Former railwaymen re-unite in ‘mass gathering’!   

(First published in ‘Heritage Railway’ Magazine – September 2010)

When it comes to 'reunions', the former Lostock Hall Motive Power Depot, and the men who worked there until closure on 4 August 1968, surely must qualify for a place somewhere in the ‘Guinness Book of Records’!

During the first week of that August, ‘10D’ - perhaps the most celebrated of the otherwise totally unassuming ‘last three’ steam sheds on British Railways - was destined to play a leading role in the final death throes of steam and at which time the 86-year-old establishment was called upon to provide power for much of the then last few remaining steam-hauled passenger and freight workings on B.R.  Indeed, on the final weekend of all, Lostock Hall came to find itself indelibly printed into the history books when thousands of visitors flocked to Lancashire from all corners of Britain – and even from abroad – merely to say farewell to a much-loved mode of transport that had served Britain so faithfully and so reliably for well over 150 years.

To those who take an interest in such matters, two notably significant factors are evident nowadays. Not only does the long-demolished depot posthumously possesses what is arguably the finest and most comprehensive website of its type anywhere, but the question might also be asked (and with some justification), as to where else might one come across such a large group of former work colleagues who continue to meet up on a regular basis over four decades after, having found themselves redundant, most of them went their separate ways? Surely it could only have happened on the railways?

Certainly, events occurring in Preston on 4 August 2010 – and, significantly, 42 years to the very day since everyday steam actually ended – made headline news around the North-West, when a large number of now mainly long-retired railwaymen from the one-time Lostock Hall, Carnforth and Rose Grove depots, turned out in force in what can only be described as a mutual demonstration of avid determination to remember what was, for most of them, the most memorable period of their lives and, more importantly, to perpetuate a pledge never to forget all of the friends that they made during their railway careers!

The fact that such reunions still do occur at all is the clearest possible indication of that brotherly spirit developed, in particular, by railwaymen, following years of unstinting service together that had been rendered to the railway companies.  Along with old-fashioned skills, craftsmanship, loyalty and camaraderie between fellow workmen, efficient locomotive performance and consistently reliable steam motive power was produced, often in almost impossible situations. This had developed to form part of an unbroken tradition going back to the dawn of railways, but which had vanished forever when steam came to be replaced by that eternal quest for bland, boring, cost-saving efficiency that has so decimated the railway and its unique character that we all once loved.

The day started appropriately enough with Stanier 8F No 48151 storming under the bridge past the old 10D site, en-route to Carlisle with that day’s ‘Fellsman’ and, in so doing, retracing the very same path trodden over the years by countless generations of Lostock Hall engines and men.

42 years to the very day since 10D closed to steam and the final few 8Fs were withdrawn from service. In the midst of a torrential downpour (which, fortunately, cleared up later in the morning), 8F No 48151 climbs the last few yards of Farington Curve up to Lostock Hall Engine Shed Junction en-route to Carlisle with the ‘Fellsman’ of 4th August 2010

Shortly, afterwards, with a developing forest of mature trees now providing a background for photographs at the point where the old L&Y shed signing-on office and steps once stood hard upon the still-surviving narrow hump-backed over-bridge, ‘J. Fishwick & Sons No 5’ swept by.  The immaculately preserved Leyland PD2 low-bridge double-decker bus, that, in its heyday, surely must have transported thousands of railwaymen to their place of work at Lostock Hall (and, certainly, this writer to school), then drew up at a bus-stop but a stones-throw from the former depot entrance, in order to collect some rather special intending passengers.  

[LEFT] Seen at its ‘home shed’ on 4th August 2010 is J. Fishwick & Sons No 5 - the immaculately preserved Leyland PD2 low-bridge double-decker bus, which, in its heyday, transported thousands of railwaymen to their place of work at Lostock Hall.

[RIGHT] The ‘ECS working’ to Lostock Hall from the bus garage turned out to be anything but, with several passengers wishing to get in the maximum mileage !  Having grabbed the best seats upstairs, Roger Owen, Andy Hall, Martin Crimp, Tom Jones and Vinny Commons await departure for the next stop – the Victoria Hotel, by the old shed site.  

[LEFT] No 5 crosses Watkin Lane bridge en-route for the Ribble Steam Railway.  The former shed site can be seen on the right … 42 years to the day since it closed to steam.  

[RIGHT] Several minutes later, it crosses over the West Coast main line at Skew Bridge.

The plan was to carry this party of invited former footplatemen and other shed artisans for a day out at the Ribble Steam Railway’s museum complex, situated in the heart of the former Preston Docks.  Unbeknown to anyone, however, awaiting them was a special surprise that most would not have encountered for nearly half a century.

As the old bus (now in the ownership of well-known Lostock Hall enthusiast Bill Ashcroft) drew through the RSR gates, many must have thought they were seeing things!  For there to greet them, heading up a train of mineral wagons, was a veritable time-warp in the form of what appeared to be Lostock Hall shed’s long-lost ex-Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway 2F 0-6-0 No 52456, built 101 years ago at the Horwich Locomotive Works.

