Sheffield Steam Sheds Article in Steam Day Magazine

[P.Johnson]

Having recently come across this thread and reading through all 190 entries to date I am prompted to bore everyone else with my spotting reminiscences from the early sixties.

I was introduced to train spotting in the summer of 1959, when I was invited by a friend to join him on a trip to the Midland station. Having purchased platform tickets we went onto platform 1 where a down express was waiting, headed by Jubilee 45609 "Gilbert and Ellis Islands". I absorbed the vision of the green loco and its nameplate and was hooked. I had bought my first ABC before we went home and was back on the station the next day. I soon learnt the routine of a day's spotting at the Midland Station. The morning session ended after the passage of the southbound (up?) Devonian (12.00) on platform 8 and the down Waverley (12.33) on platform 1.

It was then time for a brisk walk to Victoria Station where we would wait by the railings at the top of the Wicker lift for the arrival of the Brit hauled boat train (12.49pm). My 1958 shed book suggests that all the East Anglian Brits were allocated to Norwich (none at Stratford) except for 70035 Rudyard Kipling which was shedded at that time at March. I suspect they may have later dispersed to other sheds as I would have thought that the boat train,originating at Harwich (Parkestone Quay) would have been an Ipswich working.

After the boat train we had the choice of waiting for the 2.15pm arrival of the Sheffield Pullman (midday return working of the Master Cutler stock) from Kings Cross behind an EE Type 4 (D200 series), a novelty at that time, or a quick return to the Midland for the up Thames Clyde at 1.30pm. The afternoon, which might include a quick trip to Millhouses to bunk the shed (some times armed only with a platform ticket )culminated in the up workings of the Thames Clyde (3.36pm) and Waverley (4.38pm) and finally the arrival of the Devonian in Platform 1 at 4.48pm (if it wasn't late making us late home for tea) on its northbound working. (The timings are courtesy of a winter 1959/60 ER timetable, not my memory.)

In between these titled expresses of course there was a steady diet of black fives, Jubilees, Patriots, rebuilt and unrebuilt, and Scots throughout the day along with the lesser classes (as we then thought) on the locals to Barnsley, Leeds and the Hope Valley so we were kept well entertained through the day.

 

I have in pride of place on my study wall a print of a painting by the late Sheffield artist Peter Owen Jones titled "Back to Work" depicting Jubilee 45685 Barfleur, viewed from Sheaf Street, departing from platform 1 past Sheffield North Junction signal box on the northbound working of the Devonian, the station clock showing the correct departure time of 4.54. It must have been mid week! A couple are walking along Sheaf Street carrying a case and looking as if they are returning from their holidays -back to work!

An Ivatt class 2 2-6-2 tank sits in platform 3 at the head of what must be the 5.28pm to Cudworth. What memories this picture evokes.

Before I finish I'll jump forward in time to 1963 when the Carlisle Clans visited Millhouses on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. As I remember it this was due to the diversion of an overnight Glasgow - London sleeper from the West Coast main line during electrificatioon works. As this train had no station stops on the Midland division, it by-passed Leeds station where Carlisle locos were normally replaced by Midland division locos, so the Carlisle Clan or sometimes a Jubilee with its large cab side numerals worked through to a point on the "backline"from Rotherham to Chesterfiled near Beighton, where it was replaced by a Millhouses loco. The Carlisle loco spent the day on Millhouses shed and was sometimes used on the 4.30pm from Midland to Chinley (and the appropriate return), before working back to Carlisle on the return sleeper that night. I'm sure somewhat out there knows a lot more detail than this. The spotting fraternity at High Storrs school received intelligence from a lad who lived in Millhouses and went home for lunch, as to which loco was on the working, so at 4.10, on release from lessons we made our way (rapidly) downhill to Millhouses to bunk the shed. If the loco wasn't there we would check the roster board to confirm that it was on the 4.30 Chinley and then wait on the shed path to watch it climbing the bank for its 4.40 pause at Millhouses station. I appear to have copped 72006/7 and 8 (Clans Mackenzie,Mackintosh and Macleod) on this working together with at least one Carlisle Jubilee (probably 45728 Defiance).

Thats enough rambling on for now. I'll have another go later if any one's interested.

[hillsbro]

....Thats enough rambling on for now. I'll have another go later if any one's interested.

 

Yes indeed - more reminiscences will be welcome I'm sure!

