Two pictures that brought back many memories for me. This area was part of my 'playground' as a kid. The workmans hut was always unlocked and had a cast iron stove to keep you warm and to make a brew on. I used it a lot at one time while out and about or when skipping school.. which in my early teens was often.. I'd collect coal from these tracks to help out at home as a young lad, and rode the trains up and down between here and Godley now and then, jumping on the back of the guard vans. The right hand track was also the scene of the Great Cheetham Fold Train Robbery.. which is another story ha!
I was more scared of the farmer and his two doberman dogs who farmed some of the surrounding land than the railway police catching me. The farm is on the right of the bridge, and used to home to a herd of Holstein - Friesian Dairy and Beef cattle Alas now no cattle, the farm building is shut up and the farmer lives in a bungalow nearby. The stables and barns now rented out to house horses. I believe the farm and land did belonged to the Ashton Family at one time.
I was more scared of the farmer and his two doberman dogs who farmed some of the surrounding land than the railway police catching me. The farm is on the right of the bridge, and used to home to a herd of Holstein - Friesian Dairy and Beef cattle Alas now no cattle, the farm building is shut up and the farmer lives in a bungalow nearby. The stables and barns now rented out to house horses. I believe the farm and land did belonged to the Ashton Family at one time.
The arch to the left in the picture is going towards Hyde Central and beyond, while the one on the right did go towards Godley Junction and beyond, but now is part of the Trans Pennine walkway and forms the 3 mile + section from Apethorn to Godley. The T.P.W. trail stops at the bridge on Apethorn Lane and this last section from there to this right hand arch has been allowed to turn back to nature. It was alway a good place to shoot rabbits, must be even better now. '
Dated January 1915
Dated March 1915
Reports of a Train Crash that happened here
Dated January 1915
Dated March 1915
ReplyDelete.. had adventures in the same area Tom, fascinating when train halted at signals under the arch, hissing of the engine, creaking and groaning of the long line of wagon's (sure they carried stone) happy days. The farm you mention is 'Longacre Farm' and the family that still run it are the Newtons.
Great pics these got lot of good childhood memories of this area,don't remember the workmans hut must of been demolished before i was down there,looks like these pics taken in sixties and black and white one must be later maybe seventies with the diesel engine....
ReplyDeleteCheers for that David...
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonder someone was not killed around there... we used to play chicken by scrabbling under the wagons when the signal had stopped the trains.. I'm sure it was a friend of mine called Trevor Morley had to lie as flat as he could as the train pulled away while he was under a wagon... we were worried a coupling hanging down might of hit him.
There was another workmans hut just the Godley side of Apethorn Road bridge.. we had that has a den for years.. that one was brick built.
Bonfire time saw many of the discarded sleepers being carried away to our bonfires.. took a few of us at that age. I also recall a accident near by the level crossing... some wagons must have broke loose, and as the train was approaching the Apethorn Bridge it was slowing down.. the loose wagons came crashing into the back one or two derailed and at least one broke up.. that was just before the crossing, debris landed in the back gardens of the bungalows on Foxhole Road.