Red Bank Carriage & Van Sidings, Manchester
 

http://the-railway-image.fotopic.net/p16690775.html

This might bring back memories for many people! Never visited the site myself and its now defunct of course (closed 1989) but it looked a lively & fascinating place, rather like a rolling stock marshalling yard. Would it have any use these days? A DMU stabling point? Although it would be nowhere near as extensive as it looked here.. crikey 1988, doesn't seem that long ago does it!

Does for me, I was born within days of that photo most likely. :p

Many memories of when we ran the postal vans and TPO's there for the weekend overhaul. Such happy days.

Hello There
I was interested to see the photo as I worked in Cheetham Hill signalbox a couple of times in 1993 when of course all the sidings had gone.
jmack

I have found this photo in my collection of 40088 hauling the daily Holyhead-Red Bank working at Parkside on 3rd November 1981.
Attachment 457

I always remember when the parcels trains used to run on the WCML the "roar" the GUVs used to make when going at high speed.

Red Bank used to serve many places - Carlisle, Glasgow, Barrow, Leeds, York, Liverpool (Wavertree), Heysham, etc. I think there was even a cross-Manchester transfer service from Longsight to Red Bank. I believe Vic used to be quite a lively place in the evening as the vans came alongside Platform 11 for the newspapers from the printing presses for despatch to numerous destinations. Add to this parcels & newspapers from Manchester Exchange prior to '69 both complexes must have been an electrifying place to be.

Perhaps Manchester's most celebrated van train was the Heaton (Newcastle) to Red Bank (Manchester Victoria) which last ran on July 11 1988. Regularly double-headed in steam days.

Yes, on jointed track you could tell it was a parcels train without even looking. I can still hear the characteristic sound of bogie vehicles mixed with 4-wheeler CCT's.:)

I often wonder what it must have been like to ride in them. A lively experience I imagine!:)

My nearest must have been riding in a Commonwealth bogied MK1 Buffet when they were still being used in WCML formations, such as the Sussex Scot from Brighton to Edinburgh!

i remember this train thru Rochdale about 5 pm with 61019 EE type 4 in the mid 60s what a sight pricless

61019 was b1 class withh EE type 4 leading on Newcastle Red bank vans

I visited the sidings twice in the 80's, the second time there were 101 vehicles present, but this first visit, on August 4th 1987, contained a more varied selection of stock, including a shunter, notable for it's absence in 1988. Here's the list of vehicles present on that first occasion:

08666
1740, 5123, 6408, 6411, 7113, 7191, 7916, 7928, 18808, 18837, 18862, 19452, 19536, 19555, 35461, 59230, 59794, 80654, 80663, 80707, 80752, 80789, 84086, 84092, 84096, 84433, 92176, 93107, 93138, 93218, 93233, 93417, 93441, 93539, 93542, 93555, 93560, 93563, 93571, 93584, 93592, 93594, 93673, 93688, 93764, 93769, 93781, 93798, 93808, 93813, 93854, 93866, 93907, 93919, 93941, 93942, 93962, 93969, 94063, 94070, 94073, 94076, 94077, 94078, 94112, 94173, 94176, 94219, 94239, 94298, 94303, 94307, 94314, 94335, 94731, 94792, 94817, 94881, 94892, 94899, 94919
99710/18767, 99711/18857, 99712/25893, 99713/19013, 99714/7187, 99715/35737, ADM44404.
As can be seen, if anyone's looked through this list, 23 4-wheeled CCT vans were to be found, along with a couple of DMU cars & a few oddities, like the LM inspection saloon. A very interesting place (if somewhat short of motive power!) the likes of which don't appear to exist any longer. The yard's staff were only too pleased to allow my visits, very accomodating; sadly also a thing of the past. Ah, memories.....

Red Bank sidings are long gone, lifted in the ealy 90s, along with the line from Victoria East jct to Thorpes Bridge Jct (near Newton Heath).