The weather on the morning of
Saturday 30th April was not unexpected but was nonetheless unwelcome. A
large proportion of our prospective travellers sought shelter from the
steady drizzle under the canopy of a Tithebarn Street office block whilst
awaiting the arrival of our bus, due at 08:00. A phone call from Charles
Roberts at 07:54 informed me that the Birkenhead pick-up time of 07:45 had
not been met. Anyone who has organised a tour will tell you that it is
always a considerable relief to hear that the tour vehicle has turned up
so I was pleased to learn on ringing Charles at 08:00 that he was aboard
B962WRN on the M53 and was heading our way. I informed those around me and
contacted Mark Telfer, our man in Oxford Street, to do the same.
|
Austerity tank engine at the head of the 10:34 train from Froghall which
carried the LUPTS party. Photo: Charles Roberts/Online
Transport Archive (CCR26148) |
Anticipating
possible traffic delays on the M6, I had built in some recovery time to
the schedule, so that as we left Liverpool I was still optimistic that we
would arrive at the Churnet Valley Railway in time for the 10:34 train.
Our Olympian with its new gearbox was not quite as speedy as I would have
wished but the M6 was clear of congestion and we were still on course to
catch the train as we left the A500 for the A52 in Stoke-on Trent, pausing
to pick-up Dave Ventry and daughter Sarah.
This tour had been planned around the central attraction of the new tram
line in Nottingham with the other venues 'bolted on'. Having decided upon
the Churnet Valley Railway I then had to address what became the most
difficult problem - where to find a bus. A return trip on the railway was
a necessity owing to the lack of a station at Leek Brook Junction and a
weak bridge and narrow roads in Cheddleton. Using the A52 as therefore
unavoidable, but I had noticed some unfriendly looking tree branches
overhanging parts of the road when I was planning the tour. This ruled out
using a normal height double decker of 14'-6". Double deckers are
thin on the ground these days on Merseyside and low height ones are rare
specimens. I discussed the problem with Keith "First" Nason,
whom undertook to investigate possibilities within First Group. In the
meantime I spoke with John Cherry of Aintree Coachline. Although his fleet
is largely 14'-6" or more in height, he had acquired an ex-Ribble
Olympian, fleet number 2162, largely for sentimental reasons. At just
13'-8" it seemed ideal for our tour. The problem was solved and with
the bus based at Eastham we could offer a Wirral pick-up point.
|
Man and granddaughter get in way of picture of a Class 33 at the other end
of the LUPTS train. Photo: Paul Hollinghurst |
Thus it was that our party of
30 adults, 9 seniors and 6 children arrived at Kingsley and Froghall
station with 10 minutes to spare before the train departed. John and
Hillary Jenkins joined us for the train trip, complete with granddaughter
Lucy. The diesel fans were pleased to see a class 33 on the rear of our
train, probably a wise precaution as 6 Mark 1 coaches were perhaps taxing
for an Austerity 0-6-0ST on wet rails! A number of the party took
advantage of the buffet car as we trundled down the line through the lush
vegetation, never far from the River Churnet and the Caldon Canal. Through
the drizzle could be seen a pub where, many years ago, Charles and I had
endured a meal of burnt roast boot served by a landlady with an inch of
ash hanging from the tip of her Woodbine. We haven't been back ...
[Given the criticism I got for my comments about the Coventry Railway
Centre last year, I would like to dissociate myself from the last
sentence. Ed.]
|
A quick reversal
at Leek Brook Junction saw the class 33 take up the strain. After a brief
stop at Cheddleton we returned to Kingsley where 2162 was waiting. The
climb out of the Valley was steep as we barely missed more low trees,
eventually proving to be too much for the Gardner engine in second gear
and we had to stop for John Cherry to engage the crawler first. We
eventually breasted the summit and then encountered better weather as the
rain stopped and the sun began to break through. Our route took us via the
edge of Ashbourne and through Derby. A brief glimpse of Toton Traction
Maintenance Depot was to be had from the right hand side of the bus as we
headed east.
Approaching Nottingham we engaged Humpage Navigation. As Adrian lives near
the city this was an eminently sensible move and he ably guided the driver
to our set-down point alongside Midland Station before taking the
opportunity to explore the same places that he goes to every Saturday!
2162 was to meet us at the northern terminus of the tram route in Hucknall,
so I left my OS map with John Cherry and wished him luck in finding it!
The tour passengers had been given details of tram times and stops in the
itinerary but I was not optimistic that everyone would reach Hucknall by
15:00, our scheduled departure time.
|
The Nottingham Express Transit terminus at Hucknall. Photo: Chris Poole (after R E
Jowitt) |
I spent my time in Nottingham
in the company of Charles and Dave Parker. Various photos were taken and a
bit of Great Central Railway trackbed noted before we walked along the
tram route to Old Market Square. Some sort of festival was in progress,
complete with Caribbean music. Dave said that it reminded him of the Town
Square in Warsaw. I must have missed the Jamaican Quarter when I was there
...