 

I well remember the "Clans" at Millhouses between overnight sleeper workings, though living at the other end of town I didn't go there regularly. I didn't know the details of the WCML diversion and how this led to the Carlisle loco being stabled at Millhouses (incidentally, it was a little earlier than 1963 - Millhouses shed closed in January 1962, and I think it was late 1961 when I copped three Carlisle locos. on the night sleeper). Two of those I copped were just a little disappointing - on one occasion it was a Jubilee (45697 Achilles) and on the other occasion it was Clan Stewart. I was a slightly disappointed that the name of the clan didn't begin with "Mac"! But Clan Mackenzie made up for this the following week.

 

I was always under the impression that the Harwich boat train was pulled by a Stratford loco, but I cannot be sure. I do have a note of seeing 70012 John of Gaunt on this working in June 1960.

 

"Scots" and "Patriots" were hardly ever seen in Sheffield until they began to be displaced by diesels on the West Coast Main Line around 1960. I remember seeing my first "Scot" at Matlock Bath in 1958 - it was 46164 The Artists Rifleman. I had seen my first main-line diesels on a day-trip to Crewe in 1958 - the brand-new D5 Cross Fell and D6 Whernside, running in tandem on a siding by the works and visible from the north end of Platform 4.

 

Memories....

[oldrowley]

Splendid thread chaps; bring on the egg sandwiches and Tizer. There is a nice site for Jubilee aficianados here

http://www.jubilees.co.uk/photos/45609b.html

[hillsbro]

Hi, oldrowley - that's an excellent photo of "Gilbert and Lettuce" as we used to call it! It must surely have been taken at Millhouses. The rest of the Jubilee photos are also first-class. When Millhouses shed closed, part of my childhood died with it, but I remained a keen trainspotter until after I left school in 1966, and for years afterwards I used to gaze wistfully out of the window on train journeys. I still have my duffel bag somewhere...

[mikeG]

The last time I went spotting was the school summer hols in 1959. So, unfortunately I missed out on the appearance of Clans, Scots and Pats. Apart from (as I mentioned in an earlier thread) Pat Derbyshire Yeomanry which I think was shedded at Derby.By February, I was working for Barclays Bank in Hillsborough so I couldn't really leave early to go in search of the 4.30 the Chinley. I may have seen a black 5 on the Chinley line but it was mainly Consuls and standard tanks. Maybe the odd compound. Saw Beyer Garretts in the cutting and maybe 9Fs. I doesn't seem 50 years ago but it certainly is.

[CHAIRBOY]

I seem to recall a tank 41209 doing a lot of work on the Chinley line and often being coupled "the wrong way" as it came past Millhouses on the "Down Manx".

I didn't invent the term "Shaggers' Specials" but I heard the trains to the Peak District called that because of the rolling stock used, especially on the Sundays. I'm TOLD the reason was, that the carriages just had two doors, no corridors, such that if a couple got that six-berth to themselves at Chinley, they could be 'lucky' before it got to the next stop!

[oldrowley]

Hi, oldrowley - that's an excellent photo of "Gilbert and Lettuce" as we used to call it! It must surely have been taken at Millhouses. The rest of the Jubilee photos are also first-class. When Millhouses shed closed, part of my childhood died with it, but I remained a keen trainspotter until after I left school in 1966, and for years afterwards I used to gaze wistfully out of the window on train journeys. I still have my duffel bag somewhere...

 

Hi Hillsbro , Looking at the Steam Days article which of course is the subject of this thread I see that the superb colour picture of 45609 is in fact in the magazine also and the location is confirmed as Millhouses shed in March 1958. Incidentally, we didn't call it Gilbert and Lettuce Islands cos I was at King Ted's!

[hillsbro]

Yes - Ivatt tank engines 41209, 41245 and 41246 were shedded at Millhouses and often worked Hope Valley line trains. 41209 was regularly seen doing odd shunting operations at the Midland Station.

 

Hope Valley line locals typically consisted of three or four ex-London suburban coaches with no corridors, and apart from the "opportunities" that such coaches presented, they were a lot more comfortable than the noisy, boneshaking railcars that replaced them.

[CHAIRBOY]

Hope Valley line locals typically consisted of three or four ex-London suburban coaches with no corridors, and apart from the "opportunities" that such coaches presented, they were a lot more comfortable than the noisy, boneshaking railcars that replaced them.

 

Those coaches were also used on the football trains from Manchester Central to Old Trafford - people really packed in like cattle wagons - but it was only for five minutes or so. Do you remember the leather straps with holes in that opened or adjusted the windows - like the straps at the barbers!?

[hillsbro]

Yes - those leather straps. You can see them on a dozen preserved lines up and down the country. Release the strap, let the window fall down a few holes on the strap, lean out and smell the smoke! But watch out for tunnels...