Vulcan Versus the Somerset & Dorset 19. The Three Railway Tunnels of Widnes 21. From the Archive 23. Events Editor The 8D Association continues to achieve the aims for which it was set up. Our aims were to record and promote the rich history of our local railways. Currently there is a display at Widnes Library that has been put together by Richard Mercer which shows a selection of photographs of the local rail scene from the 1970s and 1980s. If you have not seen it yet do pay a visit to Widnes Library. Through our journal we continue to make a permanent historical record through the articles and news items. The sad loss of two former railwaymen (see Society News) and 8D members who have had articles published in the journal has emphasised to me the importance of what we do and long may it continue. Our association is also about enjoyment. The enjoyment that is had from mixing with likeminded individuals who share an interest in railway history. The walks and talks programme has been very well attended and the discussions that tend to take place during or after events are always fascinating. I learn something new every time. Paul Wright Left – Farnworth & Bold station looking south in February 1966 during a visit by the LCGB Push Pull Farewell rail tour. Photo by Gordon Howarth [1] Society News Sad loss of two former signalmen 8D Association members A smiling Brian Tighe at Cressington Junction signal box in 1977. Brian was a relief signalman at this time and he did many shifts at this former CLC type CL1a box which had opened on 1 March 1891 replacing an earlier structure that had opened with the junction on 5 March 1873. The box closed on 4 September 1977. Photo by Dave Hughes Shortly after I had penned the March edition of On Shed I became aware that 8D Association member and former BR signalman Brian Tighe had become ill and had been admitted to Whiston hospital. Sadly Brian died on 18 March 2015. Brian had featured in an article in the December edition of On Shed and many members attended his funeral at Widnes Cemetery on Tuesday 31 March 2015. Brian will be sadly missed. He had a fantastic memory for detail and I was able to extract from him much about the history of the local lines that he worked on. That information will prove very useful as it can be used in future articles and features. In that way Brian’s memory will live on. Another former signalman and 8D Member Phil Williams has also recently died. The idea to form a local railway history group was Phil’s and he was one of the original founder members of the 8D Association holding the position of secretary in the early years. Phil worked in many of the local signal boxes of the area including Farnworth & Bold and West Cheshire Junction. Phil contributed an article to the December 2013 On Shed about West Cheshire Junction. Phil finished his railway career at [2] Hunts Cross signal box. It is a sad irony that both Phil and Brian Tighe knew each other and it was through Phil that I originally got to know Brian. Phil’s funeral will take place at Widnes Crematorium on 2 June 2015 at 9.30. New Members At the 8D Association membership is currently 65. A number of members choose not to renew their memberships. If anyone has any information as to why that might be it would be helpful for the committee to know. Obviously we would prefer to keep all of our members. Welcome to our latest member Michael Delamar from Liverpool. News Round Up - by Chris Hollins Grand National Specials On Saturday 11 April 2015 the Belmond Orient Express Pullman train ran from London Victoria to Runcorn carrying race goers to the Grand National at Aintree. The train was top and tailed by DB Schenker class 67 locomotives numbers 67 005 Queen's Messenger and 67 026 Diamond Jubilee. After depositing its passengers at Runcorn the train ran to Ditton Yard for reversal before proceeding back to Crewe as empty stock for cleaning and servicing. In the evening the empty stock ran from Crewe to Liverpool Lime Street from where it returned the race goers back to London Victoria. To cater for the large numbers travelling on the same day East Midlands Trains replaced the usual class 158 DMU's on two Nottingham/Norwich and Liverpool services with a Meridian class 222 DMU. Meridian sets normally operate on the London St Pancras International and Sheffield route. Meridian set number 222 006 ‘The Carbon Cutter’, was used providing a bit of luxury on the route including an operating buffet car. Left – On 11 April 2015 the 1T62 East Midlands Trains service from Nottingham to Liverpool Lime Street is seen on the former CLC main line at Halewood. Photo by Doug Birmingham [3] Steam Special Cancelled Due to the ongoing difficulties with West Coast Railways, sadly the scheduled steam special through Runcorn on 25 April 2015 involving Castle Class 5043 Earl of Mount Edgecombe has been cancelled. It appears that it was also out of gauge and there where pathing issues with the train. The Jolly Fisherman charter train from Preston to Skegness, which was due to run on the same day and which was scheduled to call at Runcorn was also cancelled. West Coast Railways were the scheduled traction provider for the services but they had been suspended by Network Rail from operating any train due to an incident involving one of their charters at Wootton Bassett. Manchester Airport Further to the news report in the March On Shed Network Rail have advised Arriva Trains Wales that the planned extension of the hourly North Wales service to Manchester Airport from the May timetable change will not now go ahead. Apparently the awarding of the paths was only going to be for two years after which they would have been terminated in favour of giving the paths to a new Bradford Interchange to Manchester Airport service via the Calder Valley. That service will commence once the Ordsall link is built enabling the service to run directly from Manchester Victoria to Oxford Road, Piccadilly and on to the Airport. Needless to say Arriva Trains Wales although accepting the decision were none too pleased with it. They had planned a big publicity launch to advertise the extension of the service. Electric Passenger Services over the L&M On 5 March 2015 electric passenger services started to run over the entire length of the historic Liverpool & Manchester railway. The first services ran between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport and were operated by class 319 EMUs that are based at Allerton. Left – On 3 May 2015 the diverted Vigin Trains 1F13 13.06 London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street Pendolino service is seen passing through Lee Green station. Photo by Robert Callaghan During the weekend of 2/3 May 2015 London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street services were diverted to run over the Liverpool & Manchester line due to [4] engineering works on the route through Runcorn. The Pendolino operated service was able to run over the line under its own power for the first time because of the electrification scheme. It is likely that there will be more diversions of this type over the line now that it is electrified. Looking west along the down platform at St Helens Junction station on 3 May 2015. Passing through the station is a Virgin Pendolino on the diverted 1A36 12.43 service from Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston. Photo by Jamie Callaghan Vegetation clearance at Widnes South station During late March and early April 2015 contractors working for Network Rail cleared all of the vegetation at Widnes South which has exposed many of the former stations features for the first time in decades. Widnes South was opened by the LNWR as simply Widnes on 1 March 1870. The station was renamed as Widnes South by British Railways on 5 January 1959 and it was closed to passengers by them on 10 September 1962. The up side of Widnes South station seen on 22 April 2015. Photo by P Wright [5] My Memories of Liverpool Exchange station – Paul Wright A Glasgow Central service is seen at Liverpool Exchange in 1967. At the head of the train is 4-6-0 5MT locomotive (Black 5) number 44717. Photo by Bevan Price Liverpool Exchange had originally opened as Tithebarn Street station on 13 May 1850. It was substantially rebuilt between 1884 and 1888 and it was just as busy as Liverpool’s surviving terminus station at Lime Street. The station had even had electric services from as early as 22 March 1904. Exchange was badly damaged during the Second World War and it even lost part of its train-shed roof. By the 1960s Exchange was in decline although it could boast the last scheduled steam hauled passenger services in July 1968.