Two machines bearing the 24C shed-code pose alongside each other at Preston Riversway. Andy Booth’s L&YR Class A No 1300, masquerading as the former Lostock Hall shed’s long-scrapped 2F 0-6-0 No 52456, poses for photographs at the head of a train of mineral wagons. Drawn up alongside is J. Fishwick & Sons No 5 - the immaculately preserved Leyland PD2 low-bridge double-decker bus, which, in its heyday, transported thousands of railwaymen to their place of work at Lostock Hall

Most appropriately, until around 1962, this was a machine that would have been very familiar to every one of these men, but sadly however, the real No 52456 had departed - along with all the others of its type at Lostock Hall - to the scrap-yard in 1963 and the identical sister temporarily masquerading with the identity of 52456 (and even sporting a shed-plate bearing the one-time Lostock Hall code of 24C) proved to be Andy Booth’s 114-year-old L&Y Class A No 1300.  Currently awaiting boiler repairs, this is now the sole survivor of a very numerous type that once used to haul the lion’s-share of goods traffic shuttling between all of the ex-L&Y yards and goods depots scattered in and around the Preston area.

Event organiser Bob Gregson from Grange-over-Sands was one of those involved two years ago in arranging 2008’s hugely successful ‘40th Anniversary of the End of Steam’ loco-men’s reunion that took place just down the road from the erstwhile engine shed site.  On that memorable day, an amazing 125 former steam enginemen and friends turned up at the doors; the occasion proving to be the catalyst that Bob needed to persuade him to proceed with an idea which he had been postulating over with friends for quite some time. That was his ambitious plan to re-unite once more, on an actual steam locomotive footplate, some of the surviving pairs of loco-men who had been involved in some way or other with the ‘Last Day’ events of August 1968.  

That proposal soon proved to be a logistical nightmare for Bob!  Not only had every single person to be tracked-down and contacted individually, a task severely compounded by the fact that many had since moved out of the area (several now found to be residing in such outlandish places as the Isle-of-Man, the United States and even Australia), but that it was then to take a further two years to establish a mutual date upon which the majority of them actually would be available to participate!

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the writer had been amassing for the website a whole mass of old photographs from the shed’s heyday and, amongst which, literally dozens of pictures depicted drivers, firemen and other shed artisans going about their daily tasks. These memorable images (along with many more that had previously featured in the ‘Heritage Railway’ publication, “Steam – The Grand Finale") came to be printed and mounted ready to be placed on display at a special exhibition inside the Museum.

It was a sad fact that although several of the more elderly drivers still in railway service at the end of steam were already approaching retirement age in 1968 and had since passed away, quite remarkably most of the survivors - many now in their 70s and 80s – did appreciate the significance of this rather special day, turning up in force to re-unite with each other, perhaps for one last time.

Significantly, after so long, and in some cases after a gap of over four decades, the majority had forgotten - or had never been aware in the first place - that such photographs even existed, and so the display clearly proved to be a magnet for their attention.  On a poignant note, part of that exhibition had been dedicated to the memory of the late Ernie Heyes, driver of the very last regular steam-worked service passenger train of all, but who sadly passed away on June 16th 2010 (as previously reported in HR Issue 139) and merely weeks before the reunion, an event to which it is known he had been particularly looking forward.

As happens, since time immemorial, with railwaymen the world over, once a few congregate together, invariably it proves almost impossible to drag them apart … especially once the tales start to flow!  Perhaps it might have been the additional attraction in the form of a display of smoke-box plates from a host of one-time Lostock Hall particular favourites that exacerbated the situation, but after remaining dormant for many years, many nostalgic memories clearly appeared to have been re-kindled.  

Another school of thought, however, suggested that more than a few were actually conspiring with each other against those who had delivered them to a place where the nearest purveyor of alcoholic beverages was now discovered to be nearly a mile distant!

Whatever the truth of the matter, one thing was for sure, it certainly took some considerable time to persuade most of the large crowd to move outside the building in order to pose for the obligatory photo session. Nevertheless, in front of an eminently appropriate backcloth created by ‘52456’ and Fishwick No 5 standing alongside each other, a roll-call of 1968 driver/fireman combinations was presented - and the concluding half of a series of ‘then and now’ pictures eventually obtained.

This remarkable group-shot line-up taken 42 years to the very day since standard-gauge steam ended on BR, contains some celebrated names indeed and includes at least a dozen footplatemen involved in the six ‘Last Day’ special trains of 4 August 1968 and 4 fireman and a loco inspector involved in the ‘Fifteen Guinea Special’ of one week later.

