8th November 2022 “Gone Forever – Images of BR Steam in the North of England (Part 2)” by Michael Smyth

Following his highly successful Part 1 presentation on February 8^th 2022, Branch Member Michael Smyth completed his coverage of the end of BR steam in this Part 2 presentation. Beginning in his home town of Leeds, where steam ended on 1^st October 1967, the talk began with 9F 92212 leaving Hunslet on October 4^th with the 16.20 to Carnforth, by then an out-and-back from the still-operational Lancashire steam depot.

October 1967 was when Michael started University, so his next opportunity to photograph steam was over Christmas 1967, with wonderfully atmospheric, Lowry-style images around Manchester (in some of the most dreadful weather) including 8F 48153, banked by Black 5 44845 and 8F 48200, struggling with a train of steel bars up Miles Platting bank, 44962 at Victoria closing up with sanders on to bank and Eastbound freight and Britannia 70045 on a parcels working. Michael captured the atmosphere of grime and dereliction at Victoria and Exchange stations marvelously through then-everyday scenes including platform trolleys and piles of mail bags waiting to be loaded. A trip over to Carnforth just before Christmas Day 1967 showed Black 5 45353 on Northbound Presflo cement wagons in freezing weather, BR Standard Class 5 75037 (the Tebay banker) shunting in the yards and the long-forgotten sight of a ‘Fire Devil’ on the northbound platform doing sterling service next to the water crane.

Over Easter 1968 Michael returned to Manchester and showed us more Lowry-style images including Black 5s 44855 on a parcels working up the bank, 45206 shunting in the bay platforms at Victoria and 45212 arriving on the 09.25 from Glasgow (a working that remained steam-hauled from Preston to the very end). A quick foray to Preston saw Ivatt Class 4 No. 43106 on station pilot duties and 9F 92017 crossing the Ribble viaduct on a Northbound freight.

An excursion onto Eastern Region territory was made on 1^st May 1968 to see 4472 ‘Flying Scotsman’ passing St Neots on time at 11.00 with the 40^th Anniversary Non-Stop Run from Kings Cross to Edinburgh, preceded by D9021 ‘Argyll and Sutherland Highlander’ on the service train equivalent.

By June 1968 the end of steam was very much in sight. In the Leeds area the daily oil train from Heysham to Hunslet was regularly double-headed by a steam-diesel combination and seen behind D5181 and 8F 48715. The Grassington Branch remained steam-worked to the end, and we were treated to some delightful views of Branch locomotive 75027 shunting at Skipton North Junction, at Embsay Junction and departing Rylstone quarry with loaded ballast.

25^th June 1968 was the last week of steam in Manchester with the weather matching perfectly the mood of the occasion. Notwithstanding, Michael produced some outstanding images including Black 5s 45344, 44884 and 45206 on Banking duty, 44781 and 44888 at Bolton, an almost deserted Patricroft shed, 44735 at Red Bank Carriage Sidings and 8F 48665 at Newton Heath. The extent of the decrepitude of the railway scene at this time would not be believed were it not for the photographs.

The closing events at Rose Grove were recorded on 26^th and 27^th June 1968, Carnforth on 25^th July and Rose Grove again on 26^th July. The final workings we saw included the last two Copy Pit bankers - 8Fs 48278 and 48151, 48393 on the last steam hauled freight over Copy Pit and views in Rose Grove shed of fires being dropped for the last time on August 3^rd. A Colin Gifford-inspired light-and-shade view of a silhouetted train spotter noting engine numbers for the last time brought the end of steam to a very poignant close.

The final specials on August 4^th and 11^th were seen at Cornholme Viaduct and Sherriff Brow Viaduct respectively, concluding with Britannia 70013 heading South Light Engine at Ais Gill.

To complete the evening, Michael showed a miscellany of photographs taken after the end of steam including industrial steam at Waterloo Main colliery in Leeds, the lines of withdrawn locomotives at Woodham’s yard in Barry, a French 1-4-1R class at Calais and Ivatt Class 2 No. 46443 at Bridgenorth in October 1970.

Michael described the acute sense of loss after the end of steam on BR but finished the evening with a taste of the future – the return of steam to the Main Line in the form of GWR ‘King’ Class No. 6000 ‘King George V’ on the Bulmer’s special from Hereford to Tyseley on October 2^nd 1971.

We are hugely grateful to Michael for a wonderful evening of excellent photographs in some of the most challenging weather conditions imaginable and for recording the events, the moods and the atmosphere of this defining period in British railway history. The meeting closed at 9.22 pm.