A well loaded tram for Hucknall arrived at the nearby stop and we climbed
aboard. Various other members of the party were already there, clutching
£1.20 apiece to hand to the conductor. It was as predicted, standing room
only, thus obscuring a Nottingham Forest fan from the view of Charles as
he mused upon the misfortune of the recently relegated team with his usual
tact. However the comment was not overheard so he didn't end up being tied
to the rails or suspended from his own organiser. [My comment, on passing
through the stop at Highbury Vale, was that this would be the closest
Nottingham would get to Highbury for many years. Ed.] The
tram was well patronised to the end of the line and such a high level of
use will hopefully bolster the case for further routes in due course.
|
My doubts about the ability
of all our passengers to tear themselves away from city centre hostelries
in time to reach Hucknall for 15:00 were unfounded, although there was a
10 minute delay due to a faulty
tram being taken out of service. We made our way out of Hucknall to the M1
before taking the A38 to join the A610 at Ripley. Although I could have
found a way around it, the 13'-9" railway bridge at Ambergate was
another good reason for hiring 2162. As we approached it we must have
triggered a beam as a roadside sign flashed "OVERHEIGHT VEHICLE -
TURN AROUND!" at us as we accelerated towards an exciting moment in
the lives of those sitting at the front of the top deck. I had always had
every confidence that we would fit through unscathed and there was no need
for Dave Richards to carry a black bag upstairs to pick up the odd
detached head. It was notable though that Dave "Network Rail"
Ventry had left the tour in Nottingham!
|
Approaching, very slowly, the low bridge at Ambergate, the
webmaster bravely risks his life to get this photograph. Photo: Charles Roberts/Online
Transport Archive (CCR26170) |
The LUPTS party aboard the
railcar. Photo: David Richards |
Joining the A6, we paused
briefly to observe the ex- Liverpool Corporation Leyland Panther that has
done duty as a roadside cafe for more years than it was in use as a bus
before turning up the B5023 to Wirksworth. At the end of the day a number
of participants told me how much they had enjoyed our tour of the
Wirksworth Station area at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. This pleased
me considerably as I had felt that this line had a great potential from
the first time that I saw the site about 10 years ago, a long time before
WyvernRail came into being. It is unusual amongst heritage railways in
that it is a complete branch line, linking a town with a main line
junction. Although it is still early days in the life of the new operator
the staff have made very rapid progress in the last 2 years and the local
support is very encouraging. I was very pleased to be able to incorporate
it in our tour and would suggest a return visit in a few years. We were
welcomed by officials from WyvernRail who outlined progress and plans
before a short trip to Gorsey Bank and back on the single unit Gloucester
RCW railcar. A tour of the station yard followed with the tunnel linking
to a nearby quarry being a particularly unusual feature.
|
I had contacted the
Wirksworth Fish Bar a week before the tour to let them know that a
ravenous horde would be in town. They told me that they always had chips
on the go which I thought was a wise move considering the business that
they were in. They were anxious that a large number would want to eat in
but I assured them that our group would stand around outside making the
town centre look untidy. So it proved. I stood on a kerb acting as
lollipop man for the young and old sans confectionery whilst most of the
party went to get battered (cod). I am assured that the chips were top
grade and it was a well fed bus load that returned via the A6 through
Matlock, Buxton and Stockport. An unexpected route via Manchester was
taken by our assistant driver but the return to Liverpool was only
slightly later than planned and I left the bus outside "The Head of
Steam" on Lime Street at the end of a very satisfying day.
My thanks to John Cherry and all who helped out before and during the day. |
The compulsory group
photograph. The party pose in front of the tour vehicle at
Wirsksworth. Photo: Chris Poole |
Photo: Dave Parry |
Sunday lunch at The Chimneys
in Hooton Green. |
Photo: Charles Roberts/Online
Transport Archive (CCR26120) |
Then a visit to the nearby
Hooton Park. Based around three First World War hangars, on
land at the edge of the massive Vauxhall car factory site. The
history of the site was explained to us, from its earliest days as a manor
house, racecourse and polo field, then becoming an airfield and an
RAF station before closing in the 1950s. A preservation group want
to restore the hangars and they already have a display of memorabilia
associated with the site (and some joke exhibits - see left). [Again, it should be noted than some
people decided on an alternative venue - this time Cheshire
Oaks.] |
Photo: Dave Parry |
There was even time for an
impromptu visit to some preserved vehicles on a nearby farm. The very
packed weekend finished at about 17:00 or so. |
Photo: Charles Roberts/Online
Transport Archive (CCR26187) |
SUNDAY'S CAPTION COMPETITION
- Mr Fraser wonders whether his first
post-retirement challenge is a little bit on the ambitious side.
- At the presentation Mr
Fraser's delight at having been chosen to receive his RAF Wings
quickly turns to despair.
- Hmmm ... looks like I'm going to
have to buy a bigger tube of polystyrene cement.
|