 Strictly left to right we have:  Alan Green (10D) / Vinnie Commons (10D) / Andy Hall (10D) / Ronnie Clough (10D) / Frank Herdman (10D) / John Bond (ex 24K) / Alan Porter (24K/27C/9A) / Martin Crimp (10D)  / Geoff Mimnagh / David Whitehead (9K) / Keith Holden (Preston) / Peter Forrest (10F) / Pete Whelan (10D) / Roger Owen (10D) / Jim Walker (10F) / Bill Taylor - in hat (10D) / Mel Parker / John Burnett (10D)/ Dennis Westwood (24K)/ Bob Gant (10D) / Frank Watson (Accrington) Loco Inspector / Paul Tuson (10D) / Tom Jones (10D) / Ian Thistlethwaite (10A) / John Fletcher (10D) / Ralph Thistlethwaite (10A) / Jim Marlor (10D) - on crutches / Bill Ashcroft - on the bus / Gerry Cooke (10D) / Malcolm Thistlethwaite (10A) / David Hindle and Eric Ashton (10D).

The group-shot line-up contained some celebrated names indeed; these including at least a dozen men involved in the six ‘Last Day’ special trains of 4 August 1968 and 4 fireman and a loco inspector involved in the ‘Fifteen Guinea Special’ of a week later.   One ex-10D fireman, John “Fingers” Fletcher had fired No 44871 on the SLS train exactly 42 years previously, but was now proffering excuses to depart early … in order to fire No 48151 on that very afternoon’s returning Carlisle-Lancaster ‘Fellsman’!

LEFT] Four members of the 4 August 1968 Lostock Hall crews back on the footplate again together (L-R) Tom Jones (fireman 44894 – SLS Special). Vinnie Commons (driver 45305 – BR Special), Paul Tuson (fireman 45305 – BR Special) and John Burnett (driver 73069 – RCTS Special).  

[BELOW]

[FAR LEFT] Tom on 45305 with Ernie Heyes, [CENTRE LEFT] Vinny on 45388, [CENTRE RIGHT] Paul on 44806,  [FAR RIGHT] John on 45388 …. all in 1968.

[LEFT] The crew of 70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’ on the LCGB ‘Farewell to Steam’ railtour of 4 August 1968, re-united on the footplate for the first time in over 4 decades!  (L-R) Eric Ashton (fireman), Frank Herdman (driver, who transferred to Lostock Hall when steam ended at Stockport Edgeley) and Accrington-based footplate inspector Frank Watson.  

[RIGHT] Frank Herdman on the footplate of ‘Oliver Cromwell’ at Lostock Hall shed on 4th August 1968.

[LEFT] Three more 4th August 1968 footplatemen (L-R) Eric Ashton (fireman 70013), John Burnett (driver 73069) and Jim Marlor (fireman 48476) [CENTRE] Jim Prepares to leave shed with 48476

[RIGHT] On 4th August 1968, at Manchester Victoria and awaiting a late-running "Last Day of Steam" special, from left to right are John Burnett (driver), Jim Marlor (fireman), Harold Bolton (driver) and John Roach (fireman)

[LEFT] Alan Porter (ex-24K/27C/9A), John Bond (ex-24K) and Martin Crimp (ex-10D)

[RIGHT] Martin with driver Jock Cummings (10D) on 1st August 1968.

[LEFT] With a quick change of shedplate (!), here we have the Rose Grove Team represented by Peter Forest and Jim Walker.  

[RIGHT] On 4th August 1968, Jim was the fireman with driver Arnold Hodgson, when No 48773 was the last loco of all to work off Rose Grove shed, to haul the Blackburn to Carnforth leg of the RCTS railtour.

Following a visit to the Museum, Running shed and Workshops, which between them today contain over 40 locomotives (these including Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 No 46441, L&Y ‘Pug’ 0-4-ST No 19 and LNWR 0-4-0ST No 1439, many guests finally joined one of the steam-hauled passenger service trains departing from the RSR’s Riverside Station, to be transported along the riverbank for the length of the former dockland site as far as the Network Rail boundary and present terminus at Strand Road.

Unfortunately that’s all we have in this section for now, so before you continue on to the next page, please do consider the following.

What you have just been reading is, of course, only a small part of the story of Lostock Hall MPD ….  all of it having been gratefully received from a mere handful of contributors who have so generously assisted us to-date.  

There are obviously many more stories out there just waiting to be told … only these haven’t as yet been passed on to us!  Therefore, in order to start filling-in many missing pieces in this, still very incomplete, jigsaw, please do now consider making a contribution of your own.

Items of information and scanned photographs would be most welcomed. Alternatively, you might wish to share your footplate experiences by meeting up for a pint and a natter in the pub, or, failing that, through merely participating in our “Discussion Forum” (as many already have done). Regardless of how you make contact and irrespective of whatever manner you feel you may be able to assist, please DO get in touch!

NOTE: All information contained within these pages is original material - prepared specifically for the Lostock Hall MPD Website (www.LostockHallMPD.org.uk) and which remains strictly the express COPYRIGHT of the website administrators. Likewise, all photographs used remain the COPYRIGHT of the photographers identified. No item must be reproduced, or quoted from (in whole or even in part), in the absence of express prior permission being granted.  (Please refer to the “Get In Touch” page in order to obtain the contact addresses of the administrative team.)