A
nostalgia-tinged picture report by Charlie Hulme, April 2004
In the mid-1960s, when I was in my mid-teens, my favourite hobby on
Saturdays and school holidays was to ride around the railway system
around my then home town of Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, subject to
limited funds available. One day I remember particularly well, I
searched all my pockets and found what seemed to be just enough money
to get to Stockport and then take the Stalybridge train as far as its
first stop, Reddish South, a place I had never seen. What I found there
was a step back to another time: a full set of LNWR standard wooden
station station buildings with canopy, and a collection of the same
company's lower-quadrant signals, all no doubt dating from the time
this line was widened from two tracks to four in the late nineteenth
century. Sadly, I had not been able to afford any film for my camera,
so this scene has to remain just a memory for me, and not long after my
visit all was swept away and replaced by much more basic facilities.
Some time later, around 1980, the station became quite a regular
destination for me, as I had become interested in wagons and their
modelling, and various interesting vehicles could be seen around the
Standard Wagon Company's works alongside the station, which was served
by a 'Speedlink' trip from Warrington, along with the coal depot at
Stockport station. The Stalybridge branch had an hourly train at that
time, and served as a link for passengers from Stockport and the South
wishing to connect at Stalybridge with Trans-Pennine services. By the
end of the 1980s, however, the wagon works and the coal depot had been
closed, and the Trans-Pennine services diverted to Manchester
Piccadilly instead of Victoria, meaning that passengers could easily
change at Manchester. The hourly service was cut back to about four a
day each way, and soon afterward reduced to just one a week from
Stockport to Stalybridge and no trains at all from Stalybridge to
Stockport. This bizarre service exists because 'they' do not wish to go
through the procedure of actually withdrawing the service.
Spring of 2004 sees the weekly train running on Saturdays, departing at
14:38, and it has become something of a legend, with people travelling
from all over the area to take a ride and maybe sample the beer at the
equally-legendary Stalybridge station buffet. On 17 April I decided to
renew my acquaintance with the place, and took my bicycle from
Stockport to Reddish South. My ticket (above) was bought from the
FastTicket automatic machine using my credit card for the 70p fare - a
trick not available to me back in 1966! Remarkably, the machine is also
willing to issue a Day Return ticket for the princely sum of 90p, even
though there is no return train.
Here is First North Western diesel railcar set 156 426
departing from Reddish South, where I alighted and one passenger
boarded the train. Just a single line and platform remains, where once
there were four. Note that the lamp standards, which carry the station
nameboards, have recently been repainted in First North Western's style
with a blue stripe, although there are no lamps atop them, these having
been removed a few years ago. There is no shelter, and as the station
is unlit, the timetable has to be arranged so that the weekly train
always calls during daylight. The building on the right was once the
wagon repair works,
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image
reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey
The reason for taking the bike, as well as just to be able to get home
again, was to be able to explore some other railway relics in the area
by returning to Stockport along the 'Trans Pennine Trail.' The
map above shows the general area, with the Trans Pennine Trail being
the marked route down the centre of the map.
The scene at Reddish South looks rather rural, although off to the left
of the above view is a very large Safeway supermarket, just a minute's
walk from the station. The access to the very pleasant Reddish Country
Park with its tea rooms open at Weekends and other attractions
lies on the other side: one might think that these two features would
be sufficient to provide a decent train service, but no such luck.
From the shores of lake in the country park, once the water supply for
a factory, there is a splendid view of Reddish Viaduct on the
Manchester Piccadilly - Marple line. A Class 142 'Pacer' is seen making
its way across.
Crossing the river by a bridge adjacent to the Reddish Vale visitor
centre, I made my way up to the Trail itself, which in this area is
formed of the trackbed of the short railway from Brinnington Junction
to Reddish Junction, which closed completely back in 1966, having been
freight-only for years before that. The picture above looks between the
bars of Network Rail's security gate at the point where Reddish
Junction and its signalbox once existed. The Class 142 has just crossed
Reddish Viaduct on its way Marple: this picture took a lot of luck,
as I could not see any other view of the line, and despite the
bucolic atmosphere the sound of the train was almost lost in the noise
of the nearby motorway and the roar of the aircraft heading for
Manchester Airport.
It is only a short ride back along the trackbed, but it's a good
surface for cycling, and looks very good on a fine Spring day.
Before getting lost in the mass of roads outside Stockport, the Trail
joins the remains of the Stockport Tiviot Dale - Romiley line, once an
important route used by many long distance trains. From Brinnington
Junction one can take a short diversion through Brinnington Tunnel
towards Bredbury, quite an unusual experience as the tunnel is curved
and quite dark in the centre requiring the bike light to be turned on.
This view looks back out of the tunnel towards Brinnington Junction and
Stockport.
From the far end of the tunnel, a vista of re-deployed cotton mills
opens up. In the distance is Pear Mill, built around 1910 and complete
with pear motif on top of the tower.
An extremely interesting afternoon, and highly recommended.
Unfortunately after 22 May the train is being re-timed to run from
Stalybridge to Stockport only on Fridays only, to avoid some of
the disruption caused by the engineering works at Stockport.
