Detail of Stanier 8F 2-8-0 48620 in the sunlight on the last day of steam at Newton Heath shed.

Built at Ashford by the Southern Railway in 1943 48620 ended her days at Drapers scrapyard in Hull during November 1968.

Note the star beneath the cabside number denoting that this engine has been balanced for faster running than the unstarred 8Fs although by this late date it's probably not so obvious.

Tags:   Newton Heath Manchester 48620 Stanier 8F shed depot Lancashire steam train railway railroad England End of Steam British Railways LMS black&White 1968 UK Steam Gas&Steam trains railways UK 2-8-0 noir et blanc

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It's 40 years since I first became interested in railways & this shot was taken on my first visit to a steam locomotive depot - Rose Grove shed in Burnley. Come to think of it it's the third photo of a steam engine that I ever took. It looks like a van train but the only journey both loco & vans will ever make is to the breakers yard.

My mate Tony, seen in the cab of LMS 2-8-0 8F 48310 in the siding on the north side, lived in Nelson and after a weekend collecting fossils at a quarry near Clitheroe we checked out the shed.

After hitch-hiking down to Manchester we also visited Stockport Edgeley shed before getting another lift back to Sheffield.

Tags:   steam railway 48310 Rose Grove shed Tony 8F railroad 1968 Lancashire Burnley england UK Steam Stanier Gas&Steam British Railways End of Steam trains

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Great Central Railway. LMS Stanier 8F 2-8-0 48305 seen from the footplate of Great Western Railway Prairie 2-6-2T 4141 at Loughborough & Rothley.

Tags:   Great Central GCR steam 8F 48305 railway railroad 2006 Gas&Steam movie video train england footplate UK Steam LMS British Railways Loughborough Rothley

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An article and photos by Ian Simpson in the May 2008 Steam World about the last day of steam at Heaton Mersey shed prompted me to dig out some more of mine.

Ian took a photo of the yard from the bank by the diesel shed a short time after this one. I know this because he has caught Stanier 8F 2-8-0 48356 slipping as she sets off for Newton Heath with 48319 & BR 9F 2-10-0 92118. Unfortunately I can't see myself or my mate Barry on the 9F's footplate but I know we're there!

The railwayman seems to be in conversation with a few enthusiasts while another is climbing down from the cab. Maybe they are asking where the cavalcade is headed. Someone knew because a film was made of us arriving at Guide Bridge which I have on a commercial DVD.

This is the former Midland side of the shed with the offices on the right. The Cheshire Lines Committee was originally a GNR/MR/MSLR joint railway. At Heaton Mersey the Great Central Railway had equivalent offices on the left of this view. After Grouping in 1923 it became a joint LMS & LNER operation & then on Nationalisation part of the London Midland Region.

There's another 8F steaming gently in the shadows of the otherwise empty shed. According to Ian's info 92118 had worked a Garston to Godley Junction freight earlier that day.

Tags:   Heaton Mersey shed railway steam Stockport BR Cheshire railroad train smoke End of Steam 1968 Gas&Steam geo:lat=53.406615 geo:lon=-2.185636 geotagged industry chimneys locomotive uk British Railways 9F 8F CLC Cheshire Lines Committee rail footplate UK Steam transport transportation 2-10-0 2-8- 48356 48319 92118 mpd depot engine trains railways England Northwest Manchester Midland

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Photo by Ken Baker and posted with his permission.

Ken has caught me nonchalantly leaning out of the cab of Black 5 4-6-0 45110 double-heading a freight train with 8F 2-8-0 48305 at the GCR's Autumn Gala last year. A perfect example of the Great Central's motto: "Recreating the Experience" on the double track main line at Kinchley Lane. A black and white image is particularly fitting and 45110 had not been cleaned for some time so had a real 1960's look to it.

We had both goods rakes behind us for a total of 22 wagons and 4 brakes, I think. A Black 5 or 8F could have handled the train alone but for the spectacle it was double-headed. At Loughborough 48305 let us do the pulling out of the Up through siding which was quite a sight. We briefly slipped, controlled quickly by Dave my driver, but the plume of steam & smoke would have made a fine shot for any lucky photographer on Beeches Road bridge.

45110 was visiting from the Severn Valley Railway and of course, with recently renovated GCR resident 70013, pulled the very last British Railways steam train on 11th August 1968. The Black 5 actually hauled the final leg back into Liverpool Lime Street so was THE last locomotive on a BR passenger train.

Formerly this image was on his fotopic.net page with some other great stuff. It was definitely worth a visit but unfortunately fotopic went out of business - unless you were very quick all posts were lost. Let's hope this doesn't happen to Flickr!

Tags:   Great Central railway train 45110 48305 8F Black 5 Stanier LMS British Railways steam smoke england 2007 me Kinchley Lane Leicestershire Midlands Kenneth Baker

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